Category Archives: the last thing we made

Creating Local to Local Culinary Business Opportunities: The Meat Industry + Chefs Collaboration = strengthening local food systems and economy

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It is a sincere pleasure to see predictions come to pass. Back in 2007 just before the butchery trend-craze-fad hit I had myself already transcended this path. I predicted “a future trend that would have more chefs becoming familiar with and creating stronger relationships within the meat industry” in Meating Place News Magazine (2007). It happened! Now, a lost culinary practice has risen back to its rightful place and the results are here to stay! Chefs, cooks and enthusiasts alike are seeking to revive what was once everyday practice… people wanting to educate themselves about traditional food and food systems, more specifically butchery and meat-centric preparations.

Recently Denver’s own chef Justin Brunson (an Iowa transplant), owner of Masterpiece Deli and the (opening soon) Old Major project delved into their passion for pork feet first. Old Major will practice an extensive in-house meat program. Brunson armed himself with an SOP and HACCP plan that would rival most USDA inspected small plants practices including fresh meat, dry fermented sausage, not heat treated NRTE and a heat-treated not shelf stable program to allow him to safely and effectively craft meats in-house. Most health departments cringe at the mention of “house cured” “house made” salumi/charcuterie, or in-house meat programs. Brunson (Old Major) recognized this and respectfully wanted to do it right and proper as it relates to practice as well with the local health department officials.

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The first final prototype making its introduction at the Denver Bacon & Beer Festival

Also recently, Brunson developed the Denver Bacon Company. Just as I did with Il Mondo Vecchio initially in 2006, Brunson started by outsourcing the services of a local USDA plant and familiarizing with production protocols. Small and medium sized plants can provide services such as private label contract business. We used to do similar contract business for the likes of Frasca, Canyon Ranch Spa Resorts, Vesta Dipping Grill, Cure Organic Farms, Oskar Blues and Black Belly Catering to name a few. Doing so allows Brunson to make his delicious artisan crafted Denver Bacon Company Bacon products under USDA inspection and bring it to market for wholesale, retail, food-service and grocers. For the small – medium plant it is an opportunity to generate more revenue streams and diversify their business model for profitability.

MEANS + IDEAS = STRONGER LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS

From a purely economic standpoint this is truly a win-win situation for locally produced products, sustainable food systems and the possibility of becoming a local food staple supported by the general public: 

  • For the USDA plant this allows opportunity to tap into revenue stream of simply manufacturing, packaging and possible storage and/or distribution or sales.
  • For the Chef, this allows the creative expertise of artisan-chef crafted products to go into commerce without the cost of starting up an entire USDA plant with employees and all the other costs associated with an entire plant.
  • For the Community, it provides opportunity for more local to local business interactions strengthening local commerce and local economy. Be it from farm to table, from field to fork or whatever other “buzzword” is appropriate. Outside the fancy talk, it is simply smart business all around. 

This December, we were able to promote DBC at the Denver Bacon and Beer Festival sponsored by Forkly.com (Jenna’s favorite iphone food app), Eat Boston and Denver Off-the Wagon.

RECIPE:

Here is a recent recipe I created one evening at home utilizing Brunson’s DBC-Bacon. This dish also incorporates use of leftovers sitting in the fridge: roasted chicken thighs I’ll be candid… I love my refrigerator “Quick Fire Challenges” it’s like I am on a Bravo TV or Food Network show. So here is my Denver Bacon Company Quick Fire Home Refrigerator Challenge outcome:

Smoked Pimenton Broth Poached Vegetables with Chicharron of Chicken Thigh and DBC Bacon Lardons with manchego-truffled croutons.

THE BROTH & VEG

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Serves 2-4

  • 1 TBS Olive Oil
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Sliced
  • 1 Small Yellow or Sweet Onion (diced ¼ inch)
  • 3 Tablespoons Smoked Spanish Paprika (Pimenton)
  • ¼ Cup Yukon or Red Potatoes (diced ¼ inch)
  • 16 Ounces Poultry Stock
  • ¼ Cup Orange Cauliflower Florets (sliced thin)
  • ¼ Cup Baby Carrots (sliced 1/8th inch thick)

Method:

In a small sauce or soup pan over med-high heat add olive oil. Add garlic and onions, cook until translucent. Add paprika and incorporate well. Add potatoes.

Add stock, bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Allow it to simmer until 25% of the liquid evaporates. Add the potatoes and simmer until cooked through: “al dente”. Turn off the heat and place in the remaining vegetables.

