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DIY Charcuterie the Third: Peperone (Pepperoni)

24 Apr

Project pancetta has come to its savory and delicious conclusion. Here’s a final shot:

I think a trip to Eastern Market for some nice, plump sea scallops is in order. Wrap them up in pancetta, roast quickly, and serve with a spicy plum or peach chutney…yum.

Ah, but with room in the drying closet comes room for a new project. With all of this bacon-y goodness and soon to be finished soppressata, I thought something a little bit leaner might be in order. I once bought peperone from a small Italian market that made it on-site and was pleasantly suprised by two things: It was much less fatty than the average slice you might see on pizza and also much more heavily spiced.

Pepperoni is the Americanized spelling of peperoni, the plural of the Italian word peperone which means “pepper.” Makes sense then, that this would be a peppery sausage that bites back a little bit when you taste it. So let’s go for it:

Meat:

  • 5 lbs. of lean beef, cut into small cubes. A round or chuck roast with the sinew and fat trimmed away is perfect.

Cure:

  • 3 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. DQ curing salt #2 / Insta-cure #2 (www.butcher-packer.com)
  • 1/4 cup Bactoferm F-RM-52
  • 1/4 cup distilled water
  • 3 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1 tsp. ground fennel
  • 4 tbsp. dextrose
  • 3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
  • 2 tbsp. paprika
  • 2 tbsp. dry red wine
  • 10 ft. sausage casings

Soak the sausage casings in warm water for at least a half hour.

Combine the meat with the kosher salt and DQ curing salt #2 and grind through a small die into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Dissolve the Bactoferm starter in the distilled water and add it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to the ground meat. Mix thoroughly to combine everything. At this point, I let the meat rest for a few hours in the refrigerator. Prior to stuffing, I also fried a small patty of the ground meat to check the seasoning.

Grease a sausage stuffer (I use the attachment for the Kitchenaid) with a small amount of shortening. Find the opening in the soaked casing and run cool water down the length of the casing several times to remove any kinks, and then shimmy it onto the stuffer. Tie a knot at the end. Have a sterilized pin at the ready to remove any air pockets that form as you form the peperone. Stuff the seasoned meat into the casing using consistent speed and gentle, even pressure.

Once you have completed stuffing a rope of peperone, twist it into 10 in. links alternating directions, and then tie each link off with butchers twine. Prick the peperone all over to remove any remaining air pockets and facilitate drying. Weigh them and take note of the weight.

Hang the links at room temperature for 12 hours and then move to a cool, dark, humid place to dry completely. Ideal conditions are about 60 degrees and 60-70% humidity. The peperone is ready when it feels firm all the way through and has lost 1/3rd of its weight. Here it is hanging out in the drying closet on the left, with the soppressata (which is almost ready!!) on the right.

Depending on the thickness and size of the links, drying can take anywhere from one to three weeks. Then, well…mangia!

Update: Here’s what the finished peperone looked like. Had a nice little kick to it, but nothing too palate-numbing. Really worth the wait!

 

Ciao for now,

Neen

More DIY Charcuterie: Soppressata

19 Apr

As hard as it may be to believe, I don’t always feel like cooking. Like any other working person, there are days that I come home from the office entirely wiped out. There are also the rare occasions when Joe gets a fast-food craving, and unless it’s for burgers at Five Guys I usually pass. Those evenings, I turn to simple pleasures for dinner. Maybe an avocado, sliced thin with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt alongside thinly rolled slices of smoked turkey. If I have caramelized onions in the fridge, I might cut up some mild cheese (like queso blanco) and eat those together with a little bit of French bread.

But my favorite simple meals are things like little slices of soppressata and sharp provolone with some kind of raw or pickled vegetables on the side. That, some warm bread, and a glass of sparkling water and I’m a pretty happy camper.

Well, I did feel like cooking this weekend, and honestly, I can’t really think of why I haven’t been compelled before now to make my own soppressata. I’ve made fresh sausage lots of times. The only difference here is that this is left to dry for a few weeks.

Okay, so there are a few more differences than that, but only in the sense that you need to mix a spoonful of special salt and a starter into your ground meat. Most recipes you’ll find online don’t include them, but the authors of Charcuterie recommend them to guard against the growth of mold and prevent botulism. I’ve included a source for those ingredients and have found their shipping and service to be excellent.

