My next culinary creation comes from a delightful little purchase I made at our local Norwich Winter Farmer's Market that was held two Saturdays ago in Tracy Hall. My main reason for frequenting these monthly artisan markets - weekly in the the summertime when it can be held in positive degree weather - is to peruse the seasonal and sustainable offerings of our local farmers and producers. It allows me the opportunity to keep dreaming of a day when local farmer's markets will outlast and outshine the over-abundant retail outlets known as grocery stores that provide only that; groceries from mass production facilities that lack any regional or seasonal flavour or characteristics.
But enough about that for the moment. On my prolonged visit of the market this time around, I came across a vendor who had pork hocks - a ham joint product I have never actually seen sold in this country, and only have experience with because of my time in England. I was instantly seized by the opportunity to be able to have such a rare treat and proceeded with a purchase from the very farmer who once owned the little (or rather large) oinker. Although I hadn't much idea of what I would likely do with the hock at that point, I knew it was bound to make an excellent addition to our collection of local frozen meats my parents have stocked for the winter.
Sure enough this past weekend provided the perfect occasion to utilize my joint of meat, and after giving it a good 24-hour soak and defrost I was ready to get underway with my ham hock terrine for a lovely festive brunch gathering I was to attend Sunday with my second family and friends. Here are the ingredients and method I followed for making the terrine as requested by a Mrs. C.

Ham Hock Terrine with Pea Dressing
Ingredients:
FOR THE HAM
1 ham hock joint, soaked in water for 24 hours
Enough water to cover the joint in its pot
2 small shallots, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 sprig of parsley
2 sprigs of thyme
FOR THE TERRINE
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
5 or so chopped cornichons (optional, and I happened to not use them this time)
2 leaves of gelatin (I think this translates to 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin)
~1 - 1 1/2 cups broth (rewarmed to just simmering)
salt and pepper
dash of vinegar (if you are not using the cornichons)
FOR THE PEA DRESSING
2 oz frozen peas, defrosted
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley (fresh mint and/or chives would also be good options here)

Method:
1) Put the joint in a heavy-bottomed pot large enough for it to fit comfortably, and fill the pot with water so that the meat is completely submerged. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the temperature so that the water is just simmering and allow to cook for 2-3 hours until the meat starts to come away from the bone and is nice and tender - this will depend on the size of the joint. Remove the ham from the pot to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature. I recommend that you strain off the remaining liquid and transfer it to the refrigerator. It makes a wonderful broth for any of your favourite winter soups, and refrigerating it will allow the fat to set on the surface, so that you can remove it and proceed as you would like with your soup (I think I will be making a cauliflower and cheddar soup this evening).
2) While the meat is cooling, line a loaf pan (a little one is sufficient for just one joint) with two or three layers of cling film with enough overhang to be able to wrap over the surface. Once the meat has cooled begin separating the meat from the bone and excess fat, shredding it so that you have pieces not more than an inch or so in any direction. Put the trimmed ham pieces in a bowl with the parsley and cornichons if you are using them, and mix in your seasoning to taste - the dash of vinegar is a good addition here as it gives the end result that extra dimension of flavour. Put the meat mixture into the lined loaf pan. Meanwhile soak the gelatin leaves in enough water to cover them for about 5 minutes until they are soft, squeeze out the excess water, and add it to the just warm broth, stirring until it dissolves. Add the liquid broth to the ham in the loaf pan, and wrap the cling film tightly over all the edges. Wrap the whole tin with another piece of cling film so that the liquid cannot overflow, and put the pan in the refrigerator for a least 3 hours to set.
3) To make the pea dressing put all the ingredients into a blender (or use one of those stupendously handy hand blenders) and blend until all the ingredients are incorporated. You will have little bits of the pea skin and parsley, which you are welcome to strain off, but I tend to leave it as it is.
4) Remove the terrine from the refrigerator, and unwrap it carefully from the pan. You can serve it with the pea dressing, or however you prefer to eat any of your favourite ham entrees. A British favourite is with Piccadilly, but it also goes well with a nice salad garnish and some crusty bread.

A Long Overdue Post: Dinner E&M Style

I have two very dear friends, E&M, who have been married for close to a year and half now, and who have fallen easily in step with each other's dietary preferences, meaning that they both now opt for a lactose-free and vegetarian diet. While many cooks can often be bothered by having to deal with the dietary "restrictions" of their guests, I truly feel honoured when E&M will let me cook for them. Thus, when they accepted my invitation to dinner this past Wednesday evening, I very eagerly set to work at creating a menu especially for the occasion.

