Pomodorista: Gastronome-at-Large

2010: My Year in Food (Slideshow)

StellaCadente* — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 08:59:25 +0000

As the ink dries on my Weight Watchers contract, I some time to look back on all of the moments that led me to my current tight-pants predicament. I guess I won’t be eating most of this stuff for the next little while. If this slideshow doesn’t stir your appetite, you’re not human! I’m starving.

Bon Appétit.

Here’s a link to the slideshow in case you are unable to view the player.

–StellaCadente*

How to Roast a Suckling Pig in 10 Steps

StellaCadente* — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:00:41 +0000

I spent the better part of Christmas week worrying about one thing. A baby pig. Specifically, a suckling pig. Would it arrive in time for Christmas (I ordered it from a farm in Arizona, and I live in Southern California)? Would it fit it my oven? Would it thaw out properly? Would I have to send my dinner guests out for McDonalds after botching this whole pig thing?

Fast forward a few days, and I am happy to report that everything turned out better than expected. No major disasters. There are little things I might do differently next time, but “Babe,” as I took to calling her, was without a doubt the star of Christmas evening.

Here is the breakdown of what I did, in case you are thinking of doing it yourself some time.

Sourcing the pig: I am not compulsive locavore, though I think it’s great to support local growers and farmers when it makes sense. I went to the internet to try and find a source for an uncooked suckling pig in the LA area. The only place I could find locally was Huntington Meats at the Fairfax Farmer’s Market. I decided to call them before driving up there, as well as sending an e-mail. Didn’t get any response. I am sure they had bigger, umm, fish to fry since I contacted them only six days before Christmas.

Back to the internet, where I happened upon McReynolds Farms out of Arizona. They sell suckling picks, ship all over the U.S. and only need a moment’s notice. Sold. Order placed.

Prepping the pig: My UPS delivery showed up as requested on December 23. Actually before I figured out what I was going to do with Babe. Where I was going to store her. What I was going to cook her in. How I was going to cook her. Crud. While Babe was thawing in the entry way of my house, I quickly took to the interweb looking for recipe ideas. I settled on brining her in this solution:

I Will Use No Brine Before It's Time

[T-minus 48 hours]

SUCKLING PIG BRINE

Please note, these instructions assume that your pig arrived frozen.

Equipment:
*A container pig enough to hold the brining liquid and the pig.
*A large trash bag (big enough to hold the liquid and the pig).
*20 lbs. of ice for keeping the pig cold.

Ingredients:
A 16 lb. suckling pig
2 gallons apple cider vinegar
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup pink peppercorns, crushed
2 handfuls fresh sage
10 whole star anise
12 cups ice
4 cups cold water

Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar, salt in a large stock pot. Place on the stove on medium-high heat. Stir until sugar and salt melt. Add ice, peppercorns, sage and anise. The mixture should cool off rather quickly due to the ice. Make sure its completely cool before covering the pig with it.

2. (My refrigerator was not big enough to store the pig in, so I decided to sandwich it between two 10 gallon ice bags. I used the Styrofoam cooler that it was shipped in, and that worked just fine for storing the pig until I was ready to cook it). Thoroughly rinse the pig off before placing it in the brine. Pour the brine into your large plastic bag, then add the pig. Make sure the pig is fully submerged. Drape the edge of the plastic bag over the side of the cooler and lay the bag inside the cooler. Sandwich the bag with ice if you aren’t able to refrigerate the pig. Place the lid on the cooler. Rotate the pig every three hours. Make sure the temperature is 40 degrees-F or lower for the duration of the time you are storing the pig.

[T-minus 12 hours]
3. If storing in a cooler it’s time to start thawing the pig. Remove the ice bags from the cooler. Replace the lid. Continue to let the pig sit in the brine while it thaws.

Trito

[T-minus 5 hours]
4. Prepare the pig for cooking. Remove the pig from the brine. And pat until thoroughly dry with a clean dish towel.

