Food

[Henry Krinkle]

The predominant sausage out in these parts is locally known as farmer sausage. It is a smoked fresh mennonite garlic sausage, though it can be eaten unsmoked. It is also the basis for most game sausage made in these parts.

This is my first attempt- 50% field raised pork belly and 50% lean pastured beef with spices and ice water. It's about to go into the fridge to air dry overnight before a light smoking tomorrow. I see my helper trimmed the sausage too close, fortunately I don't care if it escapes it's boundaries. Many in these parts skin their farmer sausage before cooking anyway.

Attachment 69135

They air dried beautifully, firm outside and tender in. Two hours of applewood smoke at under 80F, so a true cold smoke, then oven roasted. I oven roasted as it is the most neutral way I might cook these and I want to know what the sausage tastes like, not what it tastes like on the grille.



Delicious, moist smoky. The smoke was perfect for me, nice heat from the hot smoked paprika, perfect balance of fat, salt and garlic. The texture was wonderful with none bursting or even leaking. The notes of cardamom and cloves were nice. I may have used a tiny bit too much nutmeg, which I will fix next time. I have another batch made that I was going to eat fresh, but the smoked version is so good.

[Henry Krinkle]

One of Mrs. K's specialties. Moussaka, with a 2006 Soul Growers SGM.

[skywatch]

Homemade Indian-ish: Chicken Mughal style (ginger yogurt sauce with cinnamon, clove, turmeric etc.) Cauliflower Hyderabad style (chiles, tomato sauce, whole cumin etc.). Chutney made last year from green tomatoes. Almost time to do that again I think.

[geoffbot]

They air dried beautifully, firm outside and tender in. Two hours of applewood smoke at under 80F, so a true cold smoke, then oven roasted. I oven roasted as it is the most neutral way I might cook these and I want to know what the sausage tastes like, not what it tastes like on the grille.



Delicious, moist smoky. The smoke was perfect for me, nice heat from the hot smoked paprika, perfect balance of fat, salt and garlic. The texture was wonderful with none bursting or even leaking. The notes of cardamom and cloves were nice. I may have used a tiny bit too much nutmeg, which I will fix next time. I have another batch made that I was going to eat fresh, but the smoked version is so good.

Masterful. Well done.

[Henry Krinkle]

Thanks Geoff.

Pear, proscuitto and burrata salad, at my desk.

[Dan R]

I imagine you all know who Bobby Flay is. I actually pay more attention to Anthony Bourdain. But enough of that!

We have three cats and on occasion I try to feed them a high-end canned food with some lysine. The dried food they get is high-end as well. Not because we are high-faluting snobs, but one of them was getting perhaps what is best described as micro-seizures on an irregular basis and a second would have an upset stomach. By fine tuning the food, the former acts like his original self and we don't have to clean up after the latter.

So I figured you would get a kick of what it takes to feed these threesome canned food. First of all, they know the sound that their mixing bowl makes when it hits the granite and all three are there in a flash. I then dump out the canned food into the mixing dish and add an appropriate amount of lysine. I then whip it well with a fork.

That drives them into a frenzy. I then grab their empty bowls and fill them.

Like people, they eat at different speeds. So I pair two of them that finish sooner together and place the third in behind a door. Unlike people, they lack common courtesy. I've never heard "My dear sir, my bowl is empty and yours still has food. Do I have your permission to partake in it?" There is never a fight, but I misdirect the fast eaters to give the slow eaters a chance.

At around the seven minute mark, everyone has eaten more or less what they are going to eat, so I open the door and the three mill about inspecting the dishes and eating what is left over. A third of a can per cat is quite some meal, so like Thanksgiving, the three of them disappear to sleep it off.

It's a riot to do.

We had salmon with a lemon sauce and broiled asparagus with chopped cashew covering.

Time for me to find a place to sleep!

Dan

[skywatch]

Like people, they eat at different speeds. So I pair two of them that finish sooner together and place the third in behind a door. Unlike people, they lack common courtesy. I've never heard "My dear sir, my bowl is empty and yours still has food. Do I have your permission to partake in it?" There is never a fight, but I misdirect the fast eaters to give the slow eaters a chance.

This reminds me a bit of when I hand out treats to the friendly crow family that hangs out here. No manners at all. The shy ones dwell in the back of the creche and flinch at any sudden move, and the older bolder ones stuff their craws with extra peanuts. I try to direct the peanut tosses to places where the shy ones have a chance. The younger underdog crows make a cute "barking" sound, a short high "werp" like a sad puppy. Yeah, I'm weird.

[tribe125]

Keep cats 10% hungry and kick them out at night to hunt mice.

[Henry Krinkle]

Sweet potato, carrot and ginger soup.

[litlmn]

Afternoon snack of seared Tuna