Category Archives: random fun about us…

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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Meaty Music: What’s on my Android Music Playlist

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What’s spining when the knives are slingin’? My music influences have certainly fluctuated over the years. 1970′s I’d spin my 45′s and 33 1/2′s (no those are the size tires I rolled on back then for all the youngin’s out there). From the Beach Boys to Sugarhill Gang, KISS, Led Zepplin, Woodstock Album, John Travolta (yes he has an album out there), KC and the Sunshine Band and too many others that I can’t think of at this time.

There was a brief moment in the early 80′s prior to my exposure to heavy metal was rap & break dancing music. Of course back then in my super fly windbreaker and parachute pants RUN DMC was in full effect along with Herbie Hancock, UTFO Crew, Fat Boys, Roxanne, Newcleus and I could bust out some top rock, windmill, crab, handspins, headspins and beat ‘em all out with a suicide flip…YO! No need to fight let’s break it out.

After that very brief moment in time I cut my funky fresh tail and began to grow out my hair. In the Beginning….Good always overpowered the evils, of all man’s sins…but in time, the nations grew weak and our cities fell to slums while evil stood strong... so ensued a long road into my long journey on the long-haired metal head road. Some may argue that it was my personal “Highway To Hell”!

My teen years I delved into music much more. and by mid-teen years I eventually got into a band and my appreciation grew away from  metal and more towards classic rock roots of the 70′s, 50′s and 60′s. Motely Crue (the early years) were my favorite. All that aside my tastes began to lean more towards Metallica, Alice Cooper, Grateful Dead, Blues Traveler, Aerosmith, Black Oak Arkansas, Skynanrd, Janis, Arlo Guthrie, Charlie Daniels and any other backwoods get down music. Pickin a six string on the top of a fire tower on top of a mountain or by the riverside just outside Elkins, WVa is quite an amazing experience. So there is few years when you get lost from your music tastes and get stuck in a rut, new music and bands sucked, the 90′s musically didn’t prove much and the new millennium didn’t bring anything great either. At least in this former amateur musician’s humble opinion.

Into my 30′s my tastes tended to stray back towards R&B and Rap mainstream and some off shoot west coast and Houston hood rap…yo G! Seriously though mainly because it was different and my 20′s and early 30′s I had re-listened to everything way to many times so music got boring to me. Now nearing my 40th I listen to whatever the hell sounds good and not like anything that is on…but has anything really changed?!

So on that note…here are 20 songs I cut meat, season meat, and stuff meat into intestines to. This is in no particular order and has no rhyme or reason to it whatsoever.

  • Only Girl  - Rhianna
  • Moment 4 Life – Nicki Minaj
  • Beeda Weeda – Turfs Up
  • Damage Inc – Metallica
  • No Remorse – Metallica
  • This is Why I’m Hot – Mimms
  • Airplanes-BOB
  • Bang Bang – Coka Nostra feat. Snoop Dogg
  • Fist Full of Steel – Rage against the Machine
  • Kick Start my Heart-Motley Crue
  • Hooligan – Big B
  • Turn it Up – Chamillionaire
  • Chillin – Wale feat. Lady Gaga
  • Live Wire – Motley Crue
  • Opposite of Adults – Chiddy Bang
  • Stupify-Disturbed
  • Grillz – Nelly
  • For Whom the Bell Tolls – Metallica
  • Not Afraid – Eminem
  • Mix of Classical Music – Ludvig Von
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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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ouef! here it is!!! eggs, chickens, and how to hard boil perfectly.

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This week, the kids and I headed to Two Bear Farms, where Bruce Miller has over 250 chickens, all free range, organic and all natural. No hormones, chemicals or pesticides are ever used. Bruce gave us a tour of the property and we really enjoyed hanging out with the hens. It was pretty cool to see how big our chickens will be once they are layers. We have had our 9 chicks for 5 weeks so far, and they have already grown to 4 times the size they were when we first got them!

The coolest thing of the day at the farm was pulling the eggs right out from under the hens… and they were still warm. I am so excited for our fiture with fresh eggs everyday!!

Vivianna and Matteo with the chicks at a couple days old:

 One sexy chick and her egg of the day at Two Bear Farms…

Brand new farm fresh eggs won’t peel easily. We tried the other day and it was a disaster. For the most success, 2 week old eggs or older work best. You can tell the day of the year the eggs were packaged by the 3 digit number on the side. All USDA inspected eggs have this numeric indication, which ranges from 001 (January 1), to 365 (December 31).

