Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Guy's Gotta Eat Something When He's Making Broth

Busy times here at the F.o.t.D. headquarters, but things are looking great for tomorrow's Soup and Bread at the Hideout. I made a series of stocks including:
  • Two overnight slow simmers of chicken and pig's feet;
  • Roasted chicken stock (from the carcasses of the two birds from the first Salon);
  • Roasted pork and beef neck stocks with all kinds of veg, a brief flash of kombu, and those crazy smoked bacon ends from Tennessee.
These are all going to be defatted, then combined for the super trifecta broth for ramen I'll be serving at Soup and Bread. Braised some pork belly sous vide overnight in some star anise, celery, garlic and a touch of sesame oil, and will add pickled shiitake mushrooms and radish sprouts to the bowl. Chopsticks are even included.
Meanwhile, I got my hands on a great tri-tip roast after receiving a message from my brother in San Francisco that the cow he had purchased last year had nearly been consumed, with just a tri-tip left. Remembered a recipe from the NYT's Mark Bittman: one pan in which the beef is seared, tomatoes and almonds toasted, before finishing the beef in the oven. A quick romesco sauce is made from the tomatoes and almonds (I threw in some diced onions after removing these guys) in a food processor with garlic, olive oil, whatever else. I added sherry vinegar and parsley, plenty of salt and pepper and got a nice, rich, chunky paste/sauce for the roast. Sliced it up with epi bread, a bunch of greens, and was satiated in a flash...

Hope to see you all at Soup and Bread!