writings

Sometimes just the action of ink to paper will stimulate the thought process.
This is usually how new ideas come to be.

Sausage Party

Amanda had her go at making the chicken, sage & pistachio sausage which turned out great.

Piggy on a spit

Some photos of the process. Also notice the herb wand used to baste.

May long weekend bash

Our annual Piggy Roast goes off with a bang!

Treasure Trove

Here are a couple of photos from the depths of the black dossier ( which hold some top secret salami recipes from the Pick Salami Factory in Szeged ). These recipes escaped when the Communists took over after the war. They haven't seen the light of day until recently.
The old book dates back to 1909....it's called the " Delicious Sausage Book" the other sheets are " Meat Manufacturing Specifications.
I have had some deciphered and I am in the process of updating them to current contemporary standards....should be fun.

Lamby Mondays

Monday was a great day for bringing out the power and hand saws.
We did another class with 2 x 60 pounders.

We came up with a menu item during all this which we will put on this weekend. All very exciting! I guess you'll have to come and dine with us to try it out.

Gnudi Bar

Gnudi is essentially a ricotta ravioli but without the pasta. It can be served with almost anything. So it is up to you to come up with sauce or garnish.
There have been a lot of recipe requests for Gnudi, and rightly so.
Since the recipe will be published for magazines, I have decided to include it on the blog.
So here we are:

1 1/2 x 450g containers ricotta
2 large eggs
1/2 lb. Piave or Reggiano grated
up-to 1cup all purpose flour
1 heavy pinch nutmeg
1 heavy pinch white pepper
1 light pinch kosher salt
cornmeal

In a stainless bowl mix all ingredients well.
With a 1 oz portion-er scoop on to a sheet tray dusted with cornmeal.
Dust the top of the balls with cornmeal.
Place one ball in your hands and roll into a lozenge shape....see photo.
Have a pot of simmering water ready. Gently place the ricotta lozenges into water. They will sink and surface when close to ready.
Have an ice bath at the ready. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the water and place in ice water. Remove when cool and refrigerate.
Sautee in butter gently. You just want to cook until warm in the center