Patrick's Food Ramblings

Latest Culinary Symposium Schedule

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:36:01 GMT

CULINARY SYMPOSIUM 2009 - CLASS SCHEDULE
	Track 1	Track 2	Track 3	Track 4	Track 5	Track 6
Location	Nature House (OD)	Uncle Toby(OD)	Ginny's Lodge	Raker Lodge 1	Raker Lodge 2	Raker Lodge K
8:00 - 9:00	~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Breakfast ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
9:00 -11:00	Viking Bread, Refr orðlokarr Fiachson	Cast Iron Cookery for Eventing, Robert the Blacksmith	Russian Cookery, Anastasia Andreeva	Foraging, Eulalia Ravenfeld	Introduction to Byzantine Cuisine, Berengaria	Techniques of Food Preperation & Kitchen Safety, Qaratani Oyugen
11:00 -1:00	Cooking Quinces & Medlars, Mathilde	Cast Iron Cookery for Eventing, Robert the Blacksmith	Russian Cookery, Anastasia Andreeva	Old World - New World Foods, Muireann inghean ui Mhuirneachain	Northern European Food Production, Alanus Andrist	Hands-on Feast Preparation, Part 1, Eulalia Ravenfeld
1:00 -2:00	~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Lunch ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2:00 - 4:00	Cooking in Pottery, Morgaina & Svava	Viking Foods, Jorunn Steinnabrjotr	Roman Cuisine, Julia Sempronia	Keeping Your Knives Sharp, Hugh MacDomhnaill	History of Indian Food, Anastasia Andreeva	Hands-on Feast Preparation, Part 2, Eulalia Ravenfeld
4:00 - 6:00	Beginning Sausage Making, Egan Brauer von Starkberg	Viking Foods, Jorunn Steinnabrjotr	Basic Medieval Pasties, Qaratani Oyugen	Carving Birds & Beasts for Feasts, Aleyn the Younger	Cooking from a Middle English Text, Elaine de Montgris	Hands-on Feast Preparation, Part 3, Eulalia Ravenfeld
6:00 - 7:00	~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Prep for Dinner & Rearange the Dinning Hall ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~					Volunteers to help Reset Dinning Room, Plate & Serve Feast
7:00 - 8:30	~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dinner ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~					Volunteers to help Reset Dinning Room, Plate & Serve Feast
8:30 - 10:00	~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Social Time ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Culinary Symposium 2009 - Class Information
Classes	Teacher
Beginning Sausage Making	*Egan Brauer von Starkberg*
Cost $10.00 2 Hours Min ?, Max 6
Learn to grind, season and stuff sausage. Students will season their own meats, stuff them into casings, and take home their own pound of fresh sausage. Includes a sausage funnel as part of the kit.


Carving Birds & Beasts for Feasts	*Aleyn the Younger*
Cost $5.00 2 Hours Min 4, Max 10
Have you even been terrified at thanksgiving? Intimidated by ham? Stood in front of a table with a knife and fork and said "now what?" This class is for you. Learn carving! The position of carver in the middle ages kitchen staff was a respected and honorable position. We will discuss selection, care and feeding of knives and forks, sharpening, as well as the carving of vaired types of meats for the table. Class will include both lecture and practial, fee includes handout and practice fowl. Never be scared to slice chicken again. Carving tools will be provided but students my bring thier own knives and forks, (if they wish). No long sleeves ( we will be working with food), aprons are NOT provided. Please no chisels, gouges, sandpaper or files!







Cast Iron Cookery for Eventing	*Robert the Blacksmith*
Cost $5.00 4 Hours Min 5, Max 25
For this class participants will learn ways to use reproduction ceramics for period cooking over open fires. Several dishes will be prepared in Medieval style clay pots directly over coals. There will be a discussion of how different styles of pottery work for different cooking requirements. There will also be tips of some ways potters can successfully create Medieval reproduction cooking pottery. We will sample the foods cooked during the class. Handout included. Please have your hair covered or tied back. No other requirements.





