Daily Loaf

(This piece came from our CL Sarasota, as part of it’s Summer of Pig coverage.)

Local vegetables and fruits are commonplace, if you know where to look, but finding local meat is a distinct challenge. Blame the USDA.

Hogs meant for commercial meat sales usually have to go through the mega-slaughterhouses regulated by the USDA, whether it’s a couple pigs from a local farm or a thousand pigs from a corporate production facility. That makes it much harder for the little guys, since those slaughterhouses charge a premium for the smaller jobs of the family farm.

There is a loophole, however. Hogs meant for personal consumption – by the owners, theoretically – can be slaughtered at smaller, local slaughterhouses. Over the past few years, farms have started offering entire hogs for sale before they’re mature, then the farm finishes raising the hog for you. If you’re not in the market for that much meat, they’ll even match you up with other interested folks so you can buy a quarter or half of a pig.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to break down the carcass yourself; it will come to you butchered and wrapped to order. All you have to do is buy a freezer big enough to store your meat.

Why go the trouble and extra expense of buying local? Read the rest of this entry »

Since the mainstream media has shoved off to cover the last moments of America’s Next Top Model and the finals of the American Idol competitions, I want to bring you up to date on the Swine Flu. 

First of all it is important to understand that in the USA’s rush to make the naming of this virus politically correct and to protect the flagging pork industry, they settled on H1N1 virus. H1N1 is a group of viruses, influenza A(H1N1).

Viruses are not typical and change often so by using this general title for this virus, Public Health has dumbed us down. Other groups of influenza viruses are A(H3N2) and B/Yamagata and B/Victoria viruses but the list is massive and complicated. To call this virus H1N1 is like using the term car to categorize a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. Yes it is a car but, there are many cars and among cars the 612 Scaglietti is most unique.  This “swine flu” is an A(H1N1) but it is not the only A(H1N1) virus. Read the rest of this entry »

Few classic home style staples are as simple and satisfying as a rich, hearty chili. This recipe literally takes 20 minutes to prepare and the simmer does the rest. Once you have the magical formula down pat, it’s the easiest one pot meal I’ve found to pull together on a lazy day.

There are several combinations to consider when composing an epic chili. Endless formulas of meats, beans, spices and tomato varieties are available and each bring their own flavor profile to the party. I prefer a savory tri-fecta of ground turkey, pork, and andouille combined with equal proportions of kidney and pinto beans. As for the spices, this recipe features red chile powder along with essential cumin and cayenne pepper for a little kick on the tongue. Feel free to experiment with ancho chile powder or other varieties, and fire roasted crushed tomatoes if you can find them.

Should you have the time I’d suggest doing your prep early in the afternoon, and leaving this dish on a low heat or in a slow cooker until dinner time. Serve some warm cornbread with honey-butter, or quick Jiffy mix corn cakes alongside as the perfect accompaniment. Optional garnishes of sour cream, grated cheddar and avocado are great additions to smooth out the spice and salty goodness as well.  

Here’s the recipe:

Classic Chili

1 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground turkey
4 andoullie sausages, sliced
3 tablespoons chile powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon onion salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (16 ounce) can pinto or chili beans
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 
Garnishes (optional): Sour cream, chopped scallions, avocado slices, shredded cheddar

In a large pot, saute the onion with the olive oil and butter over medium heat until soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the ground pork, turkey and andouille sausage, and cook until browned. Incorporate the spices and stir to coat all of the meat. Add the beans and tomatoes and adjust seasonings to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring often, or several hours if time allows. Serve hot and garnish with options listed above.

A "Mexican Kiss"

The media is having a field day hypnotizing Americans with fear over the impending Porkacolypse, but is this newest incarnation of doomsday  actually keeping us from getting laid?

I realize everyone is tired of the Swine Flu. All my friends roll their eyes at its mere mention. I get it. But trends around my college campus are beginning to shift, and I’m starting to worry. I mean the slutty chicks are still willing to lay any wookie, but the marginally wild women who drink apple martinis on barstools while their thongs creep out the top of their business skirts are becoming even more inaccessible. They are sitting on barstools with their legs crossed, like ladies for God’s sake. My boy Shawn who NEVER has a problem landing a lady had two drinks he bought for prospective partners sent back with a “No thanks.” The girls are turning down free booze now? He’s lucky I like girly drinks.