Here’s what you’ll need meat-wise:

  • 4 lb. pork shoulder, cut into small cubes
  • 1 lb. pork fat, diced (Back fat is recommended, but I used a little bit of belly fat and the fat cap from my pork shoulder.)

For the cure:

  • ¼ cup distilled water
  • 20 grams Bactoferm-f-rm-52 starter (www.butcher-packer.com)
  • 3 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. DQ curing salt #2, also called Insta Cure #2 (www.butcher-packer.com)
  • ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder
  • 3 tbsp. dextrose (www.amazon.com Ooh, one-day shipping!) You can also use plain sugar, but dextrose is a better food for your starter.
  • 1 tsp. ground white pepper
  • 1.5 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes (can be doubled if you like hot sausage)
  • ¼ cup Pinot Bianco or other dry white wine
  • 10 ft. sausage casing

Get both the fat and the meat very cold. In fact, you can even freeze the fat. This will keep it from smearing and give you those wonderful little bites of fat you see in soppressata.

Grind the fat and meat coarsely and then refrigerate.

Soak the casings in water that starts at 110 degrees F. while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Dissolve the Bactoferm starter in the distilled water. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the dry ingredients for the cure and mix well.

Add the cure, wine, and starter to the meat and mix on your mixer’s lowest speed (or by hand) for a minute or two until well combined. Return the mixture to the fridge while you prepare the sausage stuffer.

Grease a sausage stuffer (I use the attachment for the Kitchenaid) with a small amount of shortening. Find the opening in the soaked casing and run cool water down the length of the casing several times to remove any kinks, and then shimmy it onto the stuffer. Tie a knot at the end.

Slowing stuff the meat mixture into the sausage casing. Have a sterilized pin handy to prick out any air pockets that form. Keep one hand on the extruded sausage and stuff as evenly as possible. (It is difficult to take pictures while doing this, but you can see more of the process in my earlier post on boerewors.) Once you have completed a rope of sausage, twist it into links alternating direction each time, or tie them off with small pieces of butchers twine. Prick the links all over with the sterilized pin to facilitate drying and remove any remaining air pockets. Weigh the sausage and take note of the pre-dried weight.

Hang the sausages to dry at room temperature for 12 hours. This will help to incubate the beneficial bacteria created by the starter. After 12 hours, move the links to a cool, humid, dark place to dry until they have lost 1/3rd of the original weight. On average, this takes 2-3 weeks.

This soppressata began drying on Saturday afternoon and was 74 oz., so it will be finished when it reaches 49 oz. See you then!

Update! Here’s a picture of the finished soppressata. It was amazing, but gone so quickly.

Ciao for now,

Neen

P.S. My basement smells delicious.

DIY Charcuterie: Pancetta

18 Apr

Picture this (if you want a laugh): Pouring rain, about 45 degrees, and I’d just come out of Eastern Market. The walk back to my office is about 6 city blocks and I had 5 lbs. of salt, a 5 lb. pork belly, a 1.25 lb. moulard duck breast, some spices, a few pieces of fruit, and a hunk of provolone cheese in my cooler bag. Oh, and I had a haddock sandwich from the lunch counter. Even if I had an umbrella, there was no free hand with which to carry it.

“You. Are. Brilliant.” I told myself. Admittedly, even if I’d had the forethought to consider how heavy my supplies would be I doubt it would have had much effect on the process. I was far too excited about my new book (Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing, by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn) to give much thought to my soon-to-be sore shoulders. Frankly, I was more concerned about locating a suitable place somewhere in the house that was cool, dark, and humid enough to hang cured meat.

I imagine that few people go home on Friday night with the thought, “Yes, I can’t wait to rub down a pork belly!” But that was my plan last week. I’d wanted to buy Charcuterie for a long time, but only recently convinced myself that the recipes in it were accessible enough to be done by a home cook without much special equipment.

So…who wants Pancetta?

Pancetta is cured, but not smoked Italian bacon. I chose this recipe to start with mostly for its simplicity. Also because you can buy an entire 5 lb. pork belly for roughly the same price as 1 lb. of finished pancetta. Seriously.

Here’s what you need:

  • One 5 lb. pork belly, skin removed. (A butcher will do this for you, but if you do it at home you can save the skin for flavoring stock…mmm.)