  • As eggs age, the yolks flatten out and the whites become thin and watery.  You can tell when you crack an egg into a hot pan if the egg is very fresh or not by checking the white. If it holds together tightly, it is very fresh. If the white thins spreads out and is thin, it is older (this does not mean unhealthy or bad, however). We eat older eggs all the time.
  • A splash of white vinegar and a teaspoon or so of salt in the water may help with both coagulation of the albumen (the white) of any eggs that crack, keeping it together and making it less messy. Mark disagrees and actually makes fun of me for it, I’ve read it may be a wives tale, but I don’t really care. I do it anyway because it doesn’t hurt anything, and it makes sense to me. (I’ve also read scientific reports about protein denaturation and how the acids in vinegar).
  • The color of eggs (white, brown, green) is just due to the breed of the chicken. Color has no significant bearing on the the flavor of the egg. So spend more money on the brown ones only if you like the fancy color better.
  • Storing eggs on their side (lay the carton on its side in the refrigerator) if you want the yolks centered for deviled eggs.
  • Spinning an egg on the counter will help if you can’t remember which ones you have already boiled. A raw egg will wobble like a weeble-wobble. A cooked egg will spin like a top.
  • Claudine Pepin (her father is Jacques Pepin, so she learned from the best) recommends poking a hole in the base, the flatter part, of the egg with something thin and sharp like a needle There is an air pocket here and it is said this helps for peeling. Just make sure you lightly poke, don’t go all the way to the yolk, just through the shell into the membrane.
  • Overcooked eggs result in a yolk with a green ring and whites that are very rubbery.

How to boil an egg perfectly…

  • Place eggs in a pan with cold water. Cover eggs by at least an inch.
  • bring water just to a boil over high heat.
  • turn them way down, to a very light simmer for 10 minutes. (8 minutes will give you a softer yolk, 12 minutes will result in a very firm yolk)
  • turn off the heat and remove, placing the eggs in ice water for about a minute. This will stop the cooking.
  • either remove and roll each egg on the counter under your hand to crack all over, or pour off the water and vigorously shake the eggs in the pan to crack the shells.
  • put them back in the ice water for 5 minutes to cool. The mistake we often make is to leave them at this step.
  • they must be peeled now for perfect removal of the shell.

They will be cooked to a golden yellow, with tender yolks and whites (not rubbery)

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How to propose marriage with a salumi, salame, salami ring!

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Although you may not be fortunate enough to make salumi, salame, salumi in an approved USDA facility like me, you too could still propose to the woman of your dreams and live meatliy ever after!

How do I love thee, salumi the way with a soppresate ring from il Mondo Vecchio

1. meet the best woman in the entire universe and fall in love.

2. make sure she loves all things meat (pun intended).

3. make sure that she talks about your meat to her friends on the phone while in the bathroom stall. (she actually did this the day we met at a food show!)

4. make sure she dreams about visions of your salami dancing in her head (she actually said she would do this upon leaving said food show!).

5. make sure she truly loves you back, communicates sincerely, shares the same dreams, envisions a quality life.

6. become close friends with the chef and crew of local bad ass restaurant (Restaurant Twelve and Jeff Osaka) give him the down low info and the slice of the precious preserved palate pleasing morsel.

7. have said chef and crew serve the meaty ring with one of the evenings courses.

8. when served, get on one knee and propose (hope she says yes, if she says no you can at least eat the ring!)

optional: for a more traditional approach invite the parents of most amazing woman in the universe over to dinner to ask them prior to asking said daughter for hand in marriage.

 

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25 awesome things about jenna johansen

