A Dash Of Stash - A Dash Of Stash

Entries in Pork (10)

Sunday

14Feb2010

The Smackdown

Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 10:30AM

Later this month, I have to spend the weekend in Virginia for work instead of flying back home to Chicago. The team is taking the opportunity to have a chili competition, because if we have to go another day of hush puppies and green beans cooked past the point of recognition with no reprieve, we may go insane, or at least moreso. I've done chili before, but realized it's been over a year, and I may be rusty.

When creating most dishes, I think of what my mom does so I have a foundation. She mixes ground pork and beef, which I don't necessarily agree with executing, but think they should be married here, just as they would for meatloaf or meatballs. Could use trotter gear, but I feel like the finer points of the product would be lost in the chili's heat.

The other option I have is to use pork stock. Chili is often made with water, vegetable or chicken stock--I'm guilty of doing so in the past, but not anymore. Making pork stock at home is simple, therapeutic bliss that ends with a wonderful product.

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Sunday

31Jan2010

Love Affair

Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 7:05PM

Matilda is the only one I've ever loved for an extended period of time. 'Wild in character, with a slightly fruity aroma and a spicy yeast flavor that is as unique as it is satisfying'--she's my go-to girl. A wonderful dining companion, I can't imagine eating much without her, especially when it comes to pork.

To celebrate our first encounter--which was at a bar (crude yet effective, I know)--I'm braising a pork shoulder in her golden glory.

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Sunday

08Nov2009

Rillettes

Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 9:45PM

Update on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 5:51PM by

Stash

I know this isn't super traditional, but I'm not intending on serving it to Charlie Palmer, or anyone from France. The tuna, also known as prickly pear, from cacti, has very little pectin in it. This is why, third party pectin is required to make a jelly. Since tuna jelly was made long before liquid pectin was available in stores, I attempted to stew the rinds to get more pectin into the mixture. This created more of a thick syrup.

I asked Rick Bayless about the matter, and he replied, "To my knowledge you have to use pectin. Doubt there's enough pectin in rind. Could use apple cores." I think this is a good workaround for the jelly. Also, I've theorized that the term jelly meant something different 100+ years ago compared to today. So when I say tuna jelly, be open-minded, and don't think about fish.

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Monday

10Aug2009

I Hope Tomorrow Is Like Today

Monday, August 10, 2009 at 12:00PM

It's hard to ask for a better weekend-- got to do a lot of cooking. My two big gigs involved a condo association BBQ and house warming. Cooking for a lot of people and then for not a lot of people, but cooking everyday nonetheless. I could get used to this.

The condo residents are some of the best eaters and party-goers I've met. I've never been to a place where a HOA meeting can start at 11 AM, grills fire at 1, refire at 9, then people consider turning in at 11:30 PM. There need to be more marathon BBQs-- personal opinion.

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Tuesday

14Jul2009

Dude Food

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 12:00PM

Tonight [Saturday] is all about UFC 100. Only thing that can make a fight better, is some serious dude food. I can't let the TV showcase the all of the best knockouts of the night-- I need to lay some out on the table. Since the best sports party food I can think of is Mexican, I'm going to do another tribute to Rick Bayless to get the job done right.

Most of the inspiration comes from whichever episode of Everyday Mexican was on TV Friday morning. I spyed nose of the dog salsa, featuring tomatoes, habaneros, and radishes. Habaneros are definitely knock out material. He also made a really good looking braised pork, but this recipe is too much to remember, so I use the concept as inspiration. A beef dish should accompany as well-- we all need our daily dose of iron.

Gucamole is going to be another necessity, but it can't be another boring guacamole. Long ago I made an avocado salad to top skirt steak. I'm confident that I can refine these flavors to make a great guacamole. In case the habanero salsa isn't enough for everyone, I'm going to make a salsa verde as well. I've been craving salsa verde since my neighbors make some of the best, so this better work out.

This isn't as masochistic of a menu as some may think. I'm going to have a lot of inactive cooking time with the meats. While they're braising, I can prep the salsas or even clean my home.

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