Cure:

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons pink salt*
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons juniper berries, crushed with the bottom of a small saute pan
  • 4 bay leaves, crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2.5 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

*Pink salt is a curing salt that contains nitrite and is sold under many names including Insta Cure #1 and DQ Curing salt. You can find it on Amazon.com or at www.butcher-packer.com.

Other equipment you may require: Cotton butcher’s twine and cheesecloth.

Start by cutting the belly into as uniform a square or rectangle as you can. Save the scraps for use in sausage or for making salt pork. (To make salt pork, cut the scraps into even pieces, dredge them in salt, and refrigerate in a sealed container for 12 days. Shake often to re-distribute the salt. After 12 days, rinse the pieces under cold water and pat dry. Store in the fridge in a sealed bag, they will keep for several months.)

Combine the ingredients for the cure and mix together well. Rub the cure all over the meat side of the belly and place it in a non-reactive container just large enough to hold it. This belly fit nicely in a 9 x 13 in. baking dish. Cover the container with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate the belly for 7 days. Rub it to redistribute the seasonings and flip it over every other day. After a week, check for firmness. If it feels firm at the thickest point, it is cured. If it still feels squishy, refrigerate for another day or two as needed. This one required 8 full days. Here it is at the end of the curing:

Remove the belly from the container and rinse it thoroughly under cool water. Pat dry. Sprinkle a little bit more coarsely ground black pepper on the meat side if you’d like.

From here you have two options: Pancetta is traditionally rolled up jelly-roll style and trussed into a cylindrical shape. However, if you don’t roll it tightly enough, air pockets can form inside and cause mold growth (ew). The other, easier option is to wrap the flat belly in cheesecloth, poke a hole in one corner and hang it to dry flat. I went with the latter choice.

Hang the belly in a fairly cool, dark, and slightly humid area for one week. If it begins to dry out and get hard, wrap and refrigerate it. Pancetta should be firm, but quite pliable. This is why humidity is important. If you are concerned that your air is not humid enough, put a small container of equal parts salt and water in your drying area. Our basement is fairly cool and humid and I cleaned out a closet down there for meat-drying…

Ruhlman writes that you can also opt to skip drying and that the pancetta will still taste great when it is cooked, but that the drying phase improves texture, intensifies flavor, and helps it last longer.

After drying, the pancetta should be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to a month, or can be frozen for up to 4 months. Freezing makes it easier to slice thin.

Mine just went into the “meat closet” for drying last night, but I’ll post a picture when I cut into it. Yum.

Next up? The recipe for those links of soppressata hanging next to the pancetta.

Ciao for now,

Neen

Recipe Megapost: Joe’s Birthday Party

19 Mar

Yesterday was a perfectly beautiful spring day, the first we’ve had here in DC thus far. How appropriate that the warm weather decided to show up on Joe’s birthday! We had some friends over for a celebration and spent the evening enjoying wonderful company and (if I don’t say so myself) some pretty tasty food.

Since this bash fell on a Friday, I did a lot of prep in advance so that I wouldn’t have much to do when I got home from work (and so I could enjoy the party). On to the deliciousness…

Amuse-bouche: Caramelized Pearl Onions with Queso Blanco

  • 32 pearl onions, blanched and peeled
  • 1 dried cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • A few spoonfuls of liquid from canned beets
  • Sprig of fresh thyme

*Okay, here’s the thing. The recipes I referenced for this all called for red pearl onions. I can’t find them anywhere. I don’t know why. So, I cheated and dyed them red with some of the liquid from my home-canned beets. It added bonus flavor and made them an awesome color.

Put all of the ingredients into a pot and add water just to cover the onions. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, swirling the pan every so often to keep the onions from scorching.

Reduce until there is about ¼ cup of syrupy liquid left in the pan. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and reserve syrup.

Queso Blanco

  • 1 gallon whole milk
  • ¼ cup white vinegar

Heat the milk, stirring frequently to keep from scorching. When it reaches 185 degrees, add the vinegar in 3 separate additions, stirring between each one. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for five minutes, then stir for another five or until the curds have firmed up a little bit. Strain into a colander lined with cheesecloth and then hang the curds to drain for an hour.

You can salt to taste and use this as is, but I really wanted it to be firm so that I could cut it into cubes. So, if you have a cheese press, line a mold with cheesecloth and press the curds at 10 lbs. for 10 minutes, redress the cheese and then press at 25 lbs. for 3 hours.