Cooking from a Middle English Text	*Elaine de Montgris*
Cost $1.00 2 Hours Min 3, Max 15
Cooking Directly From the Middle English Sources will have some basic Middle English grammar and reading skills, some common cooking techniques and terms, and the nuts and bolts of redacting a recipe.



Cooking in Pottery	*Morigaina & Svava*
Cost $ 3.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 8
For this class participants will learn ways to use reproduction ceramics for period cooking over open fires. Several dishes will be prepared in Medieval style clay pots directly over coals. There will be a discussion of how different styles of pottery work for different cooking requirements. There will also be tips of some ways potters can successfully create Medieval reproduction cooking pottery. We will sample the foods cooked during the class. Handout included. Please have your hair covered or tied back. No other requirements.





Cooking Quinces & Medlars	*Mathilde*
Cost $1.00 2 Hours Min 1, Max 12
XXXX

Feast Preperation, Hand-On, Parts 1, 2, 3	*Eulalia Ravenfeld*
No Cost 2 Hours each Min, Max 15
This class provides hands-on instruction in cooking authentic food from documented sources as well as general food preparation and feast management experience. Students of all levels and backgrounds are encouraged -- Eulalia will find a way to put you to work even if you've never been in a kitchen before! The food we will be preparing is meant to be representative of the food eaten in England during the 13th and 14th centuries by town dwellers (for lunch) and the gentry (for the evening feast), and students will be provided with some notes from the instructor's research into this topic. Please wear garb suitable for cooking -- no trailing sleeves, hair tied back, easily-washable clothing, aprons recommended.






Foraging	*Eulalia Ravenfeld*
Cost $1.00 2 Hours Min 3, Max 15
This class seeks to answer the two most fundamental questions that have plagued mankind since the dawn of time: "What's that? Can I eat it?" In this introduction to wild food foraging, we will discuss some of the finer points of eating from the wild, go over recommended resources on the topic, and go for a walk around the site identifying edible plants (and mushrooms if we are so lucky). Instructor is a veteran forager and outdoor enthusiast, and has only poisoned herself once. Please wear garb suitable for tramping about in the bush, including warm layers and sturdy shoes. Note-taking materials, including a pocket notebook, are required. A digital camera is recommended but not required.







Introduction to Byzantine Cuisine	*Berengaria*
Cost $5.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 6
No actual extant Byzantine cookbook has yet been discovered; but we know a great deal about influences, agriculture and trade that influenced Byzantium during its history. Come and be introduced to what we do know and some thoughts on logical possibilities, with a few tasty samples to light the way.



Keeping your Knives Sharp	*Hugh MacDomhnaill*
Cost $1.50 2 Hours Min 1, Max 12
Discuss a short history of sharpening followed by learning about the components of a good cutting edge, how to establish it and how to maintain it. From axes (we need firewood, too) to fillet knives. Bring your favorite knife (or your biggest challenge) to sharpen.



NORTHERN EUROPEAN FOOD PRODUCTION -- So What's in Your Quern?	*Alanus of Bunghea*

Cost $2.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 20
Class Focus: The class presents a survey of agricultural practices from the early middle ages through the Renaissance. The food sources and farming practices determined what the people ate in each region. Includes a discussion of how the economic balance changed from the 10th through the 17th centuries in northwestern Europe due to changes in climate, rainfall, temperature, disease and the impact of the Plague. Archaeological evidence and photos from a dig in Sweden during this past summer will be included. The exact time period will depend upon the interests of the students.





Old World - New World Foods	*Muireann inghean ui Mhuirneachain*
Cost $2.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 12
This is a lecture class covering the origins of foods from both old and new worlds. We will look at when each food first appears in a cuisine and it's progress through history.

Basic Medieval Pasties	*Qaratani Oyugen*
Cost $5.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 12
In this class we will learn what pasties are and how to pronounce them. The whole class will be hands on making a variety of pasties for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We will cover what types of dough can be used, both sweet and savory fillings, how to cook them at home or at an event and how to store them.



Roman Cuisine	*Julie Sempronia*
Cost $4.00 2 Hours Min 4, Max 15
The bounty of the ancient Roman empire is reflected in the variety of foods and spices to be found in Roman kitchens. Tour an ancient Roman market, learn about common tools, table manners, recipe sources, and prepare tasty appetizers.


