Woodland Fare

First Trip in PA

2012-02-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

Finally getting settled in the new area, and found a little time to get my PA license and hit one of the local rivers with a friend. No trout yet this year, but the Chester County surroundings look absolutely beautiful and rather promising. We're within post-work fishing distance from Valley Creek, French Creek and Pickering Creek, not to mention on the banks of the Schuylkill (hello Carp on the fly) so lots of fly fishing in the near future, just waiting for some free time..

Pickering Creek

Holiday Dried Pears and Apples

2011-12-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a great holiday season thus far. Since moving back to the Eastern States, I've seen a LOT of family, eaten a ton of food and help to keep the American brewing industry afloat. As per usual, there was a fruit surplus from various baskets and kitchens family wide that somehow ended up with my mother. I was greeted with a case of Anjou Pears several days ago, as well as a grocery bag full of Apples, Oranges, a Grapefruit, Lemons, Clementines and more. The pears had a foot in the grave, so they needed to be handled first.

There were 2 types of pear and several Gala apples that fell victim to the Nesco this holiday weekend. This is the second time I've dried pears and varied the style a little this time. This is really simple, and makes your house smell awesome:

10-12 Ripe Pears of Apples
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Nutmeg
1 Sliced Lemon

Core the fruits and slice lenghtwise into 1/4-1/3" slices, the smaller the less drying time needed. Place slices on the dehydrator rack and squeeze a slice worth of lemon juice onto the pieces of pear. You can also just juice the lemon and dip the slices in lemon juice if you please, its messy, but works great.

Next sprinkle a generous amount of Cinnamon over the slices, followed by a much less generous amount of Nutmeg. Do this until your racks are filled, then dry for 5-6 hours, checking occasionally. You want them to be more Fruit Rollup consistency than potato chip dry, they carry the sweetness of the fruit much better that way. This recipe yielded about 3/4 of a gallon zip-lock full of fruit slices, perfect for snacks and taking into the woods. The Citrus portion of this bounty is "in utero" to say, I'm making lemon confit/Moroccan style preserved citrus, won't see that for another 30 days, but it will be posted on the blog. Thanks as always for reading!

Slices after about 5 hours in the dryer

Keystone Beef Jerky Recipe

2011-12-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

We've finally made the long haul from soggy and beloved Oregon to sunny and freezing Pennsylvania and are getting settled in. Living in a condo will present some new challenges to my curing, smoking, and overall kitchen concoctions, but there are some benefits. One of which is I live in biking distance from a butcher shop/hispanic grocery which can supply any cut I can fancy at a stellar rate. Also, I live 9 miles from French Creek Park and its attached gamelands which look stellar for Whitetail, Trout, Pheasant and best of all, Spring and Fall Turkey! Though my Little Chief smoker still remains in Oregon, I plan on taking the opportunity to do more salt cures and charcuterie, its about time for another Pancetta anyhow. Here's the first project from the new place, Keystone State Jerky:

Marinade

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Chili Flakes

2 Tbsp Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Cayenne

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

3/4 Can of Yuengling Lager

Add to:

6lbs Top Round, Sliced against the grain, in roughly 1/4" strips and let sit for 16-24 hours in the fridge, I like using gallon ziplocks for this, less mess.

Lay out the strips on the dehydrator and sprinkle lightly with Kosher Salt. This is a pretty standard recipe, though I really like the sweetness of the Yuengling over my standard PBR/Miller/AmericanLager of many past recipes, and since I'm close to "the source" will probably rely on Amreicas Oldest for recipes to come. Leave a comment, ask a question, have a great week!

October Mushroom Hunt

2011-11-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

Got out into Mt. Hood National Forest for the first time this year. Since moving out to the westside, I've been spending most of my adventure time in the Coast Range, and have really missed the Ripplebrook area. About a year ago, we really cleaned up Chanterelle picking out here, and hoped to do the same. It was a weekend, and we were definitely not alone when it came for fungus foragers.

A little flick made with my iphone, you can see the size of some of the mushrooms this fall, there were several huge ones

Boletus Zolleri, a new species to me.

All said and done, this trip yielded about 5-6lbs total. We've been going out alot this fall, and dehydrating 90% of our finds, anticipating the move to PA in the coming weeks. It will be sad leaving such sweet fungus behind, but there are lots of Eastern species to learn about.

