Arbo picnic, Spring 2009

I was starving by the time i got back from grocery shopping so I made this quick little sandwich which is a perfect outdoor snackin’ companion.  Three ingredients: Havarti with dill, baguette, sliced pink lady or gala apples.  If you’re feeling fancy throw some greens or mustard in there, I was fine without.

image c/o the Kitchn

Meat
Roasted Pork Shoulder
275 Degrees
6 hours
Dry spice rub of your choosing
–>I used a certain spice rub created by Ms. Maureen S. last xmas

When I started reading through this cookbook I realized that I would need a wok. My first wok was non-stick, and rusted after about 6 months where the Teflon peeled away. (gross!) When I lived in San Francisco there was this awesome store in Chinatown called The Wok Shop. I always went in there, but never bought anything- even though it is freakishly reasonably priced. Once I moved and started looking for woks online, I realized I had missed a great opportunity- this store is considered one of the best wok shops in the country, if not THE wok shop. Luckily for me they have a fairly straight-forward online ordering system.  I ended up with 1 handmade iron wok, a gas oven ring (yay! no more electric stove!), a two tiered bamboo steamer, and a Chinese-style pickling jar for my main squeeze all for under $50, including shipping. What a steal!…I appreciate the big warning on the ordering page “our products do not have lead.” Did they previously?!?

Dinner
Roast pork stir fry with kale
and julienne veggies
Place the wok over high heat, drizzle oil into the hot pan
Add julienne veggies, stir fry 1 minute
Add pork and kale, stir fry until warm
add a 1/4 c or so broth, cover and steam- serve with rice

We’ve had a tub of plan greek-ish (thick, but not quite thick enough to count as strained) yogurt in the fridge for about a week. We also had some cucumbers and some dill, along with a few lemons to boot. So, I made a little tzatziki sauce to eat with my Chinese food, and it was delicious.

Lunch/Dinner
Pulled pork sandys
We used Fornax sliced sourdough boule, but just about any hearty bread would do
smear mustard on one side of the bread and BBQ sauce on the other
place pulled pork on sandi, put pickles, or jalapenos, or any other treat on the pork
Slice cheese (we used Moz.) and make sandwich
Toast for 5 minutes until warm through and the bread is crispy

Dinner
Pork Chili
Chop: onions, carrots, potatoes and soften over heat with oil S & P
Deglaze the pan with some red wine, hopefully less crappy than the wine I chose
Add pork, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and full head of garlic, pressed
cook until the liquid is absorbed
deglaze with broth and bring to a boil
add tomatoes- simmer 30 minutes
Add red and white kidney beans- simmer 30 minutes

Who knows what creation will result from the leftover chili!

Once Upon A Time…a recreation of a hoppy, black ale originally brewed in London November 15th, 1901.  Talk about winter warmer, this ale comes in at 7.8% alcohol and drinks like a more carbonated porter.  I can imagine sharing this 22 ouncer with a special friend over some hearty beef stew mmmmmm.

My roasted chicken saga goes as follows:all day at work I was talking about roasting a chicken when I got home.  I probably told everyone in my office vicinity at least twice as well as my man crow back at the apt.  I got on my bike, rode down to harvest to pick up the infamous chicken only to find that they were all sold out.  Why do I always get my hopes up that this neighborhood store will have the one item I am counting on!!??  It’s happened to me numerous times in the cheese department but this is the first at the meat counter.  I swallowed my hostility, purchased the overpriced breast, and rode home determined to do what crows do best: improvise.

colorful veggies pre-oven roast

Roasted Root Veggies w/ Shredded Chicken in Gravy
For the Veggies:
Chop up what ever root veggies and aromatics you have on hand into equal sizes.  I used onions, carrots, celery, fennel, parsnips, potatoes (blue and fingerling), and whole garlic cloves.  Toss the veggies in olive oil, salt, pepper and freshly chopped thyme and oregano.  Pour veggies in to a baking dish and add about 1/4 C of stock to the bottom.  Cover with tin foil and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes; the perfect amount of time to sip on some wine and casually prepare the chicken.  Once the chicken is ready to go in the oven you can remove the tin foil from the veggies and let both dishes bake alongside for another 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and the veggies are tender.
For the Chicken:
Season the breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper, freshly chopped thyme and lemon zest.  Add some extra oil to the baking dish as well.  Place in the oven after the veggies have already gotten a 20-25 minute head start.  After about 30 minutes, transfer the breasts to a plate to let cool and place the baking dish on a medium low burner.  Add about a tablespoon of flour and whisk until the rawness is cooked off.  If you desire a little more richness in your gravy feel free to add a couple pads of butter.  Take the roasted garlic cloves (I used two) out of the veggie dish and squeeze the flesh into the gravy mixture and whisk to evenly distribute.  Pour in a splash of white wine to release all the browned bits on the bottom of the dish, then add enough stock till the gravy is at you’re desired thickness.  Let simmer on low while you shred the chicken breast with two forks.  Add the shredded chicken to the gravy and let mixture simmer on low for about 3-5 minutes.  Check for seasoning and serve with the roasted veggies.

When a roasting chicken is not available, this recipe can easily fill the void.

The three beers went down fast so we were left pondering where the night would take us.  We agreed that more beer and some food was necessary so Emily, Vbar and I chose the low key route of ordering sandwiches from city feed and picking up some 22oz beers from blanchards.  Since city feed is often crowded with screaming small children, Vbar came up with the perfect plan of ordering the sandwiches, notifying the cashier we would be right back, and skipping out to blanchards to pick up some brew.  By the time we got back, our sandwiches had just came off the assembly line and we were happily on our way with delicious food and drink in hand.

Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely. 10.0% abv • 15.6ºL • Imperial India Pale Ale • 22 oz / 1/2 keg / 1/6 keg

I have been all about the 220z high alcohol content beers this summer (a trend that may continue indefinitely).  My go to brew has been the unearthly ipa from southern tier brewing company. If you read the description you will see that the alcohol content of this bad boy is 10% and they sell a 22oz bottle at blanchards for $7.99.  In terms of getting the best bang for your buck its almost equivalent to buying your favorite bottle of wine for 8 bucks, which is virtually impossible.

I definitely suggest this blanchards/city feed route the next time you want to take a night off from the kitchen and don’t have the energy to sit down and dine at a restaurant.  You can fill your tummy and catch a small buzz in the location of your choice for around $15; add that to your urbanspoon page!

The Roslindale Farmers market is one of the best farmer’s markets I’ve ever been to. In terms of accessibility, affordability, and quality, I would say it is better than many of the larger and more famous markets (like Seattle’s Pikes place or San Francisco’s Ferry Building) in large cities. California has a long growing season, that’s not in question, but I really love being back in the great food culture of New England. I feel that quality goods are appreciated, and better tasting, when everyone knows there is such a short production period. This year, I am trying my best to overbuy from the market, and bring the ingredients home to preserve. So far, I’ve only had time to blanch & freeze. I hope to can by seasons end.

Last week I discovered the true gem of the Roslindale market at the Allendale Farm stand.  All of the stands have started producing some really quality heirloom tomatoes. My personal favorite is, I think, the Cherokee Purple. I love all of the tomatoes with dark green and purple skin, and thick red flesh with minimal seeds inside. Not so hidden on the back table of the Allendale stand are $5 bags of tomatoes. For the past several weeks I have assumed that these were the second rate duds, probably over ripe, ugly, or just plain boring vine or patio tomatoes. Boy was I wrong! What I found was a nearly 5 lb bag of beautiful Heirlooms, all at different stages of ripeness- perfect for planning my weekly meals. The second week I went to check out this deal, there were still heirlooms, although this week, a little too overripe for my needs.

After an awesome lunch of Wedged lettuce, sliced heirlooms, and homemade blue cheese dressing, I started brainstorming what I would do with the rest of the lot. On Sunday night, I made a tart. Next time I make this, I think I will either just bake the crust, and not the ‘maters, or roast the ‘maters before baking off the tart as a whole. I would also add the mozzarella for the last 20 minutes, rather than have it on there the whole time. Nobody likes dehydrated mozzarella. The basic ingredients are below.

Summer Tomato Tart

Crust
2 cups flour
2 T parmesean
1 t crushed black pepper
6T cold butter, in cubes
Ice water

Mix in the usual pastry crust manner. Refrigerate for 1/2 an hour.

Filling
Sliced heirlooms
red onion
Fresh Mozarella
Basil Leaves, whole
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

Slice everything to the same thickness, and arrange within the crust as a sprial.

Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

From the Market: Corn, lettuce, cukes, onion, garlic, potatoes
From the Porch: Cherry tomatoes, basil, thyme

The potato pouch is very simple, just drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of the tin foil pouch, add thinly sliced potatoes onions.  Drizzle more olive oil on top and give a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper along with some fresh thyme sprigs.  Roll up the tin foil and pop it on the grill over medium high heat for about 20 minutes.

Corn off the Cob w/ Roasted Garlic and Basil
I made this as a side dish but feel free to increase the quantity!

2 ears fresh corn sawed off the cob (this is always messy but if you cut the tip of the ear off it provides a level surface to stand the corn up on)
2-3 garlic cloves, roasted emily crow style*
drizzle of olive oil or butter
freshly chopped basil
salt and pepepr to taste

In a saute pan heat the oil and add chopped roasted garlic.  Add corn kernels, salt and pepper and stir until it is all coated.  If the corn is fresh then it doesn’t need to cook it just needs to heat through  and get some of that yummy roasted garlic flavor so about 30 seconds to one minute.  Take off heat and top with freshly chopped basil.

*Emily showed me a quick & easy way to roast garlic.  Peel the cloves, put them in a tin foil pouch with salt, pepper and a generous amount of olive oil.  Close up the pouch and toss it on the grill over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes.  Emily and I like to snack on the smaller crispier cloves like little savory candies and the left over olive oil in the pouch can be used in salad dressings.

Lest I overwhelm the collective voice of the blog via my self-indulgent introduction, I will provide the breakdown of the Watermelon and Feta salad I contributed to V-Bar’s delightful engagement party. I can’t take credit for the Jambalaya, that was all the boy and The Fat Man (Paul Prudhomme).

Watermelon and Feta Salad

adapted from Jacques Pépin

1 Watermelon, cut into bite-sized chunks or balled, if you have the patience

1/3 cup olive oil (the unsullied kind)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Tabasco (I like a good amount, but add to your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups crumbled feta cheese

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

Jacques adds olives, but I omit.

Whisk together everything you can whisk in a big bowl, then add the watermelon, feta, and anything that’s not so easy to whisk and toss. Garnish with the mint. Eat soon, it quickly turns to soup as the melon de-bloats.

Fresh Salsa
1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced (use your discretion on seeds)
1 garlic clove, pressed (optional)
1 lime, zested and juiced
handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients into a bowl, once mixed salsa should be ready to consume.  The lime zest is what really made this salsa pop for us crows, why do we not zest more often?