Put it all together: Thread one onion and one cube of queso blanco onto a skewer and drizzle with the reserved syrup.

Appetizer: Crostini Duo

  • 2 baguettes, bias sliced and toasted

For Spinach, Artichoke and Caramelized Onion Crostini

  • 1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
  • 3 oz. Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese
  • 1 can of artichoke hearts, drained
  • 10 oz. fresh spinach
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. dried cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

In a wide pan, sweat the diced onions in olive oil until soft, translucent and sweet. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the spinach and cook just until it has wilted. Set the pan aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the yogurt, cheese, sour cream, artichoke hearts, thyme, mustard, pepper, and a few pinches of salt. Pulse to combine. Add the spinach, onion and garlic to the food processor and pulse until it has a spreadable consistency.

Top each toasted baguette slice with the spread and serve at room temperature.

For Fromage Blanc, Basil and Roasted Red Pepper Crostini:

  • Roasted red peppers
  • Fromage blanc
  • Basil, chiffonade cut

To make the fromage blanc, heat 1 gallon of milk to 85 degrees and add a packet of fromage blanc starter. Stir vigorously for a minute or two and then cover the pot and allow the milk to ripen at room temperature for 12 hours. Scoop the curds into a colander lined with cheesecloth, and then hang them to drain for 6 hours. It should have the consistency of cream cheese. Salt to taste.

Top each toasted baguette slice with a layer of fromage blanc, diced roasted red peppers, and chiffonade basil.

Appetizer: Mushroom Strudel (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

I am sorry that I didn’t get more pictures of this process, but my hands were covered with butter most of the time and photography got the shaft. These are so good and you can make them in advance, freeze, and then bake as needed. Handy.

  • 1 package phyllo dough (40 sheets)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms
  • 1 medium onion, minced
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cook the onion in the butter until translucent and then add the mushrooms and nutmeg. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until liquid has been released and has partially evaporated. Add the sherry and evaporate the alcohol by cooking over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour, herbs, and some salt and pepper, and let cool. The mixture will be moist.

Take one sheet of phyllo at a time from their package; cover the remaining sheets with plastic and then a damp towel to keep them from drying out. Brush one half of the sheet lengthwise with butter. Fold the unbuttered side over the buttered side, carefully, smoothing out as best you can. Again, brush one half of this lengthwise with butter, and fold the unbuttered side over it again. You’ll end up with one long column.

Place spoonful of the mushroom filling near the end and sprinkle a teaspoon of parmesan over it. Begin folding one bottom corner of the phyllo strip over the filling until it meets the opposite edge, forming a triangle, as if you were folding a flag. Place the triangle seam side down on the baking sheet, brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for 15 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Main Course: Porchetta

Normally, this is seared and roasted, but oven-space was at a premium and so I went the crock pot route.

  • 2 tbsp. canola oil
  • 4 lb pork loin roast
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

Herb rub:

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tbsp. lemon pepper
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp. dried fennel seed
  • 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients for the rub in a food processor and pulse until they form a paste.

Cut several inch-deep slits in the roast and stuff some of the rub inside of them. Slather the roast with the remaining rub.

At this point, I vacuum sealed mine to let it marinate for a few days.

In a large pan, sear the roast on all sides and then move it to the crock pot. Dioji was hypnotized by the smell of meaty goodness:

Add the broth to the pan to deglaze (scrape the bottom to get all of the bits of herby piggy goodness) and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then pour the liquid onto the roast in the crock pot.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. The roast ended up so tender that I shredded it and served it with the reduced cooking liquid.

Main Course: Cheese Manicotti with Zucchini Cayenne Marinara Sauce

I made the ricotta and mozzarella for these and you can find photo tutorials for them here.

Manicotti:

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • 6 tbsp. olive oil
  • 5 tbsp. water

Filling:

  • 1 lb. ricotta cheese
  • ½ lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
  • A handful of grated parmesan
  • 1 egg
  • Fresh thyme and parsley to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

  • 2 zucchini, ¼ in. dice
  • 4 cans crushed tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 4 dried cayenne peppers, diced
  • Dried thyme
  • Fresh parsley

To make the pasta dough, beat together the eggs, oil and water and then stir them into the flour. Get your hand in the bowl and begin to knead the dough together.Knead until it is smooth and then flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 min.

