Gateway Charcuterie

As proscuittos and sausages are most people's introduction to dry cured foods, rillettes are the gateway to spread-able meats. Three years ago, I had my first charcuterie plate, and while I didn't realize it at the time, it was a life changing experience. It was then I had my first batch of rillettes and was hooked into charcuterie, seeking and consuming all offerings in Chicago. Shortly after going down that porcine road, I attended my first butchering demo and learned the ways of various cured meats and old preservation techniques. Today, after much practice, I have a decent approach to the art.

Luckily for me, for the second week in a row, I got the one lamb neck in stock at my local butcher. This is a great piece of meat for making rillettes, since it's very flavorful and tender. Due to the uniqueness of the cut of meat, I salted the neck then slow roasted it in a 200 Dg oven over-night while I slept. This allowed for the fat to slowly seep out of the meat and essentially baste itself while roasting. Once morning came, the meat was easily shreddable. Traditionally, the cooking process for rillettes would take place in a covered pot with simmering liquid, but that's another post.

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With More Crushing Action

Last time I made 'sambal,' I didn't have the tools to make it correctly, so it ended up a pepper and peanut relish. Though it was tasty, it wasn't a genuine sambal, as that word implies crushing. This time around, I entered battle more well equipped.

After gathering your favorite collection of peppers, give them a rough dice, and then throw into your favorite mortar. Sprinkle in course salt, and get your Hulk on. After a hard grind, add the juice of a lime, honey, and nam pla to taste.

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The Hangover

Not The Prettiest One At The Party But...

This morning at the market started like most; an early dazed stroll about the booths with a lot of head scratching.  I've had a lot of enjoyment with chili pastes lately (eg using harissa to make a compound butter for roast chicken), so figured this would be a fine time to try making my own condiment.  At the very least this would secure me from having any bland meal in the future.  

The farmers didn't label any of their peppers, but promised they all shared a spicy genus.  I didn't see this as a problem since there are so many different chili pastes.  There are over 300 different varieties just in Indonesia; so no one can give me much grief about authenticity.  This will just be another variety to add to the chili paste census.

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Water of Life, Finished

The aquavit that I started however many weeks ago is finally ready, and a bit early.  It's difficult to let the process go too long, but after the first month, there are no more great leaps in flavor to be made.  The trick to knowing when the liquor is done is to taste it, and to look at the fruit.  

First of all, it should taste pretty good.  If it doesn't, you can chug it with cinnamon gum and still get a good buzz.  Second, the fruit should look like it's seen a ghost.  This is due to diffusion, as molecules of a greater concentration move to an area of lesser concentration.  This also means that the fruit is tasteless, as its soul essentially jumped ship to drown in the liquor.  Same thing happens whenever making stock, so just filter the aquavit and discard anything that gets caught.

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