"A cat will look down to a man. A dog will look up to a man. But a pig will look you straight in the eye and see his equal." Winston Churchill

A few months ago I was preparing myself for a long Vermont winter. The winter can be especially brutal if not prepared properly. My plan was to fill my basement freezer with an abundant supply of hand made local food. Having products like these on hand take some of the sting out of winter. As I'm typing this, the smoker is full and the temperature is hovering at a brisk -8 degrees Fahrenheit. It doesn't matter where you are from, that's cold!  I have five pounds of cured pork belly smoking away for my later enjoyment.  This cut of pork has a story dating back a few months ago...

During the fall I became friends with a local farmer named James.  He is the proud owner of Little Bear Farms here in Jericho, and lives right next door.  He and I share the same standards in sustainable local products.  One morning James called me asking questions about the procedures in breaking down a whole hog. I gave him some important precautions and procedures. That's when he asked, "It would be great if you could help!" I was out the door with my equipment faster than lightning.  Arriving on scene he made the determination to keep one of the female pigs for springtime piglets.  James loves his animals.  These were the happiest pigs around.  Their diet consisted of two pick-up trucks of pumpkins per week and piles of hay.  His method of slaughter was extremely humane.

Many farmers have slaughterhouses come pick up their animals for processing.  This has a large host of problems associated with it. First, when the animals are picked up, they can sense the change in routine, and become worried and scared in their new environment. I know, it's sad to think about. The next problem is one of greed on the part of some slaughterhouses.  James posed an excellent question; "How do you know that what you've sent is what you're getting back?"  He has had a few negative experiences to the point that backyard butchery is the only feasible concept.  James was very organized. 

Believe me when I tell you that the two pigs died instantly.  No lingering, suffering or any nightmare scenarios you read about in corporate farming practices. In one instant, done.  I remember the smell of iron was thick in the chilly morning air. To me, this was the soul of the animal.  After about thirty minutes it was time to hang the pigs for cooling.  

Before getting started, we had to remove the hair from the pigs. The hair and skin of a pig is incredibly durable. Within a few swipes, my carbon steel knife was dull.  I had to sharpen my knife every ten minutes.  Our goal wasn't to remove every hair from the animal, but to make the process of breaking the animal down that much easier.  This gave us the opportunity to go over the animal inch by inch.  This proved to be pretty helpful.  

After a quick break, it was time to spray the pigs down with water and use a light bleach solution to sterilize the skin prior to gutting and break down.  Again, this gave us time to formulate a game plan to expedite our efforts.

As with the production of any animal, it is very important to not pierce the intestines or any part of the digestive track.  One false move can spoil the entire effort.  This takes great care and a steady hand.  Once complete, the gut sack falls out on its own.  This was a huge relief. We now could see our starting point and get really excited about the rest of the afternoon.

Now that the pigs are clean, gutted and split it was time to start skinning.  This process was smooth and fast. I had a very sharp flexible boning knife that worked perfectly.  This was the last step before breaking the animal down into primal and sub-primal parts.

Working from both sides of the animal we took great care to use every part of the animal. I collected the heart, kidneys, liver and cheeks.  These are incredibly delicious and often underused.

The rest of the afternoon went like clockwork.  Before we knew it, the job was done.  We carefully packed all the meat up and enjoyed a celebratory drink.  We all know that the gifts these pigs gave us will be appreciated for months to come.  I stuffed my freezer with pancetta, maple bacon, cheeks, shoulders and about five gallons of pig stock.  A few weeks ago I had cured pork chops from these animals. You could almost taste a hint of pumpkin in every delicious bite.  I am definitely looking forward to next fall!  

Along with pigs, James raises chickens and turkeys.  A few days ago he dropped off an amazing looking chicken.  We got talking about the different preparation methods for chickens when I remembered a true gem.  I haven't had chicken galantine in years. This is another great way to use the whole animal.  Essentially, galantine is the whole chicken ground with inlay and stuffed back into its own skin and poached in stock made from it's bones.  If you take your time the process is quite easy.  First, skinning a chicken and keeping the skin intact can be a little problematic for some.  Use a sharp knife a cut along the spine of the bird. This is your starting point..

With the edge of your knife, work down the inside of the bird.  When you come to the leg and wing sections, cut around the bottom joint and remove the skin as you would a tight sweater. keep working till the skin is removed in one piece.  

Place the skin on a plastic wrapped baking sheet and place in the freezer.  Remove both breasts intact and set aside.  Remove the meat off of the legs, thighs and wings.  Flip the breasts over and remove the tenderloin. Heat a heavy bottom pan with butter over high heat.  Brown the breasts on all sides and set aside to cool.  In the same pan add..

