Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Autumn: Welcome, Welcome

:: A lovely surprise in the garden today with the blooming of three poppies

:: One pumpkin this year - Originally, I did think it was a small zucchini. Oh, my. By definition, a pumpkin is a squash and I clearly need to get my pumpkin-eyes ON to find more in the garden.

:: Oven-roasted tomatoes in preparation for a few dinners later this week

:: Homemade seedy bread from the bread maker

:: An abundance of backyard tomatoes ready to be eaten. I'm ready for Autumn. Bring it.

Forever Roasted Pork Dreams

Forever Roasted Pork
I have a friend/naybo (our slang for neighbor) who is an excellent cook. She invited us over for a dinner party and served this Forever Roasted Pork by Michael Chiarello that was recently featured in the new Savor Magazine. It was amazing and I couldn't stop thinking about it. When my father-in-law came up for a recent visit, I knew I had a reason to try it out.

There is a Fennel Spice Rub that needs to be prepared ahead of time and really is the crux of the recipe. I went to the store, bought all the spices, borrowed a spare coffee grinder that my excellent cook/neighbor uses for spices (that is the sign of a really good cook, eh?) and went to town preparing the rub and all crucial parts of the recipe.

I woke up early and got down to business, as I had to work that day. The sauteing of the onions took longer than expected and I had no fat on the pork to lift and insert the onions into, so I cut down the center and stuffed the onion mixture in there and tied it all up neat and pretty. As I was finishing putting the rub all over the pork - I dropped the glass jar and had it crash into a million tiny pieces at my feet. Ever have one of these mornings?

In the end, the meal was a huge success and my father-in-law loved it. Slow-roasted pork with a generous side of sliced heirloom tomatoes with corn salsa poured over it and finished with olive oil, salt & pepper. What a nice combination. Oh, and pork shoulder is so reasonable - like $12 for four pounds. Here are the recipes, if you're so inclined.

Serves 6
Forever Roasted Pork adapted from napastyle.com
2 medium onions, peeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Gray salt and freshly ground pepper
teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
½ cup water
4 pounds pork leg or shoulder, at room temperature (the butcher also called this pork butt?)
About ¼ cup Fennel Spice Rub (*see below)
Thinly slice the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot.
Add the onions and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 minute. Add the sage and cook until the onions cease throwing off water, about 3 minutes.

Add the water, cover and cook until the onions are very tender, about 10 minutes. Uncover and sauté until the onions are very soft and the pan is dry again, about 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Peel back the pork skin and spread the onions directly on the fat layer. Fold the skin back over the onions and tie closed with kitchen string. Season well all over with the fennel spice.

Arrange the meat on a rack in a roasting pan and cook until the meat is very tender, 6 to 8 hours. It is ready when it pulls away easily if picked at with a pair of tongs. It is often easiest to cook the meat overnight, or put it in the oven in the morning and let it cook all day. It does not need to be attended.
Fennel Spice Rub
adapted from Jill Davidson

  • 1 cup fennel seeds
  • 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons white peppercorns
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt

Put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly. When light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool. They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades.

Pour the seeds into a blender (I used the handy-dandy coffee grinder) and add the salt. Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Zucchini to the Rescue

zucchini latkes, wasabi sour cream
Tonight I cleaned out the fridge and slowly discovered we had nothing for dinner....or so I thought. Upon closer inspection and a vague recollection of a blog post I had read earlier in the day, I collected the ingredients for zucchini latkes. Fortunately, I had most of what the recipe called for and improvised the rest. They turned out great and I topped them with plain yogurt and/or apple sauce and served them alongside sliced right-off-the-vine tomatoes from our backyard. Perfect last day of summer meal.

