Simmer Stock - Recent Updates

Bacon Scented Air Freshener ››:

Forget that new car smell, it's the aroma of bacon that truly makes owning a car pleasurable.

Posted in props on Nov 10, 2003 @ 08:53 PM [3 Comments on Bacon Scented Air Freshener] | TrackBack (0)

Amazon Gourmet Food Store ››:

In addition to their restaurant experiment, Amazon appears to be beta testing a gourmet food store fronting for retailers such as Dean and Deluca, Lobel's meats, and D'Artagnan. Pretty impressive sources all around, but is it any easier/cheaper to buy through Amazon than direct? My judgement is reserved.

Posted in props on Oct 29, 2003 @ 10:58 PM [3 Comments on Amazon Gourmet Food Store] | TrackBack (0)

Caldo Verde ››:

Caldo Verde is a Portuguese soup made of potato, garlic, garlicky sausage (chourico or linguica), olive oil and finely shredded greens (Galician cabbage in Portugal, kale here in the U.S.). Many recipes also include onion - but, that's about the only variation I could find as far as ingredients go. The finely shredded greens, cut no wider than blade of grass, cooked for only a few minutes in the finished potato based soup, is the dish's signature. They provide a subtle crunch against the creaminess of the potato.

Almost every English language recipe on the web appears to be a copy of the one found in Jean Anderson's excellent book The Food of Portugal. It's the one I use, and it involves sautéing thinly sliced potato and onion in some olive oil, adding water and letting it simmer until the potatoes fall apart. While that's going on, you shred the kale using a traditional chiffonade technique and cook thinly sliced cured sausage in a pan over low heat until the fat is rendered (we're partial to linguica because it's nice and garlicky, but so spicy that the kids won't eat it). When the potatoes are fully cooked you either mash them in the soup with a potato masher, an immersion blender, or pureé everything in a blender or food processor. You put it all back in the pot, along with the sausage (drained first on paper towel), bring the soup to a boil. After about five minutes you add the shredded greens and let them cook in the boiling soup for about five minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle on a bit of the extra virgin Portuguese olive oil, and serve with any good bread and a nice Albarino from Rias Baixas (which happens to be on the Spanish side of the Galicia region that straddles northern Portugal and northwestern Spain).

Posted in performing on Oct 26, 2003 @ 08:17 PM [2 Comments on Caldo Verde] | TrackBack (0)

Peter's Getting Married and He Damn Well Better Like Sausage ››:

fresh Italian pork sausage links This here is 20 pounds of pork sausage. And, I made it myself.

First, let me tell you that sausage making is wicked pissa. I mean, look at this stuff!

Second, the “I” in “I made it myself” is a gross exageration of epic proportions. There would not be a photo of 20 pounds of raw pork sausage on Simmer Stock if it were not for the efforts of the love of my life and bride of 15 years (as of yesterday), Francie. Not only did she do all the legwork of ordering and picking up most of what's needed for Peter's Rehearsal dinner, she spent three hours with me at the Kitchenaid helping me stuff thid sausage. If that's not love, well, I don‘t know what is.

Posted in performing on Sep 19, 2003 @ 01:26 AM [4 Comments on Peter's Getting Married and He Damn Well Better Like Sausage] | TrackBack (0)

Bolognese For Fourty, Anyone? ››:

Been away for a while for various reasons, but I think we're pretty much back now. In fact, this could be a pretty active week for posting. On Saturday my nephew, Peter, is getting married. But, more important, I'm catering the rehearsal dinner with my sister. Here's the menu:

MOREon Bolognese For Fourty, Anyone?...

Posted in rehearsing on Sep 14, 2003 @ 10:54 PM [2 Comments on Bolognese For Fourty, Anyone?] | TrackBack (0)

eGullet Culinary Institute ››:

I've been blown away over the past few weeks by the quality and quantity of content being put out there for all by eGullet in their new Culinary Institute. Incredible stuff, well worth perusal and bookmarking by the experienced and beginner cook alike. However I couldn't stop laughing at this segue of courses: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone followed by Pit Roasting a Pig. Priceless.

Posted in rehearsing on Aug 21, 2003 @ 09:33 PM [1 Comments on eGullet Culinary Institute] | TrackBack (0)

The Mustard Museum ››:

Let's take a trip to the Mustard Museum, shall we? 4,000 jars, bottles, and tubes of mustard from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. They even have their own fight song.

Posted in props on Aug 03, 2003 @ 12:57 AM [1 Comments on The Mustard Museum] | TrackBack (0)

Gumbo z'Herbes ››:

Gumbo z'Herbes over rice with some gumbo filé When I last visited the world of gumbo, our friend Chuck suggested taking a stab at Gumbo z'Herbes with any leftover tasso we may have. Well, I woulda, right then, right there, 'cept it was the middle of January, and I'm in New England — neither the right time or place to be making something calling for a dozen or so variety of fresh greens, even if I did have some lovely tasso looking for a pot to stew in back then. So now that it's summer and obtaining fresh quality greens takes little effort (can't help but make another plug for Russo's in Watertown. Hurray for Russo's!) I was determined to follow Chuck's recommendation. There was only one problem — I didn't have any left over tasso. So I made Chuck's Gumbo z'Herbes pretty much as written. It was awesome. But he's right, it'd probably have been even awesomer with some tasso. Next time. Ah, yes. Next time.