Dave Weinstein

Pork Sausage (pork shoulder from the butcher specialty shop, fatback from whey raised pigs, garlic, wine, and thyme from the herb garden): This was a half batch (to leave myself both room for more experimentation, and to leave myself more ingredients in case of failure). This is the first sausage recipe out of the book, but I added fresh thyme (8-10 sprigs worth) to the wine before chilling it. The sausage thankfully did not break: Then I realized that sausage was not in and of itself a meal (especially since lunch had been bread, cheese, and salumi since we had had a couple of hour power failure during the day). So I tossed together a quick pasta using canned and fresh tomatoes, and I sauteed onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the pan drippings from the sausage (and a bit of the same wine used in the sausage): Tomorrow, chicken sausage...

I have a couple of pieces of lovely high grade leaf lard in the freezer. Would these be good candidates for Lardo? They are about one pound each. Additionally, I haven't set up a good air drying setup yet, would a purely refridgerated cure work? If so, do I need to bother with the nitrates? --Dave

I made a second batch of the Orange Bacon and I'm very pleased with the results. The trickiest ingredient in it is probably the expressed orange oil, but the Boyajian Orange Oil that I use is readily available either by mail order or in specialty groceries. Assuming I can in fact pick up the back fat at the farmer's market tomorrow, this will be the weekend that I go from bacon to making sausages... --Dave

Orange Bacon This is a sweet bacon, but I find it works well in some savory dishes as well. The ingredients are for a small batch (since I generally buy small pieces of pork belly, rather than doing an entire belly at a time). References: Cooking (or curing) from Charcuterie, sausages, terrines, cured meats 1 T Lapsang Souchong Tea 1 T Pure Expressed Orange Oil 1 T Finely chopped dried orange peel 1/3 c Brown Sugar 1-1/2 T Basic cure (Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing ) 1-1/4 lb Pork Belly, Skin On Prepare the pork belly as normal with the cure mix (as per the cookbook referenced above). Pour the orange oil across the meat side, and then cover the meat side evenly with the dried peel and tea leaves and brown sugar, and then cure for one week as normal. Note: Yes, this really needs the cookbook. But the cookbook is worth it, and I'm not giving advice on meat curing when there is a perfectly good reference readily available. Additional note: I use FoodSaver bags for making bacon, because then I can keep the meat entirely in the cure, and flip it easily in the refridgerator. Keywords: Pork, Easy ( RG1727 )

The judges have gone into great detail (in their blogs on Bravo) on why they picked who they picked. Moreover, we have very incomplete data (we see a very small subset of what actually happened, and we don't get to taste the food). I can't think of any reason to impugn the integrity of the judges by declaring that they were making decisions at the behest of network executives (something the judges have outright said did NOT happen). There is a difference between, "I would have chosen differently, I think" and "Fix! Fix! Fix!". --Dave [Edited to change "my declaring" to "by declaring". Silly typos]

Cranberry-Chipotle Braised Lamb This is an easy to prepare recipe for a smokey, cranberry, lamb. It takes time to cook, but very little effort, and goes quite well with rice. 1 2-4lb Lamb Shoulder Roast 2 cans Jellied Cranberry Sauce 1 Chipotle Pepper Red Wine Empty two cans of jellied cranberry sauce into a mixing bowl. Fill one of the cans with red wine, and add the red wine to the bowl. Squeeze the jellied sauce with your hands until the result is a cranberry and wine slurry. Add the chipotle pepper, and put aside. Put a large (3 or 4qt) pan over high heat. The pan must be large enough to hold the entire shoulder roast and still be covered. Add oil to the pan (unless you are using nonstick, in which case it isn't necessary), and add the shoulder roast (with the netting still on), and brown the roast, turning it to be sure that the roast is fully browned. If you are not using nonstick, add a small amount of wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the cranberry slurry. Cover the pan, and let the roast cook for 60 to 90 minutes (until it is cooked through), stirring the sauce and turning the lamb occasionally. Then remove the pepper, slice the roast (removing the netting first), and serve with the sauce over rice. Keywords: Main Dish, Lamb, Easy ( RG1726 )

