Showing posts with label lardo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lardo. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Rabbit fricassee


polenta and rabbit
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo
For dinner yesterday I made a fricassee of rabbit, in which I also mixed in some chicken (as I didn't have as much rabbit as I thought.)
I started by browning the chicken and rabbit in the same pot I planned on cooking them in. then removed them.

protein

I then rendered some lardo (which added a ton of flavor and a good deal of salt so the dish really didn't need any extra.) and two tablespoons of flour to make a roux.

roux with lardo

I cooked it on low heat till it was good and brown. I returned the chicken and rabbit to the pan and added some store bought sofrito, (which is basically onions, garlic, pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano salt and pepper, so you can make your own but this stuff is pretty good.)

sofrito

and I added a tablespoon of tahini on a whim for a thicker more interesting sauce

tahini

I added white wine almost to cover and a tablespoon of capers, and a handfull of small carrots. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for an hour. I added two pinches of sugar as I thought it was a bit on the acid side.

mixed stew

I pan fried some polenta slices (I bought one of those premade polenta logs from the grocery store... still haven't bought corn meal)
and served it.

polenta and rabbit

The rabbit was great and the sauce was rich and thick which worked great with the polenta. I think the tahini as a thickening agent did a nice job adding depth of flavor to the roux.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Cochon555 Washington DC 2010


Cochon flyer
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo
In retrospect, I'm not sure where I heard of Cochon555 first. But I knew I wanted to be involved, contribute and try the many wines and dishes to be prepared in part to preserve heritage breeds of pork.

why?

I signed up for the VIP version with access to the vip lounge for 2 hrs prior

Cochon VIP reception

It was not uncomfortably crowded with a very varied group of people, some clearly restaurant people, vendors, but also some people with cameras and some with dates.

In the VIP area we had a great selection of wine and appetizers. Steak Tartare

steak tartare

oysters from the choptank oyster house

oysters

Awesome cheeses from the Cowgirl creamery

Cheese

and what I thought was the best spread by Richmond's own Belmont Butchery. They had great pate and terrines, which by far where the best to this point, and would have competed for sure with the final meal.

Belmont Butchery spread

Butcher at Belmont

I did not get pictures of all the dishes but here goes some of presentation and finished dishes

service

assorted dish

lots of food

towards the end of dinner they had a butcher demonstaration with a red wattel pig

Lots of pig

the entire beast was butchered and raffled, unfortunately I didn't win any.

ribs and chops

stuffed head, notice the wattle

stuffed head

I was hoping for some of this monster chop

wicked chops

the night ended with bacon again provided by the belmont butchery

bacon

and then a whole roasted hog

roasted hog

I had a great time, tasted some great dishes and wines. The list is below

Chefs
Joe Palma
Westend Bistro

Daniel Singhofen
Eola

Nicholas Stefanelli
Bibiana

David Varley
Bourbon Steak

RJ Cooper
Vidalia

The Butcher demonstration
Ryan Farr
4504 Meats

Wines
Conn Valley Vineyards

Donkey and Goat Winery (my favorite)

Twomey Cellars

Chehalem Winery

Domaine Drouhin Oregon

Beer
Heavy Seas Beer (also my favorite)

Again a very fun night and filling night. Check it out in the future!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Acorn Edition Salumi


la Quercia box
Originally uploaded by EatingVideo
I received our second shipment from La Quercia today (Acorn Edition hog share). This box contains cured items.

la Quercia shipment

I am probably the most excited to try the Lardo

lardo

fat

But we also got some Coppa

organic coppa

Nicely marbled

coppa

Guanciale (cheeks!)

la Quercia guanciale

Pancetta

pancetta

pancetta

Looking tasty

pancetta

Somehow I missed a picture of the Lonza (cured loin) but it is in there.

lots of it

Now to portion it out amongst the shareholders (my brothers) and feast!