(READER POLE AFTER THE JUMP) Read the rest of this entry »

Are you afraid of eating pork thanks to the outbreak of the swine flu? Or, more accurately, the outbreak of media hysteria over swine flu?

Well, don’t worry about it, you can’t catch a respiratory disease like flu from a slab of applewood smoked bacon or inch-thick chop, no matter how undercooked. This new strain that’s affecting humans hasn’t even been found in pigs. But that’s not stopping the hysteria bandwagon, among consumers, the media and governments.

Which means that American pork producers have had to go on the offensive. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you tried my Roast Pork with Black Beans and Yellow rice yet? No? Shame on you, I don’t want to be your friend anymore. (I am at home with sick kids and a sick self, so I am feeling a bit childish!)

Well if you did make it you probably had some left-over pork. And here is an interesting way to use it up.

So you know my husband, the one who can’t boil water, the one who doesn’t even grill? He said many moons ago he ate “Cuban Pizza” at a baseball game. Well it sounded totally disgusting me me. But I will give anything a try once. Cubans, no not the people, the sandwich, are another Tampa food. The Wikipedia definition is a sandwich created by Cuban workers, either in Cuba or in the immigrant community of Ybor City in Tampa Florida. Later, Cubans brought it to other communities in southern Florida, particularly Key West and Miami, where it is very popular. The sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread.

So Cuban Pizza it was. I just so happened to pick up some pizza dough from the bakery, so I was ready to go.
Let me tell you how wrong it felt spreading mustard over a pizza dough! I was actually grossed out. But with an open mind, I continued……
Read the rest of this entry »

For the few who follow my blog, some might recall that earlier this year I slow-roasted beef ribs in the oven for hours. They were perfectly spiced and fall off the bone tender.

I also smoked some ribs in the backyard for an upcoming Food Network BBQ show to air in the spring. I ended up with about 50 pounds of ribs that I passed out to the neighborhood. The interesting part of the story is that the oven roasted ribs were received with more accolades than the smoked ribs. Personally, I liked the oven ribs better too. While smoking and grilling will always be my preferred method for many cuts of meat, this little find got me thinking. What else could be roasted to perfection that one might only think was BBQ worthy? Read the rest of this entry »

Two years ago, CL challenged 64 pizza places to enter tournament-style culinary combat, slice versus slice, the deserving winner crowned best pie in the Bay area. Last year, burgers took center-stage in our quest for gustatory greatness, one patty reigning supreme. This year, the tradition continues. It’s Taco Time, baby!

Such a basic recipe: one tortilla, stuffed with meat, vegetables and sauce. But, as with CL’s pizza and burger tournaments of years past, taco success is more elusive than that simple combination would indicate. And finding the savants of this art is no easy task, since the best of these hand-held treats often come from the back corners of anonymous bodegas, or off the backs of semi-mobile trailers, uncharted territory far from the comfort of Google searches. Read the rest of this entry »

Soon after moving to Tampa, I discovered a whole new world of Cuban food.
Tampa has a large Cuban community and their food is a staple in this town. Growing up, I had never heard of chicken and yellow rice, cafe con leche, deviled crabs, plantains, etc. I was missing out on a whole bunch of yummy food.
So if you are Cuban, I am sure this is not the authentic way to make Roast Pork with Black Beans and Yellow Rice, but my way still tastes damn good (and it tastes like the Cuban restaurants). Read the rest of this entry »

In the past, whenever you’ve seen “Naturally Raised” stamped on a shrink-wrapped pack of chicken breasts, it’s meant zilch. Thankfully, the USDA is here to protect American consumers with new guidelines for using that content-less term. Kinda.

Ethicurean sums it up: Read the rest of this entry »

Remember how every episode of GI Joe ended with a public service segment teaching kids about not getting into cars with skeevy Cobra agents, or how to field-strip an M-16 and the like? Thrilling, useful information in every one.

About five years back, independent filmmaker Eric Fensler took 25 of those PSAa and re-edited them with new dialogue. The result is sometimes incomprehensible, always absurd, and occasionally hilarious enough to make you shoot milk out of your nose.

Fensler got a cease and desist order from Hasbro in 2004, but put the shorts back up on his site a few years later. You can see all of them there, but a few of my favorites are after the break:

Read the rest of this entry »