Monday Menu: Fish Fry

Fried Smelt

 It's that time of year again - smelt season.   The usual on-top-of-everything attendant was not behind the fish counter at the Hannaford, and the stand-in didn't know where these fish had come from.  We determined they were from the U.S., but no more specific than that.  (And that's not an artsy drip of sauce, it just plopped there.)

The fish were headless and already cleaned, except for one that I had to do myself.  I also removed all the fins with a pair of shears, except for the tails.

Fried Smelt

They smelled absolutely neutral and tasted that way, too; pan-fried coated in sweet rice flour and spices - but no salt.  I should have added salt prior to cooking.

In order to jazz them up, I made my own tartar sauce from chopped Wickles Pickles, capers, mayo, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.  Dan ate almost the whole pound of fish by himself.

I would have eaten more, but having to do the whole cleaning fish thing when I wasn't expecting it put me right off them. (I need to mentally prepare for that, kind of like when I have to kill lobsters.)

The Hunt for White Sharpies

I was in Burlington yesterday and stopped by Staples to look for the White Paint Sharpies I need to create signs for farmer's market.  Not only did I find them, but I found a Stainless Steel large fine point in black!  Refillable! (hands waving in air)

For a Sharpie fan, it was the ultimate score, just like a 5-year old's Christmas day pony - or Xbox 360.  For more 'how I feel about Sharpies', you can read here.

Wheatless: Namaste Pizza Crust (revisited)

Blue Cheese and Smoked Pork Pizza

You might be thinking, 'Hey, she's done this post before!'  And you'd be right, but there was a surprise in making this crust again - it worked excellently this time.

I noticed a difference right away when the batter became fluffy and soft like frosting.  I spread it thinly on two baking sheets and cooked according to the instructions.

Namaste Pizza Crust

Success!  You can see the spatula marks from spreading the batter on the pan.  I added cornmeal crumbs, parmesan and extra Italian herbs to increase the flavor, since that's where I felt it was lacking the first time around.  If you look at the old post you will see the crust is entirely different, even in color.  It 'poofed' during baking this time, instead of cracking.

The big surprise was that the crust was not tough, and though airy, it was just crisp enough to be able to hold a slice.  I think I had an old or compromised mix the first time, and that was responsible for the mediocre result, so this re-post was called for.  Namaste makes a good wheatless pizza crust that even reheats in the microwave well the next day.  It won't pass for 'real', but it's certainly close.

Wheatless: Bone Suckin' Sauce

Smoked Pork Ribs

Beautiful ribs again, this time with a new (to me) sauce.  I'm a big fan of Gormly's Jalapeno Garlic as my go-to, but on the wall of sauce at Healthy Living I found something else I could have.

Pork Ribs on the Traeger Smoker 

This is a wheat-free, soy-free sauce.  It is slightly tangy, vinegary but well-balanced, and I liked the artificial smoke flavor, which I'm usually not a fan of.  I think it would work very well with chicken.

Dan said it wasn't hot enough for his taste, but I can always paint a rack with chili paste just for him in the future.

The marketplace is changing for people with food allergies, though some supermarkets are better at marketing to us than others - I want to try all the new things!

Smoked Pork Shoulder

Smoked Pork Shoulder

This 4-lb. boneless shoulder took 5 1/2 hours at 225f on the Traeger pig.  Funnily, it came with a pop-up button, which sprung at 160f.   I tested the roast and it was tough, so I let it go to 190f (the usual internal temperature).

There was plenty of room for more meat, but Dan didn't want to buy a chicken, too.

The tenderloin was amazing, but the roast was only okay and not as tender or flavorful as our own pork.  I cut most of it up to top a pizza, and will probably use the rest in a red sauce for pasta.

Life On The Farm 02/28/11: Fits and Starts, or Rats and Bats

Dan removes frozen corn from the pile.

It was cool inside the house last week.  Our 1½-year-old outdoor pellet/corn furnace had been operating in fits and starts, even after replacing both moving and stationary parts and an electronic panel.   The thing still snuffs out at the most inopportune times – and always when the temperature drops to negative numbers. 

Now, I’ll admit that I didn’t mind finding the bottle of tapwater I keep on the bedside table slightly chilled, but I was quite put out to awaken in a room too cold to want to get out from under the covers.  I have a heated waterbed, trust me; there was little motivation to go fix breakfast.

The indoor propane fireplace picked up the slack during the day so my husband and I needn’t have feared freezing to death watching TV in our comfy chairs, nor having to put up with the cold-showered double-sweatered pissy version of me for very long.  At least, until that fire stopped working, too.

When Fireplace Guy arrived to repair it, he might as well have been wearing red tights and a cape; I felt like raising a cheer.

He removed a mummified bat, moth casings and some soot from the inner workings.  I placed blame on the bat for the ignition problems because after it was sucked into a Shop-Vac, the thermostat mysteriously began working again.  

Back to that outdoor furnace! 

Cold house and faulty parts?  I’ve whinged about them plenty, but I’ve come up with two additional reasons to be a hater.

Our big Maine Coon cat recently killed two mice without assistance from Dan, who has made thumping the half-live ones that MC and the smaller cat bring into the house a morning ritual.

(Sometimes there’s an afternoon delight, as the last live one was stuck inside a roach motel, and the smaller cat somehow carried the whole thing up from the basement to show us.)

Bless their little kitty hearts!  One or both has taken to leaving dead ones on the threshold, and we have to step over them to get in and out of the house.

Dan takes care of the carcasses.  I’m pretty sure I know where, and there are starting to be way too many to simply continue flushing them down the toilet.

We used to place those dead things in a cardboard box headed straight for the wood-burning furnace, but the pellet burner doesn’t have a firebox that is serviceable as such.  

No vermin cremation function - that’s reason one.

This furnace creates way more ash than the old woodburner, and it is interspersed with scorched, non-burned, and partially burned corn.

Ugly Ash-pile; I think it is giving me the finger.

I’m pretty sure that indicates it isn’t efficient, and besides being an eyesore, the ash pile is home to at least one, possibly more, tunnel-dwelling rats.

They are (thank God) not getting into the house – but why would they even be tempted?  They sleep right next door to the five tons of corn that we fuel the furnace with.

At bottom of vent is large hole/tunnel leading to the snowbank.

A ratty campground and all-you-can-eat self-serve – that’s enough for reason two.

Note: I think they are using passive air to heat their home, and probably stealing electricity and internet access from me as well.

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

Dan complained that the last barbecue wasn't spicy enough, so this tenderloin was coated in Union Brand Chili Sauce and turbinado sugar, and left in the refrigerator for an hour for the sugar to melt before smoking.  I used hickory this time.

The boneless pork shoulder was already on, and would take 5 more hours to cook.  The tenderloin went in at 225f  for 1 1/2 hours, until the thermometer read 163 for an internal temperature.  I covered it with foil and a heavy blanket for 15 minutes to rest.

Pork Tenderloin

Super moist, very tender, and just the right amount of spiciness.  We are all out of our own pork, so Dan and I have been scouting (skulking around) the local Hannaford meat counter on Sunday mornings.  MANAGER'S SPECIAL, people!  $6.50 for a big chicken, $5 for a rack of ribs, $2 off other things that simply must be sold today.

I wasn't shy about pushing someone aside to get at this tenderloin first.  Just kidding, it was more of an elbowing.  Okay... so maybe I just deftly cut in front of them - but still, things could have gotten ugly - there was only one on sale:)