Category Archives: Starches

Rice, Pasta, Potatoes, etc…

Mangalitsa Leaf Lard Dough made into a Mangalitsa Pizza….that rhymes and it’s awesome too!

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Hmmmmmmm, that’s a pretty good looking dough. It’s doubled in size and it’s ready maybe I should…..STOP LEAVE IT THERE JUST WAIT………..Patience!

That’s what you’re looking for.  An hour and a half or so later it starts to resemble the moon.  Don’t cook until you’ve landed on the moon with your dough (million dollar tag line).

Ready to cook your dough?  Let’s make a sauce!

Render some Mangalitsa speck, add some carrots, celery, onion, and cherry wood smoked tomatoes (oh my), and some harissa, and a few other touches (I poke you now!!!).  Sauce gets food processed, strained, and reduced some more.

Then I work up a fake Italian accent and go from there.

Then-a you-a put-a the pizza (talking with hands the whole time) in-a the oven-a at-a 450F degrees-a. Mama mia!!!!

Pull-a it out-a when-a the crust-a turns-a golden brown-a!!!!!!!!

Leaf Lard Dough Pizza with a Cherry Wood Smoked Tomato Sauce, rendered speck, Beecher’s cheese, Gremolata, and Sel de Mer

Looks like we have some dough leftover.   HOW ABOUT-A ONE MORE-A WITH-A SALUMI SOPRESSATA!!!

Eric

Dinner…..my place.

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Mini-rainbow carrots with concasse of heirloom grape tomatoes with cilantro oil vinaigrette (also from the garden), cherry wood smoked tomato vinaigrette,  and topped with frisee flowers and sel de mer.

Ciabatta bread toasted in brown butter with cherry wood smoked Walla Walla onions with melted Beecher’s cheese and topped with a veal stock butter sauce…..heavy on the butter….oh yes.

Scallops seared in Mangalitsa Leaf Lard with a ghost chili/molasses reduction sauce with smoked tomato vinaigrette.

Braised Mangalitsa Neck Roll over Polenta….looks awful in this picture. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to make it again!

“Chocolate Air” presented by superstar pastry chef Ellen Benezra. Such a light texture but with a rich flavor behind it…..the perfect dessert.

Eric

Mangalitsa Speck Penne and Cheese

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Base sauce is a heavy cream bechamel with a ton of Beecher’s cheese and some rendered fat from the speck. Seasonings are in play here but nothing more than salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Penne is cooked al dente then stirred in the sauce to finish….more speck is added to the mix.  Contents are removed from pan then placed in ramekin then more speck and cheese is placed on top.  Placed under broiler then brought out and torched because my stove sucks.

Woolypigs.com (click)

Eric

Mindy’s Garden Salad and Fried Pork Chop with More Garden Delights

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The lettuce and the radishes are from the garden. Cherries are from some friends of ours that picked them this past weekend.  It looks like we will have to move to California to grow black olives which I am all for.

Back to the radishes….they’re sliced thin then quickly blanched and shocked which makes them translucent…..I like. The salad is tossed in a neutral grape seed oil vinaigrette to let the salad itself stand out.  A little sel de mer and black pepper….ta-da!

FRIED PORK CHOP TIME!!! I had plans for another type of meat for this but things didn’t work out so when in doubt, FRIED PORK CHOP!

The pea vines, peas, radishes, and basil that I used in the mashed potatoes are from the garden.  I wish the carrots would get here faster because this dish would explode with some rainbow carrots and a nice piece of fish…….. However, it is pretty awesome as it is.

I used yukon gold potatoes in the mashed potatoes.  I used a concentrated pesto base that I made using basil from the garden and I folded that into the potatoes along with cream, butter, salt, pepper, and a little white wine vinegar.

The carrots, peas, and radishes were blanched then shocked then sauteed in clarified butter with shallots, white wine, salt, and pepper.  During the last minute of that cooking process the pea vines were added to the mix….they are edible…..learned that at work.

Fried pork chops have my special touches to them.  I have perfected those things……really.

I can’t wait to see what else the garden has to offer!!!!

Eric

Saffron/Oregano Pasta

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When I was out on Orcas Island I learned how to make some pasta that would be edible.  I have made it a few times before but it never turned out the way I wanted……in steps Chef Nakamura.  After a few tips and making 12 orders (24 sheets total) I got it down.

Thanks Chef!

Eric

Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta with Fried Basil Leaves

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Fried basil….pretty cool stuff.

Thyme, Basil, Chicken stock, Spicy Italian Sausage, Crushed red pepper, olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, cerignola olives, sweet onion, chardonnay, sel de mer, garlic, and mangalitsa fat.

Eric

Lobster Stock Risotto with Butter Poached Shrimp

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You want a killer dish? Here it is.

Lobster stock, arborio rice, fresh oregano/thyme/basil, butter, white wine, sel de mer, Beecher’s cheese, shrimp, crushed red pepper, black pepper, micro greens.

