One Roast -- Four Sequestered Meals

Favored caption: Low and Slow
Alternate caption: Wash Me!

We keep our Big Green Egg on a very open, covered patio, which allows me to use it without much regard to weather. When taking the photo above, I realized that it means this vital cooking machine never gets a rinse.

Anyway, the key to this ancient cooking method is to get the temperature right and then leave it alone. In this case, the idea was to stay as close to 250F as possible over the course of 5 hours. At 4 hours I realized I had let it dip just under 200, but I opened the vents and got it back up to about 275, and left it for an extra half hour.

The entire time it was smoking -- complete with some hickory chips -- I did not once check on the pork shoulder inside. I was able to restrain myself because I had succeeded in 2017 with a pork butt, which I described in detail in There's the Rub!

We buy a small amount of local, naturally raised meats, rather than a large amount of cheap, factory-raised meat. The "it" in the previous paragraph is free-range, local pork shoulder from Crescent Ridge in Sharon, where most of the meat we buy comes from. Most of the rest comes from J.H. Beaulieu in Fairhaven.

Spicehound, by way of Crescent Ridge

This time I followed essentially the same process, with different details. The rub was an almost random mix of about ten savory spices at hand, plus a bit of chili-cocoa powder. (Yes, that is something likely to be in our kitchens at any time, without a special shopping trip.) I gave myself a break and included barbeque sauce in our Crescent Ridge order. Shortly before removing the roast, I whisked -- over medium-low heat -- some of the sauce with a ginger-honey white balsamic from (you guessed it) our friends at L.O.V.E. 

Something I neglected to describe in the 2017 post is how to pull the pork. While it is very hot and tender, it can be shredded easily in the pan with two forks. I shredded just enough for what we would need that evening and the next afternoon.

Two More Meals

I am writing this during the current pandemic because it is not only a Big Green Egg story -- it is more importantly a story about finding ways to eat well with what is in the house, in order to reduce shopping trips. Our state is a leader in adhering to social distancing, and our county is a leader within the state. This means we are doing pretty well at following not only the letter of the regulations -- keeping only essential businesses open -- but also the spirit: making VERY efficient use of our time in those businesses. So during this crisis we have spread out our typically frequent trips to be a week or more apart, buying a variety of foods that can be combined in different ways to keep meals interesting and to preclude dashing back in for one or two items (which I usually do several times a week).

This evening was exhibit A: I had bought some tortillas and several different cheeses. I had one specific dish in mind -- my famous sweet-potato quesadillas -- but also a vague notion that we would find something to do with the rest.

And thus was born the pulled-pork quesadilla! I should have taken a photo of process. Because the pork had now been in the fridge a couple of days, it was not fork-tender. I heated some oil in our indispensable cast-iron skillet and put a hunk of the pork shoulder in, over medium heat. I then used a fork and small knife to pull the pork and occasionally slice it, until it was in small enough chunks to facilitate two-fork pulling. Once it was heated through, I added about a quarter-cup of water to the pan and simmered for a few minutes so that the pork would be especially tender again. Because of the rub, I had no need to add spices at this stage. While heating a small amount of oil on our cast-iron griddle, I divided the pork between two tortillas (staying on one half of each -- I should have taken a photo).

And one more meal to come. Whenever I talk to my mom by phone in Annapolis, she asks -- knowing that we cook. a lot -- "What you having good for dinner?" And with the pandemic we're talking more often than usual.  On Saturday, I replied that I was roasting the pork shoulder, and she started talking about pot pies. We had many, many of the Swanson frozen variety when I was a kid, but then a couple times a year she would make one for real.

So that is what is going to happen with the remainder of this roast: good ol' Virginia pot pie with a flaky crust top, vegetables, and white sauce. I think I want a few more vegetables, so we are going to freeze this just for a bit -- to make better use of a shopping trip a week or so from now.

Ritual

Low-key Fancy

Being a responsible human during the 2020 Covid-19 global pandemic means one thing for most of us: staying at home.  As stressful as doing our academic jobs from home can be, we know that we are extremely fortunate in several respects. First, we have meaningful work that can be done from home. It is more stressful than it ought to be, but it keeps us busy (we're not finding time for boredom at all) and keeps us solvent. Second, we have a comfortable home to stay in during the weekend, and a small weekend getaway that allows us to separate (pretty much) work days and rest days). Third, there are two of us, which seems an ideal number for company without crowding. We're each tech-savvy and patient enough to help each other with the first thing when one of us gets stuck.