Russian Cookery	*Anastasia Alexandrovna Andreeva*
Cost $3.00 4 Hours Min 3, Max 8
This is a hand-on cooking class on Russian foods. History will be covered as we cook. We will make several dishes and then eat them for lunch. Please bring an apron.

Survey of Indian Food	*Anastasia Alexandrovna Andreeva*
Cost $ 3.00 2 Hours Min 3, Max 15
This is a lecture class on the history of Indian food. We will cover different periods and areas of Indian. The influences of other conquering nations played a big part in making Indian cuisine the fascinating subject that it is.


Techniques of Food Prep. & Kitchen Safety	*Qaratani Oyugen*
Cost $2.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 15
Kitchen basics 101 - In this class we will learn basic kitchen safety and help with preparation for today’s feast. We will cover, cooking with grease, cutting safety, cooking with open flame and go over the Food Handlers Manual.


Viking Bread	*Refr orðlokarr Fiachson*
Cost $1.00 2 Hours Min 3, Max 12
A look at what we know about Viking bread and how we know it, followed by some hands on bread making over the fire. We'll try several different sets of ingredients and techniques.

Viking Foods	*Jorunn Steinnabrjotr*
Cost $15.00 4 Hours Min , Max 20
The class will prepare a complete meal. Make barley flatbread using long-handled pans copied from period artifacts, cook a stew in a cauldron over the fire, make a barley porridge dessert, and make a quick vinegar-cheese spread. The class will then dig in to a classic Viking dinner fit for any farmer or warrior. An extensively researched handout will be supplied at the end of the class.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Culinary Symposium 2009 schedule (preliminary)

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:33:12 GMT

CULINARY SYMPOSIUM 2009 (Tentative)

Track 1

Track 2

Track 3

Track 4

Track 5

Track 6

Location

Nature House (OD)

Uncle Toby(OD)

Ginny's Lodge

Raker Lodge 1

Raker Lodge 2

Raker Lodge K

8:00 - 9:00

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Breakfast ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

9:00 -11:00

History of Grain Production, Viking Bread, Alanus & Ref

Cast Iron Cookery for Eventing, Robert the Blacksmith

Russian Cookery, Anastasia Andreeva

Foraging, Elena & Eulalia

Introduction to Byzantine Cuisine, Berengaria

Techniques of Food Preperation & Kitchen Safety, Qaratani Oyugen

11:00 -1:00

Cooking Quinces & Medlars, Mathilde

Old World - New World Foods, Muireann

Northern European Food Production, Alanus Andrist

Hands-on Feast Preparation, Part 1, Eulalia Ravenfeld

1:00 -2:00

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Lunch ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2:00 - 4:00

Cooking in Pottery, Morgaina & Svava

Viking Foods, Jorunn Steinnabrjotr

Roman Cuisine, Julia Sempronia

Keeping Your Knives Sharp, Hugh MacDomhnaill

History of Indian Food, Anastasia Andreeva

Hands-on Feast Preparation, Part 2, Eulalia Ravenfeld

4:00 - 6:00

Sausages, Egan Brauer von Starkberg

Pasties, Qaratani Oyugen

How to Properly Carve Meat & Fowl, Aleyn the Younger

Cooking from a Middle English Text, Elaine de Montgris

Hands-on Feast Preparation, Part 3, Eulalia Ravenfeld

6:00 - 7:00

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Prep for Dinner & Rearange the Dinning Hall ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Volunteers to help Reset Dinning Room, Plate & Serve Feast

7:00 - 8:30

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dinner ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

8:30 - 10:00

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Social Time ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Culinary Symposium 2009
Classes	Teacher
Cast Iron Cookery for Eventing	Robert the Blacksmith
Cost $5.00 4 Hours Min 5, Max 25
For this class participants will learn ways to use reproduction ceramics for period cooking over open fires. Several dishes will be prepared in Medieval style clay pots directly over coals. There will be a discussion of how different styles of pottery work for different cooking requirements. There will also be tips of some ways potters can successfully create Medieval reproduction cooking pottery. We will sample the foods cooked during the class. Handout included. Please have your hair covered or tied back. No other requirements.





