Cooking Therapy

I know this looks like I'm up all the time, but I do get a lot of rest. It was just that on these days, I was restless.

What's Cooking at 6am (February 17, 2010)
I can't explain why I'm cooking at 6am. I just am. Today, I'm making two firsts today though I can only eat one of them. I'm trying my hand at split pea soup with ham made from ham stock. I've never made the stock or the soup before. But I can't eat them today (it's even cheatig to taste for seasoning) as it is Ash Wednesday. Thus, the apartment is filled with the lovely smell of ham, but I may not partake. Ah well, later there will be Sole Meuniere a la Julia Child. That's also a first for me. I'll reveal how they turn out in Sunday's Blog. If I remain on schedule this week, I'll also be able to talk about the elsuive Mediterranean fish soup that both Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain rave about. It was a dismay failure when I made it last year, but I've gotten better at seafood stock since then, and Julia's recipe is far simpler than the others I've tried. I may even take pictures.

What's Cooking in the Wee Small Hours (Feb 23, 2010)
I have to get up in four hours, but I'm wide awake. I'm having the long awaited Oncologist appointment which is probably why I'm wide awake. The scent of roasting pork isn't helping matters either. There was a massive pork shoulder on sale at the market today. It was under ten bucks for something that looked like Fred Flintstone's dinner. I grabbed it, oiled it up, rubbed it with a mix of Herb de Provence, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper then threw it in the oven on low for about eight hours. It should be fork tender by the time I leave. I really love pulled pork, but decided I wanted it without the barbecue rub. The Herb de Provence rub was what I came up with in its stead. The result is quite lovely. Alas, I will have to leave the succulent pile of pork having had just the the tiniest taste. It does give me something to look forward to when I come home. I will have to make a stop at some point during the day for a suitable bread or bun to hold those tender morsels. Or I may just shovel it in my mouth by the fistful. In the privacy of my kitchen, who's to know?


Friday Night Snacks (February 26, 2010)
There are a lot of things I still miss from Philly (where are my pretzels, brother dear). Among the things I didn't expect to find is a really good bagel. My standards are high as I worked in New York City for a year. Luckily, there is a company out here called Noah's Bagels that has some real New Yorkers making things. Luckier still, Noah's provides bagels for our local Costco (we get a dozen fresh baked bagels for $.99). I like the everything bagel (onion, poppy seeds, sesame seeds). Jon likes cinnamon raisin. Anyway, my favorite bagel snack is something I picked up from one of the crew guys on "Demon Under Glass.' He liked his bagel toasted with a nice layer of cream cheese with a slice of tomato on top. My variant is that I chop the tomato then gently press it in the cream cheese so that it stays put. I sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on the tomato. I love the arm crunch od the bagel with the softness of of the cream cheese and the warmth of the bagel against the cool of the cream cheese. It's just a great combination, And, as a snack, it's not that unhealthy (I only have a half a bagel-tomato at a clip). As for the other things I miss from Philly? I do fairly well making steak sandwiches (steakums on a supermarket French baguett is really good. I make mine with garlic infused olive oil on the roll instead of mayo). And I've just found a recipe for soft pretzels that's really easy that Jon and I will probably try next week. And I even found a recipe for scrapple that is probably a lot healthier than the real thing (it uses pork shoulder and fresh hocks cooked with corn meal rather than snouts and offal). It may not tast as yummy though. Still, I'd like to give it a try. More cooking later. I hope to have a report from the nearby farmer's market as well.