Blue Heron

Slow Comfortable Screw Against the Wall .... anyone remember those? Yes, the good old days. - 1 part(s) Orange Juice - 1-1/2 oz Vodka - 1-2 splash(es) Sloe Gin - 1-2 splash(es) Southern Comfort - 1-2 splash(es) Galliano

Toby, thank you so much for sharing your favorite recipe and technique, as well as Bux, for the link for Paul Bocuse's recipe (although for my subjective tastes, I would never add cinnamon or cloves as Bocuse does). I'm going to try Toby's method. I also like the idea of making pork cubes, as Toby and Lord Michael suggested. Toby, I am sorry about your blister, ouch. Michael, have you then also made pork rillettes? Anyone else? It seems tricky to do, plus a lot of work, so I can see how a lot of people may not have tried this before. When one is separating the rind and bones from the pork belly, is this something one does themselves or does the butcher do it? When adding the fat back into the shredded meat, how do you know what is the right amount? Practice? I am also intrigued by rillauds, or rillons. I had some tasty ones a year ago at Le Pichet in Seattle. Maybe that will be the next thing for me to try. But waiting a year to eat them seems too long. Why would this be necessary? I am going to attempt to make rillettes within the next week. I will first need to find out where to find a pork belly. Yes, I am a beginner.

Ever since I read & saw pictures of the recent NY Bread Event thread, I've been dreaming of Toby's Pork Belly Rillettes. How does one make rillettes? Toby and others, would you be willing to share your recipe and technique? I would love to try this. Thanks.

Ben, your lunch sounds pretty *!!)=>@! good! 5 eG'ers met for lunch today at Salumi. I had thought of having the pork cheek or tongue sandwich, but alas, they weren't offering pork cheeks today, and the sample of tongue I tasted had a tiny bit more clove flavor than my subjective taste prefers, so I opted for "special" the hot pork belly sandwich on a roll, with a type of light pesto, onions, green peppers and jalapenos. This was a really tasty decadent sinful sandwich, which I enjoyed (as a special treat, as with the fat content- significant- I would only eat this about once a year I think). They are big, and I ate about 2/3 and saved the other 1/3 for a snack, which I just polished off after rewarming. Jim, I didn't see the short rib sandwich on the menu today, so you didn't miss it this time around. klink brought some of his yummy homemade kielbasa for tasting, and owner Armandino Batali and his staff stopped by our table from time to time to visit and sample klink's sausage. Armandino is a sweetie. And Mario's mom, who was busy working the cash register and taking drink orders, is also very sweet. I took some pictures, which I may include in this post, or perhaps include them in Jinmyo's Salumi post in the Media & News Forum.

Wow, I've never seen such a gorgeous assortment of breads and accompaniments. Great pictures! Sandra, thanks for including the link for your proscuitto bread. I haven't made bread in years, but these photos have inspired me to give it a go again. I hope others will also include their recipes. The babka and monkey bread sound interesting and different... something I have never tasted before, but would like to. And Toby's peppery pork belly rillettes... you can't imagine how good that sounds... yum. Toby, how do you make that?

I feel kind of guilty that I was the one who ended up with the last remaining order of scallops in the house (thanks guys ). However, I have to say, they were not very extraordinary. They tasted on the bland side, although the carrot-lemon meyer sauce was interesting and helped them a bit. And the wild rice which accompanied them was, well, kind of crispy (as in deep fried crispy, as nightscotsman remarked after having a taste). The rice was topped with paper thin long slices of zucchini, which were ok. The presentation of the dish was beautiful, however. I loved the hot & sour soup, which was loaded with so many mushrooms, shrimp and other goodies. I'm inspired now to learn how to make this (both from the excellent soup today as well as the recent thread on hot and sour soup w/eatingwitheddie's recipe). I also loved the desserts. My favorite was the molten chocolate cake, oozing with liquid rich chocolate in the center, and served with blood orange sauce. I thought service was excellent, and our waitress was tip top. Lots of refills on water, too. Only thing lacking in service I noticed was I was not offered a second cup of coffee with my dessert, but it was late and I'm sure they were trying to get us out of there by that point. I'd like to try their other dining room sometime, too, as well as their Friday buffet.

