Food Blogging Clarification; Oscar Lafs; and Another Pork & Fruit Meal
So after my revelation and ink, it appears some people are confused, since I took pics of baguettes and posted them to a bog.
My intent was not a shift in values, but in focus.
What I won’t do:
- Blog about “anti-nutrients” in a Cordainian context
- Blog about “toxins” in a Cordainian context
- Blog about cholesterol
- Blog about glycolysis
- Blog about ketones
- Blog about ridiculous extremes, vegan or low carb
What I might do:
- Blog about the food I like and make myself, with pics (take it or leave it, don’t care either way)
- Blog about nice food at competent restaurants
- Blog about things I consider still important like vitamin D (living indoors, and/or at the wrong latitude), vitamin K2 (we don’t eat nose to tail)
- Blog about prebiotics and probiotics; not as a focus, but as an aside
- Blog about “anti-nutrients” and “toxins” in a human, non-Cordainian context
Are we clear?
~~~
Bea turned on The Oscars pre-laf-laf around 1 PM, I think. Here’s the deal. If you look at it as a comedy show, it’s actually quite good—in a Spinal Tap as serious drama sort of way. I did get her lafing a good deal about some of the over-the-top pretense that can only exist in Hollywood.
This year, we probably saw fewer of the best pic, best actor, and best actress (the only important ones, if “important” isn’t too reaching) films of any recent year in memory. Last year, my sole desire over the affair was to see Matthew McConaughey get best actor for the amazing Dallas Buyer’s Club. Check!
This year, I wasn’t really interested in best picture and while Birdman was just-OK for me, and I like Michael Keaton, I really don’t care much for Hollywood films about how much it sucks to be a success in Hollywood. Go. Fuck. Yourselves. …As one fat-rolodex pundit put it in the lead up, “Hollywood loves a movie about itself.”
…My interest this year was over 2 actors and 2 actresses (I did not see The Imitation Game, so Benedict Cumberbatch might have replaced one of those). Eddie Radmayne in The Theory of Everything, but thought Steve Carell edged him out in Foxcatchers. Reese Witherspoon in Wild, but thought Jennifer Aniston edged her out in Cake (not even nominated). The common thread I absolutely love is that two comedians really showed what they’re made of as professional actors. Still can’t get over Steve Carell…
~~~
For dinner, I happened to have some center cut pork chops, so got to thinking. Ever since I first did carnitas and persimmons way back in 2008, I just think pork and fruit is a wonderful thing. I’ve done a bunch of variations since.
Last night was courtesy of Emeril Lagasse: Pork Chops Stewed with Apples and Prunes, with Mashed Sweet Potatoes. A few variations. No fresh rosemary, so dry, and be careful (cut it in half). Fuji apple instead of Golden Delicious. White wine instead of cognac, half & half instead of cream. Also, my 4 chops were not 1 1/2 inches, so I basically did stuff 1/2 to 2/3 recipe. Also, big one: russet potatoes, not sweet potatoes. Sweets would have been a big misstep in my view, as I’ll explain after the pics. Click on ’em for the higher res.
Beatrice will tell you that I’m my own most vicious critic. When I’m disappointed in the slightest thing, I might just leave it after a few bites. Life is too short. It’s not to say it’s not good or decent, but in the process of the whole process, one can build up certain expectations and for me, when not met or exceeded when it’s your own hand, leave it and live to cook another day.
This one blew me away. I don’t think that in my life I have ever done a dish with such a complex profile of sweet, savory, and salty. And that leads me to the mash. What really put this dish over the top was the russet mash, with just a bit of butter, bit of H&H, but very careful salt, up until the point where you taste the salt, but it’s not “salty.” If you know what I mean.
Additionally, when the sauce was reduced, I tasted and the sweet was a bit dominating. Just a few twists from the Himalayan pink salt mill, and it brought the sweet under better control and razed the savory immensely.
…I’m going to do this basic thing again, but next time I’m going to do as a braise in the oven at 175 until the pork is fork tender. This was my only disappointment. Pork was a bit dry (but in this case, you slice thin and dredge).
Onward.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT AND HOW IT WORKS
Free The Animal is an eclectic writing project about everything since November 2003. 23 years, 5,500 posts, 5 million words.
It's a paid membership blog. Most posts are free and public, but only paid members can comment. What determines whether it's free or paid is when I publish. Monday through Friday, free and public. Saturday and Sunday, for paid members. That's it. Membership info here.
This blog doesn’t change. We’re watching a life in motion. No orthodoxy, anarchy, well yes…but stop pinning this man down. It’s free-wheeling fun. What’s the problem.?
Thank you Kevin, sir.
There’s nothing to me like a man who cuts to essentials with ease.
I think of that just right salt moment as the point where the food tastes like itself.
My girlfriend wanted chicken noodle soup on a whim the other day so rather than make stock I just bought chicken breast and Kitchen Basics no sodium stock. Boiled and pulled chicken, cooked all the veggies with herbs, add noodles add chicken. despite everything in there, it tasted like a pot of water at that point. Salt/taste/salt/taste/etc. Then suddenly there’s the chicken, there’s the veggies, the egg noodles – so many different flavors brought out with salt the apparent volume knob.
Its fascinating how salt makes things taste more like themselves. Chocolate, as a good example, or even coffee.
On another note, after thinking about the honey/maple syrup posts you’ve written recently, I wasn’t too sure what to do with maple syrup besides drink it out of the bottle.
I’d made Stephan’s “buckwheat crepes revisited” a few times, though they’re not well suited to syrup, given their savory nature. wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2013/11/buckwheat-crepes-revisited.html
After googling buckwheat pancakes, I found this. cookieandkate.com/2013/buckwheat-pancakes/
I modified it by soaking 1c buckwheat per Stephan’s suggestion, replacing sugar with honey, decreasing baking soda by half, eliminating vanilla extract (though next time I’ll add it) and doubling salt. After soak and drain/rinse, put buckwheat in blender with buttermilk, blend til smooth. Add honey, add egg, add leavening chemicals. From there cook like pancakes (I added some crushed pecans once poured on skillet). Plate and top with syrup.
These were outstanding – and photo worthy. Taste very much like normal pancakes with a hint of buckwheat flavor.
I suppose this could be filed under the paleo brownie/cupcake/treat umbrella. I don’t – nothing is trying to be something it isn’t in this recipe. I think they’re just delicious, healthy food.
They’d be a post-workout staple for me, if I could regularly remember to start the soak in advance.
Now that I look, it appears Chris Kresser has a very similar recipe to this.
While I’m sad about the list of topics you won’t blog about, I do understand the reason why. About the Oscars: I can’t even pretend to watch them anymore for 2 main reasons: 1) anorexics in ridiculously expensive costumes, and 2) self-important speeches by people who pretend to know hardship. Other than that, I suppose it’s all good fun!
Re #2, a particularly funny moment was when some self righteous woman indignantly sloganed for equal pay for women, and Meryl Streep jumps to her feet in applause.
Ha! Yeah! Or how about that woman who made it her “cause” for journalists to ask actresses questions about something other than what they’re wearing? That’s her *cause*!!? I mean, one actress wore a dress with over 6,000 pearls sewn in – whose tiny hands did all the sewing? But this woman just wants to be sure the actress gets asked what her favorite ice cream is or something deep like that.
I doubt you will be able to resist completely. Though I agree that the format is pretty well settled.
Interesting study linking vit-d with type 2 diabetes.
news.yahoo.com/common-vitamin-deficiency-may-raise-diabetes-risk-more-201937441.html