Making Beef Jerky in a Dehydrator How To

2011-06-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I recorded this video this weekend and published it up to Youtube. This is my most reliable recipe for a savory, slightly spicy salty batch of home made jerky! Thanks for checking it out!

Digging Clams in Tillamook Bay

2011-06-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

We recently had a nice few days of Minus Tides on Tillamook Bay, luckily one of the days, I wasn't working. My friend Mike and I gassed up the car and headed over the mountains to Tillamook Bay on the coast. The tide was a minus 1.9 foot, which isn't all that much, but noticably lower than other times I've fished the area. With a regular shovel, we headed out onto the rocky muddy flats in search of Butter Clams, Cockles and Littlenecks.

We found the Cockles, the scallop looking ones below just sitting in the little channels, they get caught by the low tide and are stranded, helpless tasty things. We probably got about 25 of these. In the rocky flats, you can dig in the mud and find the bigger, butter clams, like the large white ones in the pic below. I would recommend bringing a shovel, and a Potato Rake or other tined, deep claw lookin' rake to pull aside the rocks from your muddy hole in search of filter feeder goodness. Also, you can just walk the rocky flats too, and wait for them to squirt you. Then you'll really know a good spot to dig.

I let them aerate in salt water for about an hour, and then steamed them till they popped. With a simple egg batter, I dropped the clam bits into a mixture of Panko, Sesame Seeds, Black Pepper and Sea Salt, and tossed them into hot oil. They fried up excellently & made my house smell bad, open the windows! The Cockels were sandy, even after aerating, and next time, I'll let them aerate for at least an hour and a half +.

Fly Fishing in the Oregon Coast Range

2011-06-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Took an early morning trip out to the Oregon Coast Range, via Highway 26 this morning for a little Cutthroat Trout fly fishing. I was lucky enough to catch 2, one just barely over the legal limit of 10" but released both. Anyhow, the larger one was caught on a beadhead hares ear nymph, and the smaller on an elk hair caddis dry. Great day, would have been nice to catch some larger fish, but regardless a nice day in the spooky woods of the Coast Range.

This is the larger of the 2, caught on the nymph

And this intensely colored native cutthroat trout took an elk hair caddis dry.

If you're going to get into fishing here, please check out the regulations first, though its confusing as all hell, you can visit, call (and shop!) great resources such as Ollie Damons in Portland, and Tillamook Sporting Goods on the coast for detailed season information and tips. Stream trout fishing, as of 2011 is opens in the Coast Range on Memorial Day weekend, and now you're allowed to keep 2 fish between 8-16 inches in size. Don't quote me, check the ODFW site, and the Rec Report for official up to date info.

Making Bagels at Home with a Bread Machine

2011-06-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

Growing up in NJ, I developed a spoiled palate for Bagels. In the small town I grew up in, there were 4 bagel shops, all a little different, and all offering super inexpensive tasty bagels made daily. We decided to give bagel making a shot a couple weeks ago, and with the help of our Oster Bread Machine, made a simple dough from a recipe found online and displayed below:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 quarts boiling water
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white (I used veg. oil)

Directions

Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.
When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through.

Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

Viola! Here's our finished result. When we do them again, which won't be soon enough, we plan to make half as many bagels with the same recipe. 9 tiny bagels are less satisfying than 6 bigger ones would be, of 4 colossus bagels would be. This was a really fun Friday night, and early Saturday, a fried egg, some of the homemade bacon from a prior recipe and hot sauce/cheese a winning start to the weekend.

Pancetta

2011-05-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

I recently bought a whole pork belly from a central Oregon farm, and following Mr. Rhulman's book mentioned in the prior post, decided to tackle homemade bacon and a pancetta. I split the whole belly in 2, making roughly 7 lb pieces, and the after skinning the pancetta side, it weighed the rough 5lb recommendation for the recipe.

Here's the fresh belly, about 14lbs! Photo below is the wrapped pancetta.

I'm fortunate enough to live close enough to a place where I can get a pork belly, and the other hard to find ingredients (Pink Salt & Juniper Berries) within the day after my belly came in.