1. One Tablespoon Minced Garlic

2. One Tablespoon Minced Shallot

3. One Cup Madeira

Reduce this mixture till almost a paste.  Refrigerate this immediately.  Combine the leg, thigh, tenderloin, wing and liver into a meat grinder set to the smallest die.  Transfer the ground mixture to a food processor and add the Madeira paste, whites of two eggs, salt, pepper and pate spice.  

Pate Spice

1. One teaspoon ground cloves

2. One teaspoon ground nutmeg

3.One teaspoon ground ginger

4. One teaspoon ground coriander

5.Two teaspoons cinnamon

6.One Tablespoon ground white pepper

Puree this till smooth.  At this time add .75 cup heavy cream.  Fold the cream in with a spatula.  When you are ready, remove the skin from the fridge and place it on your cutting board 

Place half of the mixture lengthwise across the skin and arrange the seared breasts side by side..

Place the other half of the mixture on top of the breasts.  Gently roll the galantine so it almost resembles a chicken burrito.  Wrap the galantine in cheesecloth and tie off both ends.  To add support, tie tow strips of cheesecloth around the center.

Place this in the fridge.  Cover the chicken bones with water and proceed to make chicken stock.  This is going to be our poaching liquid for the galantine.  Ideally, you want to poach this at a temperature between 160-180 degrees F/ 71 to 82 degrees C.  To my surprise, my little crock pot held the temperature perfectly.  Gently poach this for 45-50 minutes.

Cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F/ 71 degrees C.  Remove from the heat, cover and chill in the poaching liquid overnight.  To serve the galantine, remove from the gelatinous chicken stock, remove the cheesecloth, bring to room temperature and slice thin.  This is a very elegant presentation for all occasions.

It pays to take time out our busy lives to make some incredibly delicious food.  If possible, make it a habit of bringing the family together to make something outrageous everyone can enjoy.  Eat within your means, and eat within your season.  Items on this blog are just some of the things packed into my basement freezer. Others include..

Pastrami

Crack Pie

Sun Dried Tomato and Pesto Yeasted Bagels

Happy winter everyone!!

Cheers!

Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up. What was is not and never again will be; what is, is change.” ~ Edwin Teale

Each and every year I am amazed on how fast the fall comes to an end. For some, this special time of the year just passes them by without notice. Everyone should have the opportunity to unplug from their daily lives and enjoy the natural surroundings. I make it a point to immerse myself in my surroundings, and enjoy the sights, smells, taste and touch. Just something like the smell of a wood stove in the morning makes me think of a hearty fall stew. A few days ago, I was taking in the world on my daily bike ride through the Vermont countryside. I passed by a farmer moving mountains of hay into his barn. The smell of earth and fresh hay had me thinking about a meal I haven't had the opportunity to make in quite some time. Lamb racks have an almost mystical appeal to them. This is not a piece of meat that many home cooks go out of their way to find.

Seared lamb racks are unbelievably easy to prepare. You can season them in a wide variety of ways. For example, yogurt and mint, olive and lemon, or just salt and pepper. For this meal I chose the latter. Letting the flavor of the lamb shine is what this feast is all about. Lentils and brussel sprouts are the perfect accoutrements. For the sauce, I went with sour cherry and an apple brandy reduction. The whole meal is flavorful, aromatic, and visually appealing.

First, rinse the racks, pat dry and season. You want them to come up to room temperature before starting the cooking process. In one small sauce pan add one cup grenadine and one-half cup dried sour cherrries. Let the two mingle for about one-half hour. Over a slow heat, begin reducing the mixture till it resembles a thick syrup. In another sauce pan add one cup apple brandy and reduce till syrupy. Set these both aside to cool. During the cooling process, they will thicken more. Don't fret, you want this!

Next, begin cooking the lentils. I usually soak them before cooking, but some just go from the bag to boil. I use fresh poultry stock along with some maple smoked salt. This is simple, elegant and decadent. Cook the lentils for about twenty minutes or until soft, not mushy. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and have a saute pan over full heat. Wait until the pan is screaming hot before you add any oil. When you're ready, place the racks bone side down until browned then flip to the meat side. After two minutes, lower the heat for one more minute. Place the pan in the oven for five minutes. This will give you on the rarer side of medium rare, which is how I like these. Adjust your time to your desired temperature is reached.

I hope you all have been enjoying the fall splendor as much as I have. Each day we inch closer to a winters landscape. Enjoy!

We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons. ~ Alfred E. Newman

I love this saying. It is the plain and simple truth to what we have available at our giant supermarkets. Many people go through the day not knowing what they are putting into their bodies. Kids still think grape is a flavor not a fruit. Gone are the days of individuals taking time to know what it is they are actually eating, where it has come from and the history behind it. Over the years my circle of food purveyors has been getting much closer to home.
There have been a lot of changes in my life since the last entry. I have moved out of Burlington Vermont and now have a home of my own. This place is spectacular! The amount of apple trees, berry bushes and even cranberries is staggering. My neighbors have chickens, pigs and tons of hops. I cant think of a better place for me to be. My neighbor stopped by to say welcome and give me a chicken from his yard. This was an amazing chicken. Even better, it was from like 150 yards away.