Cooking from a Middle English Text	*Elaine de Montgris*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min?, Max?


Cooking in Pottery	*Morigaina & Svava*
Cost $ 3.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 8
For this class participants will learn ways to use reproduction ceramics for period cooking over open fires. Several dishes will be prepared in Medieval style clay pots directly over coals. There will be a discussion of how different styles of pottery work for different cooking requirements. There will also be tips of some ways potters can successfully create Medieval reproduction cooking pottery. We will sample the foods cooked during the class. Handout included. Please have your hair covered or tied back. No other requirements.





Cooking Quinces & Medlars	*Mathilde*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min, Max?


Feast Preperation, Hand-On, Parts 1, 2, 3	*Eulalia Ravenfeld*
No Cost 2 Hours each Min, Max 15
This class provides hands-on instruction in cooking authentic food from documented sources as well as general food preparation and feast management experience. Students of all levels and backgrounds are encouraged -- Eulalia will find a way to put you to work even if you've never been in a kitchen before! The food we will be preparing is meant to be representative of the food eaten in England during the 13th and 14th centuries by town dwellers (for lunch) and the gentry (for the evening feast), and students will be provided with some notes from the instructor's research into this topic. Please wear garb suitable for cooking -- no trailing sleeves, hair tied back, easily-washable clothing, aprons recommended.






Foraging	*Eulalia Ravenfeld*
Cost $1.00 2 Hours Min 3, Max 15
This class seeks to answer the two most fundamental questions that have plagued mankind since the dawn of time: "What's that? Can I eat it?" In this introduction to wild food foraging, we will discuss some of the finer points of eating from the wild, go over recommended resources on the topic, and go for a walk around the site identifying edible plants (and mushrooms if we are so lucky). Instructor is a veteran forager and outdoor enthusiast, and has only poisoned herself once. Please wear garb suitable for tramping about in the bush, including warm layers and sturdy shoes. Note-taking materials, including a pocket notebook, are required. A digital camera is recommended but not required.







History of Grain Production/Viking Bread	*Alanus Andrist & Refr*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min?, Max ?


How to Properly Carve Meat & Fowl	*Aleyn the Younger*
Cost $ 2Hours Min?, Max?


Introduction to Byzantine Cuisine	*Berengaria*
Cost $5.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 6


Keeping your Knives Sharp	*Hugh MacDomhnaill*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min, Max?


Northern European Food Production	*Alanus Andrist*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min, Max?


Old World - New World Foods	*Muireann inghean ui Mhuirneachain*
Cost $2.00 2 Hours Min 2, Max 12
This is a lecture class covering the origins of foods from both old and new worlds. We will look at when each food first appears in a cuisine and it's progress through history.

Pasties	*Qaratani Oyugen*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min, Max?


Roman Cuisine	*Julie Sempronia*
Cost $ 2 Hours Min ?, Max ?


Russian Cookery	*Anastasia Alexandrovna Andreeva*
Cost $3.00 4 Hours Min 3, Max 8
This is a hand-on cooking class on Russian foods. History will be covered as we cook. We will make several dishes and then eat them for lunch. Please bring an apron.

Sausages	*Egan Brauer von Starkberg*
Cost $ 2 Hours, Min?, Max?


Survey of Indian Food	*Anastasia Alexandrovna Andreeva*
Cost $ 3.00 2 Hours Min 3, Max 15
This is a lecture class on the history of Indian food. We will cover different periods and areas of Indian. The influences of other conquering nations played a big part in making Indian cuisine the fascinating subject that it is.


Techniques of Food Prep. & Kitchen Safety	*Qaratani Oyugen*
Cost$ 2 Hours Min?, Max ?


Viking Foods	*Jorunn Steinnabrjotr*
Cost $ 4 Hours, Min ?, Max ?