Roll the pasta into sheets, and then cut into 5 in. squares.

Boil the squares in salted water for 1-2 minutes. Drain and leave these to rest on damp towels.

Combine all of the ingredients for the filling and taste for seasoning.

Spoon a row of filling along one end of a pasta square and then carefully roll up into a tube shape. Place this, seam side down on a baking sheet while you prepare the others. If you are freezing them as I did, freeze them individually on a baking sheet before moving to a bag.

To make the sauce, sweat the onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add the zucchini and garlic and sauté until everything is soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, peppers and spices and simmer for a few hours or until the consistency is to your liking. Add seasonings as needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon a thin layer of sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13 in. baking dish. Arrange the manicotti in rows and then top with the remaining sauce (and some extra cheese if you like).

Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Cover with foil and rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Bread: No-Knead Bread (from Splendid Table)

I like this because you can make the dough, throw it in a bucket in the fridge and forget about it for several days before baking.

  • 1-1/2 tbsp. granulated yeast
  • 1 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 6-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting dough
  • Cornmeal

In a large plastic resealable container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water. Using a large spoon, stir in flour, mixing until mixture is uniformly moist with no dry patches. Do not knead. Dough will be wet and loose enough to conform to shape of plastic container. Cover, but not with an airtight lid.

Let dough rise at room temperature, until dough begins to flatten on top or collapse, at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated up to 2 weeks; refrigerated dough is easier to work with than room-temperature dough, so the authors recommend that first-time bakers refrigerate dough overnight or at least 3 hours.)

Place a broiler pan on bottom rack of oven. Place baking pan on middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle a little flour on dough and on your hands. Pull dough up and, using a serrated knife, cut off a grapefruit-size piece (about 1 pound). Working for 30 to 60 seconds (and adding flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to hands; most dusting flour will fall off, it’s not intended to be incorporated into dough), turn dough in hands, gently stretching surface of dough, rotating ball a quarter-turn as you go, creating a rounded top and a bunched bottom.

Place shaped dough on a piece of parchment and let rest, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Dust dough with flour.

Using a serrated knife, slash top of dough in three parallel, 1/4-inch deep cuts. Slide dough onto preheated baking sheet. Pour 1 cup hot tap water into broiler pan and quickly close oven door to trap steam. Bake until crust is well-browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and cool completely.

Dessert: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Layer Cake

The guest of honor requested an ice cream cake with vanilla cake layers and Oreo ice cream.

  • Two layers of vanilla cake, cooled completely, wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen. I used this recipe.
  • Two layers of ice cream
  • Whipped cream

To make the ice cream layers, line two 9 in. pans with plastic wrap and scoop softened ice cream into each. Flatten out the ice cream by pressing another pan on top of it. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer to harden.

Stack the layers as such (from bottom to top): Cake, ice cream, cake, ice cream. Again, cover this in plastic wrap tightly and freeze. Before icing your cake, trim the sides as needed to make them even and neat. Frost the cake with whipped cream and return to the freezer. I decorated this one by piping tempered chocolate designs onto wax paper, letting them cool, and then applying them to the cake.

Dessert: Strawberry Jam Tart

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dry cornmeal / polenta
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp.
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg, separated
  • ½ tsp. vanilla bean paste
  • 1 1/3 cup jam (I used strawberry, but anything will do)
  • 2 tbsp. coarse sugar

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.

In a stand mixer, mix the butter and 1/2 cup sugar together until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.

Transfer about one-third of the dough to a lightly floured counter and shape it into a log about 2 in. diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap freeze for an hour.

Transfer the remaining dough to a buttered 9-inch spring form pan. Press the dough evenly into the bottom, going about 3/4-inch (2-cm) up the sides of the pan. Freeze the dough-lined pan until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spread the jam or marmalade evenly over the dough in the pan. Cut the chilled dough log into very thin discs with a sharp paring knife. Arrange them in overlapping concentric circles over the jam to form a top crust.

Whisk the remaining egg white with a teaspoon of water until frothy; brush evenly over the tart lid and then sprinkle with the coarse sugar. Bake until the top crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely before unmolding.

This holds up well and can be made up to 3 days in advance. Keep wrapped in plastic at room temperature.

The Final Treat: Pecan-Walnut Caramels

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 12 tbsp. butter
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or one vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 12 oz. nuts (I used half pecans and half walnuts), toasted and chopped

Generously butter a 9×13 in. pan.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, sweetened condensed milk, water, and vanilla bean paste. Stirring often, cook this mixture until it reaches 245 degrees F.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt and chopped nuts. Pour the caramel into the buttered pan and cool completely (about 2 hours).

Turn the slab of caramel out onto a cutting board and use a pizza wheel to cut into squares. I usually get 128 pieces of candy from this recipe. Wrap the candies in pieces of wax paper and store in a cool, dark place.

Hope you enjoyed checking out the menu. Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the party so much fun.

Ciao for now,

Neen

Boerewors: A Sausage-Making Adventure

10 Oct

I always like a culinary challenge, and this one was especially intriguing given that I really had no idea how the final product was supposed to taste. My boss was looking for a butcher in the area that would make a particular type of South African sausage when I piped up that I had a meat grinder. “What’s in it?”

He showed me a recipe and I consulted a few other resources online to get a sense of the cuts of meat used, seasoning blends, and meat to fat ratio. Once I felt like I had a better sense of the flavors, I settled on the ingredients for a batch.

Boerewors

 

Ingredients

3.5 lbs. beef chuck
1 lb. lamb shoulder
1 lb. pork shoulder
5 oz. pork fatback (salted)
3.5 oz. sheep casings
5 tbsp. malt vinegar
3 tbsp. coriander seeds, toasted and then ground.
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice

Method

First thing’s first: Soak your sausage casings. Sheep casings frequently come in tubs packed with salt and can be preserved that way in your fridge for almost a year with no negative consequence. Soak in water that starts at 110 degrees F. while you prepare your meat and spice blends (or at least 30 minutes).

The fatback will also require a pre-soak, but in a medium-sized saucepan with boiling water for about 5-7 minutes. This will remove some of the excess salt. After boiling, pull the fatback out of the water and refrigerate for a little bit to firm it up.

Dice the lamb, pork, beef, and fatback into small cubes.

In a small bowl, combine the coriander, salt, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Set aside.

Next, grind the meat using a coarse plate.

Now it’s time to add the spices and vinegar. Take care not to smash the meat together too much when mixing everything together.

Make yourself a small patty and fry it quickly to test the seasoning. Mine needed a few extras pinches of salt and another few grinds of pepper. Otherwise, it was delicious!

To stuff the sausage, I used the 5/8 in. tube attachment for my mixer’s grinder. Before getting the casing onto the tube, find the opening in the casing and run cool water down the length of it to remove any kinks that weren’t straightened out during the soaking process. Grease the tube with a little bit of vegetable shortening and then gently shimmy on the casing. Tie a knot at the end of the casing and you’re ready to stuff!

At this point, have a pin handy so that you can prick the casing if any major air pockets form.

With the mixer on a low speed, feed the seasoned meat into the hopper and through the tube. The casing should slide easily as the meat is fed into it. Do not overfill or you run the risk of tearing the casing or having it burst during cooking.

When you reach the end of the casing, leave 2 inches or so empty so that you can tie a knot to seal it off. Roll the sausage into spirals and prick with a pin all over to remove excess air.

Hypnotizing meat spiral…mmm.

So there you have it; my first foray into making boerewors. I’m really pleased with the final product and hope that the boss-man enjoys grilling it up as much as I enjoyed making it.

Ciao for now,
Neen

Mystery Food Week 4

8 Jul

…was a really busy week, but here’s the loot from last Wednesday (7/1):
Salad mix, sorrel, Italian basil, garlic scapes, radishes, and a big purple kohlrabi!

Most of this week’s goodie bag ended up in various parts of our early 4th of July cookout on Friday. It was a wonderful meal with friends, and we supported some excellent local farms in the process. On the menu: Hot spinach dip, cool Italian bean dip, fresh vegetable crudite, brined smoked chicken breasts, bison-beef burgers, braised barbecued pork shoulder, and whole wheat peanut butter chocolate-chip cookies and fruit sorbet for dessert.

Unfortunately, class calls, so that’s all I’ve got for now. Oh, except that we went to a really cool pig roast with the good folks from Slow Food DC….yum!:

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