Monday, January 28, 2008

Mark Bittman - New York Times Article

This is a very interesting article by Mark Bittman in yesterday's New York Times, called Rethinking the Meat Guzzler. It definitely makes you think about your meat consumption.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Monday, January 21, 2008

Charcuterie

For Christmas I got a gift card for Borders. I knew when I saw that card that I would be buying some kind of book about food.

As I was perusing Michael Ruhlman's blog a few weeks ago I figured out just exactly which food book that would be. Charcuterie.


Since a friend of ours has recently taken on the task of raising a couple of pigs, and offering to sell us one of those pigs, I've developed a huge interest in using the whole animal, and consequently preserving, smoking, curing some of the animal. When I saw Ruhlman's new book on Charcuterie I had to have it. I really hope I get a chance to try some of the recipes.

Now our next food project will be the goats. They'll be birthing their kids in a couple of months. I need recipes for goats. I have run on to this great cook book with recipes for all kinds of animals, including goat kids. I hope to acquire this book next. The Whole Beast by Fergus Henderson...the guy who does the wonderful bone marrow recipe that Anthony Bourdain would have as his last meal.

A great movie for foodies!

I just loved this movie! Obviously a food lover was involved in this one. Oh yeah! That's right! Thomas Keller was consulted on this one.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Christmas Eve Dinner

Yeah, I know! It's a month past all the holiday BS. But I'm one overwhelmed mom who can't keep up.

We did have a wonderful Christmas though. I was enjoying Christmas dinner so much (Nigela's Ginger glazed ham, butternut squash with blue cheese, and spiced peaches - yum!) that I forgot to take any pictures. It was delish though! Christmas Eve thought, I did get some pictures in. John cooked and cleaned the crab, so I was able to have enough time to get my brain around taking a few pictures. And here they are:

Appetizers - baguette with a mushroom topping



A sun dried tomato and pea dip (Giada DiLaurentas)


The table

The Dungenous Crab



Desert - mini pumpkin pies



And that was Christmas Eve dinner

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Offal

I've found a new favorite web site
Offal Good.com

Written by Chris Cosentino, a chef at
Incanto in San Francisco.

As you can see by what he's holding in his hands here, he's all about cooking offal. Actually, what he is about, and I think this is really cool, is using the whole animal. No waste. He's also about humane farming of these animals as well. So, now that we're venturing into our own world of raising animals for food, I find this guy to be a real inspiration. I would like to follow his credo; no waste. I'd like to show respect to the animals we are raising for food, by using all that I can to feed us. That's how my parents grew up, and I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to try to live that way and teach my children to respect the animals that feed them and to feel a connection to their food. When they get that hamburger at McDonalds, they'll be able to picture the cow it came from, unlike so many Americans who don't have a damn clue.
We've recently slaughtered a pig, and we will get our first chance to try cooking/eating offal soon, starting with the heart. So let's hope Chris will have a good recipe and some how to's posted for our adventure into the world of offal

Monday, January 7, 2008

The Taqueria Crawl

Man! Long time no post! That's what happens when you go to Mexico 3 weeks before Christmas and don't even have your Christmas shopping done. Well, anyway....here I am, and before I go into Christmas Eve dinner or any of those other fun food items, I have to tell you about our Taqueria Crawl. My only disappointment was that we didn't make it to more taqueria's, and my stomach wasn't big enough....oh yeah, we didn't brave into any place serving goat. I really wanted a goat taco while I was in Mexico. This is where we did venture though.

First was Tqueria Rossy's

Our bartender at Casa Del Mar, Osvaldo, suggested this place. He did not steer us wrong! If you like seafood taco's go here! Plenty of locals to make it authenco, and plenty of expate's to make if feel safe for the semi adventurous touristo. I had the scallop tacos. I just had them plane with some hot sauce and they were perfect! John had a scallop taco, adobado, which was delicious, and a bbq beef taco. The beer was the coldest beer I can ever recall being served. Nothing like an icey Negro Medelo. If you're ever in San Jose Del Cabo, try this place out.

The next place we tried was Taqueria Mexicana


A little sketchier because it wasn't on the main drag, and it wasn't in the main touristy square, but in between. Still a safe place for tourists. Very clean, plenty of American friendly food, as well as good local food. Mostly locals were eating lunch here, but more middle class, whereas at Rossy's it was the construction workers and laborers. The beef taco I had was excellent! They had a full bar and looked like they may serve some pretty good margeritas.

Our third and most interesting stop was here:


La Quarencia!

I have to say this was the most interesting and delicious place we stopped. I only recommend this place to people who know a fair amount of spanish and are ready for the resort employees who eat here to look down their noses at you. The owner and employees were most gracious, and served up some of the most delicious BBQ beef tacos ever. Pozole is there specialty and what most people were eating. If I hadn't eaten so much already I would have loved a bowl, and hoped to go back to try some. Maybe I'll get another chance, because It looked like the best pozole ever.

So there you have it. The San Jose Del Cabo taco crawl. Hopefully the next trip will take us to even more seedier places with more dogs hanging out front and more locals hanging out on the inside.

Hope to post sooner than the last time

Adios!