I did it. Finally.

Back in 2008, I attended my first pig slaughter. That day I decided that butchery and charcuterie would play a major part in my life. I already loved bacon and salami, so maybe they already did.

Now I am working at Sea Breeze Farm as the butcher's assistant. I am learning, experiencing and creating. It is a rewarding feeling to see the end product of your hard day's work. Especially when it looks so beautiful. I have also moved to Vashon Island to a wonderland farm called Island Meadow. The peaceful farm setting and the traditional job promises many relaxing and delicious days to come.

Amuse Bouche

Alright, this is a short post/rant. I didn't invent the term "amuse bouche". It has been around for a long time. It is a basic french menu item, but I find myself appalled at the amount of people who abuse the term. Am I some sort of culinary purest? I think not. I am, however, a reader of words and I put a level of faith in the title people bestow upon their creations. Oh yeah, who am I to dictate the labels people use for their art? I am consumer of that art. I eat the food. I order it off of the menu. If something goes by the name amuse bouche, I tend to expect certain things. I expect it to be small, one bite and exciting. I don't think I will need a knife and fork and I definitely don't want it to ruin my appetite. When bands use a specific and misleading term to describe their music, I revolt. Call your shitty metalcore band "powerviolence" and it is over. Don't build up my expectation, give me license to paint a glorious picture in my mind and then destroy it with some half assed excuse for an open face sandwich. It is infuriating and unacceptable. Wow...I feel so much better now.

Home Baked

I remembered what I have been doing all year. BAKING BREAD!!! I have a simple no-knead recipe that produces the most amazing round rustic loaves of tasty bread. I am aware that the no-knead thing is so 3 years ago and that wheat/gluten is the new HFCS, but nothing beats a warm slice of homemade bread with butter. Nothing. I'll tell you how to make it. This is the recipe that I use and I have tweaked it to work for me. It has produced beautiful results every single time. The only catch, you have to have a dutch oven. There is no way around it. Enameled or nicely seasoned cast iron is fine. It just needs to be heavy.

In a large glass bowl, mix together 4 cups of flour, 1 T of kosher salt, 1 t of sugar and a little bit less that one T of dry instant yeast. After it is all mixed together add 2 cups of really cold water. Stir to combine. When you are done, the dough should be on the wet side and all of the flour needs to be incorporated. With your hands, pat the dough into a boule (a round ball of dough) and sprinkle or spray some olive oil on top and make sure that all of the boule has a thin layer on it. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and stick in a warm place for 18 hours. You can go up to 6 hours longer, but you don't have to if you can't wait. I never can.

After the 18 hours are up, get a cup of flour. Uncover the dough and put some flour on it. Flour your hands and keep them floured. Push the dough away from the sides of the bowl and turning to shape the dough back into the boule and  letting the flour fall to the bottom. Make sure that the dough and the bowl are covered in flour. You want to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl later in the process. It will save you a lot of trouble. Cover it back up with the towel and let it sit for 2 more hours.

Put your dutch oven (with the lid on) on the third level of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  When the oven is hot, pull the dutch oven out of the oven, throw the dough in and put the lid on. You have to move fast and do your best not to flatten any big bubbles that formed during the second rise. That is why I recommend all of the flour. It will be easier than you think. Bake for 50-55 minutes and then take the lid off and bake for 15 minutes more.

The first time I did this, I was really impressed. It thought it was beginner's luck, but it really is fool proof. The hardest part is waiting for the bread to rise.

Soup: its a lifestyle

I have been thinking about what I should write about; what is so interesting that it deserves an "ode". Soup is that interesting.

One of my friends hates hot liquids and therefore, he does not like soup. He will only go as far as a stew or chili. Some people only eat it when they are sick. Eating soup can actually make them feel sick. Every culture has a soup that is specific to their area and people are proud of their local soup recipes. I make a lot of soup. I use it as a way to get through a box of produce that might otherwise go bad. I make it to help myself feel better. I make it to help other people feel better. I load up my freezer with containers of soup and stock. I am constantly working on my stock ritual. It is the building block of soup. It is one of the only foods that I have the instant version hiding in my cupboard (I swear I only use bouillon in a pinch).

One of my best soup memories is the chicken noodle soup my grandparents would serve on Christmas eve. A basic broth made with beef and chicken bones, thin egg noodles and perfectly small-dice vegetables, the only thing that would make it better was a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano and a tiny slice of butter. I have yet to replicate the full and subtle flavor of the broth. My stock is always a little off and the noodles are always too thick.

