The Pig and I

Good evening! Today I am going for a mostly pantry meal. Normally one might make this dish with bottled clam juice or similar, but I actually had some frozen shrimp stock that I decided to incorporate into the dish (well, not all of it. Turns out I had a lot more than I thought). And I'm leaving the wine out, because although I know there's some in the pantry somewhere, the where has escaped me. Hope you enjoy! 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (30 cents) 1/2 onion, roughly chopped (15 cents) 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (3 cents) salt and pepper to taste (penny) 1 teaspoon thyme (2-3 cents) 1 can crushed tomatoes (50 cents) 1 cup clam juice or shrimp broth (this was free to me, since I used shells from shrimps) splash lemon juice (5 cents) salt and pepper to taste (penny) pinch sugar (penny) 1 can clams (~1 dollar, though I don't know what they cost these days 8 ounces linguine, cooked according to package directions (75 cents - man, pasta is getting pricey! 1....

In keeping with my bergamot theme (the rest of you should use the juice from either lemon or Seville orange), I bring you these stems. If you are not of the mindset to save the stems of your bunches of beets, rhubarb would be an acceptable substitute, though you will want to reduce the citrus by half. Enjoy! 1 tablespoon each: olive and vegetable oil 1 small sprig dill 2 cups beet stems, cut into 2" strips 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 4 radishes sliced thickly 1 sliced carrot 1 cup cooked black beans (I do them from dry and cook them w/ a bay leaf) salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons bergamot juice Add dill and oils to a small pan. Heat over very low heat and allow to infuse for 20 or so minutes. Remove dill and discard. Add all remaining except beans and bergamot juice and cook over medium or medium-low heat until somewhat softer. Add citrus and beans and cook the rest of the way through. Serves 2 (as a side).

I was making those ever-so-popular fleur de sel caramels today when I learned that maybe one should do the dishes either before, or after the candy making. It's been a while since I made real candy, so I excuse the forgetfulness. As a result of my negligence, I let it boil 5 or so degrees higher than the recipe called for. Oops. It set up quicker than the recommended two hours, and did not have that lovely, creamy-sticky-soft mouth-feel. What happened instead was that the caramels turned into a lovely caramel-toffee cross. Initially, it feels like toffee, but then you chew it a bit and it becomes sticky and soft, but not like a real caramel. Delicious, but not what I wanted*. I am learning from the fail in three ways: 1) Watch the pot, not the cleaning 2) In case of a fail of #1, set the alarm on the candy thermometer 3) On fail days, open a can of homemade pasta sauce instead of chancing ruining dinner (this is preemptive learning since I have not ruined dinner yet, by choosing t...

Okay... I've decided to stop being secretive. I'm going to share the recipe. Mind you, it's 500 calories a slice (and everyone eats at least 2), but it's worth it. I can't believe I'm finally sharing this recipe. I first made this pie because I had a dream that I was sitting at my old prep table, eating a slice of this pie. I woke up from the dream, determined to write down what I could remember of the pie. Since I needed to really think on it to break down the flavours in my head, I took a long bath and scribbled on the tile walls in crayons. It took me somewhere between 30-50 pies (possibly more) before it tasted exactly like it was in my dream (let's call it a 15 pound weight gain before it was perfect). For some reason, people seem to have trouble getting this pie right without actually participating in the making first, but I think you guys can do it. If in some parts of this recipe, I sound a little nutty, don't be alarmed. I have a deep, deep ...

I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen . Originally, it's a lemon and cranberry recipe. What initially caught my eye was Deb's mention of how disappointing it is that fresh cranberries get so little use (outside of sauce for the holiday table) in favour of the little dried bits. I could not agree more with her, and I am always trying to find ways to incorporate real cranberries into my baked goods. These scones were perfect not only for that, but for the substitution of bergamot in lieu of meyer lemon. I don’t think I froze enough rounds (I decided to bake 3 per person, which was too many - 3 would've been plenty for the two of us), but these are really, really wonderful. Slightly sweet and delightfully tart when you bite into one of the cranberries. They’re soft inside, slightly crispy on the outside and just wonderful little pillows of happiness. I’m putting curd on them when I want a sweeter bite and eating them solo when I want a sweet-tart bite. And happily, I have t...

I find it odd I never posted this before. In my head, I had shared this recipe. But apparently, once again, what happened in my head and what happened in reality have nothing to do with one another. So I'm posting it now, as my entry for this month's In the Bag . I got this recipe from a Belorussian I used to know, who had changed his family's recipe from pork to beef in order to accommodate the dietary needs of his Muslim roommate. The only thing I've changed is the addition of garlic. Enjoy! 12 ounces beef (I used sirloin, but you use what you have), cut into cubes 2 potatoes, cut into large cubes 1-2 bay leaves pinch salt 2 quarts water a few whole cloves of garlic (optional) 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 beets, cut into sticks 3 carrots, sliced 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 large chopped onion 1 large chopped tomato salt and pepper to taste pinch of sugar Boil the first group of ingredients for 30 minutes, skimming off any foa...

As promised, here is the curd recipe. This is perfect for scones, toast, just to eat, or for an unusual twist on the filling typically used in those little fruit tarts. If bergamots are not available to you, you could always use lemon, Seville orange, sweet types of orange (cut the sugar a bit though), lime, pomello, grapefruit or any other citrus. Enjoy! 9 ounces freshly squeezed bergamot juice 2 tablespoons finely grated zest 1 1/2 cups sugar 6 eggs 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 12 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon bits Whisk all but butter into a saucepan. Begin to heat over medium low heat and add all the butter. Whisking periodically, cook until the whisk marks stay in the curd. Pack into sterilised jars (or you can just put this in a jar and put it in the fridge, if you don't want to can it) and process 15 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.