Peter the eater

My butcher Mike had fresh heads for sale last weekend - $5 for a pig, boar or goat. Tempting, but I'm afraid I'd traumatize the kids if I brought a sack o' mammal noggins home. I've got a pig on the in-laws' farm which I have head plans for in a month or so. On the farm I can process the animal without wide-eyed witnesses. We just tell the kids "pig moved to Fort McMurray" . . . which is funny because . . . all the young people in Cape Breton go to Alberta to work in the oil sands.

Nah- lagers weren't around back then. There are beers available today that are made with a nod towards ancient history. Unfortunately I don't know of any available continental examples, though there is something from Scotland that should be close enough: Fraoch Heather Ale. And it's really good to boot! ← I like Faxe from Denmark. It's a big seller at my local store, in part because it's $5/litre and 10% ethanol. It's strong and crisp - one 500 ml can of it at room temperature lasts me an entire NHL hockey game.

I think that's a reasonable thing for a creature to do given the circumstances. Having also just read the Wiki bio, I've gone from "what the hell's a mantis shrimp?" to "ahh, yes, the remarkable mantis shrimp . . . they are neither shrimp nor mantids . . . in Cantonese cuisine they're known as pissing shrimp . . . they can break through aquarium glass with a single strike from powerful claws that they use to attack and kill prey by spearing, stunning or dismemberment . . . mantis shrimp are the only known animals with hyperspectral colour vision - considered to be the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom." So what do they taste like as sashimi?

Thanks for the ideas, Bob. I often buy the irregular salmon trimmings for a salt/sugar/dill cure with great results. Got a 1 lb bag today for $3. That one's new to me, sounds like a nice change from the green pea soup I know. I found a recipe for Norse spelt porridge. It wasn't totally disgusting. I took a picture, maybe I'll post it before I retire/expire tonight. As good a New England chowder?

I love it . . . and it rhymes! I'll put a platter of danishes on the buffet and see if anyone connects "eating a danish" with "eating the Danish". Plum or cherry would be appropriate. (In this movie, Grendel is a CGI monster from the guy who created Predator)

Absolutely salt fish. I've read that Vikings regarded fresh food as bad for one's health and that salty smoky meats were more prized.

After receiving some not-so-anonymous tips, it seems there are good places serving up real Acadian fare. Here are some specialties from Co-op Artisanale in Cheticamp, Cape Breton. Haddock or Cod Dinner Lightly breaded and pan-fried to perfection, served with vegetable, roll, tea or coffee. Cod Fish Cakes A delightful mixture of cod and mashed potatoes pan-fried to a golden brown, served with vegetables, coleslaw, roll, tea or coffee. Stewed Potatoes with Meat and Vegetables A hearty meal with green beans, coleslaw, roll, tea or coffee. Fish Chowder Very unique. Our blend is cooked in a broth of haddock (no milk or cream added) and served with dinner roll and crackers. Bowl or Cup Chicken Fricot Dices of potatoes and chicken, cooked in its own broth and served with dinner roll and crackers. Homestyle Baked Beans Served with two dinner rolls. Blood Pudding A House Specialty. Old fashioned custard with pork meat. Meat Pie An Acadian favourite, prepared with shredded beef and pork, under a golden tea biscuit crust, served with cranberry sauce. With Tossed Salad. Potato Pancakes Grated potato pan-fried to a golden brown, with molasses, apple sauce or sour cream

I find The Great Poem much too taxing to actually read - I'd rather go see a movie based on Beowulf and there's plenty of those around. This latest one has John Hurt as Rothgar and the setting is Norway, 709 AD. We did a feast scene in the great hall that showed the tables full of food props - plastic animal parts, salted fish, cheeses, breads, etc. There were wine barrels and jugs of mead everywhere. I wish I'd snuck a few snapshots. ETA: Thanks for the link April, it's a good one.

I agree with the above although I've not tried aluminium, and I'd go further to say copper lined with tin is my favourite way to sear tuna. I used a teflon skillet for the yellowtail and egg shown above - I just keep the pan in motion. The downside with those ways is the absence of grill marks:

Thanks for that recipe Pam, looks like my kinda food. I wonder if the lamb winds up looking a bit pink, since there's KNO3 in the dry mix. Unfortunately, I missed the Gimli episode. I became very fond of Icelandic culture when I worked in Northwestern Ontario years ago. First time I saw Carlo Rota was the GCFS episode he did here in Halifax - he was doing a James Bond thing at the casino and came off as a total moron. He was good in Othello and 24 though.

You've been to the Norsk Høstfest in North Dakota? I'm envious. Apparently lutefish is actually a Post-Viking Age Scandinavian dish that the Christians made in the Middle Ages, according to the Viking Answer Lady. There is evidence that the Viking ate flatbread cakes just like today's lefse. Looks like Kenny Rogers and The Beach Boys are playing the Høstfest later this month!