Here is the recipe:

Zucchini Latkes
Adapted from SmittenKitchen.com

Makes about 4 dozen 1 1/2-inch latkes
1 pound medium zucchini
1 large baking potato (3/4 pound), peeled
1 small onion (4 ounces), peeled
1/2 cup matzo meal (I used breadcrumbs)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I used lime juice, because I had no lemon)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying (I used olive oil)

1. Halve the zucchini crosswise. Cut the zucchini flesh off the seedy center and coarsely grate it in a food processor. Or grate it on a box grater until you reach the seedy center. Discard the center. In a food processor or on a box grater, coarsely grate the potato and onion. Transfer the grated zucchini, potato and onion to a colander and squeeze dry. Let stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze again. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Add the matzo meal, egg, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering. Drop packed teaspoons of the zucchini mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of a spoon. Cook the latkes over moderately high heat until the edges are golden, about 1 1/2 minutes; flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
Do ahead: The fried latkes can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Reheat them on a dark baking sheet in a 375°F oven for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through and crisp.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

California Coastal Cleanup Day 2009

:: Vintage Sprite cans were unearthed

:: Altars were dismantled

:: Evidence of really thoughtful cigarette smokers were everywhere

Here's how I spent my Saturday. We cleaned up Shell Beach in Bodega Bay, California for California Coastal Cleanup Day and picked up approximately 23 pounds of trash. Who raised these littering people? The cigarette butts really irk me. C'mon now. It's disgusting enough that you smoke AND you litter? Your moms would be so ashamed.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Tomales Founder's Day

Small town parades, festivals, polenta feeds, pancake breakfasts, silent auctions - yep, that's what I live for. I have never attended the Tomales Founder's Day Festivities, but I can tell you one thing: I'm hooked. It's like the Big Event in Bodega that I love so much, only it's in Tomales. Miss Anna Erickson of Hand's Full Farm (pictured above) saw Grady and slowed down long enough for Steve to hoist him up onto her float. He was on Cloud 9. Dancing barns, goats pulling carts full of goats, fire engines, belly dancers, and on, and on, and on.

I helped paint faces at the PTA booth and my friend helped realize G's dream of being a dog, if only for a day.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Representing 1970

I love birthdays. I just do. I love spoiling someone with love, affection, attention, presents, sweets, kind words, nice gestures, special treats and just having a reason to celebrate. I guess I love the ritual of it and the way it makes you reflect on your life (or the life of someone else). I seem to be falling into a lovely set of rituals on my birthday. Steve usually cooks for me all day long, the guys make me dessert, Linda Lou makes me a yearly birthday cake to die for, my mom reminds me of how young she was when she had me and how long her labor was...you get the idea. This year I went kayaking on the bay in Bodega Bay and it was absolutely delightful. Slight wind, good workout, alone time with my man, punctuated with a finale of wine and lunch on the deck at Gourmet au Bay with a few friends. I can't wait to do it all over again next year.

I think I like birthdays better than Christmas, Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day combined. Next year is the big Four-Oh and I want to do something really decadent. I have 365 days left to plan that shin-dig.

I also really like to celebrate my birthday for a month. What girl doesn't? So we went to Nick's Cove in Marshall, CA to soak up my last days of being 38. They make a great martini and have an amazing dock to mosey down and take in the view. The only downside is the walk all the way back to order another martini and the taxidermy on the walls, as shown above.

The best present I received for my birthday was three eggs from my hens. I was so frickin' excited when I saw them in the box. They are approximately five months old and I knew they would be laying any day now, but it was so lovely to see that after all of the nurturing, feeding, housing, safekeeping and time we have put into these crazy dames - they finally laid the coveted eggs that I longed for. We scrambled them up the next morning and they were the best I'd ever had. Okay, am I going over the top? You get the idea. I'm pleased as punch.

This picture cracks me up. We receive this publication from one of Steve's family members (as her family owns the magazine). G reads/looks at it from cover-to-cover and cuts out pictures of cows that he finds interesting. And believe me, there are a lot of "interesting" things in this magazine. The postmistress in town asked me if we were raising cattle. Nope. Not a chance. Mark my words.

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