Scallops

Thanksgiving was too big a feast to write up here now. Will have to get details in here and there.

Scallops made easy

Buy good sea scallops, have two plum tomatoes, a shallot, a little tapenade or olives and garlic.

Whole garlic cloves cooked in lots olive oil until all brown and soft. Remove garlic and a little of the oil (reserved for scallop cooking) and then sautee chopped tomatoes and shallot and spices--basil oregano what-have-you. After tomato significantly reduced in size and shallot very soft, add spoonful of tapenade, mix in, add garlic and turn off heat. Let all sit in warm pan and drain some of the oil into a larger skillet to cook scallops in.

Dry scallops with paper towel after rinsing. Salt and Pepper scallops on both sides. Add to sizzling hot pan. About 1 minute each side--they should sear brown-black. Remove and place on plate around the tomato and garlic. Done.

Duck Gumbo

What to do with a frozen duck? When there is a good deal on duck, buy three. One for gumbo and two for when you're friends come over. You'll see why below.

First matter of business is the whole duck. Defrost it and when soft, get to working.

First remove breasts--Magret du Canard is one of the greatest things in life. Be careful removing wish bone and slice against bone until its freed. Then remove back-side and legs--they come off fairly easily if you find the tendons.

Save all fat.
Again, save ALL fat.

If you are doing a gumbo, this is easy and you don't have to worry about neatness. Just remove all the fat and save it. Remove all meat from bones and save that separately. Ideally, the gumbo will have 4 legs, 2 thighs and 2 breasts. Save 4 breasts for those great friends coming over--when you can grill them ever so gently with a little Armagnac and salt/pepper. (Duck legs great for confit--notice the rendering fat section at the end of post--that's what you use to store legs in...)

The gumbo--I don't care what you put it in it. This time I'm only using one duck--all the meat chopped up. After carving off the meat and fat and setting aside, I made a duck stock. You don't get as much as normally needed for a gumbo (but if you have three carcasses you certainly would), so I always have to add some chicken stock. But some stock better than none.

Buy the best andouille you can get. Try to get homemade stuff if you're not in Cajun country, otherwise, just go to the butcher. Charlie T's in Breaux Bridge makes the best I've ever had, though some of my friends would attest to their own parents' versions.

Gumbo easy after this. Brown andouille, remove, brown duck, remove, sautee 2 chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, 2 stalks chopped celery, and 6 cloves crushed garlic in remaining fat from sausage and duck. Salt, pepper, Konriko Creole spice. After the vegetables release significant amount of liquid, add meat and about 6 cups broth, glob of wine, bay leaf and some more spice. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Let her go for 1 hour and then add half chopped onion and half chopped pepper. Another hour and the other half chopped onion, half chopped pepper and 3-6 more cloves crushed garlic. drops of Garlic flavored Tabasco and pepper. Let her cook some more. Add roux. Cook another 30 minutes. Then add sliced okra for last 30 minutes. Finished. Serve over Cajun Rice.

As for the duck skins and fat--render it. Put in skillet and cook over low for several hours (2-3) until all the pieces are crispy brown. Then strain it and save. You should have nice golden brown fat left over. This is a prize, truly and should be coveted.

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork the easy way:

Buy 7-9lb Boston Butt.
Trim some fat and score fatty side.

Make dry rub. This is what I used:

1 1/2 tbl cumin
1 tbl cayenne
1 tbl chili powder
2 tbl brown sugar
2 tbl white sugar
2 tbl salt
1 tbl pepper
3 tbl paprika
2 tbl oregano
7 cloves smashed and minced garlic

rub this into pork and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap for 3-4 hours in fridge (or more, whatever)...

Take out of fridge, douse with steen's cane vinegar (I guess this would be about 2 tbl each side and apple cider vinegar would work too). I also sprinkled on some garlic powder here too.

Put in pan on raised rack (so it doesnt sit in juices).

Put in oven set at 225 for 12-14 hours. Just leave it. I put it in at night and let er go. Internal temperature should be about 200.

Take out, let sit an hour, shred.

I smothered it in Dreamlands Barbeque sauce, c'est bon.

Braciole

I figured it was about time I reached back to my own heritage and made something Italian. Braciole, or beef rolls, can be made in numerous ways, but this one is an old fashion stand-by for a simple but good meal.

I used skirt steak but flank would do--or some other tenderized and flattened steak.

While I prepared the steaks, I started the tomato sauce--you know, tomatoes, onion, lots of garlic and spices--then I made stuffing mixture: 2-3 cups bread crumbs (I used old bread crumbled), 3 eggs, 8 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2-1 cup shredded parmigiana, salt, pepper, oregano. Mix together thoroughly until forms a paste. Some people add a layer of prosciutto. whatever you want. Brush all steaks with olive oil, spread mix over one side of each and roll up tying both ends with twine. Brown all sides in hot oil. Then add to sauce and cook for 3 hours. Done.

Can be served over pasta or just as it is with warm bread.

Vegetable Soup

While the topic "Vegetable Soup" may not sound attractive at first, I can guarantee you the soup will be. I learned how to make this kind of soup in Spain walking along there and an Italian woman was picking out anise off the side of the path and made a version of this soup that evening.

One carrot, two sticks celery, half an onion, one chopped leek, five cloves smashed/chopped garlic, and anise--the whole bulb cut up or stalks sliced and definitely the green hair-like tips (I didnt use all the stalk parts--some of it very tough). Add all into a pot with 2-3 cups of good chicken stock (homemade if you have it), glob of white wine and bring to boil, reduce and cook over medium for about 40 minutes until all vegetables are soft. Add salt/pepper and serve.

St. Hubert's Day

St Hubert

In Senlis, the town circles the stag
In cobble-stone streets, we wheel unevenly
Toward the cathedral, in and out;

Le Grand Cerf stands over tree-lined streets
Tilting antlers rocking into blue dawn sky
While frost brings all things down to cold,

Nothing moves in evening prayers and star-light
Where stone on stone sharpens
Oiled weapons prepare for long month's hunt

a steady uphill road to the Church, but there,
in unbroken friendship, circled joy,
this our St Hubert's Day