What are some good party foods that scream Norway, circa 700 AD? A Viking movie was shot in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland that will finally hit the big screen this fall so we’re having a party. Many months ago I got rounded up along with all the other bearded blue-eyed men in Halifax to be a background performer in an action-scifi flick based on Beowulf. It was a lot fun. Instead of a potluck party for three dozen friends, there was a vote to give me $10 per head and total creative control. We’ll probably nibble and drink from 5 to 7pm and then go see the early show, mead and discussion to follow. There’s been no official North American release date set but it’s looking like November. The film was shown at Cannes and at some other screens in Germany, Switzerland and Latvia. If anyone’s actually seen Outlander, please feel free to PM and tell me it doesn’t suck. It looks like we’ll be having a náttmál or "night meal", as opposed to a dagmál or "day-meal". We won’t have an open fire pit or hollowed reindeer horns to drink from. Here are some appropriate ingredients I can easily get: Mackerel, herring, cod, eel Mutton, elk, boar Cabbage, turnip, leek, angelica Apples, plums, blackberries, blueberries Honey, dill, salt Obviously, these guys were survivors who likely would’ve eaten anything to survive. I’m not interested in an academic feast, just a good time. Any suggestions for a wannabe Viking method actor slash caterer?

Sounds good. When you say antelope are you referring to wild pronghorn?

I've found a great base for hot sauce: 1. cherry bomb hybrids 2. onions 3. garlic 4. Allen's Vegetable Cocktail The alliums were softened over low heat with a little canola, in go the peppers until all is mushy. Add the juice then sugar and salt to taste. I used a submersion blender. Fast and yummy, finished product in the mason jar:

Today we had farmed elk from Prince Edward Island. Here's what you can get for $10: I'm not sure what to properly call the cut - it was very lean and tender with no visible marbling. I removed the gristly bits and made 3" strips to be shallow poached in butter/olive oil until blue rare in the centre. Made a pan sauce (flour, ruby port, salt, molasses, parsely) and cranberry sauce from fresh berries, mashed new potatoes and corn-off-the-cob: It was very tender and flavourful - like a nice bit of venison. It was also finely grained and quite dark, reminding me of a calf's liver. It didn't taste the same as wild elk (wapiti) like you get out west, this farmed variety seemed more mild. Thumbs up!

I like seared tuna for brunch with a soft-poached egg:

I use a Ronco food dehydrator that someone gave me years ago. It looks like this. A few hours of warm air flow over any herb from my garden does the trick. Frozen thyme is good - try it with lemon juice and an ice cube tray.

Mmmmmm . . . carrots. Thanks for that link. There's a potato museum in O'Leary, Prince Edward Island - it's an actual physical shrine to tubers. Click.

Goat meat is tremendous value, at least where I live. Canadian lamb shanks are typically $11/kg while local goat shanks are often a mere $5/kg. A co-worker from way back (Rita Henry from Kingston, Jamaica) once fed me her famous jerk stew. No dry rubs or grilling - just allspice, hot peppers, garlic, yams and goat meat. I still make it sometimes with corn, carrots, beans and potatoes:

My all time fave is Lagavulin, but unless I'm flying between countries it's rarely in the budget. So in the spirit of buying local . . . I like Glen Breton Rare Canadian Single Malt Whisky - it's the only single malt whisky produced in Canada. Click.

There is a Canadian cooking show called Foodies that makes the argument for smaller more energy efficient kitchen devices. It's essentially an infomercial for Oster Brand appliances, but that said it's not a bad show. They actually offer numbers such as "a small convection oven uses one quarter the electricity to do the same thing as a standard oven". My biggest problem is the goal to sell large numbers of specialized devices that nobody really needs.

There's nothing quite like the thrill of the purchase - when you get that "right time at the right place" feeling. I love grocery shopping. My store uses a hot pink 50%OFF sticker on items that need to sell and my retina has become highly sensitive to that hue. Not so much the baked goods or produce, more the marginal meats like giant beef tongues or goat shanks that need to be cooked or frozen within the next 48 hours. The beef in particular is woefully underaged and just gets better in my fridge with that sticker on it. (Edit: my participle was dangling)

Two and a half years later energy conservation in the home kitchen is more of a hot topic. A series of Powerwise TV adds featuring David Suzuki illustrate ways to cut back at home. The most recent one (sorry, can't find a link) has Dr. Suzuki explaining to a guy that his old beer fridge in the basement consumes $150 per year of electricity - I think he said 1225 kW over 12 months.

Those kitchens most likely have gas stoves - either pre-piped from the gas company or using portable gas tanks. I think by and large the big ovens roomy enough to bake a turkey are probably not common in China. Both because of spatial constraints and impracticality (how often do we bake?). ← I suppose I was thinking of a goose not turkey, but all the same I'm not surprised big ovens are rare. Seeing Hiroyuki's new kitchen was very informative. I've got a counter top electric convection oven that's a lot smaller and cheaper to operate than the 220V beast on the floor.

This topic is very inspiring. Everyone needs some authentic Chinese home cooking in their lives. I love serving a whole fish with greens and other ingredients common to Chinese cooking. I also like using duck eggs but I can only get them in early summer - is this a common problem? Scrolling through this topic made me wonder about contemporary Chinese kitchens. Seeing all those new residential buildings in Beijing and the other Olympic cities - Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Tianjin - made wonder what I might find in a new well-equipped home kitchen. For example, would there typically be an oven big enough to roast a big bird?