Today I made Pork Carnitas, Charro Pinto Beans and fresh Pico de Gallo w/tortillas for a late lunch. It was a great success! Of course I owe this success to Jaymes, who not only inspired me to make all 3 of these, but gave me add'l assistance by way of PM. Thanks Jaymes. I did my Carnitas a little different though, than how it was detailed out earlier in the thread. To save time & work, I cut my pork shoulder in 4 pieces, seasoned it, put it in a Dutch Oven, added a can of beer, chopped garlic, onion, tomatoes, and green chilies and baked it at 325-350 for a few hours, until it fell off the bone and I could shred it. This method turned out so tasty and flavorful! I like the shredded pork very much. I also tasted some of the pork in the cubed form, but like Stone, I think I prefer the shredded flavor and texture better. The from scratch Charro beans turned out great, too, and made a good accompaniment to the Carnitas. And the fresh Pico de Gallo had the best flavor of any I have tried to make before. And served w/ extra cilantro and jalapenos for me (hubby likes his mild) and w/the lightly fried/warmed tortillas... it was a match made in heaven.

I can be there at noon. See you guys tomorrow.

muon's experience mirrors mine. I was not picky so much as verrrry slow, and had a very light appetite. Like muon, I was also expected to finish my plate before I could be excused from the table, and this occurred often well after dinnertime was over. My parents tried everything to get me to eat faster and not pick at my food (even spanking me on one occasion), but it did not deter me from my slow and light eating habits. My light appetite caused them much worry, even taking me to the Dr. to see if I was ok, but the Dr. said I was fine and suggested they serve me a small glass of wine before meals as an appetite stimulant . I was only 6 or so, so they decided not to do that (just as well). As far as foods I didn't like as a child, my list included lima beans, garbanzo beans, cottage cheese, pb & j sandwiches, chipped beef on toast. I could eat liver, but I had to have plenty of ketchup on it.

I cannot resist shrimp tempura.

That's the first time anyone has ever said my cooking was glamorous. Thank you Nina. Yours sounds equally glamorous, and I think that's a great idea to freeze some for later. I've never done that, but I wish I had, as this is my third (and final) day of eating it. CathyL, I had never heard of fougasse, so I had to look it up. It sounds interesting. Is it similar to focaccia then?

I think I can make it, too. Sounds like fun.

I forgot to mention another thing I liked about moo shu pork... it was fun to eat. And it was fun to eat it with other people. And the other wrapped things like the Vietnamese spring rolls are fun, too (at least to me).

I always loved moo shu pork, but I don't think I've had it in several years. But I love the idea of wrapping bits of meat and stuff in a wrap, ie peking duck, fajitas, tacos, gyros, and my currrent favorite... fresh Vietnamese Spring rolls with meat , herbs & and veggies wrapped in lettuce and rice paper, yum. Spring rolls (both fresh and fried) taste better with than without the wrap. Flavor & texture.

Thank you CathyL, jaybee and nsm. I also used diced canned tomatoes this time. I like Muir Glenn, too, but since I didn't have any, I just used regular store bought diced tomatoes this time. Next time I will stock up on Muir Glen for my pantry. I had leftovers tonight and the flavor was just as good and maybe even better than yesterday. As good as the crab is, if I was on the east coast, I'd love to make mine with lobster...major yum!

We are all thinking alike. I made a big pot of Cioppino yesterday, inspired from this thread. I hadn't made it in awhile, so it was really a treat. I used the "Gettin It On Cioppino" recipe I listed already. I loaded it up with so much seafood, though, that I increased my recipe to include 2 large cans of tomoatoes, and I also used 2 cups of zinfandel in it. It turned out wonderful and pretty zesty... very hearty. The broth turned out a lot darker than previous times, perhaps because I used red wine instead of white which I normally use. I added some red & green chopped swiss chard leaves from our garden, but added it too early and it lost some of it's bright color, unfortunately. Next time I will add it a little closer to the end of cooking time. I shared some with my neighbors and still have left overs for dinner tonight. Looking forward to hearing about everyone elses Cioppino results! "Gettin' It On Cioppino"

Cuzzie Charles might have been mistaken . Another Highland beef farmer (in Indiana) pretty much says the same thing about the Royals for centuries have have been eating Highland beef and the Queen of England has her own herd! More on Highland Beef and Queen of England