Chicken and Dried Fruit Curry This is an original dish, based on spices found in Indian cuisine. As with most of my recipes, it requires obscure ingredients which can almost only be found in specialty grocery stores. This is a very mild curry, with a tart fruit flavor, and just a hint of heat. Ingredients: Spice Rub 1-1/2 tsp Garam Masala 2 T Aamchore Powder (Dried Mango) 1/2 tsp Chili Powder Ingredients: Simmering Sauce 1 c water 2 T Tomato Paste 1 T Tamarind Concentrate 2 T Palm Sugar (or refined sugar if Palm sugar is unavailable) Ingredients: Stir Fry 1 T oil 1 tsp shredded Ginger 1 tsp minced Garlic 2 chopped sweet onions Other Ingredients 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs 1/2 c Golden Raisins Combine the spices for the rub, and apply it evenly to the chicken thighs. Put the spice coated thighs aside. Combine the incredients for the simmering sauce, whisk them together, and put them aside. Chop the ingredients for the stir fry. Put a sautee pan (or other large flat bottomed pan with high sides) over high heat, and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger. Stir the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds or so, and then add the chopped onions, mixing well. Turn the heat down to medium or medium-high, and cook the onions (stirring them to ensure they do not stick or burn) for another 4-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Remove the pan from the heat, and put the onions in a heat safe bowl. Return the pan to high heat, and place the chicken pieces in the pan, being sure that each piece is resting on the pan and not on another piece of chicken. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, or until each side is well browned and the spices look somewhat crisp. Add the simmering sauce to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium or medium-high. Mix in the sauteed onions, and the raisins, and cover the pan. Let the curry simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then serve over rice. Keywords: Main Dish, Chicken, Indian, Easy ( RG1725 )

Eastern European Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup This is my Grandmother's recipe for sweet and sour cabbage soup, with one slight modification (the substitution of Bavarian Sauerkraut for regular Sauerkraut). 1 2-3lb green cabbage 1 lemon 1 onion 1 c sugar 1 14oz can of Bavarian Sauerkraut 1 12oz can of Tomato Paste 1 28oz can of Sliced or Chopped tomatoes 1 T salt Slice the cabbage and put it in a large pot. Chop the onion, and put it in the same pot. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice and pulp of the entire lemon into the pot. Add the sugar, salt, and all of the canned ingredients to the mixture. Take each can, fill it once with water, and pour the water into the mixture. Bring the soup to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer. The soup should be cooked for several hours, until it no longer smells of cabbage; the cabbage should be soft and translucent. The soup will cook down a fair bit in volume; the longer it cooks the more pronounced the flavor will be. If you cook it down too much (either the first day or when reheating it), just add some water and cook it some more. Ingredient Notes You may substitute normal saurkraut for the Bavarian Saurkraut if you like. If you want to use meat, put a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the soup pan first, and sautee a soup bone in it. Then follow the rest of the instructions as written. Keywords: Soup, Jewish, Easy, Vegetarian ( RG1724 )

Lime Citrus Fusion Marinade This recipe is more Vietnamese (which, with its strong French culinary heritage, is a fusion cuisine all of its own) than anything else, and depends upon the staples of the Southeast Asian cuisines. This particular marinade can be used with poultry or pork, and possibly with beef as well. The left over marinade should be kept, because together with any drippings, it can be easily turned into a rich sauce. If the drippings are particularly fatty (for example, a dish made with chicken thighs), you may want to consider making a roux and making a conventional gravy with the drippings and the leftover marinade. Otherwise, simply bring the marinade and drippings to a frothing boil over high heat for a few minutes (to cook it thoroughly and reduce it in volume), and add 1 to 2 TBS of butter, to make a sauce. 1 T Finely chopped Lemon Grass 1 Kaffir Lime Leaf 1 Slice Dried Galangal 6 T Lime Juice 4 T Fish Sauce 4 T Water 4 T Sugar 2 T Carmelized Sugar Combine the ingredients to form the marinade. Ingredient notes: Frozen lemon grass is fine. If using dried, make sure to hydrate it first. There is no substitute for a Kaffir Lime leaf. If you can't get one, you can leave it out and see how you like it. The leaves last for a long time if frozen, and can be used frozen in this dish. Dried, fresh or frozen sliced Galangal all work fine, I've just been using the dried. If you can't get galangal, substitute ginger root. To make carmelized sugar, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the mix starts to brown, start stirring it. When it reaches a deep brown, add an additional 1/2 cup of near boiling water. This may well cause spattering and cause the sugar mix to solidify in some fashion, so be warned. Return it to the high heat, and stir for about 5 minutes. Add a capful of lemon juice, and let it cool. Carmelized sugar will keep in a jar in a cupboard for a long time. Keywords: Intermediate, Marinade, Vietnamese ( RG1723 )