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Musings on Viking breakfasts

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:05:11 GMT

I’ve been doing some thinking this week about Viking-appropriate breakfast foods. My favorite breakfast at events is still dark bread with cheese, fish, kraut and hard boiled eggs, but there’s only so many times you can eat that, and some people fear fish. So…

Roasted barley flour + skyr: mix some roasted barley flour into skyr or non-fat yogurt, then top with honey (if desired, roasted barley flour is pretty sweet) and fruit, preferably berries.

Fried oatmeal: leftover steel cut oats cooled in a pan, sliced and fried in butter/lard/bacon grease/whatever. Would be good with butter and honey, or savory with bacon/sausage or fish (kippers maybe).

Scrambled eggs with dill and smoked salmon + some dark bread

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

More dairy experiments

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:14:51 GMT

I let my piima culture die over the winter, which made me sad. I have remedied the situation however, and now have not only a new healthy piima culture but some fil mjolk as well. I haven't tasted the fil mjolk yet, but it sets up very nicely at room temperature, and has a much sharper "buttermilky" smell than the piima. Both are room temperature "yogurt" cultures that come originally from Scandinavia. I also made some skyr last week, which didn't work out particularly well. I think I left it too long at too high a temperature, so it was very grainy and sour. It did produce some nice whey though, that will see it's way into lactic acid pickles over the next little while. I just finished some sauerkraut and some fermented bean paste before the whey was done, and they soured much more slowly than the ones using whey I made last year. I left some of the whey out to see how sour it will get. I'm itching to try some of the traditional Icelandic whey pickles, but need good sour whey (syra or mysa in Icelandic I think) to make it work.

I'm recovereing from a wintertime slump into too much prepared food and cooking a lot. It's so much fun to try new stuff. I managed to dehydrate a batch of Ethiopian berbere over the weekend, so it will hopefully keep longer and take up less space that way. I want to experiment with adding some to green pea flour for "instant" backpacking food. I think it should work pretty well. Only one way to find out...

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Beets and sweet potatos and garlic, oh my

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:01:49 GMT

Yesterday I was reading an article on the NY Times about Hanukkah recipes, and decided to whip up some latkes for dinner, since even picky eater girl loves a good latke. I grated a couple of sweet potatoes, salt, pepper and cinnamon (Vietnamese cassia) and mixed with 3 eggs and maybe 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. They fried up beautifully on the cast iron griddle, and were a big hit as usual. I like the sweet potato better than standard for these, as they are easier to cook and the sweetness works well with the cottage cheese.

Anyway, I had hit upon this plan relatively early in the day, and was wondering what to make to go with them, when I remembered the forlorn can of pickled beets in my pantry at home. Borscht! Vikki favors a good cold borscht, so I made it so. I tossed two small diced yellow Finn potatoes and about 5 cloves of garlic into 3 or so cups of chicken broth, and cooked until the potato was soft, then cooled it down with ice. When it was cool I added the juice from the pickled beets, as well as the beets themselves (chopped), salt, pepper and the juice of one lemon, as well as about 4 more cloves chopped raw garlic, and some fresh dill. To serve, I added some sour cream (low fat) and some homemade sauerkraut which was very chunky and crunchy. I'll definitely be doing this one again. It was fantastic. Sweet, sour, crunchy, beety goodness with just enough bite from the garlic. When we were first married, we lived up stairs from a nice Russian lady who really liked Vikki and was always bringing her food. This was a lot like I remember her cold borscht, only hers was clear. I used Pacific Foods organic chicken broth which was not clear, and I'm not much for the skimming. But the flavor was pretty close, I think. If only I could find some good dark rye...

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Everything old becomes new...

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:22:47 GMT

I love leftovers. There are an infinite range of possibilities for reusing stuff. I surveyed the fridge last night, and decided to kill two leftover birds with one stone. I took the last of the kahlua pork and some leftover greens cooked in coconut milk and used them to stuff enchiladas. I drained the greens, and filled each enchilada with some pork and greens, rolled them up, and topped them with some Tex-Mex style red chile gravy. Basically instead of the New Mexico style red chile and water enchilada sauce, this is more like standard gravy (begun with a roux and everything) with lots of red chile, cumin and garlic. To top it off I (or rather the 9 year old) grated a bit of Tillamook extra-vintage white cheddar, which proved just the thing. 30 minutes at 350° and all was good. They were a bit hit, and I'll definitely be playing with the chile gravy some more. It would be just the thing for a good CFS.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Recycled pig and more