5. Prepare herb/salt rub. (Trito in Italian.)

TRITO & TRUSSING

Equipment:
*Trussing needle
*Kitchen string
*Aluminum foil
*Roasting pan

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic, chopped superfine and mashed into a paste
1.75 ounces of coarse salt
1 ounce coarsely ground black pepper, finely chopped
1 ounce of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 ounce fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
Olive oil
2 apples
3 onions

6. Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl. Place the pig belly down in the roasting pan. Rub generously with olive oil. Take 1/2 of the trito and, using your hands, spread it over the surface of the pig. Flip the pig over and repeat process. Be sure to rub some trito into the cavity of the pig as well.

You Must Truss

7. Place 2 apples and 2 onions (more if necessary) into the cavity of the pig. This will help the pig to keep its shape while its cooking. Place a small onion or apple in the pigs mouth. This will help keep the mouth open during cooking if you later want to present it with an apple in its mouth. Otherwise, I think the jaw will be cooked shut. Cover the hooves, ears and tail with aluminum foil, or they will char in the cooking process.

8. Thread the trussing needle with kitchen string and truss the pigs stomach in the same way that you would sew a garment. Make sure the string is pulled tight and knotted to finish. Point the pigs front and hind legs forward and truss them close to its body (mine came already trussed.) Now the pig is ready for cooking.

All Dolled Up

[T-minus 4 hours]

ROASTING THE PIG

*Equipment needed:
*Roasting pan
*Baster
*Meat thermometer

9. (Based upon my research, I misoverestimated the time it would take to roast my pig in the oven. I thought it would take about 30 minutes per pound. It took just about half of that, closer to 15 minutes a pound.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees-F. Once the oven comes up to temperature, place the pig in the oven at 400 degrees-F for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees-F and cook the pig until a meat thermometer registers just under 160 degrees-F. Baste pig with its drippings once an hour. (The “hip” joints will be the last places on the pig to come up to temperature.) Remove the pig from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. (The pig will continue to cook in the first several minutes after being removed from the oven).

Pretty as a Picture

10. Carve and serve.

Serves: 10

A couple of random thoughts:

*Cost for this baby, including shipping was ~$200.

*Next time I would consider starting the pig at 350 degrees-F and cranking up the temp the last 20 minutes to 500-degrees F crisp up the skin. We did get some nice crisp bits of skin, but only in select places.

*SUPER IMPORTANT: Before you order a pig, make sure you have a big enough pan to roast it in, and measure your oven to make sure it’s big enough to fit a suckling pig. Our pig was 25″ long, and we got her to fit in a 22″ hotel pan that we had in our pantry, but some roasting pans are more expensive than buying a pig. We got her to fit sideways in our oven by scrunching up her snout a bit against the side panel of the oven.

–StellaCadente*

Follow me on Twitter @pomodorista

Traveling Like a Human

StellaCadente* — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:02:05 +0000

On my recent trip to New York, I found myself crashing in the apartment of a local artist in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg. Her place was clean, central to the neighborhood, and had all of the perqs I required: free wi-fi and air conditioning. I could use her kitchen if I wanted (I didn’t), and I had to share a bathroom with her. Ok, I was admittedly not thrilled about sharing a bathroom with a stranger, but it was neat and clean, and was never occupied when I needed to use it. Plus, the decor at Sunny’s place is a sort of thrift store chic that appealed to my eccentric side. You’re not going to find a statue of Mary draped in Mardi Gras beads and capped with devil’s horns in many hotel rooms.

All this is not as random as it might seem. You see, I found Sunny Chapman‘s place via the website Airbnb, which is sort of a paid version of CouchSurfing (a website that lists free places to stay in a limitless amount of cities around the world). I had grand designs to do some CouchSurfing in Italy, but I didn’t (maybe next trip), and stumbled upon Airbnb while looking for a cheap place to stay in NYC. It’s a nice compromise between a free couch and an expensive hotel room, with the added benefit of staying with a local.