What is your favorite soup recipe? Mine is a version of Italian Wedding soup that is pictured above. White beans, Italian sausage and Kale make the broth a little thicker and heartier that most Italian soups. Boil white beans with a bay leaf and a little salt pork. Reserve liquid. Brown sausage in saute pan. Saute aromatics or mirepoix,  in butter, in a dutch oven. Add chiffonade kale, beans, sausage and 1 cup of the bean broth and then enough hot chicken stock to cover. Let the flavors mellow. S&P are important. Add some thyme and parsley for freshness. As soon as the kale has softened....spoon it in to a bowl and eat it. Ah...

Lasagna

I love lasagna. It is a casserole, but it is compiled in specific layers that are kept separate by one of the best inventions ever, pasta. I like it when my food is organized.



I have always made vegan lasagna. I'll make one before going out when bands might stay over or if I need to feed a lot of people fast.  Most of my friends don't eat meat, so if I want to cook for them....I have to keep it vegetarian. Tofu is an easy replacement for ricotta and most vegetables work well with sauce and pasta. This time, I made a meaty cheesy lasagna for myself. I still have 3 servings in my freezer. It has definitely been coming in handy. 

I will admit,  I didn't make the pasta or the cheese. I bought all of the components from my CSA. Full Circle Farms delivered all of the ingredients that I needed. Fresh pasta sheets, ricotta, tomatoes, sausage, herbs and veggies. I just made a very meaty sauce so I didn't have layers of just meat,  built it in a pyrex and baked it at 350 for 35 minutes. If you don't know how to build one here is the formula: sauce, noodle, ricotta or tofu, veggies, noodle, sauce, ricotta or tofu, lighter veggies, noodles, sauce, ricotta or tofu, noodle, sauce and parmigiana.  It is the extra layer that really takes it over the edge.

Tips for next time

• Less cheese. I know this seems crazy, but there a point when there is too much cheese and I got there. 
• Salt and drain the eggplant and zucchini. I know this is important and I tried to skimp on the preparation. I won't do it again. Salting eggplant improves the texture and removes moisture.  

Hello again. Have a croissant.

After 2 years of hardcore eating (thank you), I think my research is done. I can start writing on this thing again. This year will start a whole new chapter in food adventure for me and I really want cheeesetoast to be a part of it.My father and I made croissants during my time at home in Reno. We started by making the dough on Thursday, folded and rolled on Friday and Saturday (I will admit that I really didn't roll anything). Sunday morning we rolled, cut, proofed and baked the little guys. They were flaky, buttery and delicious. They didn't rise as much as we thought they would, but hey...it was our first time. We used the recipe from Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan. It was a very informative and detailed recipe, but there were 2 things that we did different from their instructions. 1) We didn't have any fresh yeast. I am not sure how much of a difference fresh yeast would make, but I am going to blame the small sized croissants on the dry active instant yeast we used instead. 2) We did one extra roll and fold. Maybe this over worked the yeast? Maybe it allowed the butter to over integrate? I don't know. I would recommend sticking to the recipe and visual instructions very, very carefully. They still tasted really good.
I love cooking with my family. I only get to do it during the holidays or special occasions when I leave Seattle for the biggest little city. This was a great project that we were able to do in conjunction with holiday dinners and when the croissants came out of the oven, there was a troop of loved ones to share them. I think this made them taste better.

That and the coffee and Baileys.

I have figured it out

As I am sure you have all noticed, I haven't been writing much. Today I finally figured out why...(and this is purely an excuse, not a reason), winter. One of my biggest inspirations for this blog is the garden. Right now, my garden needs a lot of attention and some warmth and until it receives those two very important things, it will look like a vegetable graveyard. The snow killed everything. My neglect let it rot. It needs help and I really don't want to go out there until it stops being FREEZING cold. I feel bad that I let it go and I miss the warm days when I could walk out back and pick a salad. Every time I look out the window, I get a little sad.

Also, winter means eating winter foods. Pork, roots, squash, brusselsprouts all make up the heavy diet of now. Don't get me wrong, I love all of that stuff, but I have to admit that I am ready for some fresh lettuce and cucumbers chilled in the fridge.

One thing I did during this hiatus was spend my birthday at the Cochon 555. A pig competition that pitted 5 great local chefs against each other for the title of "Prince of Pork". I was totally over pigged and I think I ate about 1/2 cup of brain mousse garnish. Above is the picture of the best things there, a bacon cone filled with bourbon and bacon ice cream topped with candied bacon. One bite of pure perfection. Also, if you haven't seen them yet, Vosges makes a bacon and smoked salt milk chocolate bar that is to die for.