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 22:56:05 GMT

I had some leftover kahlua pork, so decided to try some kahlua pig and cabbage, which is basically just that. Leftover pork with cabbage and onions in a little chicken broth. Very easy, a great way to stretch leftovers, and just the thing to go with kimchi. I had some from the store that was getting a little old, and yesterday I made up two big batches of napa kimchi with some nice locally grown napa cabbages I scored at Uwajimaya. Since I was in the mood I hacked up the cabbage I didn't throw in with the pork and made a batch of sauerkraut too. It's always nice to have a few crocks of something bubbling on the counter top.

I also had my first taste of full-on poi this weekend. I've cooked and mashed taro a bunch of times, but never had official poi until I found some at the store this weekend. It's certainly bland, but it went really well with the pork and cabbage, and is very filling. And supposedly it's really good for you. Plus, there's something just plain cool about purple food. :-)

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

You can't go wrong with pig...

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:38:15 GMT

...unless you happen to be veggie, of cource. :)

Vikki has declared a Tiki Christmas this year, so I decided to start practicing for Christmas dinner and made my first batch of kahlua pork last night. It worked out super well. A while back I got gifted this "indoor BBQ" which is basically a big-ass crock pot designed to hold ribs. That seemed like the perfect vehicle for experimentation. I got a super-cheap pork picnic roast which came in two pieces. I wrapped each piece in foil after slathering with a little liquid smoke and Hawaiian red salt, then tossed in the cooker, turned on low, before I left for work in the morning. By dinner time, the pork was completely falling apart, just like it's supposed to be, and turned out very tasty. Served with some rice and greens (spinach and mustard greens) cooked in coconut milk with some totatoes and Hawaiian salt. Mmmm. The only thing that would have made it better is if I'd had some ti leaves lying around. You are supposed to wrap the pork in ti leaves before the foil, but Uwajimaya is far from here, and I had to make do without.

For XMas, I'm thinking of applying the same principle to a turkey instead of pork (since it's Christmas, after all) with maybe some mashed taro and sweet potatoes with pineapple. And maybe the same greens but made with taro leaves (which are super good, and available at Uwajimaya) instead of the supermarket greens. Hmmm. I'll need to come up with some genre appropriate dessert too. Possibly involving coconut. The flaming bananas Foster with coconut icecream at the Luau the other day was pretty awesome...

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

More Viking snack food

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:15:07 GMT

Last weekend I made some Viking-style snacks for another SCA vigil, and tried some new stuff this time. I made a big batch of skyr, and needed to make use of it, so I mixed some skyr with honey, then added some little dried prunes and hazelnuts fried in butter. This worked out really nicely, and includes ingredients common in the archeological record. It was quite good with the barley flat bread. I'm thinking it would be even better filling the barley pancakes. Hmm.

The other new one was some oatcakes, which were just butter, honey, oatflour and rolled oats (and maybe a bit too much salt). Baked until cookie like. They were a lot like simple (salty) oatmeal cookies. Good with herring. :-)

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Tiki drinks + historical research = great book

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:29:52 GMT

I just got a copy of the recently released

Sippin' Safari: In Search of the Great "Lost" Tropical Drink Recipes... and the People Behind Them

and it's proving to be quite an excellent book. Jeff "Beachbum" Berry has authored three previous books on Tiki drinks ( Beachbum Berry's Grog Log, Beachbum Berry's Intoxica!, and Beachbum Berry's Taboo Table) and the food that goes with them, and this is his finest work to date.

In his quest to recover the lost art of the faux tropical drink, he's done a truly amazing amount of legwork and research. Sippin' Safari is as much a work of history as it is a drink book. Mr. Berry tracked down an interviewed a number of famous (in the right circles) waiters and bartenders from the old tiki bars and gotten their recipes first hand, doing some detective work along the way. There's a whole chapter on tracking down the Zombie recipe (which I still haven't tried, as it takes a bit of prep), tracking down leads and referencing a copy of a 1937 bartenders notebook. Cool stuff, both from the tiki and research perspectives.

The book is filled with pictures of classic tiki bars, old drink menus, the bartenders and their families, and other interesting details surrounding the original 30s-70's tiki scene.

If you are into tiki, history, or both, this is well worth the read.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Towards a better Mai Tai

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:22:46 GMT

being a recently converted Tiki enthusiast, I've been experimenting with a number of fine Tiki drinks, including the Mai Tai. It's hard to go too wrong with a decently made Mai Tai, but there's still room for both error and improvement. After checking out some of the advice on Tiki Central, last night I tried one with fresh Key lime juice (instead of fresh Meyer lime) and homemade Orgeat (made to this recipe) instead of the commercial Torani stuff. The improvement was quite noticeable, and even Vikki liked it (she's not generally a Mai Tai fan). The Key lime juice was sweeter, and less bitter, and the homemade Orgeat was less sweet, and not so artificially almondy. So altogether:

2 oz. Appleton Estate Jamaican rum

1.5 oz. Key lime juice

.75 oz. Bols Curacao (the only brand I could find)

.5 oz. orgeat

.5 Malibu coconut rum (not traditional, perhaps, but a very nice addition)

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

That's good fish

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:03:37 GMT

I hit on a winner last night. Even the picky girl liked it. She went back for thirds, even, which pretty much never happens with her unless dinner consists of mac & cheese or snickers bars.

On a large piece on tinfoil, I laid down a thick layer of baby spinach leaves, and on top of that sliced tomato.

Next came a couple of mahi mahi fillets from Trader Joe's (where the prices for frozen fish are super-reasonable). On top of the fish I sprinkled some red Hawaiian salt, and about half a can of thick coconut milk. Chopped onions over the whole thing.

Sealed it up in foil, and baked at 375° for around 40 minutes. After it came out of the oven, I topped it with sliced avocado. Served up with some fried rice with Chinese sausage and sugar snap peas.

Totally a meal I'd do again, especially after the kid's reaction.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

berry time

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:39:49 GMT

At last night's Tuesday night market, we picked up a mixed flat of cherries, strawberries, gooseberries, red and yellow raspberries, and some boysenberries to boot. I think the mulberries come later in the season. The possibilities are endless, but I like either fresh berries by themselves, with some yogurt, or with barely sweetened home made whip cream. A quick dessert that you can whip up as the mood strikes.

Also at the market was a guy selling game meats (from a ranch in Bend). He had waterbuffalo, bison, elk, and even yak in a number of different cuts. I was most tempted by the elk ribeyes. The elk stew meat started at around $7.50/lb, which isn't too unreasonable, considering the limited market. There might be some Viking food in there somewhere.

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Asian vegetables

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:30:59 GMT

At the Sunday market in Hillsboro this weekend I scored some really nice gai lan ("Chinese broccoli") and some snow pea tendrils. The latter are the stalks that peas grow on, after you take the peas off. They have a very nice flavor, and stir fry well. I stir fried both of the above greens with a little ginger and garlic, some oyster sauce, a little dark soy sauce, and some Chinese rice wine. Just before the sauce went on, I threw in some fresh chow mein noodles I picked up at New Seasons. Quick, easy, and very tasty. So exciting to see fresh veggies coming in.

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How to build your own tandoor

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:08:47 GMT

There's a great blog dedicated to building your own backyard tandoor in an oil drum. Not only is this a cool project, but his food looks great.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Weekend culinary adventures

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:35:45 GMT

I'm experimenting with Hawaiian/Polynesian food a bit, so Saturday night I made some kalbi ribs (not strictly Polynesian, I know, but popular in Hawaii) and a melange of taro, onions and plantains baked in pineapple juice, olive oil and ginger. I was very happy with the results, and it all went excellently well with kimchee. :) We also had some frozen laulau from Uwajimaya. It's one of my new favorite dishes, and I need to try making it from scratch. It's pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves and steamed. Extra good. Sunday morning saw a good Hawaiian breakfast of linguica, rice and fried eggs (scrambled for the girl).

