LUMBERJACK NIGHT

When I lived in the Rocky Mountains and was running high volume production kitchens at high altitude, I learned to eat like a lumberjack. One dish we made when I worked at Garden of the Gods Market and Cafe in Colorado Springs was called Mountain Man Hash. It was a huge pile of hashbrowns, topped with green chile pork on one side, sausage gravy on the other, topped with a big pile of smoked pulled pork, and two fried eggs. 

You need a lot more protein to function above six thousand feet. I took to eating pork rinds and other high fat foods that supported the demands I was putting on my body. When I moved up to Oregon to be near my youngest son in Washington state, I discovered a Mexican market with the biggest pork rinds I had ever seen. 

If you’ve never had Chicharrones Grandes, I am here to inform you that there is something primal and extremely satisfying about a pork rind the size of your face. Three or four will fill a grocery bag. Every visit, I would drive home munching on one, hoping no one I knew saw me in traffic acting like the cave girl I can be when I am really hungry. 

Pork is the number one reason I am not a vegetarian, and those pork rinds made me love a pig more than I ever imagined possible. Alton Brown of Good Eats on Food Network has been known to ground them up and use them to enhance the flavor of other foods, even watermelon. Sounds weird. But I bet it’s delicious, as a person raised to eat watermelon with a spoon and a shaker of Morton’s salt.

Entering the Woods	Sawing Logs Along the River	Twilight Sweetness
Pork rinds, mixed nuts and dried fruits, peppered beef jerky and Irish Cheddar  Mixed green salad with bacon and tomato	Grilled Sausage, quail, and salmon with citrus sage crema Rosemary garlic smashed potatoes with goat cheese and chives	Baby buttermilk pancakes with blueberry maple syrup and vanilla bean sorbet
Pair with WSCW Bounty Land Crossings (NV)	Pair with Maddalena Chardonnay Monterey or WSCW 2020 Texas Old World Reserve Estate	Pair with WSCW 2020  Portejas Blanc

Entering the Woods

If you think you want to try your hand at making them, have a look at the proper step by step process at  baconsheir.com/pages/how-to-make-pork-rinds. If you are handy with a knife and have several hours to spare, plus a good deep fryer and a thermometer, I wish you the best of luck. But I would buy them from the local market along with some salsa and queso and spend your time drinking wine instead. 

Even the cheap kind stand up to guac, pico, and all the dips Texans like to eat. If you don’t have Jalapeno Tabasco in your house, get some to alternate with your regular Tabasco. Just a few sprinkles on plain pork rinds is a fabulous treat with a lot less salt than the spicy packaged variety. HEB sells them for just a couple of bucks per bag.

If you are in Walker County, go check out the La Michoacana Meat Market and Grocery at 630 I45, on the south side of Huntsville. Theirs are the best you will find in the area.

Sawing Logs Along the River

To prep for the entree, consider shopping at Tallent Sausage on Hwy 19 near Riverside. They make so many kinds of sausage, you should go see their counter and get more than one flavor. You’ll also want to pick up some of their smoked pork tenderloin and some of their spices. You can get a pack of frozen quail there for less than $30, and a sausage wrap to go from their hot counter.

You can get quail and pork together in sausages from Texas Quail Farms in Lockhart, with jalapenos and cheese or cranberries and red wine, which would pair AMAZINGLY with the WSCW 2019 Texas Blanc Du Bois Sweet – Estate.

Check out their holiday sampler box here: 

I would recommend shopping at Aldi for your jerky, mixed nuts, dried and freeze dried fruits. They have a good variety, and the bigger packages are a great deal compared to chain stores. Have a look there for vanilla bean ice cream or sorbet for the dessert, or make your own with this recipe.

I believe in wild caught salmon versus farm raised salmon, but it really depends on the location of the water and what they feed the fish. Get the freshest you can find and let it sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before cooking to get rid of the chill. I prefer medium rare, so I cook mine straight out of the fridge to keep the center cool. I also keep the skin on because it protects that side from burning and I never have to flip it.

If you’re not a salmon fan, use your favorite fresh or saltwater fish. You might want beef in place of it. No one can stop you from grilling five different things, and when I grill, I use every bit of heat, from beginning to end. I use all natural charcoal, which takes a while to get hot, but maintains heat for HOURS. Cook the meats at the beginning and veggies at the end. If you time it correctly, you can place a comal or cast iron skillet on the grill and make your dessert pancakes on it at the end of the meal.