1 tsp Fresh Parsley Chopped for Garnish at time of service.

CHICHARRON:

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  • 2 each Chicken Thighs, skin on, pre-cooked (roasted) a great way to use leftovers (shred off the bone into small pieces)
  • 3 each slices Denver Bacon Company sliced into thin strips (julienne lardons)
  • 2 TBS Olive Oil (not E.V.)

Over low heat in a heavy bottomed skillet place the chicken and bacon strips. Allow to fry slowly and cook crisp. Allow them to get golden brown and crispy. This may take up to 15 or 30 minutes…do not rush it, slowly crisp over low heat.

To serve, pull out of fat and place on dry paper towels to absorb excess oils. Keep warm and place over the broth and vegetables.

CROUTONS (these can be made in advance):

  • 1 cup Bread preferably sour dough or rustic cibatta bread (diced ½ inch)
  • 2 TBS Manchego Cheese (fine shred)
  • 2 TBS Olive Oil
  • 1 TBS White truffle essence olive oil

Toss all ingredients in a bowl to coat lightly. Adjust seasoning with hint of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Spread out the croutons on a sheet pan and toast in oven at 350* until light golden brown and crispy.

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Simplicity in execution and complex with tastes, textures, flavors and diverse cooking methods lend a velvety vegetable and broth with smoky notes of pimento, crisp fried bacon and chicken thigh meat/skin finalized with the classic flavor bombed crunch of a simple crouton.

Kudos to Chef Brunson, please join me in congratulating his current and future endeavors as well his respectable leap into the world of meat industry from production to plate and everything in between!

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a culinary road trip adventure… and crispy stuffed squash blossoms

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This past weekend Mark and I took a little road trip… we arranged for our lovely neighbors to water our growing veggies, dropped off Bella at Mom and Dad’s for  a doggie vacation, and mapped it out.

When we started dating, Mark and I realized we both share a dream of taking a year or two to travel around the USA in an airstream and see every nook and cranny. I am the kind of person who loves to stop at every tourist attraction… and stop for food and meeting a local or two as often as possible.

We turned an 8 hour drive into a two day journey, stopping at a goat dairy, a brand new whiskey distillery, a spiritual hot springs, met a yak farmer, went to a Colorado(!) alligator and tilapia farm, left items at an official UFO watchtower, and met up with our friends at Sutcliffe Vineyards tasting room, ending our journey in the Sutcliffe Vineyard in Cortez, CO.

We sucked the marrow out of every moment of this trip.

First up, Jumpin’ Good Goat Dairy.

This dairy has loads of lovely goats, which they use to make many kinds of cheeses, ranging from feta to cheddar to goat blue. Mark first got to know them when they shipped some pork backfat from a couple of berkshires that they had raised on their farm to make lardo, which he processed for them to sell on site.

I fell in love with a few of the cheeses. They make the most amazing squeaky goat cheese curd. I wanted to fry it up into the best cheese curds ever! (Too bad it didn’t last that long.) I also was enchanted by the soft chevre… fresh and unaged, it is available in tons of flavors, but the plain cheese on its own is fresh and tangy, and the garlic and herb made a perfect stuffing for squash blossoms from the garden. We finished up our selection with the blue, bought some crackers and got ready for a picnic in the car.

This goat kept smiling at us when we pet her! With a twinkle in her eye like this, how can her milk be anything but amazing?

Once we got to the winery, we had a feast. I whipped up some stuffed zucchini blossoms before we had our meal. We plucked the zucchini blossoms from the garden (you can find them from your favorite farmer at the weekly farmer’s market, ask ahead as they usually go to restaurants). I like them fried (who doesn’t?) and used what there was in the cupboard to make the tempura. There is, however, no shame is buying a tempura mix from your Asian market, this is always foolproof.

Chevre stuffed crispy squash blossoms:

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup fine corn masa (gives a great flavor, but more flour or rice flour would be great too)
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup of ice cold water, soda water or beer
  • kosher salt to taste

Method:

  • mix all ingredients together well, do not over mix
  • keep as cold as possible
  • don’t freak out if there are a few lumps

For squash blossoms:

  • pull the stamen out of the center of the flower, being cautious to not rip the flower, give them a gentle wash to remove any dirt or bugs, then dry.