Here's the finished pancetta, after 2 weeks hanging in the utility room

I followed Rhulman's recipe as best as possible, temperature fluctuations and humidity levels were not optimal, and I may work on climate controlling part of my utility room for more Charcuterie projects. Results were good, the pancetta was moist, and exceptionally flavorful, I made pasta sauce, but this baby really shined when cut slicer thin and sauteed with garden veggies, think snap peas, asparagus, squash, this really brought out some stellar flavors there. Also, have friends that like Pancetta, You get a LOT of slices out of the suggested 5lb belly, and I've got enough frozen pancetta for the year.

You should totally Buy this guys book, here's the recipe:

Pancetta is an Italian bacon and a delicious ingredient used in many of that country’s dishes. Like fresh bacon, it’s simply pork belly cured with salt and seasonings, which is then rolled into a log and hung to dry for a couple weeks. It’s typically thinly sliced or diced and sauteed, then combined with sauteed vegetables. Countless recipes begin with the gentle sauteing of onions and other aromatic vegetables; precede this step by sauteing diced pancetta, and you’ll add a layer of great complexity to the dish. The classic Roman dish spaghetti alla carbonara is made with sauteed pancetta and eggs. Chunks of pancetta can be added to stews, beans, and soups. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are superb when sauteed with pancetta.

Marcella Hazan, in The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, notes that pancettas “savory-sweet unsmoked flavor has no wholly satisfactory substitute.” She suggests rolling it up in veal scaloppine, then sauteing the rolls in butter and serving them with a tomato sauce, or sauteing it with spring peas (a traditional preparation), or braising Boston lettuce with it.

The traditional process of curing and drying pancetta takes about three weeks, but variations here are a matter of taste. You can reduce the drying time to two or three days, or eliminate it altogether (the pancetta will still taste delicious when cooked). You could also choose not to roll it and use it as is, treating it as you would fresh bacon.—Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

convert Ingredients

One 5-pound slab pork belly, skin removed

For the dry cure

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons pink salt (see Note)

1/4 cup Morton’s kosher salt

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons juniper berries, crushed with the bottom of a small saute pan

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided

Want it? Click it.

Directions

1. Trim the belly so that its edges are neat and square.

2. Combine the garlic, pink salt, kosher salt, dark brown sugar, juniper berries, bay leaves, nutmeg, thyme, and half the black pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly so that the pink salt is evenly distributed. Rub the mixture all over the belly to give it a uniform coating over the entire surface.

3. Place the belly in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag or in a covered nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Refrigerate for 7 days. Without removing the belly from the bag, rub the belly to redistribute the seasonings and flip it over every other day — a process called overhauling.

4. After 7 days, check the belly for firmness. If it feels firm at its thickest point, it’s cured. If it still feels squishy, refrigerate it on the cure for 1 to 2 more days.

5. Remove the belly from the bag or container, rinse it thoroughly under cold water, and pat it dry. Sprinkle the meat side with the remaining black pepper. Starting from a long side, roll up the pork belly tightly, as you would a thick towel, and tie it very tightly with butcher’s string at 1- to 2-inch intervals. It’s important that there are no air pockets inside the roll. In other words, it can’t be too tightly rolled. Alternately, the pancetta can be left flat, wrapped in cheesecloth, and hung to dry for 5 to 7 days.

6. Using the string to suspend it, hang the rolled pancetta in a cool, humid place to dry for 2 weeks. The ideal conditions are 50°F to 60°F (8°C to 15°C) with 60 percent humidity, but a cool, humid basement works fine, as will most any place that’s out of the sun. (I often hang mine in our kitchen next to the hanging pans on either side of the stove.) Humidity is important: If your pancetta begins to get hard, it’s drying out and should be wrapped and refrigerated. The pancetta should be firm but pliable, not hard. Because pancetta isn’t meant to be eaten raw, the drying isn’t as critical a stage as it is for items such as prosciutto or dry-cured sausages. But drying pancetta enhances its texture, intensifies its flavor, and helps it to last longer.

7. After drying, the pancetta can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 3 weeks or more, or frozen for up to 4 months. Freezing makes it easier to slice thin.

Note: Pink salt, a curing salt with nitrite, is called by different names and sold under various brand names, such as tinted cure mix or T.C.M., DQ Curing Salt, and Insta Cure #1. The nitrite in curing salts does a few special things to meat: It changes the flavor, preserves the meat’s red color, prevents fats from developing rancid flavors, and prevents many bacteria from growing.