My food truck fantasies
Fransk dog as served by Danish pølsevogn. (via Street Cuisine)
have been evolving over the past week, which began with my confessing to having entertained the notion of converting my Honda Element into a food truck. A friend asked what I’d serve.
“Pasties,” I replied. “Spicy pasties.”
Then I got thinking. Ooh, yes. And empanadas. And samosas. And calzones. And pierogis. And knishes.
But I got sidetracked by an art project.
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Coney Island Hot Dogs
Distraction: An occupational hazard of visual research. I was looking for cowboys.
Carry on.
A (Soup) (Swap) Conundrum
I actually pondered hosting a Soup Swap. Pondered it briefly. I really like soup, both the making and the eating of it, and besides, I need to “put myself forward” out here in the Back of Beyond if I am not going to drift out beyond the Back of Beyond and into La-La Land.
But I got to thinking about how few friends I have here and about how a Soup Swap, like a Book Club, sort of demands that the participants know one another at least a little. Else you start drifting into the territory staked out by Amway, Avon, and Tupperware.
Plastics.
Bûche de Noël
Thought I’d share our Bûche de Noël. Note the snail details, which I was rather proud of.
Rugelach
Chicken on a plate
Sweet and Sour Initiative
In my previous posts I’ve mentioned how growing up in a Chinese restaurant was a fantastic experience. Let me tell you about one peculiar cultural mash-up: birthdays and pu pu platters.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is seeking actual objects from (or closely related to) Chinese restaurants in the US. The Sweet and Sour Initiative seeks menus, carry-out containers, chop sticks, matchbooks, pictures, restaurant signs, ads (in various media), ownership papers, ledgers, supply catalogs, working papers and permits, woks, cookbooks –
You get the picture. Go rummage around and see what you turn up.
San Lorenzo
Susan Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish
Every year since 1971, NPR’s Susan Stamberg has read her mother-in-law’s cranberry relish recipe on-air. I was first introduced to it by our friend Rachael, who has a nose for these sorts of things:
Here, with Stamberg’s footnotes, npr.org offers two recipes –- the on-air classic, and another dish that Stamberg confesses is her “truly favorite cranberry side dish.”
Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish
2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
1 small onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar (“red is a bit milder than white”)
Grind the raw berries and onion together. (“I use an old-fashioned meat grinder,” says Stamberg. “I’m sure there’s a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.”)
Add everything else and mix.
Put in a plastic container and freeze.
Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. (“It should still have some little icy slivers left.”)
The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. (“OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It’s also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.”)
Makes 1-1/2 pints.
Stamberg also provides a cranberry chutney recipe that I’ve been meaning to try, but it contains ginger and I’ve always thought ginger to be a bit fussy.
Cookin’ With Coolio
So I guess someone decided to give Coolio his own online cooking show.
It’s awesome.
I’m archiving it here for future generations.
A very important update
Because of a copyright infringement notification from Actors, Models & Talent for Christ, I have updated the original post.
Update: Would this be fair use?
Paula Deen, Slower
Paula Deen makes that awful doughnut sandwich. Just, slower and with more appropriate music.
food, glorious food…
Readers’ Recipes: The Potluck
After much debating, testing and tasting, the editors of food52, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, selected the top dishes to share. All recipes and photos were submitted by readers.
Yum.
The Atomic Cake Controversy of 1946
The recipe, I’m sure, is still available.
A truly fascinating, if somewhat obscure, bit of history. A blog worth following, I might add. I cannot get over the amount of research that goes into many of his posts.
more than you ever wanted to know about corn flakes
The Cereal Project at MrBreakfast.com.
‘do not buy this fish from us’
Whole Foods has started labeling the fish it sells with the recommendations from Seafood Watch.
hat tip @amateurgourmet
Another Rick & Teel Story About an Unforgettable Meal
My friends R & T never run short of stories, and I have posted a few here about unusual meals. Here’s another one.
Two of their friends–a man and his wife–were in El Paso one summer, and they managed to get permission to view some petroglyphs at a restricted site nearby. The rock paintings were on a ranch, and one of the two visitors knew the owner. An open jeep was sent for them, driven by a Mexican man who worked at the ranch. It was very hot and all they had to drink was beer. They all drank several along the way, which didn’t seem like such a good idea when the sandy road started to bounce them around. They made it to the rocky outcrop, took some pictures, and were soon ready to head back. The driver, who had enjoyed the whole outing, begged them to let him take them to lunch at his mother’s house down by the river. The visitors couldn’t decline, and after another bumpy ride they drove down through high weeds and willows to a small mud brick house. A woman who appeared to be in her seventies met them at the door and coaxed them directly to a table near a big stove. She took bowls down from a shelf and filled them with what looked like beans and meat, ladling it out of a huge pot on a back burner of the stove. The son dug in after adding some peppers. The man and his wife tasted the stew–and simultaneously grimaced. Later they would describe the taste as “vile.”
“What kind of meat is this?” the man asked.
Their host got up and went to the stove. She dug down deep with the ladle and inspected various things that surfaced. “Oh,” she said, “there’s some turkey from Thanksgiving.” She churned the mixture again and said, “And there’s a little ham from some Christmas.”
“Doesn’t it go bad after that much time?” the woman asked.
“Oh no,” the driver’s mother said, “it stays hot all the time.”
“How long has it been on the stove?”
The older woman looked out the window and thought for a moment, then turned back. “We moved here in 1951.”
30 NFL Linemen Agree
Little dollops of cardiac arrests known as Texas fried frito pie won the Best Taste Award last Monday at the Texas State Fair’s sixth annual Big Tex Choice Awards.
“The only way these things could be more perfect was if’n they was bigger,” said longtime fairgoer and Ennis resident Ernie Faar. “Sure I’d buy them if’n they was at the H-E-B. These would be great for Monday Night Football.”
Four Ovens, One Room And No Food.
from the headlines
Kangaroo testicle? Chefs in Serbia say, ‘Yes!’
they’re made out of meat
Headline of the Day
Cheektowaga man planned to cook cat
What’s on the menu tonight.
In honor of Danny & Ricky’s 23rd anniversary. We’re so happy you’re arriving today (and bringing Crash along too!). We will also have Stolichnaya, ice, rosé, romaine, and ice cream. Y’all’s the dogs’ bollocks’s.
Remove the rind from the pancetta and put it in the dish (to render down: you want as much bacony juices as possible) then dice the rest of the pancetta and add these cubes to the oil, smooshing them about with your fingers to make sure they’re equally, if lightly, coated.
-Ronya
Day Maker
Thanks a lot, Neko No Chikan.
no I swear — just raspberries
Rick, Danny, Andrew et al — au plaisir de vous revoir….
– Doc