  • stuff something delicious inside, I love goat cheese (we used the garlic herb chevre we got at Jumpin’ good goat)…
  • give tot top of the flower a little twist to make sure the cheese doesn’t ooze out while it is cooking

  •  drag through tempura batter quickly to coat
  • drop into 350* oil for about a minute or so on each side

eat immediately and enjoy!

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beer can chicken???!!!???!!!

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I have been hearing about beer can chicken for years… I knew it was fun, I knew it was cheeky, I just never knew it was SO DELICIOUS!!! I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to make it!!! It is the perfect easy summer grilling dish. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!

This chicken is so juicy, so flavorful, and the skin is crispy (always a necessity for me!).

I figure this dish needs no further introduction, so if you haven’t yet… just make it already!!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of beer (use the good kind, drink half)
  • 1 shallot, cut in chunks
  • 5 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 1 lemon, cut in half
  • 1 whole chicken
  • blackening spice
  • kosher salt and black pepper

Method:

  • Heat your grill. Keep the coals on one side, you will cook the bird over indirect heat to keep it from burning, and let it go slow and low.
  • Rinse the bird with cold water and don’t forget to remove the package with the liver and heart. Feed it to the dog.
  • Tuck the wings behind its head so it looks classy.
  • Take the top off the beer can with a can opener. Make sure you have drank half of the beer.
  • Drop the shallot, garlic, and a spoonful of blackening seasoning into the beer. Squeeze half the lemon into the beer. Drop it in as well if there is room. If not, toss it.
  • Stick the other lemon half into the neck of the bird to help keep the steam from the beer in the cavity while cooking.
  • Season the chicken with a light sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper and the blackening seasoning. Take it easy, because a lot of pre-made seasonings already have salt in them.
  • Stick the can up inside the chicken and position it so it stands up.
  • Place the bird over the cooler part of the grill, over indirect heat. Don’t make the tragic mistake of letting it get too hot so you burn the skin.
  • Place the lid on top of the grill. If the lid won’t go on, try taking the grate off and putting the bird in a pie tin or cast iron skillet and just placing it near the coals.
  • Let it alone for about 1 hour or so, checking every once in a while to be sure it doesn’t burn or get too cool.
  • Test the meat with a thermometor (every kitchen should have one) and pull it out at 165*.

It should go without saying that you shouldn’t use a glass or plastic container for the beer, but I sometimes get crazy questions and don’t want to hear that one:)

Enjoy!!!

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Surprise rooster = Coq au vin blanc

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In celebration on Coq au vin day, (one of our favorite dishes), we offer a story of our little urban “farm/ranch” in the heart of Denver.

We belong to an amazing chicken co-op that provided us the opportunity to be involved from the ground up. We had 9 little chicks in our home from day two of their lives for a little over two months. We fed them their first food. We fell in love with them, loved them, named them, and we certainly had the most spoiled chicks in the city.

The chicks all live on a farm now as part of the co-op. 40 happy hens growing strong, someday to give us eggs. One rooster ended up in the group, and he was pretty aggressive with the hens. The day finally came to a head where the lives of the hens were in danger (his fault) and he was separated. Unfortunately due to the (very) early morning cock-a-doodle-doo of the rooster, he had no place on the farm in the middle of the city, or in the back yard of our members.

SPOILER: if you have are sensitive about killing, plucking, or eating an animal, please skip on to another post. If not, read on.

I grew up in Boulder, CO. I never had the opportunity to raise chickens in our backyard, and certainly never had the chance to butcher one. I know where this rooster has been every day of his life, and exactly what he has eaten: Organic, no gmo, no soy feed and fresh Colorado water (and maybe a little poop, because chickens poop in their water a lot.) I was very excited about this.

I did a little research on youtube, asked some friends and sharpened up the knife. We grabbed a plastic container to hold the rooster, grabbed our gloves and got to business.

I talk a big game. I am down for every experience, but this time I got a little nervous. I have never had anything die by my hands before. I shuffle spiders out the door in lieu of smashing them. (I do, however, kill mosquitos). Mark gave me a little pep talk and we made it happen.

There are tons of videos on the web about how to do this, so if you are ever lucky enough to do it yourself, youtube it. I’ll just say, have your mise en place ready so you can move once it is started. I cannot believe that my Grandma Hunter used to do this all the time when she was growing up in Fargo.

It happened. He bled.