My brother and I split a 1/4 side? of highlander beef a couple of years ago from a farm (Hemlock Farm) up in Sedro Wooley. The beef is marketed as lean and low in cholesterol, but I found that it didn't haven't enough fat for my taste (it was actually too lean!). It tasted like european beef to me, meaning it was also a little tough (maybe due to lack of tenderizing hormone additives), as I recall. But I ate healthy, that's for sure!!! These cows look really cool, too, on the website. As for eggs and poultry, I would think one could trust anything at University Seafood & Poultry in the U District, as they have high quality. Also, isn't there a place at the Pike Place Market? **** This is more info about the beef (an email my bro's colleague sent out to him)... "My Mother and Step-father own a small Highland cattle farm in Sedro Woolley WA and are coming up on time to sell some beef. Highlands for those not in the know are Scottish cattle from, you guessed it, the Highlands. They are a rugged animal and I can attest from first hand experience produce a lean and flavorful beef. Below is the blurb from my parents farm and here is a link to the official Highland Association website for those of you with inquiring minds Click here http://www.nwhca.cattletrailer.com in all the pricing is ridiculously good given that the same quality of beef can be found for 10 times as much from farms with a better sales pitch, but they don't listen to me. Anyway if anyone finds themselves interested let me know or you may contact my parents farm directly. Hemlock Highlands produces superior beef for private customers who appreciate meat that is extremely fine grained and test low in fat and cholesterol. The herd is disease free and raised on good pasture and good hay. The only supplements they have are vitamins and salt. The animals are not fed growth hormones, or tenderizing hormones. Resulting in meat that is pure and of the highest quality. This superior meat is cut wrapped and packaged according to each customers specifications, then flash frozen. An average side of Highland beef weighs just over 240 pounds, ideal for many smaller families. This excellent beef is available in quarters, halves, and whole orders. For more information please contact John or Jean Bates at (360)856-5817. Beef is sold $2.50 pound hanging weight plus cutting and wrapping. PS. This is the only kind of beef the Queen of England eats (she has a 200 head for herself), and she just turned 100!!

Thanks jaybee for starting this thread. I love cioppino! My mom used to make it for us. This is my modified version of "Gettin' It On Cioppino", original source unknown, but it's west coast. 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced handful of mushrooms, sliced 1 28 oz can tomatoes, cut up 6 oz can tomato paste 1-2 C. red or white wine 1/4 - 1/2 C. olive oil 2 T marjoram* 1 T rosemary* 1 T sage* 1 T thyme* 1 T basil* 1/2 C. fresh parsley, choppped salt pepper 2-4 small chopped red chile peppers (dried), or crushed dried red pepper flakes 1 large bunch swiss chard, chopped coursely 25-40 clams 2-3 cooked dungeness crabs, cracked & cut up 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. prawns 2 lbs. firm white fish (ie. halibut) * if spices are fresh, double the amount Sautee onion, garlic and mushrooms in a little olive oil. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, half the wine, herbs and seasonings, swiss chard, remaining oil and simmer. Add fish, and simmer gently until fish is opaque, but still moist looking in the thickest part (cut to test) maybe 15-20 minutes. Add the crab, prawns, and clams along with the rest of the wine in towards the end of the total cooking time, as they only take a few minutes. I think I will make some today.

Great! My recipes are in the country so I'll retrieve them this weekend. We should start a cioppino thread. Have you ever had the one from Tadish's Grill? That was my first taste of this dish and it really knocked me for a loop. I also love cioppino! jaybee, would you start a cioppino thread? Do you ever add chopped Swiss Chard? My recipe includes it, and I think it really adds to it. (note: I love Tadich Grill, too).

And Nightscotsman makes the yummiest cocktails, too!

nightscotsman, If we locate and bring you all the ingredients, would you pretty please make some of these for us at the nightscotsman's cocktail lounge? That would be fun.

Suvir, what a coincidence that you should bring this older thread up today, as I was also re-reading it again earlier today too (we were on the same wave length), as I remembered you had written about your grandmother on it, and I wanted to read that beautiful story again. Your grandmother was a great lady, and I especially was warmed by how kind and gentle she was and the respect she had for all living creatures (especially feeding little birds with her extra food). Please accept my sincerest condolences on your grandmother's passing. stella - yes, I've had an enjoyable time too, reading it from start to finish again. I had forgotten these great stories and it's a pleasure to read them again.

third degree But I don't think his point was that there is a better bottled salsa than Bayless. Perhaps all bottled salsa sucks. Just that for a premium price one should expect better than the rest, that's all, and that it failed to taste better. *note (I don't know enough about bottled salsa's to comment on which are good or bad, and I have never had Bayless) I think I will let Awbrig respond. *2nd note: Steve Klc... you keep editing your responses without a note that it has been edited. This is the 2nd time in this thread you have done that, and makes it harder to respond to your responses.

I understood Awbrig's point to be that for $5 (high for bottled salsa) it should taste better than regular bottled salsa, which it doesn't seem to, according to Awbrig. I don't understand why you are giving him the third degree about this? Should he have said that it his subjective opinion that they do not taste any better than regular bottled salsa?