November 2004 Archives

(disclaimer: Sorry no photos. I really am sorry too. Because this really deserved a photo treatment)

Sometimes you spend too much time in a favorite restaurant establishment.

Unless you have children, please take that ugly ass space hogging microwave oven (and I use the term oven loosely) and have it recycled in to a spoon. Or something equally as useful. Yeah, I don't want to hear the whining. "But it's so fast, it saves time" and "oh it's so economical." And it ruins every piece of food you put into it. "oh but it does corn & taters & bacon so nicely." Great, you have something the size of a large dog on your counter to steam corn. You're so SMART !!!

IDIDITIDIDITIDIDIT.

Yup, Biggles baked. It was one of the most amazing afternoons, ever. I know, nearly all of you have done fine with your bad selves. That's really great for you. But I've been an absent baker for years (I let everyone else do it). Luckily I married a woman who is a tremendous baker, this means I haven't been suffering for my unaptitude. I had a half day to myself, sort of. And decided to give it a try.

Photograph above is from the Mojito entry. It's the onions & murshrooms sauteeing in butter.

Well, this last Saturday was the first time I've missed the farmer's market in maybe a year or so. It was family bidness, you know. Anyway, my heart really sank when I realized that very well could have been my last chance to visit for meaty treats until well after Thanksgiving. No duck demi glace for the gravy, that right there is a tragedy.
I couldn't have felt better to be wrong. Turns out Fatted Calf will be at the Derby farmer's market on this coming Tuesday. YOU GOT ONE LAST CHANCE !!!
I'm out of the Duck Demi, so I'll be gittin' me one of those suckers. The Boudin Blanc with Chestnuts is a must. I think I'll get a few loaves of the pate action too, one Guinea Fowl and one of the Campagne. Oh and some of the Sicilian al Arancia (got some orange to it), which is something that simply cannot be missed. The Sugo di Carne ... we're out. So I'll get one of those too. It's a weekly family staple now, can't live without it.
Please note the different times & location for the Tuesday market.
Finally let's all send positive meat thoughts to our dear sick Taylor. He's been down for more than a few days. This means Toponia has been working her fingers to the bone making sure this holiday season comes off without a hitch. So far it's been smooth sailing, from our side anyways. You go girl.

Are you hosting a holiday meal? Is it coming up soon?

You figure you got it all sorted out huh? Your turkey/ham/duck/quail is on order. Family & friends know what they are bringing, the florist will be on time. The yard is mowed and trimmed. There's gas in the minivan, you're set.

Maybe not. There's always something, possibly ninething. How does one see if they have it together or not? Do a test run.

That's right, cook the meal a week in advance or so and run it through. Your kitchen has changed over the year, maybe your turkey serving platter has disapeared. That's what I found out.
Today I ran through a test turkey meal to see what was there and what wasn't. My turkey serving and/or carving platter is missing. Plus I noticed my linen table clothes all had serious creases in them.
Another damned thing to put on my todo list, but that's okay. I have time now to take care of those things along with everything else.

How is your silver looking today ?

Xo Xo

Please excuse the images if they look a bit off, in some way. I have no idea. I'm making this entry from my laptop and these lcd screens blow for photographic work.

Maybe a month ago Gramma K picked up some of this Cuban Mojito simmer & marinade from Trader Joe's. She and Gramps thought enough of it to mention it to me, so I asked Mama to get us some. It sat around in the cupboard for quite some time, well ... a month. I had a day off yesterday, so decided to give it a shot. Man, everyone is glad I did. What a really nice & easy, yet tasty meal it was.

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to stop by and say hello. Hello. Then I wanted to let you know the Comment Section of Meathenge is down for probably 4 or 5 days. Why? Because I've been receiving over 100 spams a day, even today started early. This started maybe 6 days ago and have been fighting with my teeth and my finger nails day & night. I have two levels of protection and it seems that isn't enough. Many times the URLs they use don't even work, it's just malicious.
So, until I get things sorted out, the Comment Section is down.
Please, if you want to Comment or ask questions, use email. drbiggles at cyberbilly dot com. I'm here for ya.
Wish me luck.

Biggles

This week's featured photograph is of a Guinea Fowl crepinette & a few Toulouse sausages. Best ever.

EEEK !!! Only a few hams left, maybe only one, maybe none. Call Fatted Calf at (510)653-4327 and see if you can git yourself one.

Ya know. I've read through what Fatted Calf has this weekend and it's a lot like a deer in headlights. I don't know what to say. Other than don't miss this Saturday, there's mad meat craziness afoot. Get off yer lazy ass and go.

Xo Xo

Early this morning Emil bounded in to my office looking as though he'd eaten a chesire cat for brehfast. He'd dropped his muffler yesterday, ouch that's gotta hurt. Which means first thing this morning he stopped by Mel & Son's Muffler shop in Richmond to get the sucker welded back together. As he pulled in he noticed they had a handful of smokers & grilling machines lined up. As he got closer there was a table being set up, tablecloth out and was informed he should come by for lunch. Every Wednesday they smoke huge amounts of meat. Today was Wednesday and at noon I was out of here like a bullet.

Yes, that is a Hello Kitty pink microwave. And no, it doesn't stop there. We have a matching Hello Kitty rice cooker.

Here we find ourselves as the daily temperatures drop and darned if it ain't getting darker earlier. Thanksgiving (for some) is right around the corner. Ick.

Oh I know, this is a lovely time of year for friends and family to get together and share about the year's doings. Love & tenderness. Ick.

Some of us have plans to visit others for the holidays, some of us have volunteered to be that destination for our peeps. Either way, this is an excellent time to clean that crap out.