I had discussed the risotto-making process with them several times during our many food-related conversations, so I decided that the dish would be the featured main dish of the evening. My next decision would be flavour. I definitely wanted to put to good use the Acorn squash that I had roasted off the previous weekend. However I had already prepared a squash risotto for myself at the weekend, so I decided that for this occasion I would present the risotto inside the fleshy cavity of the gourd. This meant that I needed a flavour for the risotto that would nicely complement the sweetness of the squash without overpowering it. With a conscientious browse through of the pantry, I decided that the delicate saffron filaments would provide the perfect flavour background, while fresh tomatoes would help to give the risotto both its base and acidic contra-flavour - if such a thing exists.

Setting to work, I first prepared all my ingredients by boiling 4 cups of water to create a vegetable bouillon with those packaged cubes our family likes to stock up on in France. Next I peeled and seeded my 4 tomatoes, diced up my 1 onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, and measured out 2 cups of arborio rice - 1 tomato and a good cup and a half of rice would probably be sufficient for three people, but I always like to play/cook on the safe side. Next in the process I heated a few drizzles of olive oil in a sauce pan and added the onion and garlic to sweat for about 5 minutes. Next the rice went in with a good stir so that it became even coated with the oil as well. After letting that cook for a good 3 minutes I added about a quarter of a cup of dry white vermouth (white wine would work equally well here), and the saffron filaments, stirring all the while. Once the liquid was almost fully evaporated I added enough stock to just cover the rice - again the four cups is way more than enough for this quantity of rice, but I needed a little to ensure that my squash would not dry out in the oven as I reheated it.

The key to the risotto-making process is really to devote all your time and attention to stirring it as it cooks, and as the liquid evaporates. This allows you to really stop the cooking process when the rice reaches the point of exact al dente perfection. This was the point when I added my diced tomatoes and stirred one final time to incorporate them thoroughly into the savoury mixture. This is the point when many people will add any other flavour enhancers as well such as cream or any cheeses, but I can testify - and hopefully E&M can too - that this risotto goes just as well without. However we did have some grated Pecorino Romano on the table, as sheep's milk is apparently lactose free, to sprinkle on our finished dishes. YUMMY:)

Smoked Bacon and Leek Orzotto

Probably the part of my job that I enjoy the most (when I'm in the kitchen that is) is putting together the staff meals, weather it be breakfast lunch or dinner. Because this process essentially involves using up whatever leftover ingredients or "out of date" (only out of date for our customers, but still perfectly edible for staff) components of our Mise en Place,* this is my opportunity to try out all sorts of flavor combinations, cooking methods, and non-traditional ingredients. Unfortunately of course everything I do come up with is not always well-received, despite my best efforts to cater to the specific tastes of the staff, but I guess this is what is meant by "learning from one's mistakes."
Visiting my parents in Vermont, which is what I am doing at the present time and have been doing since before the holidays, is also another great opportunity for me to experiment in the kitchen; especially because what my mom has in stock in her refrigerator is usually quite different in type and quantity than what we work with at the Thatched Cottage. Even better, my parents, and sister and friends on some occasions, tend to be far less picky than the 6 or 7 staff for whom I might have to cook.
Anyways, on Christmas day, also my mom's birthday, I told the family in advance that I would prepare the evening dinner as part of my birthday gift. So although I had a good month to come up with a menu that I was hoping would cater to my mom's favorite flavors; I, being the world's worst decision maker, inevitably changed my mind every two seconds up until the day of, at which point all stores were closed and I had to make due with whatever was in the house. Well I suppose that's not entirely true because I did manage to order a side of salmon and some mussels, thinking that I couldn't go too wrong with those ingredients; but the rest was completely at the mercy of our refrigerator, pantry, and hopefully my own creativity. It was at about 3 or 4 in the afternoon that I began rummaging through the cupboards and came across the selection of pastas and rices that my mom seems to be collecting by the masses. Because I had given Clotilde Dusoulier's book Edible Adventures in Paris to my mom for her birthday, I began thinking about her index of recipes that I have essentially memorized from her Chocolate and Zucchini website, and recalled the Cacao and Zucchini Absorption Pasta she created and that I had been wanting to try out since I discovered it. Knowing well that my parents definitely did not stock cacao nibs, nor did we have any zucchinis lying around, I set about digging through the refrigerator for replacements, and eventually came out with some smoked bacon and a leek. As for pasta, I knew exactly what I wanted to use because we had orzo, which looks essentially exactly like rice, and so I figured it would be quite appropriate for the Madame Dusoulier's absorption method because it is so similar to cooking risotto.
I began my process by dicing the smoked bacon and leek, and sauteing the two in a little olive oil and then adding the orzo pasta to the pan to coat it in the remaining oil and allow it to start cooking. Then I added a little wine and began to add my prepared vegetable stock a little at a time, stirring after each addition. I continued adding stock in this manner once the previous amount of stock had been absorbed by the pasta, but stopped just as soon as the pasta was cooked to the point of being slightly al dente, or had just a little bite to it. Finally I added just a little bit of grated Parmesan to give the dish a little bit of added creaminess. This final step however, can easily be forgotten for those of you who are lactose intolerant because, as the pasta cooks, it releases a good amount of starch (normally lost when boiling it), which will lend a natural creaminess to the dish.
So, I'm sorry for that long and perhaps drawn out post, but here is the recipe, and let me just finish by saying that cooking for family and friends/staff is the most rewarding and pleasing activity I can think of. It is especially gratifying when the food is well-received as it happened to be on this special occasion!