Right away I got to work. I wanted this meal to be as local as possible. What better way to celebrate the bounty of the fall harvest than smoked chicken salad. First, I always brine any kind of poultry. It's the right thing to do. In a large plastic container I mixed one-half gallon of water with one cup of Kosher salt, one cup of sugar and one-quarter cup soy sauce. Mix it all together till the salt dissolves and add the chicken. If you plan to eat the chicken that day, do this first thing in the morning.

After about six to eight hours in brine, it's time to cook the bird. You can roast, grill, fry or smoke. Just don't do something super ghetto like boiling the chicken. Smoking a chicken takes patience. It's not for everyone. Smoking is a long slow cooking process that will give you the most flavorful and juicy bird out there. It's actually quite easy, wood chips, heat, water and a few hours. That's it! While at Home Depot a few months ago I found a perfect gas smoker.

Gas smokers have a huge advantage over charcoal. I have a charcoal smoker, it works, but anything longer than two hours requires dedication. I tried an eight hour smoke on a fresh ham and went through two giant bags of charcoal. This is way more efficient.
Once the chicken is out of the brine, pat it dry and pick a dry seasoning best suited to the bird's accompaniments. In this case this calls for a spicy rub.

Smoked Chicken Dry Rub

1 1/2 Cups Paprika

1/2 Cup Black Pepper

1/2 Cup Kosher Salt

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder

4 Tablespoons Garlic Powder

4 Tablespoons Onion Powder

4 Teaspoons Ground Ghost Chili (optional)

Before you apply the dry rub, lightly coat the whole chicken in molasses. Apply liberally, be sure to coat the entire bird. Cut two lemons in half and pack them into the body cavity and truss the bird shut. Pretty easy so far!

Set up your smoker, lite the burner!

You want the smoker temperature between 200 and 225. Fill the pan above the wood chips with water. This adds valuable humidity to the cooking process. Close the doors and let it go for 2.5 hours. This is where the patience comes in handy. Remember this phrase while smoking, "If you're looking you're not cooking." After the wait is over, remove the bird and let it rest on your countertop for about ten minutes. You will be tempted to try a piece, oh, you will!

This was probably the best chicken I have ever eaten and it came from next door. In my smoked chicken salad I dice the chicken and add tart cherries, sun gold tomato, diced celery, sliced almonds, balsamic reduction, sliced mint and very, very good olive oil.

The next project I truly love. Chicken liver terrine is sometimes under appreciated. Not here! David Chang and the crew at Momofuku are doing amazing things with this recipe. Try to keep local for this one too. I went to the farm across town and purchased three pounds of chicken liver. This is a relatively cheap organ meat. While I was there they had a pork shoulder that would work beautifully in this recipe.

Chicken Liver Terrine

3# Chicken Liver

1/2 Cup Peeled Garlic Cloves

2 Shallots

3# Ground Pork

3 teaspoons Chinese 5 Spice

4 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

2 Tablespoons Sugar

2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

A quick note on fish sauce. This pungent and wonderful sauce has lots of different levels of quality. Get the best you can find.

Pick through your chicken livers and remove any veins. This is a pretty quick job, try not to over think it. Next, grind your pork. In a food processor, pulse the livers until they are chopped fine but not smooth. Add this to the ground pork along with the dry spices. In the same food processor, puree the garlic and shallots and add them to the whole mess.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator and heat your oven to 275. This is where you can get creative. You can use loaf pans or any other vessel you can think of. I used and 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 pan and a small round metal container.

This needs to cook in a water bath. Find two pans that will accommodate your work. Don't add any water yet. Place them both in the oven, and then fill with water. This will save you from pouring water all over the oven.

Bake the terrines one hour and fifteen minutes. At that point the internal temperature will be 150 or so.

Let the two terrines cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place a weight on them. This ensures that during the overnight set-up time, you will have a very uniform product.

Refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove the weight and foil. Place the containers in enough hot water to heat the sides and release the terrine. At this point, you're done! Package and freeze it, or add some to your scrambled eggs, or have it during the afternoon with wine and cheese.

There you have it! Two exceptional meals that came from the town I live in, and didn't break the budget! If you had this at a fine restaurant this would cost a small fortune, and probably wouldn't be near the quality of what we have here.

Life here in the beautiful Vermont countryside is wonderful. I have lots to be thankful for. I have so many projects for the future. Currently, I am working on three different varieties of incredible sausage. I have lots to do! Stay tuned!