Food & Drink

[Grumpy Bear]

51 minutes ago, txab said:

you need to have cornbread and beans

 

 

We do beans'n greens with cornbread. You tried that? Turnip is good. 

[txab]

Pass on turnips. Pintos cooked in crock pot with salt pork or a ham bone. You eat lima beans?

[Grumpy Bear]

4 hours ago, txab said:

Pass on turnips. Pintos cooked in crock pot with salt pork or a ham bone. You eat lima beans?

I do.  

[txab]

With ham bone from today, will making a pot of Limas in about 2 days. Throw in a pan of cornbread to go with.

[Grumpy Bear]

8 hours ago, txab said:

With ham bone from today, will making a pot of Limas in about 2 days. Throw in a pan of cornbread to go with.

 

That sounds like an invitation! 

[Grumpy Bear]

America's cut Pork Chop

(New York Chop)

 

 

1-1/2" to 2" thick cut pan fried dry in a non-stick 2 minutes per side starting with a cold pan. After patting dry and salting. I do the first side 3 minutes then continue to turn every two minutes and check center temperature and when you hit 140-145 put it on the carving board and tent in foil and cover with a tea towel for 10 to 15 minutes. Should be ever so slightly pink in the middle when you carve it. I do almost all cuts of pork and beef like this now. Dumped the grill and hours of marinading for this work.  

 

Cut it into slices very very thin after cutting away about 1/2 the fat band and discarding. About the thickness of a toothpick's diameter or even thinner.  

 

This one was a Yorkshire and as they tend to be a bit flavorless without help this thin cutting allows the caramelized outer portion and that bit of fat on the end to more fully flavor the remainder. A bit of black cracked pepper and a pinch more salt to taste makes a so-so breed of hog punch well above it's weight. Tender, juicy and flavorful. 

 

I paired this with eggs and toast and some cold cranberry sauce. Just as nice as pineapple. At bit more tart and a hint less sweet. But really tasty IMHO. 

[Grumpy Bear]

Simple Sides

 

Corn and Roasted Red Pepper

 

As usual the better the ingredient the better the result but his can make canned corn pretty good lickings.

 

Can of drained canned corn in a saucepan. 

Add a third of that volume of diced roasted red pepper. I buy the whole jarred ones. 

Cover with chicken stock and season to taste. Adds a ton of flavor. 

Heat through and serve well drained.  

 

Mashed Potatoes and Carrots 

 

A pound of Russet Potatoes in a 1" dice. Peeled and rinsed. 

A pound of peeled cut carrots. cut into 1/4 " dimes. 

Boil is salted water adding the potatoes about 5 minutes after the carrots. They need a head start. 

Boil time is about 15 to 20 minutes. 

 

I use and electric mixer/beaters in the pan. 

1/2 a cup of the potato water

2 Pats of butter

Season to taste, salt and pepper.

Half and half until you get the consistency you like. 

 

Everyone can boil water and peel a veggie, right?  

[Grumpy Bear]

Ever peel a soft boiled egg with a teaspoon under running water?

Magic happens. 

[Grumpy Bear]

Egg Variations

 

I've done about 3 previous post on scrambled and omelet eggs and focused on getting the eggs to turn out.

 

I don't want to rehash that but I hit on some filler combinations that turned out very nice. 

 

Pepper Jack. But buy a block and shred it yourself. I do about an ounce per two eggs. Pair that with a small amount of jarred red roasted peppers finely chopped and well drained.  If you are dong the omelet let the eggs skin before adding the cheese and it will melt right into the eggs without burning to the pan. If scrambled wait until about half done and it will fold in smoothly and just before they finish a pat of cold butter folded in.  Garnish with sweet Paprika and hold the black pepper. Remember, don't over cook the eggs. Not soupy but moist. 

 

This comes out sweet, warm and silky. Smoked pork is a nice side.

 

Soft Goat Cheese. is more savory and pairs with pitted salt cured Kalamata olives nicely. Olives on the side not in the eggs. As above and it will melt into the eggs and disappear from site but not the tastebuds.  

[KARNUT]

5 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Egg Variations

 

I've done about 3 previous post on scrambled and omelet eggs and focused on getting the eggs to turn out.

 

I don't want to rehash that but I hit on some filler combinations that turned out very nice. 

