Dec. 15th, 2013 10:12 am
End Times II
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muckefuckEven before Saturday's closeout madness, I'd been bitten by the kitchen bug. Good CTA connexions meant that I arrived ridiculously early for a doctor's appointment in Lakeview on Thursday, and in a bid to kill time I marched myself up to Paulina Meat Market. They're still the only store in town to carry my preferred variety of Spätzle and we're both suckers for their smoked meat products, so I picked up a two-and-a-half pound butt and decided I'd figure out what to do with later. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
monshu had tasked me with putting out dinner that evening, but the doc kept me waiting for half-an-hour so I kept it simple: fried slices of the stuffed pork breast he'd made the Sunday before, a pear-spinach salad, and the Spätzle with Mom's pesto. (The last dish wasn't bad, but I don't think it's the best preparation either.)
It had also occurred to me that, if I wanted to do any holiday baking, this weekend is really my last chance. Unfortunately, between the trip to the grocery store turning into an event and the Old Man's decision to make choucroute garnie (we stopped by Holzkopf's earlier for sauerkraut and sausages), I wasn't able to get into the oven until after 7 p.m. I made a pumpkin bread recipe from Cooks Illustrated so it was a little fussy (as with the pie filling I made last year, the puree had to be cooked down on the stove prior to baking) but, in the end, worth it despite the toll on my back. I've still got half of the huge can of pumpkin rescued from Dominick's so I might as well make another batch for sharing and freezing.
My other project will be a soup like the one we've made before with the rest of the butt. For a change of pace, I'm swapping out the potatoes for cannellini and the cabbage for kale. Should be just the ticket for tonight along with some crusty bread. The leftovers from the choucroute will be the basis for another bigos now that last winter's supply is gone. And then I still have to make the croxetti alla salsa di noci I promisedmonshu months ago along with the crabcakes I just the notion of making. My days idle from work will not be wasted!
monshu had tasked me with putting out dinner that evening, but the doc kept me waiting for half-an-hour so I kept it simple: fried slices of the stuffed pork breast he'd made the Sunday before, a pear-spinach salad, and the Spätzle with Mom's pesto. (The last dish wasn't bad, but I don't think it's the best preparation either.)It had also occurred to me that, if I wanted to do any holiday baking, this weekend is really my last chance. Unfortunately, between the trip to the grocery store turning into an event and the Old Man's decision to make choucroute garnie (we stopped by Holzkopf's earlier for sauerkraut and sausages), I wasn't able to get into the oven until after 7 p.m. I made a pumpkin bread recipe from Cooks Illustrated so it was a little fussy (as with the pie filling I made last year, the puree had to be cooked down on the stove prior to baking) but, in the end, worth it despite the toll on my back. I've still got half of the huge can of pumpkin rescued from Dominick's so I might as well make another batch for sharing and freezing.
My other project will be a soup like the one we've made before with the rest of the butt. For a change of pace, I'm swapping out the potatoes for cannellini and the cabbage for kale. Should be just the ticket for tonight along with some crusty bread. The leftovers from the choucroute will be the basis for another bigos now that last winter's supply is gone. And then I still have to make the croxetti alla salsa di noci I promised
monshu months ago along with the crabcakes I just the notion of making. My days idle from work will not be wasted!Tags: