If you’ve noticed the lack of cooking posts lately, it’s because all my time is going into a passion project that’s been a long time coming.
Many of you know I love the craft of coffee to a ridiculous extent. So this has been in the works in my brain for quite a while. Over the last few months I’ve been putting the pieces together to launch a truly mobile coffee experience in San Francisco.
The food truck craze has mostly left out coffee here in SF, so I believe there’s a host of reasons to bring coffee to a mobile setting. But I also want to do a few things different, such as offering the choice of milk (certified raw, organic pasteurized and more) and unique cold brew iced coffee.
Being mobile also allows this project to cater private events as well as offer instructional coffee classes in an open bar setting.
Please check out the Kickstarter page if you have a chance, but more importantly, spread the word to anyone you think has a love for coffee. Thanks in advance!
I’m convinced pork belly is the food of the gods. Or at least the God of Fat. Funny thing…while I cook with bacon multiple times per week, I was yet to experiment with uncured belly.
It seems belly is the trendy new pork. Like oxtail, belly is oft forgotten as a main, but prices are quickly rising as a result of its popularity (but it’s still rather inexpensive). And what’s not to like? A layer of skin, followed by a thin a layer of fat, a layer of tender meat and guess what? More fat!
Belly is one of the few cuts of pork that holds up to braising, resulting in a buttery soft piece of pork heaven. A quick sear in a pan gives the skin a crispy texture for a perfect finish.
For music: A new record from one of my favorite bands, The Walkmen’s “Heaven” released last week. It’s standard Walkmen affair, slightly pushing the boundaries that define their own style while staying grounded to what they do best.
Stream “Heaven” by The Walkmen on Spotify
Crispy Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients:
- 1lb pastured pork belly (or however large of a cut you want. Think about about 1/4 pound per person. It’s fatty and filling)
- Braising liquid (I used white wine, stock, soy sauce and water, plus whatever spices you see fit.)
- A little Soy and brown sugar for final searing
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Did that headline freak you out? A few months ago, I’d have been scared sh*tless to cook with lard/duck fat/tallow/ghee/name your animal fat. No longer. What gives?
Through plenty of reading and research, I’ve come to believe that most cheap, industrially produced vegetable oils are extremely bad for us — canola, corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean oil being the most popular and widely used. I’m not going to go into the many reasons why, but if you’re interested and still reading my mini rant, check out this book and this book. Then decide for yourself. If you were raised in a low-fat household like me, these reads will be eye-opening.
After buying into a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle for many years, I’ve entirely switched my diet to include plenty of pasture-raised meats and fats, and as a result, my health and energy has improved substantially. I rarely get sick or fall victim to heartburn, and my skin and scalp are so much healthier.
I realize I may have quite a few vegetarian readers, so I’ll leave it up to you if you want to continue to follow. I respect anyone’s diet decisions.
OK, enough rambling. Here’s a fun, simple way to utilize any type of animal fat (or coconut oil, which is a great oil to use in place of animal fat) to fry up some potato chips. All it takes is a thinly sliced sweet potato and a two to three tablespoons of whatever animal fat you have on hand. Get the fat hot in a deep-walled dutch oven or similar large pot. Just make sure to slice the potatoes as thin as you can, or else they won’t turn out very crispy. Good luck!