 

Pepper Jack. But buy a block and shred it yourself. I do about an ounce per two eggs. Pair that with a small amount of jarred red roasted peppers finely chopped and well drained.  If you are dong the omelet let the eggs skin before adding the cheese and it will melt right into the eggs without burning to the pan. If scrambled wait until about half done and it will fold in smoothly and just before they finish a pat of cold butter folded in.  Garnish with sweet Paprika and hold the black pepper. Remember, don't over cook the eggs. Not soupy but moist. 

 

This comes out sweet, warm and silky. Smoked pork is a nice side.

 

Soft Goat Cheese. is more savory and pairs with pitted salt cured Kalamata olives nicely. Olives on the side not in the eggs. As above and it will melt into the eggs and disappear from site but not the tastebuds.  

I do egg omelet the same as over medium. Three eggs and egg beaters together. Flip over then back over add cheese fold on to the plate. You get your omelette and unbroken yolks. Or I home fried potatoes three over easy eggs on top. Or toast with cheese or jelly three over easy eggs on top. Or hash browns O’Brien with three over easy eggs on top. Sometimes hot peppers with onions and queso cheese. I ponder while on my morning walk and make my decision. 

[Grumpy Bear]

America's cut Pork Chop

(New York Chop)

Redux

 

Okay I did this just up the page a bit. But I'm always playing with my technique. When I started a pair for this evening they were a bit on the thick side so I fired up the oven to convection 325 F. Then started the two minute drill as above for about 16 minutes or just over 100 F internal but well seared. Then stabbed with a cabled probe and tossed them in the oven for eight minutes (140 F) the pulled to a cutting board to tent and rest while the veggie was being prepared. 

 

Moist and fork tender and a very pleasing mouth feel, and yet still Yorkshire...meh. A bit of Dijon fixed that right up. Still a crutch. 

 

Spring is right around the corner and I can't wait to head down to Kilgus Farms and find me some Berkshire perfection. 

 

The new technique presented a more evenly cooked and more moist version that I found to be worth the effort. 

[Grumpy Bear]

For this late in the season we had a cold rainy windy day that just begged for some comfort food. 

 

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

 

This more of a though on a single ingredient. The cheese. Local specialty grocer had a Double Cream Gouda that a toothpick sized sample had me buying a wedge of. Also had some fresh baked whole grain in the Italian Demi Loaf style and some good butter. Nothing fancy really. Just a good marriage between three real high quality ingredients nicely pan toasted without the usual "Grown Up" amenities like avocado and bacon or six kinds of cheese. Just let the cheese shine and this was a very pleasant surprise. Now if I could find a well aged brick of this stuff....Dare I ask? 

[OnTheReel]

Take a trip up here to Kenosha. Mars Cheese Castle will get you set up. Working on some 15 year cheddar from there now!

[Grumpy Bear]

Raspberry Season!

 

In the middle of I understand. Commercial fruit, by and large, is hit and miss and this morning it was a full on bullseye. 

 

A fluke I expect. Driscoll, a major commercial brand the wife happened upon a quart picked like you would if you cultivated them yourself. At the absolute peak of perfection. Of course I didn't know this I as cleaned and halved a half-dozen to place with a coined banana dead yellow and in that lovely spot between starch and sugar that were dusted with a hint of graded cinnamon and complimented with a teaspoon of fig. The combination was a perfect bite. 

 

Not since childhood on my Uncle Dee's Arkansas dairy farm have I tasted a raspberry like that and the paring was mystical. It's nice to blunder into perfection once in awhile.

 

Wondering off topic a bit but parallel....

 

We watched a documentary on Thomas Jefferson this week. I didn't know he was an avid Gardner. That aside comment was made that in that garden 200 different vegetables were grown. Berries I never heard of and multiple verities of apples and peaches and pears. Guy liked to experiment as he fancied himself a scientist and was not bounded by conventions of education as a marker of his worth nor the approval of any man to validate it, although his home education and formal was astounding. Greek and Latin by 6 years of age? OMG. English is hard enough. LOL> 

 

Anyway, while amazed I also became a bit sad. 200 different vegetables??? Less than two dozen are available at the local market, less that half are regulars and a few more in season during the farmers market late harvest season. 

 

Is there a better example of what happens to everything when $$$$ becomes the prime driver of your endeavor?  

 

Money does not extract the best products or services. It extracts the most profitable ones. Sad that....

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

Sensation Melons

 

 

Mitchell Melons is our only local supplier and the season ends in less than a week. Find a source. These are special.