It's lunch time during the week, Thursday to be exact. I figured I'd wander out to Rick's Quality Meats in El Cerrito. This way I could get a sammich and a whole chicken, fer dinner. Yeah well, it's raining here. Pouring really. Really pouring with high water at the curbs. Good thing I grabbed my camera because when I pulled up, guess what I found.
That's right, Rick's smoker going full tilt. In the pouring rain. I know I know, we've all barbecued in the rain. But it's Thursday at noon, in November, in the rain. I'm not sure exactly what was in there, he said something about only running 50 lbs this run and something about pork loins and some ribs. In any case,

Rick wins.

Rick's Quality Meats
510.233.9390

1600 Liberty Street
El Cerrito, CA 94530

Photograph above you'll find a Harris Ranch Beef tri-tip that was poked with slivers of Big D's fresh garlic, rubbed with herbs and spices.

Okay, it looks official. Fatted Calf will also be at the Tuesday Farmers Market in Berkeley located on Derby and MLK from two to six pm. This is perfect for when you run out of Pate or Duck Demi early in the week. Thank goodness.
If you read their newsletter you'll find some special order items perfectly laid out for you. Their Boneless Cold Smoked Hams are amazing hunks of holiday flavor and texture. If you're considering ham, get one of these. We at Meathenge consume great quantities of ham. Hamm. Hamm, it's even fun to say.
Sorry, hey. Ooo, look. The crepinettes this week are Pork rigs wtih greens & pinenuts. We did the Guinea Fowl last week, those were really tasty grilled over mesquite. I like the greens & pinenut idear.
Hey, I see Linquica & weiners. I think I'll get some weiners, those'r good. All in all Fatted C. has a really good line up this coming Saturday. All ya'lls should go have a gander.

I've been working at the same company now for a bit over 14 years. I like that part, but as cool as it might seem, consider the fact I've been eating at the same places for lunch all this time. So, when I overhear someone talking about a semi-local place I haven't been to and it sounds worth while, I'm outta here. Within a few minutes Big D was here and we were OFF.

Alright, I can't keep quiet any longer. I don't usually mention TV Chefs, most of you already have ones you watch for whatever reason. It's so damned easy to find cooking shows these days, I just don't bother saying anything. But Andreas Viestad has me hooked. And besides, the jury isn't out yet on The Hippy Gourmet.

Meathenge's very own recipe featured above! The Bean Experiment. A rich & wonderful pot of beans anyone can make. So good everyone had 3 helpings.

I know it may not seem busy around here, what with the posting slowing a degree or nine. Meathenge has been working furiously behind the scenes for family & friends. Last Saturday we hosted a birthday party for my father and a celebration for my sister finding a new job. I began the meal by choosing Fatted Calf's Spalla Ripiene, a stuffed pork shoulder. I figured along with 6 of Fatted C's Guinea Fowl Crepinettes, Guinea Fowl Pate and Pepperoni, we'd be set. Nope.
As I was perusing the meat section at our local super market I noticed one of the young butchers attempting to find a place for a lone pork shoulder. I already had one, a really bitchen' one. Ah hell, one more can't hurt. Besides, smoking just one pork shoulder is a waste of smoky goodness. So I bought it.

Last nights cross rib beef roast stuffed with bright peppery spices, slivered garlic & freshy fresh rosemary.

I'm confused (if you know me, this isn't all that tough to do). I'll let you read the newsletter fer yerself. I din't know there's a Tuesday Berkeley Farmers Market, but you can special order the Hoffman Farms Quail stuffed with Boudin Blanc & stewed chestnuts for Thanksgiving. Contact Fatted Calf immediately and have yours reserved. The Boudin Blanc sausage is really special for several reasons. First off, I like it more than the Toulouse (and I LOVE the toulouse sausage) and second, they don't make it that often. That combined with the little juicy warm quails is a match made in heaven. Meat Heaven.
Okay, for this week you'll want a few of the Guinea Fowl Crepinettes with Cippolini Onion and Prunes. I'll probably get about 6, I can hardly wait. I got a Red Wine Salami last week and it was the best ever, quite lean and full of rich flavor that warmed your palate ever so slightly. Not too long ago I tried the Pepperoni, get one of those too. American pepperoni most of us are used to comes on the top of nasty pizzas and is so oily & salty you wouldn't dare eat it alone. Well, this pepperoni is really different. Sure it has the spicy flavors, but it resembles a high class salami. So, don't let the name steer you clear. As you make your way down the list to the last, "Other Meaty Goodies" you'll see that every last one of those you could take home tonight and enjoy. The Pate, Tonno, Hocks and the Duck Demi, man that Demi Glace is wonderful. A rich yummy additive to sauces & cousous that can't be beat. Easy too, when you buy it from Taylor. OH! I almost forgot, pick up a nice slab of the pancetta. You'll need that to add zing to your tomato based sauces, zing to gravy, zing to roasts & zing added under the skin and over the breast meat of your roasting fowl.
Oh my, I just realized it is only Wednesday. This newsletter usually only shows up Thursday or Friday morning. We've got a few days until Saturday morning, oh man. CURSES !!! ... I'm sitting at my keyboard staring blankly, I don't feel good now. I need to take a day off and go home and fry bacon just for the fragrance until Saturday morning. It's the only way.

Xo Xo

Today's ramblings brought to you by, Blue Bottle Coffee Co.'s 3 African blend in a press-pot coffee maker thingy. Woot! Woot!

Hooyah it is a darned slow week. I'm truly not inspired for much of anything and you know what? I don't care. Relax I say. Sit down and think about stuff. And speaking of thinking & reading, I was perusing the tv guide this last weekend and ran across a new cooking show, Camp Fire Cafe.