Still, being at home 24/7 is exhausting, and being able to cook at home has been more of a blessing than ever. We have always had certain mealtime rituals, and this experience has made them all the more important.

A simple dinner of homemade pizza and canned peaches is nicer with some Tchaikovsky and candlelight. The Malbec also doesn't hurt.

A Toast

We are not big on toasts, but we do always pause at the beginning of the meal for a ching-ching of the glasses, when we each say "Cheers to your health!" During the current pandemic, Pam started to say something a bit different, and now we both do "Cheers to our health!" It is a quiet recognition that we have gained another day of being healthy together, and for that we are increasingly grateful.

*Note: Our Whaling House weekend getaway is in a regular town, not on Cape Cod or one of the other seasonal places currently being overrun by people staying in their second homes out of season.

Easy Oatmeal Pie

So glad I had all the ingredients for this already in my cupboard! The recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal comes from Organic Valley Co-Op and is super delicious! I followed the recipe as written except I used a 9.5 inch pie plate instead of a 9 inch baking dish. All the ingredients are mixed in one bowl - no sifting or mixing dry and wet ingredients separately - and then transferred to the baking dish. It baked for 45 minutes and then I let it sit for about 5 minutes. It was baked through and came out easily from the pie plate. We had it for breakfast on work-at-home day number nine, but it would also make a good dessert. Creamy and not-to-sweet James and I give this two thumbs up.

What have I got in my cupboard? New recipes for Stay-At-Home Coronoavirus advisory

This Spanish Tortilla isn't really a new recipe for us. It is essentially the same as this frittata recipe from a few years ago. Typically I'm pretty traditional when it comes to Spanish Tortillas and will only use eggs, onions, potatoes and olive oil (lots of it!) but I didn't want the pepper we bought from the farmer's market to go to waste. We'd already had to toss a nice acorn squash we'd bought but waited too long to use. This is no time to waste food. Limiting trips to the grocery store is what life is all about now.

One way we've been limiting the grocery store visits is by having some additional items added to our weekly milk and egg delivery. This week we ordered turkey tips and I used them as a substitute in for beef chuck in a beef and barley soup recipe I found on the New York Times Cooking page. I ended up making quite a few substitutions in fact. Here's how my recipe played out:
I drained the juice from two 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes.
I added water to the tomato juice to make one quart of liquid which I put into a big soup pot.
I added the turkey tips along with some salt and pepper some celery stalks and some fresh parsley.
All of this cooked for one hour.
Then 1/4 cup of barley was added and cooked another hour
I removed the celery and parsley and added the reserved canned tomatoes, some frozen peas, and some chopped onion and carrots. 
I brought the soup to a boil and then simmered for 45 minutes.
As I'm writing this I realized that I didn't add the leftover cabbage that was in our refrigerator. It was part of the reason I chose the recipe!

Anyway, I made biscuits to go with this. It was quite good and filling. Now I need to find another cabbage recipe.

Pie in the time of Corona

Last Saturday was Pie (Pi) Day - 3.14. We had a bit of ground turkey left from when we made turkey burgers earlier in the week, so I told James I would start with that to make shepherd's pie. He didn't think it would really be enough, but I told him I could stretch it. He also seemed concerned because the turkey had apples and onions in it, but I couldn't see how the extra flavor would be a problem. He was prepared to make a grocery trip so I asked him to get some carrots and potatoes. He came back with carrots but said the produce section was completely wiped out of potatoes. We had six rather small ones on hand so again I decided I could stretch them. We also had 5 pieces of bacon so I started by cooking them and using them as a bottom "crust" for the pie. The filling was made with sauteéd onions and garlic, the cooked ground turkey, sliced carrots and peas. The potatoes were cooked and mashed for the topping. I baked everything at 375 for some amount of time. I don't remember. Anyway, it turned out good.

We are trying to be especially creative and thoughtful with our ingredients during this time of crisis. We did find an open farmer's market on Sunday. Not many people there (neither customers nor vendors) but we did buy some fresh vegetables to use in the coming week. We are both working from home this week. So far frustration levels are low to medium - having good food helps.

I recognize that the ability to put together meals when I have to make do with what is available is actually a privilege, and I am pleased to realize that over the nine plus years that we've been blogging about our cooking we have learned what flavors taste good together, what we like and don't like, and what we can tolerate.  It has made meal preparation one less thing to worry about.

Kale and Some Other Stuff

Spoiler alert: Mine was good, but nothing like this!
Photo: Christopher Testani for The New York Times.
Food Stylist: Simon Andrews

The actual title of this dish by Julia Moskin is Chicken Braised With Potatoes and Pine Nuts. Kale is just one of more than a dozen ingredients, and not among the three or four most important. But we are not big kale people, so I had to push myself to include it. I am glad I did.