For the salad, any kind of mixed greens will work, but I would encourage you to grill some Romaine. My mother, who is a wine collector in California, orchestrated this salad for my birthday a few years ago, and I love to make it whenever I fire up the grill. Buy a three pack of Romaine hearts, or get one large head that will serve 2- 4 people. Submerge a fresh head in cool water, then drain with the root side up in a colander for half an hour. Then keep it in the fridge until the grill has cooled down from cooking the main entree meats.

If you’re not cooking your bacon in the oven to save time and greasy cleanup time, place your slices on a sheet pan or a slotted roasting pan and put them in the oven before you turn it on. Bake at 375, turning the pan as needed until all the pieces are done to your likeness. Thin sliced bacon is the fastest option for this salad, but I don’t like to lecture people about their bacon. I like mine thick cut. 

I also love peppered bacon, but I add fresh cracked pepper to plain bacon to achieve the same flavor. No matter what kind you use or how you cook it, drain on paper towels immediately, cool and store in the fridge, wrapped in foil, for up to ten days. It’s easier to chop when it’s cold. 

When you are ready to serve it, place a folded paper towel in the bottom of a glass bowl and add your chopped bacon. Microwave for 10 – 20 seconds to help shake off the cold grease, and get it warm enough to drain. Then it can sit covered at room temp until you finish grilling the Romaine.

If you like tomatoes, you probably have a particular type you prefer. Unless it’s summer and I can get fat homegrown or small heirlooms, I always buy Romas, primarily because they stay firm longer and always look good sliced or chopped. Sometimes I buy little cherubs and slice them in half when I want to marinate them, which would be great on this salad. If you have fat cherries and you want the pieces small, just cut them into quarters. If you like big pieces, cut Romas in half, and then cut each half into 3-4 wedges. 

Toss them in a plastic bag and douse them with olive or avocado oil, sprinkle liberally with sea salt and pepper, and a healthy dusting of garlic powder or fresh chopped garlic. Turn the bag over gently a few times to disperse the spices and refrigerate for at least two hours. If you want them super garlicky, add extra and let them marinate overnight. 

You don’t really need a dressing for this salad if you marinate the tomatoes. But I know a lot of you will use Ranch, and I salute that. If you like a wedge salad, get some blue cheese crumbles when you are shopping. 

If you don’t have any Ranch (GASP) or buttermilk, grab a cup of milk or cream and add a splash of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 – 10 mins until you can see it curdle and thicken. Now you have buttermilk for your dressing. Add ¾ teaspoon of dried dill, ½ teaspoon of onion powder,  ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, and a tablespoon of chopped green onions or dried chives. 

Whisk well and add a tablespoon of sour cream or mayo (OR BOTH) to thicken. Add salt and adjust spices to your taste. Add fresh cracked pepper and garlic powder if you want to give it more oomph. Thin it with oil and add lemon juice to thin it and amp up the other flavors. Make the dressing at least four hours before serving, or up the three days ahead. Store it in a glass jar in the fridge for seven to ten days.

While you are making the dressing, it’s a good time to make the citrus crema for the fish. The best base to use is Mexican Crema, in a tall white plastic jar, because the consistency is perfect for a sauce and mixes well with other ingredients far better than sour cream. You can also make creme fraiche by mixing one pint of heavy cream with two tablespoons of buttermilk or cultured yogurt in a glass jar. Allow to stand at room temp overnight. It will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

When you make the sauce, add the zest of one lime to the crema with a fine zester, squeeze in all the juice, and mix well. Add a pinch of salt  and a bare drizzle of honey. Let that sit at room temp until the honey sinks and you can mix it with a fork. Add a squeeze of fresh orange juice and some fresh green sage, stacked flat and cut into fine ribbons, mix well, and allow to stand until serving time. 

Twilight Sweetness

About three hours before dinner, make three cups of your favorite pancake mix, adding a dash of cinnamon and ground ginger, and using sparkling water in place of the liquid to make the batter more fluffy. Place one cup of fresh or frozen blueberries in a saucepan with half a quarter cup of water and simmer until soft. Turn down the heat to low and add a cup of maple syrup. Keep warm on the stove top until serving. Scoop your sorbet or ice cream into small serving bowls and place in the freezer, so you don’t have to do it later.