Hot & Sour Soup Serves 3 as Main Dishor 4 as Soup. This is one of my most prized recipes. Years ago, I sat down with a stack of ingredients, a stack of various recipes that claimed to make Hot and Sour Soup, and a weekend. This recipe is the result. The soup itself is sour and complexly flavored, with the heat (coming from peppercorns, not chile peppers) taking time to build. This recipe calls for a few exotic ingredients, they are crucial to the flavor. I make no promises as to what happens if you substitute... Base: 3 cans Chicken Broth (Approximately 40-42 ounces) 1 lb Extra Firm Tofu 1 can sliced Bamboo shoots (if you can find sour bamboo shoots, these are preferred) 1/2 oz (approx) dried Cloud Ears 1/3 c sliced cooked meat (optional) Lotus Buds to taste (optional) Seasonings: 1 T Sugar 1 T Dark Soy Sauce 3 T Red Wine Vinegar 3 T Lemon Juice 3 T Fish Sauce 3 T Chinese Black Rice Vinegar 3 T Corn Starch 1/2 T Salt (to taste, and depending on the saltiness of the stock) 3/4 tsp Ground Roasted Sichuan Peppercorns 1/2 tsp Ground Black Peppercorns 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil Garnish: 1 large egg (beaten) 3 T minced green onions (optional) Set the cloud ears in luke warm water for 30 minutes to rehydrate. If you are using Lotus Buds, rehydrate them with the cloud ears. Once they have rehydrated, slice them (I find it easiest to hold them in a bunch, and then just slice across the mushrooms) if they are too large to eat comfortably. Slice the tofu (half an inch wide and high, and the length being half the width of the Tofu block works well), and combine the tofu, cloud ears, bamboo shoots, and the lotus buds or meat if you are using them, and put them aside in a bowl. You may find you have a little too much, if you do just set it aside for another batch or another recipe, and make a little less the next time. This is the place to experiment, all sorts of vegetables or meats could be added here. In a bowl or liquid measure, combine all of the seasoning ingredients, and stir well. These are the most important ingredients, they are what give the soup its flavor. Do not substitute. Bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat, in a pan capable of holding about three times the volume of the chicken stock. Once the stock reaches a boil, add the bowl of chopped vegetables and meats, and again, let the soup come to a boil. You want to leave room for the seasonings and the garnish, so don't overfill your pan. Once the soup again starts to boil, add in the seasonings (being sure to stir first, so that the corn starch doesn't clump). While the soup again moves towards a boil, beat the egg in the same container you had the seasonings in (to get that last bit of flavor stuck to the sides) and mix in the green onions if you are using them. When the soup again reaches a boil, slowly spoon in the egg mixture. Turn the heat down to simmer, and serve. Keywords: Soup, Easy, Chinese ( RG1722 )

Sichuan Bacon This is a savory bacon, that I use primarily (but not exclusively) in Chinese cooking. The ingredients are for a small batch (since I generally buy small pieces of pork belly, rather than doing an entire belly at a time). References: Cooking (or curing) from Charcuterie, sausages, terrines, cured meats 1 T Lapsang Souchong Tea 1 T Sichuan Peppercorns 1-1/2 T Basic cure (Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing ) 1-1/4 lb Pork Belly, Skin On Prepare the pork belly as normal with the cure mix (as per the cookbook referenced above). Cover the meat side evenly with the peppercorns and tea leaves, and then cure for one week as normal. Note: Yes, this really needs the cookbook. But the cookbook is worth it, and I'm not giving advice on meat curing when there is a perfectly good reference readily available. Additional note: I use FoodSaver bags for making bacon, because then I can keep the meat entirely in the cure, and flip it easily in the refridgerator. Keywords: Easy, Chinese, Pork ( RG1721 )