Pamela had bookmarked this recipe during one of her regular perusals of the NYT recipe pages. When she shared it with me today, I was attracted by the combination of flavors and decided that cooking it would be a fine way to spend the last couple hours of my spring break. (*Not counting the additional week of spring break that will be provided by the COVID-19 pandemic.)

I thought that the title was a bit odd, implying that the potatoes were somehow searing the meat. This is because the title is awkwardly phrased and because it turns out I had no idea what braising means. 

I followed the recipe rather closely, and the result was delicious -- both on the plate and in the aroma of the whole house. Rather than choosing between cloves and cinnamon, by the way, I used both -- Gabriela style -- and I am glad I did.

My result was, however, more like a stew than the professionally prepared, styled, and photographed result shown above. I will adjust my cooking in three ways next time to achieve better braisedness:

1. I will not crowd the pan in the first step, so that I can really brown each piece;
2. I will turn each piece to brown them on both sides, even though the recipe does not specify this; and
3. I will take more seriously the advice to use much less water. With the closed lid, steam will do the job anyway. I will also be more aggressive in driving off the residual water in the final step.

The flavors were complex and rich enough that I plan to add a few more next time, including an ample dose of ginger. I can hardly wait!

Scallops en Casserole

I am starting this post with the lovely cover art of the cookbook involved in this recipe. As with most casseroles, this dinner was many good things, but photogenic was not one of them!

We had picked up Scallops: A New England Coastal Cookbook some while ago in New Bedford, where these things are decided. Elaine Tammi and Karin A. Tammi have written not just a cookbook, but a celebration that honors the work and heritage.

As regular readers of this blog will know, we have taken full advantage of being able to spend our weekends alongside the country's leading fishing port. New Bedford's string of 19 years of leading the nation in fishing revenue has equally to do with the hard work of its mariners and the high value of its scallops. My year-round rowing adventures include keeping a careful eye for the ships that are bringing in that catch or heading out for more, rain or shine, by sunlight or moonlight or lamplight.

We enjoy buying those scallops at Kyler's catch (cars in front, trucks to the side, boats out back), where the seafood is FRESH and the staff incredibly knowledgeable. If we go to Kyler's with a recipe for something that is not available -- because it is not available locally -- they will help us find a local alternative. We have prepared those scallops in a variety of ways, mostly on the stovetop and mostly with few other ingredients, because the delicate flavor and texture of the precious scallops should be primary. So as much as I have enjoyed browsing Scallops, we had not yet found something both novel and simple enough to try.

Until yesterday -- local friends who were raised in coastal Connecticut were coming over for dinner, and I decided to dare trying something new with people who really know their seafood. I have eaten scallop casseroles of various kinds before, but this would be the first one I would prepare myself -- from page 300.

BUT WAIT: Back up a bit. Before doing anything with the scallops, I started roasting potatoes, because this is yummy but takes a long time. I cut small red potatoes (with very thin skins) into quarters and tossed them with olive oil, pepper, Old Bay, and a few other spices. I put these in the oven at 400 so they would have at least a half-hour lead on the seafood.

I did venture three modifications to the recipe: I added a shallot and I used sea scallops instead of the tiny bay scallops. I am loathe to part ways with the expert authors, but bay scallops overcook so easily that I did not want to risk baking them into little balls of rubber. The third modification is the topping -- I bought thinly sliced almonds and further chopped them before toasting them with butter in a cast-iron skillet. This was to avoid the buttered breadcrumbs in the recipe, which I enjoy but my sweetheart does not -- especially when I overdo them, which I always do.

I started with melting butter to saute portobello mushrooms, scallions, and shallots. When they were all softened, I thoroughly stirred in two tablespoons flour and then slowly added a cup of white wine a dash of lemon juice, two pounds of trimmed scallops and a bit of fresh parsley. I melted butter in a casserole dish and spread this mixture into it, after just a minute or so of simmering. I then topped them with the toasted almond crumbs.

I baked this for 20 minutes, and the result was disappointing at first: it looked like soup. I gave it an additional 15 -- which seemed way too long, but necessary. I then realized that although a bit soupy (perhaps because of the shallot), the "soup" was thickened, and a few minutes of rest would allow it to rethicken. This turned out to be correct, and the result was unanimously declared delicious. It paired well with the roasted potatoes and of course with some local white wines.

Thank the mariners!
Photo: (The incomparable) Peter Pereira, N.B. Standard-Times