Eric

Wild Alaskan King Salmon Pasta

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Was given some salmon trim from work so I decided I would take it home and create something spectacular.  This is the best salmon you’ve never had……that’s right……Mindy said so :)

Golden Glen Creamery’s basil cheese, Beecher’s cheese and some Golden Glen Creamery Butter then some heavy cream.   Wild alaskan king salmon, sel de mer, black pepper, white wine, capers, homegrown tarragon, and some spaghetti noodles…….all of these ingredients are out of order…it’s your job to experiment and unlock the awesomeness for yourself.

Go cook something. Go eat something.

Eric

Patatas con Chorizo

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I just bought a book that will be my foundation for the way I will cook forever.  I’m not going to say what it is but it’s a fantastic resource and a great source of inspiration for me.  I look at the recipes in the book and they are very basic then I take what I have learned so far and elaborate upon it.

The recipe starts out featuring potatoes and chorizo….simple enough and great but I like to tweek things a little bit.   It ends up being potato and chorizo stew that started off with some rendered Iberico ham fat.

Then the chorizo is seared, removed, then garlic is rendered in clarified butter.  Onions are added until they turn translucent.   Veal stock, fresh bay leaf, chorizo back in, potatoes, then stew for a bit.   Strain, reduce further, a few more tricks (herbs, spices), then a veal demi-sofrito sauce to finish.   Fresh bay leaf to garnish and then remember that what started this was the cool idea of potatoes and chorizo.  That was a great ride…..do it again!

Eric

Veal Stock Soba Noodle Soup

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It’s nasty outside….have some soup!

Sauté some onions, zucchini, then add veal stock and cooked soba noodles.  Add those pickled sweet chili pepper flakes (this is the key!),  small amount of rice vinegar, soy sauce reduction (so many secrets),  and fresh ginger.   Let it work a bit then add some of that roasted turkey, egg,  green onions, and leek strips.   Confuse the hell out of everyone when they want to know what it’s called.  Welcome to my world :)  Soooooooooooooooooooo good!

Eric

Roasted Lavender Honey Glazed Turkey Breast with Fingerling Medallions and Leek

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I got a book (click) a while ago and had some honey that I infused with lavender to so I decided to put it to work.

Take a turkey breast that you have brined then get it ready to roast. Season with salt, pepper and the usual suspects then roast it until it’s done.

Save the pan juices then deglaze with white wine and reduce until it’s almost nothing. Work in the lavender honey to make a glaze.

The fingerling potatoes are sliced about 1/8 of an inch then shallow fried in clarified butter then topped with sel de mer and black pepper.  The leeks are lightly cooked until translucent in clarified butter and sel de mer.

Slice the turkey then place a little clarified butter in a hot saute pan and toss the chicken in then the glaze to coat.  This only takes about 35 seconds.  Remove, plate, garnish with a micro green,

eat.

Eric

Fried Pork Chop with Fuji Apple Chutney and Veal Stock Orzo

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Think pork chops and apple sauce but with a few tweaks. TWEAK!

There is a spice rub that I put on the pork chops that consists of turmeric, salt, aji dulce powder, cinnamon, grains of paradise, and urfa biber (What are things you can’t buy for $1000 Alex).  Then it’s fried!

Before that started I worked on the fuji apple chutney.  It has a base of brown sugar, white wine vinegar, and fructose. I added a few spices once it started to reduce…..cinnamon, clove, bay leaf (dry then fresh towards the end), oregano, black pepper, and salt.   Leave that to reduce a little more then reduce to low heat and add the apples.  Yes please.

Finally the veal stock orzo.  Well, it’s simple.   Veal stock + Orzo + a touch of black pepper and salt. It goes underneath everything else as you can see in the picture.  Then the pork chop, apples, sauce, then a little sauce around the edge of the plate.  Don’t forget the micro-green garnish!

Eric

Roasted Chicken with a Mango/Togarashi Glaze with Ginger Rice and Yellow Bell/Carrot Topper

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I had some of that honey mango puree leftover from the scallop “carpaccio” so I decided to make it into a glaze to put on some chicken.  ”Wow Eric, you’re like McGyver in the kitchen without things going all explody time.

The glaze started off with a little chicken stock then I reduced it, added togarashi, added cornstarch then finally added the honey mango puree.  I used the glaze on the chicken and to cook the carrots and yellow bell pepper.

The carrots and yellow bell pepper were cooked in sesame oil on low heat then the glaze was introduced.  Carrots and bell, this is glaze. Glaze, this is carrots and bell.

I chopped up a bunch of ginger then used some sweet sushi rice and put it in the rice maker with a touch of salt.   If you eat this by itself then it’s nothing to write on a blog about but paired with carrots and yellow bell it’s quite amazing.

After the chicken was roasted I deglazed the pan with some whiskey then added some of the glaze to make the final sauce on the plate.

Green onions garnish, sauced plate, food is ready!

Eric