Back to the Main Course

About two hours before you want to serve dinner, preheat your oven to 375. Set the meat and fish out to remove the chill. Wash your potatoes and cut them into 3-4 inch thick slices. If you’re using small red or gold potatoes, just cut them in half. Boil them in lightly salted water until barely fork tender, then drain in a colander until they are cool enough to handle. You can stick them in the freezer for ten minutes to get there faster, and use two pairs of food service gloves to protect your hands while you work.

Drizzle the potatoes and a baking sheet with olive oil. Place potatoes flat side down and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fresh chopped rosemary. Cook until they turn golden, about 20 minutes. Flip and cook until they start to brown and crisp, about 15 minutes more. Take them out to cool until you finish using your oven for the other components. Melt a stick or two of butter in a small saucepan with fresh garlic, a rosemary sprig, and a little salt to serve with the potatoes. Open one log of goat cheese and place it in a bowl. Let it sit covered until warm enough to mix in a handful of chives and a few pinches of salt with a spoon.

One and a half hours before serving, light the grill and let it get hot, then turn down to med high. Oil the grill with a clean rag or paper towels and add the sausages. Cover and cook for 12-18 minutes and turn them. Add the quail and cook for about 8 minutes and flip them, keeping an eye on the level of your flame. 

Have a spray bottle of water nearby to tamp down the fire if your sausages start to drip grease, so that the flames do not burn your quail before they are cooked through. The quail should only cook about 14 minutes total. Once the sausages and quail are done, wipe your grill with a wad of foil paper to remove the bigger bits, let them heat up and then wire brush the grill. Give the grates a slick of fresh oil before you add your salmon. If you like it rare, don’t put a lid on it. 

No matter how thick the piece of fish, there is no need to try to flip it on the grill, unless you have the kind of cage that is made for grilling fish. It almost always ends in disaster, much like trying to grill sliced vegetables without a skewer. They always shrink and fall through. Copper grill mats are great for cooking delicate things like that, and they will keep most bits from falling down into your gas or charcoal grill.

For an entire side of salmon or multiple filets in the oven, bake on a cookie sheet at 375, brushed with good oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Halve two lemons and do not squeeze them. Put them on the cooking pan and roast with the fish. They will give you a lot more juice once they cool off.

If you want easy grilled veggies to go with this, simply oil them and cook them whole, turning them until they are about 75% cooked. Peeled carrots, zucchini and squash, eggplant, peeled onion halves, tomatoes and peppers can all be cooked this way. Let them cool before slicing on the bias (at an angle), then add salt, pepper and butter and let them finish in a foil packet or covered metal pan on the grill or low heat oven, where you should be keeping the potatoes, sausages and quail warm at 225 degrees.

You can make the pancakes now, or at the end of the meal. They will keep just fine in the oven if you butter them and keep them covered until service time. Use one tablespoon of batter at a time, followed by a few fresh blueberries onto the batter before it sets. I would make at least 4-5 mini pancakes per person, but there is no such thing as too many. 

About an hour before you are ready to serve, take the tomatoes out of the fridge and let them sit in a warm spot so that any cold oil will melt. Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a few dashes of balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs and toss once more. A little chopped parsley, fresh dill and a few chives will take it to the next level, and make your guests always want these tomatoes as a side, whether you make a salad or not. 

When you are ready to serve the salad, pour yourself a glass of wine. You have earned it, and it’s almost time for you to enjoy the fruits of all this labor. 

Slice Romaine into quarters lengthwise, leaving the stem intact so it holds together. Brush lightly with olive or grapeseed oil on both sides. Grill them for just a bare moment, turning them over with tongs once or twice, until they are lightly charred. Serve them on a platter with the marinated tomatoes, your badass homemade Ranch dressing, chopped bacon, and warm crusty French bread.

Then pass around the meats with crema and the potatoes with the chive goat cheese, and open a fresh bottle of Maddalena Chardonnay Monterey.

When dinner has settled and you’ve decided what combination of beverages to serve with dessert, turn on your espresso machine, boil water for a French Press Coffee, cork a bottle of 2020 Portejas Blanc, or chill your flutes for a bottle of Avissi Prosecco.

Assemble the warm pancakes and serve with syrup and sorbet on the side, garnished with fresh blueberries. 

Make a final toast to a sumptuous evening, and revel in the joy that you will not have to make lunch tomorrow. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Love,

Kristie Stevens