Ingredients 1.25 lbs Pork belly, skin on 1.5 TBS Basic cure (Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing ) 1 TBS Sichuan Peppercorns 1 TBS Lapsang Souchong tea leaves Instructions Prepare the pork belly as normal with the cure mix (as per the cookbook referenced above). Cover the meat side evenly with the peppercorns and tea leaves, and then cure for one week as normal. --Dave

Last night I grabbed some lardons of a Sichuan Pepper/Lapsang Souchong bacon I'd made, and fried those, then added chopped gai lan, and a sauce of oyster sauce, dark soy, and chinese cooking wine. --Dave

It's in, at the beginning of the season prices. I picked up a pound of CR Sockeye from Uwajimaya in Bellevue a few minutes ago, now safely packed on ice and in the office 'fridge until the end of the day. I'm thinking of frying up a bit of orange bacon for use in a salad, and using the flavored rendered lard to cook the salmon lightly, then top with Hawaiian salt and serve...

How fast do the various caviar and ravioli need to be served to prevent full jelling, or does the process stop cleanly (for non-calcium heavy ingredients) after the items are removed from the bath and rinsed? --Dave

So, if I wanted to do a butter orb, I should put the Calcium Chloride in with the melted butter, and dip it in an alginate bath, correct? --Dave (Eagerly awaiting the minions-in-brown with his new chemicals)

Does anyone have any good guidelines for when it should be alginate dropped in a chloride bath, versus when the chloride should be in the food, and the alginate in the bath? --Dave

"Bacon Wrapped in Scallop" Four large scallops Four lardons of bacon (made with lapsang souchong tea and sichuan pepper). Fry the bacon, then insert into the center of the scallops, and pan sear the scallops. "Smoked Salad" Fresh baby Argula Slivered orange bacon (made with lapsang souchong tea, orange peel, orange oil, and brown sugar) Raw cashews Smoked blue cheese Aged Balsamic vinegar Fry the bacon slivers over medium heat, when they are crisp, add the cashews until roasted. Pour the bacon and cashew hot mixture over the baby argula, crumble the cheese over it, and top with an aged sweet balsamic.

Much as I can imagine all sorts of fun things to try; I think I'll pass on the transglutaminase. Just the thought of accidental inhalation is disturbing... --Dave

What are the safety issues (if any) of working with transglutaminase? --Dave

Another successful (and experimental) bacon. This time I cured the meat with expressed orange oil (an ingredient I love to use with meats in general), dried orange peel, lapsang souchong tea, and brown sugar, as well as the basic cure. The orange flavor stays with the bacon even after frying, and the other ingredients keep it from being too harsh. --Dave

As long as you get decent sun, don't let this stop you! For years I had good success with veggies in container gardens, and I've got a lot crammed into my two raised beds on our small city lot right now. ← We have limited areas with decent sun. Since we have ready access to farm fresh vegetables (in fact, the first market of the year is this afternoon), I'm less worried about fresh vegetables than I am about fresh herbs. Cooking with fresh herbs is too much of a joy to give up any of my limited space.

Has anyone used this on a smoothtop (Ceramic) electric range? --Dave

Where did you get the Holy Basil plant? --Dave

We have a tiny yard, and so gave up on any hope of actually growing vegetables. We do have two everbearing strawberries in hanging pots that were great last year, and already have strawberries on them for this year, and a fair number of herbs. The sage and thyme never went away, nor did the rosemary (although we still don't have enough of the latter for me to feel as free as I'd like in using it). The tarragon, oregano, and mint are back (the latter with the expected vengeance), and I just added a potted Bay Laurel. Once the weather gets a bit warmer, it will be time for the basil to go in for the year. And sometime this week I need to put the lotus vines into the rock walls... --Dave