*A term we use, probably like many other kitchens, to refer to the food we have prepared in advance to make service go quicker and smoother. The preparation can be as easy as par-boiling vegetables or potatoes as time-consuming as rolling out fresh pasta by hand; or as involved as filleting, deboning, and skinning one, two, or three whole salmons.

Smoked Bacon and Leek Orzotto
Enough for 6 people as a side dish or 3-4 as a main course

4 oz (115 g) smoked bacon, diced (I used a domestic variety, but of course a good Italian Pancetta would be ideal)
1 leek, diced (white and green parts)
2 tbsp olive oil
10.5 oz (300 g) Orzo pasta (or other short pasta)
1/4 c. (50 ml) white wine
Up to 5 c. (1 l) hot vegetable stock or chicken stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat the olive oil in good-sized pasta pot over medium-high heat. Add the smoked bacon first to allow it to brown slightly, and then follow with the leek. Cook the two until the bacon begins to crisp and the leek turns soft. Add the pasta all at once and stir to coat with the oil. Allow the pasta to cook slightly in the oil then add the white wine once it starts to release a bit of starch. Cook off the wine completely (let all the liquid evaporate or absorb into the pasta), and then start adding your stock. The first time you can add enough stock to cover the pasta completely, and let it all absorb while you stir continuously, so as not to let the pasta stick to the bottom of the pot. Continue adding stock probably 1/2 c. (100 ml) at a time, each time letting it absorb into the pasta, until the pasta is cooked to your desired texture. At this point add any seasoning you want, and finish with the Parmesan if you're using it. Bon Appetit!

The Beginning Carte

I thought I'd start my first blog with a big thank you to all other food bloggers already in existence. It's rather mind-boggling to me how much information is available on the Internet and that it can come from anyone who feels like sharing his/her own insights with the world, essentially, or at least the part of the world that is interested in whatever the subject matter happens to be.
I myself have been avidly devoted for the past year and a half of my life to my newish profession as a cook/chef (I'll probably get into my definitions of cooks vs. chefs in a later blog). I've always had a passion for the culinary arts, mostly on the baking and pastry side, and when my former job working as a business management consultant was not as satisfying as I would have hoped, I took a big leap of faith that working with food was where I wanted to go next. It was then that with that decision made I applied for a job as a kitchen assistant at the Thatched Cottage Hotel and Restaurant in Brockenhurst, England, and within the next month was on my way.
Prior to hatching this notion that I had what it took to become a chef, I had spent several summers and school vacations during my high school and college years working in kitchens close to where I grew up in Norwich, Vermont because it was an enjoyable way for me to pass the time make my spending money. However I never really pursued training in the field because I sort of had it ingrained in my head that a college degree was the best way to secure a future for myself.
Anyways, I am now still working at the Thatched Cottage, but have changed positions frequently, moving from kitchen assistant, to garde manger, to pastry, to running the main course line, and to even working in the front of the house, which is where I have been most recently. Incidentally I have retained my title as "Sous Chef" throughout most of these transitions; and while I have doubts about my own qualifications as a true chef, I do possess one quality that I think is absolutely essential for any aspiring chef: the passion and appreciation for all food and the sharing of it with all people. Thus, I again thank all food bloggers for their efforts in this pursuit, and will try in my future posts to share what I know and am constantly learning in the domain of food and gastronomy.