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  • I can’t stand celery, fennel, or tarragon, but I still love to cook with them for other people.
  • I really believe that feng shui works. One day I plan to get my training as a consultant; mostly so I can help friends and family with their spaces.  I am a huge believer in my vision board as well.
  • My great grandmother is 103. She’s still going strong in Fargo, ND, still eating fried chicken and butter all the time. She worked way too hard for one woman’s lifetime, and is the only one who calls me Jennifer.
  • At 15 I baked a pie for a competition… fresh blackberry and apple. I forgot to put sugar in it. I injected simple syrup in the holes when it came out of the oven. I didn’t win. I still consider it a half-success because it was visually stunning with gorgeous star cutouts. At this point in my life I would never even consider entering it in a competition.
  • I love crunchy Cheetos and Diet Coke. So do my mom and my Aunt Becky, it’s a ritual.
  • I was a vegetarian for ten years. Now I eat rare steak and foie gras.
  • I subscribe to more magazines than anyone I know.
  • My favorite colors are yellow and red.I am addicted to swine of any and every kind.  I loved bacon way before it was cool enough to put on t-shirts.
  • My friend Liz Spetnagel changed my life with acupuncture. It is always my first choice for healing.
  • When I am old enough to afford it, but not too old to enjoy it, I plan to have an agriturismo in Tuscany.
  • I love cookbooks, mostly for the pictures.
  • I was thoroughly inspired by the Justin Bieber movie.
  • Mark made me pasta carbonara with guanciale on our first date, and now it is one of our go-to dishes.   We met at a food show where I was wooed by his salumi. (No, the jokes about Mark and meat and salami never stop and they never get old).
  • Some days I can’t remember how old I am, but I can still regurgitate things like every lyric to the Macarena.
  • I love, love, love my family. They have always believed in me and continue to teach me to believe in myself.
  • I once had a close friend tell me she “hated” me because I wasn’t famous. That didn’t make me want to get famous, it just raised my standard for friends… now the bar is pretty high, and no, she’s not my friend anymore.
  • I am the queen of re-purposing. I hate to throw things away, especially food.
  • I speak Italian, Spanish, English, and Pig Latin. I fake speaking French well, but will learn it sooner or later.
  • I am a huge crafter. I dream of being on the Nate Berkus show so my mom and I can meet him.
  • I bought my first car with babysitting money.
  • I have a dog named Bella and she is the boss of our house and the apple of my eye. She’s 10 and has been there with me through all the important stuff.
  • I love garlic, artisan cheese, butter, pork and almost every vegetable.
  • I am always delighted to meet a chefs in his or her restaurant.  I love to talk food. I believe that food, recipes and ideas are always better when shared.
  • When traveling, I am always more interested in a local place around the corner than a fancy restaurant.

 

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25 awesome things about Mark DeNittis

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  • I grew up an only child, have enjoyed all aspects of that, and I find that the amount of imaginary friends I have far surpasses my Facebook friends list.
  • I am proud to have grown up on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA an Italian-American neighborhood steeped in history, some of my fondest food memories and life skills were formed.
  • My least favorite request as a chef: “egg white omelet no oil, butter or pan spray”.
  • My favorite culinary techniques are braising and stewing.  “Stewing is an essential part of our cooking, and a good stew, to my mind, is about as an attractive dish as you can offer.” James Beard
  • Favorite 70’s T.V. shows include Kojak, Sanford & Son, All in the Family and Barney Miller.
  • My favorite comic book heroes were The Incredible Hulk and Night Crawler.
  • I can recite verbatim RUN DMC’s “Sucka MC’s” from 1983 but I find it difficult to recall what I did yesterday.
  • In 1990, after high school graduation I was supposed to pack a van with my lead guitarist  and head to Los Angeles to be the next Motley Crue. Instead I listened to my father, ”Go to school for something you enjoy…anything”. I ended up at Johnson & Wales (Rhode Island) to study Culinary Arts graduating in 1992.
  • 10 years later, in 2000, I ended up back at Johnson & Wales University’s newest campus in Denver, Colorado on the opposite end of the classroom… as someone now teaching culinary arts.
  • I love tripe from:
    • The Italian Kitchen: Shrewsbury St. Worcester,MA
    • My gram Emma Ferraioulo
    • Jenna Johansen
  • My favorite carneceria/tacqueria taco: pig snout
  • Favorite cut of pig: ears
  • Favorite cut of lamb: neck or breast
  • Favorite cut of beef: flat Iron/top blade steak and tri-tip
  • Favorite poultry: chicken wings or thighs
  • Favorite Salami:
    • Vino e pepe nero from former Il Mondo Vecchio
    • Calabrese soppresate from former Il Mondo Vecchio
  • I enjoy cooking with my kids.  At age 3 my daughter used to practice classic culinary knife cuts: julienne, batonette, brunioise, and macedoine with play-dough.  “Tuck thumb behind fingers right, Dad?”
  • As a kid in the 70’s I set up a DJ booth in my bedroom so I could be like Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati.
  • My favorite Underroos were the yellow and green Aquaman set.
  • I secretly enjoyed watching the one and only season ofAmerica’s Most Smartest Model with Ben Stein and Mary Alice Stephenson.
  • What I miss the most about free time as a teenager: Fall bow hunting season
  • I always wanted to trade my culinary spatula for a masonry trowel, my Nonno DeNittis used his highly sought after skills to support the growth of his family.
  • I miss Sunday morning driving on a long dirt road to get spring water from a spigot with my Grampy Ferraioulo and his buddies Pete and Cougan!
  • Most memorable food eaten with my dad: Venison burgers with Swiss cheese and French Dressing.
  • Most memorable food memories with my mom: Late Friday afternoons Italian kitchen tripe in tomato sauce and Italian bread loaf.     
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