Cats, Sheep, & Penguins

I like thick, hearty soups to the extent that I don’t often make a proper stew; in the interest of full disclosure I’ve begun referring to these soup-stew concoctions as “stoup”. Knowing I have plenty of chicken and an open bottle of red wine, I decided to experiment with a cider & red wine chicken broth, only to discover, as I was heating the broth, that we are out of cider. Undismayed and too hungry to go shopping, I decided to improvise. Sharp readers will note that this was not a significant change from the original plan.

I decided to add barley, one of my favorite stoup ingredients, so I doubled the chicken broth from two to four cups; to this I added one 12oz bottle of lager beer, although next time I will likely add more beer or start with a bit less broth. With the mixture was reducing, I set aside a half cup each of barley and dried shiitake mushrooms.

In my indestructible skillet I sautéed chopped onion, sliced baby bella mushrooms, first in olive oil, then with a healthy splash of red wine; when the wine was mostly evaporated I added about a pound of chopped chicken cutlets.

When the chicken was evenly browned and the stock reduced to about four cups, I added mixed everything into the soup pot, covered, and simmered for about 45 minutes. The result is a hearty mushroom & barley chicken stoup, with a hint of hops and red wine flavors that add savory richness to an earthy body.

Today is my birthday and thanks to my sisters, Lynn & Carol, and my lovely wife, Lysa I have some really cool things to write about. Prominently featured in the photograph is a 100ml bottle of the best vinegar in the world . Minus 8 is ice wine vinegar made by a couple of Canadian foodies near Niagra Falls. Once only available to professional chefs, it’s probably still not available in your local market; the stuff isn’t cheap ($30 for a 100ml/3.38oz bottle) but it makes common vinegar taste like something mopped off a factory floor. I plan to acquire more quality vinegar but after reading about Minus 8 I decide to start with the best: as you can see I couldn’t wait to open the bottle, and I was not disappointed.

Just behind the vinegar is another example of superlative quality. Olvida nickel plated, cast iron cookware combines the cooking advantages of cast iron with the memory free durability of nickel sulfide. It doesn’t require seasoning, it’s dishwasher safe, it’s nonstick, and you can scrub it, scrape it, even hit it with a hammer and you won’t damage the nickel surface. Olvida doesn’t come cheap either, but I figure this will be the last 13” skillet and grill pan I ever own. More importantly, the nickel alloy is non reactive (but it will oxidize- dry it well) so it’s a healthier option than the average non-stick cookware.

Blocking off the background glare are a few bottles Lysa and I picked up last week at Applewood Winery in Warwick, NY. We’ll have more to say about these as we open them.

After an unseasonably warm and humid beginning, the Autumn cold has finally arrived; last night we lit the first fire of the season in our hearth. It finally feels right to think about apple picking, pumpkin carving, hot chocolate and mulled wine. The beginning of Autumn also heralds an onslaught of savory cold weather delights; nothing fights the chill like a hearty soup, stew, or pie. This is one of our favorite recipes, and the perfect time of year to cook it.

More than one person has balked at the thought of mixing chicken stock with apple cider, but I have yet to receive any complaints from any who have tasted it. I begin with one quart of each, add some white wine, seasonal spices (cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cardamom), and reduce this to two cups. The result is an unbelievable, mouth-watering, autumnal gravy which does a superb job of blending ingredients.

Setting aside the sauce, I sautéed onion, carrot, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and turkey bacon in olive oil until the veggies were mushy. Tossing that aside, I used the same pan to brown a pound of floured turkey cubes, then added the veggies, and finally the sauce. The extra flour from the turkey mixes with the cider-broth and makes a nice thick gravy. Once the filling cooled a bit, I wrapped it in a pie shell and baked until golden brown (45@350˚).

This is one of those dishes that tastes great just out of the oven, but only gets better as the flavors blend together over time. The leftovers won’t make it past Tuesday.

One of the big differences between Lysa and myself is that I love vegetables and she thinks the ‘Fruit & Vegetable’ food group ought to include green M&Ms. She does, however, enjoy a nice juicy Vidalia onion so as an appetizer tonight I decided to grill some onions, portabello caps, eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini. Josh, our guest, was delayed and when we finally got ’round to grilling we completely forgot about the mushroom caps, but everything else grilled nicely with generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil and Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt; although next time I think I’ll return to my usual garlic salt.

The pork is done, long live the pork! We used the last of my Chinese pork to make another batch of pork fried rice; since we were too hungry to take pictures last time, we made sure to grab some shots tonight. I admit it’s not the prettiest dish I make, and we could have styled it better if we took more time– the trouble is it’s so darn tasty.

“Putting a new spin on an old craft,” is her tagline. Lynn Wigell’s site has wonderful hand-dyed fibers and handspun yarns in many weights and colors. I commissioned 4 oz. of merino top roving for spinning in pink, orange, and ice blue, and here is what she sent me. I can’t wait to finish spinning what’s on my wheel so I can spin this up.

I bet it wouldn’t be a Hummer with handicap plates and an official clergy business sign. We spotted this throwback to 1980′s zeitgeist on our trip to the New York State Fair in late August; given the regional proclivity for mullets I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Interestingly enough, this guy isn’t unique – maybe they can start some kind of twelve step program with this one. I’ll stop short of calling him insensitive, but only because I haven’t bothered to obscure his license plate . I hope he doesn’t get this guy to come after me.

We bought about five pounds of country style (fatty) pork and slow grilled it with a Chinese BBQ sauce (Honey, Hoisin, Soy, & Sherry). These shots are from the last night, tonight we’re making pork fried rice , and I expect to use the leftovers for a stir fry.

The other white meat…

This was a lovely rub with lots of organic garlic, pepper, Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt, and a fresh herb “poultry mix.” Left to sit in the fridge for several hours, and then warmed up to room temperature before grilling. Served with fresh garlic bread (also grilled). I would definitely order this again in a restaurant.

In the calm before last night’s thunderstorm, I spotted a nicely lit spider’s web as we were getting ready to retire to bed. This was the best shot I got before the wind picked up and made long exposures impossible. This morning the web is destroyed; I may try again if the spider rebuilds.