Sunday dinner was my new favorite burger recipe, half beef, half pork, seasoned with pepper and alder smoked salt from Whole Foods. The smoked salt makes all the difference. Served up with authentic kosher pickles, and some locally made barbeque sauce we scored at the farmer's market. Good eating. And the local snap peas are coming in, also a welcome addition. Yay produce!

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Summer produce is starting to arrive

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:11:34 GMT

having dined two nights in a row on fresh corn, asparagus, and apricots/nectarines, I'm all revved up for produce season. We should start seeing more and more at the farmer's markets very soon. It takes a while way up North here, but I'm particularly looking forward to berry season. The last few years, our farmer's market has had mulberries, blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries (red and green), black and red raspberries, etc. Nothing better for breakfast with a little yogurt or cereal.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

The fermented tostada

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:24:32 GMT

I've been having lots of fun with fermentation lately, thanks to some very cool books like Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods. I'm on my second batch of fermented beans, and the 3-4 batch of sauerkraut now.

This morning it all came together in a fine breakfast. I took a "hand made" corn tortilla from Trader Joe's, heated it up with some cheddar cheese, then layered on some of the fermented beans (made with pinto beans and garlic this time), some cortida (Latin American-style sauerkraut), some pickled jalapenos, and some piima cream. Simple, fast, and oh-so-tasty.

Next up... I've got some gingered carrots and some turnips and beets bubbling their way toward pickle-hood on top of my fridge. A few more days until they are ready.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Bread pictures

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 05:05:46 GMT

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Viking baking experiment - the earth oven

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:36:11 GMT

In my ongoing quest to reproduce the flat bread unearthed in grave finds at Birka and other locations, this weekend I got to try baking them in an earthen oven. I'll post pictures soon, but until then, a brief summary.

The oven was constructed by some friends of mine last fall. It's made from adobe, and is a dome shape about 4 feet in diameter and 2.5 - 3 feet high, with a smoke hole at the top, and an opening in the side just big enough to admit a metal baker's peel.

We fired the oven for probably 2-3 hours before any bread went in. For the first loaves, which were more modern sourdough loaves, we left some of the coals at the back of the oven, and put the bread in at the front. This left the oven way too hot, and the loaves blackened pretty seriously before they were done all the way through. For my flatbread, I scraped out the rest of the coals, and relied on the heat of the oven walls.

I used several different recipes, but the one that worked best was 1/2 whole grain barley flour, 1/4 oat flour, and 1/4 green pea flour, plus about 1/2 tsp of salt. I made a stiff dough using buttermilk, and left the dough unrefrigerated overnight to sour (it didn't, much). The dough was shaped into two flat "loaves", each about 8" in diameter, and 1" high. The surface was pricked with a knife before baking, to increase the surface area of the top crust and encourage drying.

The loaves went into the oven, and backed for probably around 20 minutes. As the oven cooled a bit, subsequent batches took slightly longer to firm up.

The result was quite good, with a crisp crust, and a nice texture. Not light, more like a heavy scone or batter bread in consistency. It went excellently well with some simple soft cheese and dried fruit.

I'll have some pictures up, hopefully this evening. I got pictures of the whole process.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.

Viking breakfast

patrick@cauldwell.net (Patrick Cauldwell) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:45:22 GMT

For this morning's breakfast I tried the "Viking breakfast" that I put together as part of the "Viking bachelor food" experiment. I didn't actually get to implement it over the weekend, as much of the food I'd set aside for the weekend ended up spending said weekend in the fridge in my office, not coming with me to the event. Very sad.

Anyway, this morning I lined up

A thick slice of the "IKEA bread", more properly "ragbrod", very coarse grained and hearty wheat and rye bread
two slices of gjetost cheese, a sweet cheese made from caramelized whey
a hard boiled egg (I settled for chicken, not having any puffins around)
a pile of home made sauerkraut
two nice fat pieces of pickled herring with onions (sooooo good)

It made an excellent breakfast, and really got the day off to a fine (and fishy) start. Easy, portable, and very satisfying. I'll definitely be packing this stuff along to events this summer.

All information is provided AS IS with no warranty express or implied. In no way does it reflect the opinions or views of my employer.