Thanksgving in planning

2009 Thanksgiving dishes

Well every year it starts. I plan on doing new things at Thanksgiving and then I do the new things and the same old things and the darn menu gets bigger and bigger. This year I wanted to go out to a fancy restaurant because to a foodie, frankly, t-day is overwhelming and a lot of work! Well family whining prevailed and I am cooking anyway. Usual menu is pretty lengthy and I won't waste space here. However, my new creation is a go on the caveman diet! Steam cauliflower for about 20 minutes. Mash gently to break into small, rice size pieces. Mix together with fresh parsley, butter, salt and pepper and premade bacon bits (I broiled belly trim leftovers for 20 min and then gently pulsed in food processor). FANTASTIC. More on Thanksgiving later. And yes I eat a lot of pork, thanks, I can't help myself. Basically, you people can have my share of chicken, blech. Future blogs will see more pork in action, lamb and oysters...

Green veg of fall I love you so




 


collards yum yum



Sometimes you feel like a cook, sometimes you don't . Today we have to talk about my favorite food though, green leafy things. I love love love seeing collards in season. You don't have to worry about your calcium and drink that pesky milk if you get tight with collards, kale and all those other dark green things that you might not be excited to cook. Until now. So easy!

The secret: Fat. Oh, sorry, did you think I would say spice or water or something good for you? No! The secret is good good pig of and some sort of oil! You don't need anything else.  Here's how I make my collards these days (used to boil them until a friend taught me better, Thanks Deb Hines!). Coat the collards in canola oil or EVOO or melted butter if you like (the taste will be different so try them all). Add your fat back to the bottom of the pan, or pancetta, or leftover pig parts (here I used some from a shoulder roast). Over medium heat, wilt the collards in the oil. Stir often. At about 15 minutes, they will be tender enough eat. At 30, they will be even better if you have the patience to wait. Then, serve with a concoction I call Carolina BBQ Sauce, Deena Classic Southern version. Basically it is equal parts brown sugar stirred into apple cider vinegar and hot pepper flakes to taste.