I found that my experience was not much different than staying at a “bona fide” bed and breakfast where the hosts are more engaged in your day-to-day experience than at a hotel.
Airbnb, like Couch Surfing, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. lists reviews of the host and property by previous guests, which is ultimately what tipped me over the edge in feeling comfortable enough to take the plunge to stay in a stranger’s home. Well, that, and the affordable price point appealed to my rapidly shrinking budget. You pay for your room online at the time of your reservation (credit cards accepted), but the host doesn’t receive the payment until your stay is completed. In my case, my host requested a $75 key deposit on top of the room fee, which she refunded within 24 hours of my check out.

When I think back on my best travel memories, they all have the same thing in common, and that is the opportunity to spend time with the natives. What better way to do that then by staying in one of their homes? You best behave yourself, though. Airbnb hosts have the capability to review their guests, too.

Related links:
*Airbnb
*CouchSurfing

Have you tried Airbnb or CouchSurfing? I’d love to hear about it.

–StellaCadente*

Make Your Next Toast With the Hazel

StellaCadente* — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:06:10 +0000

How do you commemorate a special lady’s 90th birthday? If your her niece, Linda, you throw a fabulous ’40s-themed surprise birthday party chock full of friends and relatives. If you are me (read: the caterer), you create a special cocktail in Hazel’s honor.

Since I am a huge fan of Bellini’s, and recently fell in love with rosemary simple syrup, I decided on a modified Bellini, using a crisp vihno verde in lieu of prosecco, and adding a touch of sophistication with the addition of rosemary simple syrup.

Now, after we finished our Zumba lesson (no joke!), 90-year-old Hazel told me she loved her cocktail so much that she wants to whip up a pitcher for her girlfriends when she makes it back to Florida. I’ll drink to that, Hazel. I’ll drink to that.

The Hazel

Ingredients for Rosemary Simple Syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 fresh rosemary sprigs

Directions for Rosemary Simple Syrup:

1. Stir together first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let stand 30 minutes.

2. Pour liquid through a wire-mesh strainer into a cruet or airtight container, discarding rosemary sprigs. Cover and chill 4 hours. Garnish, if desired. Syrup may be stored in refrigerator up to 1 month.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Ingredients for the Hazel:
2-3 large white peaches*
1/4 of a lemon
7 ounces rosemary simple syrup (see recipe above)
750 ml (one bottle) vihno verde (or light white wine)
Sprigs of rosemary 3″ to 4″ in length (preferably with purple flowers) for garnish

Directions for the Hazel:

1. Cut peaches into large chunks. Place in blender with a squeeze of lemon juice (to prevent browning). Blend until smooth.

2. Strain peach puree through a medium strainer or chinois. The puree will be slightly thick, so you will probably need to push it through the strainer with a pestle or the back side of a ladle.

3. In a pitcher combine the strained peach puree and rosemary simple syrup with the white wine.

4. Chill and serve in wine glasses with a sprig of rosemary.

Serves: 4-6

*Shortcut: Substitute 2/3 cup of store bought peach juice. Skip the lemon juice.

–StellaCadente*

A Casa Con Vergogna – La Gazzetta dello Sport

StellaCadente* — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:42:54 +0000

A Casa Con Vergogna – La Gazzetta dello Sport

Post-Pasta Fatigue

StellaCadente* — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:20:04 +0000

Feeling sufficiently fatigued after rolling out enough sheets of spinach lasagna to feed twenty people. I briefly considered just staying up until the Italy v. Slovakia game comes on, but then realized that five hours of sleep would be an absolutely terrible idea. Allora, nap, then Italy match.

