Charcuterie Plate with Condiments

Posted on November 9, 2016 by admin

A salt block can beautifully present charcuterie, just as it does cheese.  You will need to be more mindful of how you display the meats since many already have salt in their cures.  We like to use small squares of butcher paper or even slate cocktail coasters for a stunning contrast of colors for the charcuterie display.  Try serving fresh bread and good crackers with each of these plate, and cheese is always a good accompaniment.  Follow the same tips as given for the Cheese Plate with Condiments to turn your salt block into a functional display.  These tips include:

  • Chill the salt block in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
  • If slicing, overlap or fan the slices so that only a small part of each slice is in contact with the salt block.
  • Place liquid condiments and mustard in small, clear glass bowls. Mound thicker condiments, like chutney or jam, directly on the salt block.

salt-block-charcuterie

Try These Combinations

Basic Trio:

Prosciutto, country pâté, chicken liver mousse

Condiment ideas: sliced apples and figs

Spanish Ham Duo:

Iberico and Serrano hams

Condiment ideas: Marcona almonds and melon

Italian Charcuterie Plate:

Bresaola, Genoa salami, capicola

Condiment ideas: giardiniera and marinated piquanté peppers

Three Little Pigs:

Speck, mortadella, pork rillette

Condiment ideas: caperberry and grainy mustard

Hot, Hot, Hot:

Soppressata, spicy chorizo, spicy salami

Condiment ideas: cornichon and olives

 

Excerpted from The Simple Art of Salt Block Cooking by Jessica Harlan and Kelley Sparwasser, published by Ulysses Press.

 

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Basic Chili Recipe

Posted on October 27, 2016 by admin
Basic Chili Recipe
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Chili
  1. 3 medium onions
  2. Olive oil
  3. 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  4. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  5. Salt and pepper
  6. Cumin
  7. Homemade chili powder (recipe below)
  8. 1 pound ground bison
  9. 1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  10. 1 large can chopped tomatoes
  11. 1 cup chicken stock
  12. 1 bottle robust dark beer
  13. 1 can black beans
Chili Powder
  1. Dried ancho, New Mexico and habanero chilies
  2. 1 teaspoon cumin
Optional
  1. 1 ounce dark chocolate
  2. Fish sauce
  3. Balsamic vinegar
  4. Cream sherry
  5. Soy sauce
  6. Cilantro
  7. Scallions
  8. Sour cream
  9. Grated cheddar
Chili
  1. Dice the onions and saute them in olive oil until they’re soft. Add the garlic and let it soften, too. Add the oregano, some salt and pepper, a bit of cumin and 2 teaspoons of your homemade chili powder – more if you like really hot food.
  2. Add the ground bison and cook, stirring, until it loses its redness. Puree 3 or 4 of the chipotle peppers and stir that in, along with the tomatoes and another teaspoon of your chili powder. Add the chicken stock (preferably homemade) and a cup of the beer and let it all simmer at a slow burble for a couple of hours.
  3. Before serving, stir in a cup or so of cooked black beans. Now you get to play with the flavors. Is it hot enough? Do you want more chili powder? Sometimes I’ll melt an ounce or so of really good chocolate and stir that in to give it depth. Other times I’ll add a spoonful of fish sauce, or a splash of excellent balsamic vinegar. Sometimes soy sauce to spark it up, other times cream sherry to mellow it down. It all depends on my mood. The point is, when you’ve made your own chili powder, everything else is just window dressing.
  4. You can serve this with cilantro, scallions, sour cream and grated cheddar. Or not. It’s that good.
Homemade Chili Powder
  1. I like to use anchos for their winey richness, habanero for their fruity heat, and New Mexicos for their earthy sturdiness.
  2. Wearing rubber or latex gloves to protect your hands, sponge off 2 ancho, 3 New Mexico and 3 habanero chilies (they’re almost always dusty). Cut them in half and remove the tips, where the majority of seeds congregate in dried peppers. Discard the seeds.
  3. Put the chilies into a heavy-bottomed pan (I use cast iron) and toast them over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, turning from time to time with tongs, until they have darkened slightly. Allow them to cool and then grind the chilies to a powder in a spice grinder or coffee mill. Stir in a teaspoon of toasted ground cumin.
Notes
  1. Courtesy of Le Creuset, adapted from My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl
Adapted from My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved My Life
Adapted from My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved My Life
Recipes from Cooks Warehouse https://recipe.cookswarehouse.com/
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Autumn Stew

Posted on October 27, 2016 by admin
Autumn Stew
Serves 4
A hearty fall stew, perfect for a chilly night
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
  2. 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  3. 1 onion, chopped
  4. 1 red bell pepper, diced
  5. 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  6. 1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
  7. 1 pound (about 4 cups) butternut squash
  8. 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  9. 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  10. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  11. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  12. 1 15 ounce can kidney beans
  13. 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
Instructions
  1. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable stock and soy sauce in pressure cooker. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and most of the vegetable stock has evaporated.
  2. Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
  3. Add squash cubes, chopped tomatoes, remaining 1 cup water, oregano, chili powder, cumin and pepper to onion mixture.
  4. Close and lock, bring up to high pressure. Lower heat and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure. Release pressure using cold-water method.
  5. Add kidney beans in their liquid and the corn. Cook without lid on for 5 minutes.
Recipes from Cooks Warehouse https://recipe.cookswarehouse.com/
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