The video said to place the bird in boiling water to make it easier to pluck, but we just got plucking. This way, I could see which feathers were pretty for my father, who will use them in tying his flies. Its pretty easy to pluck. And a great excuse to use the word “pluck”. Like mother “plucker”. Mark cleaned out the insides, which was just one step too intimate for me.

Here he is drying out after plucking and before I burned off the feathers on out little gas burner. I broke down the animal.

The recipe for dinner was decided by Mark, he wanted coq au vin, which we love. Traditionally, this recipe great for an old hen. The red wine and the braising make the meat tender and tasty. Our bird is young, but it still sounded good to me. We used white wine instead (it is hot in Denver right now), and it turned out fantastic.

Talk about using the animal, here is where the bird ended up:

Feathers: to my Dad Jim for tying flies for fishing

Feet, bones: into the braising liquid for flavor and enriching the broth

Meat: enjoyed every bit of it.

Nothing was wasted. Thank you Mr. Rooster.

Coq au Vin blanc:

  • 1 rooster, cleaned and broken down
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 each, carrot, peeled and rough chopped
  • 1 each bay leaf
  • 1 small bunch thyme (pull from the herb pot outside)
  • 1 spring rosemary (herb pot)
  • 2 cups or so chicken stock
  • white wine (enough to cover the bird after the stock)
  • to taste kosher salt and black pepper

Method:

  • season the bird skin and sear on each side in a splash of oil until golden brown. Set aside.
  • place onion and garlic in pot. Saute until translucent.
  • Add bird, stock and wine. Heat through. Add herbs.
  • Heat for 1 1/2 hours or until rediculously tender and crazy flavorful.
  • Season to taste.

Serve with warm bread for dipping. The bread with the sauce alone was enough to make a meal!

 

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what exactly is a pop up???

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I have had number of people ask me what a pop up (or a sprout up, as I like to call them) dinner is.

A pop up is a dinner, usually in any kind of space that has access to a kitchen. It can be in a home, a barn, a farm, an airplane hanger or a brewery, you get the idea. The point is it is a fun and different way to showcase a chef and her (or his) food, perfect when they don’t have a brick and mortar restaurant and/or if they want to do something completely outside of what they do daily in their home kitchen.The level of creativity and originality that you see at these things can be pretty crazy because there is little risk. Dinners rarely are scheduled for more than a few nights, then the opportunity is gone.

These dinners are happening all over the world!

Often, these dinners are at a secret location until it is announced, usually a day or two before the event.

I have a dinner coming up at Studio F. Studio F is in the historic Icehouse building in Denver on 18th and Wyncoop.

This dinner is a celebration of food from all around the globe. I’m serving these dinners same week as the premiere of Around the World in 80 Plates, airing on Bravo on May 9.

The menu begins in Spain with a trio of tapas and moves on to Thailand so guests may enjoy (Il mondo Vecchio) lap chong paired with a beautiful cocktail featuring Mekhong, the spirit of Thailand. Attendees will move on to my favorite country, Italy, and work their way to France, finishing in Morocco with a one-of-a-kind m’hanncha, a snake-shaped cake surrounded by almond-stuffed dates and the partner to end most Moroccan meals, warm mint tea.

All of the cocktails and wines are paired with ingredients and origins from each country, and I’ve got music from each country to pair with the evening as well, as I really think that enhances the experience.

I’m thrilled to join on of my favorite Colorado chefs, James Mazzio, (one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs in 1999) as we celebrate the opening of Studio F and the debut of my new show. I want to give my guests a little bit of flavor from all of my favorite parts of the world.

Each evening will feature a seating at 6:00 pm. Please arrive early and have delicious libation as we will begin the experience on time. and tickets for the 5-course dinner are $100. Tickets may be purchased online by visiting www.studioflodo.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tonight’s wine = tomorrow’s sangria

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We’ve all had delicious bottle that we couldn’t finish… with us it’s usually the second bottle…It is fine to cork up the wine, slap it in the fridge and use it for cooking in a day or two, but it seems like such a shame to cook with it when you can enjoy it as a cocktail.

Day 2 sangria:

  • Place leftover wine in a mason jar or airtight Tupperware container.
  • Add a splash of oj or your favorite fruit juice
  • A slice or two of different citrus fruits, maybe a slice of apple or a few grapes
  • A splash of brandy and a hearty splash of vodka.
  • A quick squeeze of agave nectar if you like it sweeter. Refrigerate.
  • In the next day or two, add seltzer to your liking, and you’ve got a cocktail!
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