–StellaCadente*

Italy’s Cannavaro Under Pressure As Stakes Rise – SI.com – World Cup 2010

StellaCadente* — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:28:25 +0000

Italy’s Cannavaro under pressure as stakes rise – SI.com – World Cup 2010

I’ve Been Slimed

StellaCadente* — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 02:08:46 +0000

I recently wrote about purchasing the Experimental Texturas Kit from For the Gourmet (via Amazon.com). I decided to break it out this afternoon for an experiment. My brother and I are catering a 90th birthday party next weekend, and I want to come up with a special drink for the guest of honor, so I thought I’d use that as a starting point. The kit came with a few recipes, including one for White Sangria in Suspension. Instead of white sangria I decided to concoct a modified bellini with peach puree, white wine, and rosemary simple syrup (which I fell in love with last weekend).

Before I even got started I noticed a flaw in the recipe (and by flaw I mean the lack of professional kitchen equipment available to me in my home kitchen). The recipe recommends vacuum packing the beverage, once it’s blended with Xatnana (which I am assuming is the Adria‘s brand name for xanthan gum) in order to eliminate bubbles from the cocktail. Well, I don’t have enough in my piggy bank yet for a professional vacuum packer, so I channelled my inner Sarah Palin and went rogue. This was the result:

Peach Goo: Perfect for Sliming an Unsuspecting Friend

The texture was both frothy and gelatinous. Not unpleasant by any means, but my mom noted “it looks like mucous,” which is now an unfortunate association that I can’t strike from my memory. I bet xanthan gum is used in the green Nickolodeon slime. But it’s also used in ice creams to create a pleasant mouth feel and and in processed salad dressings to stabilize emulsions. For now, I need to mull over possible applications in my own cooking. The most logical use for me would be to add it to the mix the next time I make gelato.

Has anyone out there incorporated xanthan gum into their culinary repetoire? I’d love to know what you are using it for.

–StellaCadente*

Unleashing My Inner Glutton

StellaCadente* — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:20:08 +0000

I’ve had a busy few weeks oscillating between three of my favorite activities lately: buying shoes, eating, and talking about food. So busy, I haven’t had a chance to sit down to collect my thoughts. My meals are starting to blur together a bit, but I have several good ones and one *great* one.

Over the past couple of weeks my inner glutton has come out in full force: dinner at The Bazaar in Beverly Hills, pizza margherita at La Parolaccia in Long Beach, pizza alla napoletana at Il Dolce in Costa Mesa, blueberry pancakes at the Hi-Life in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, cocktails at Vessel, Seattle, a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut on the patio at Maximillien, Seattle, pints at the Market Arms in Ballard, a curly wurly and a meat pie at the Kangaroo and Kiwi in Greenlake, Seattle, a croque monsieur and rosemary lemonade at Bastille in Ballard, lamb kafta meatballs at Sue Feniger’s Street in Los Angeles, and rabbit ravioli at Michael’s on Naples in Long Beach. (Apologies to all of the entrees that were not named…you know who you are!)

Just this past weekend I met my Editor A.J. Rathbun for drinks –an appropriate activity since he has eight (mainly) cocktail books to his name. Fellow contributing Al Dente contributing writer Tracy Schneider was a no show do to her impending trip to Europe (poor thing!). While bellied up to the bar, met the lovely folks behind pür•spirits who are importing artisan liquors in beautiful bottles from Germany. Finally, I learned my friend Virginia is working for Daniel Bouloud’s DBGB after completing her internship in the Saveur test kitchen. (Go girl!)

All of this indulgence has me wondering if anyone has the number of an accomplished personal trainer in the South Bay area of Los Angeles? Let me know.

Have you unleashed your inner glutton lately?

–StellaCadente*

Pizza: How It’s Done

StellaCadente* — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:32:43 +0000

I was flipping through my friend Andrea’s Facebook page and came across this lovely photo of his work. Aside from being a real character (he serenaded me more than once in the kitchen last summer), he is the master pizzaiolo, or pizza maker, at the Grand Hotel Quisisana. If you watch this video clip, you’ll get an idea of his skill and charisma (he’s the one on the right).

Mi manchi, Andrea!

–StellaCadente*