This is one of my favorite quotes for many reasons. Over the years, I have been fortunate to meet a vast number of people from every walk of life. The one trait we all have in common is our love of food. It doesn't matter if you are a carnivore, vegetarian, vegan or other. There is always something you believe in your heart to be special with absolute conviction.
During the last few weeks I have met a wonderful soul who has impeccable taste, razor sharp wit, and a vision of how food can change the world. These kinds of people are very hard to come by in todays "now" society. She understands the benefits of sustainable foods on a very local level, and tragic practices of the large scale corporate farming sprawl. I feel truly fortunate to know a true foodie. After all, great minds think alike!
The kitchen at home has been very happy and unbelievably busy! Each morning I wake up at sunrise, make my coffee which resembles mud, and gaze at the the joyful bounty which is my refrigerator! The pickling projects are mostly completed, and the meat fabrication was a success! Let's see, where to start....
OK! When my sister and I were growing up there was always something good on the table for dinner. In my family we appreciate the togetherness of having a family dinner. One of our mainstays was frank and bean casserole. My sister and I loved it because it was good, hot and plenty of it! Over time, the allure of the hot dog lost it's luster. Maybe Im getting older, but mass-produced hot dogs shouldn't be eaten by anyone! Hand-made all-beef franks reclaim the idea of what a hot dog should actually be!
Hot dogs are perhaps the world's most widely known sausage. The homemade variety are so different from those sold in supermarkets that we have to question the name. First, you need to start with good wholesome ingredients. I had a six pound beef bottom round from LaPlatte, and four pounds of short ribs from the same location. Short ribs have a thick succulent fat cap that adds so much flavor to this sausage. Cut the round into small pieces,remove the bones from the ribs, and cut them in the same fashion.
Once the meat is cut and ready, place it in an accommodating dish, cover and refrigerate for thirty minutes. If you have the time, put it in the freezer for fifteen minutes longer. Bottom line, you want the cut beef as cold as possible.
While the meat is chillin, mise en place your spices! This amount required......
8 Cloves Garlic, Pickled and Minced
4 Tablespoons, Kosher Salt
1.5 Tablespoons, Cracked Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon, Smoked Paprika
1 Tablespoon, Ground Coriander
2 Teaspoons, Ground Mace
3 Cups, Cheap Beer
Sheep Casings
Grind the meat on the smallest die.
In a large bowl, or mixer, incorporate the spices and beer to the ground beef. Once it is properly mixed, cover and put in the freezer for fifteen minutes. During that fifteen minutes, rinse and prepare the sheep casings.
Set up your sausage maker. Whatever you do, never buy the sausage maker from a name brand "authority" on this. They will DEFINITELY RIP YOU OFF!! Go to Amazon.com before making a purchase just to be sure.
Thread the casings onto the extruder and fill the canister with the raw product. This is where you should take a step back, breathe and have a nice glass of wine. You can never be too relaxed in the kitchen. Gordon Ramsey has nothing on me!
Roll out the sausage until the filling has run out. At this point, decide on how you would like to present them. The world is your oyster! Foot-longs, short links, cocktail? You be the judge!!
This recipe will net you a lot of hot dogs! Wrap or freeze properly! If you have a vacuum sealer, well....
Just think, you got some dawgs to make any New Yorker proud!!
Hot dogs are all fine and dandy, but let's get into some pickles!
I have found over time that you can pickle just about anything. There are quite a few recipes that are borderline shady on the internet, but the Ball Blue Book on canning is my new favorite authority on the subject! These are tried and true concoctions for ANY home canner! You will be surprised at what you will find hidden inside this book.
Let's just say I have about 48 heads of peeled garlic. I know it sounds funny, but seriously.......
Have your garlic peeled and waiting! Rev up the canner and process your jars. In this case it is 1.5 gallons. Pickled garlic is extremely delectable and crazy precious! If you take anything away from this blog, this is it!! Besides 48 heads of peeled garlic , you will need.....
2.5 Cups, white Vinegar
1 Cup, White Wine
1 Tablespoon, Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon, Sugar
1 Tablespoon, Oregano
Bring this to a boil in a large stock pot. Once it is boiling, add the garlic!
Fill the sterilized jars to .25" from the top! Process in a hot water canner for ten minutes.
These are the best garlic pickles ever!
Enough typing for today! There is so much more material it isn't even funny! Tomorrow we will cover pickled peppers and pineapple!! I need to eat food again! Prep is good fun, but making a meal is a whole different story!
~Cheers!
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