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Where to start.
Every time I travel I care far less about transportation, accommodations, and even sight-seeing (sometimes) because I’m so focused on what I will eat… first, last, lunch, dinner. Well, you get the point. My husband and I chose to go to Spain for the food. Not that there aren’t a hundred other reasons to go to Spain, but that was the motivator.
How does a food-obsessor go about planning a trip to Spain? You start with the crass, the bold, the one and only, Anthony Bourdain. Okay, that’s pretty much all I consulted, except Rick Steves’ books a couple times because my parents gave me them to me. He did have a good suggestion here and there. Other than that, we went where the concierge suggested or where our eyes and noses led us
Tapas kept us alive filled our bellies meal after meal, day after day. It’s hard to get tired of small bites of tasty morsels. And what better to pair with the noshing then vino… or wine, for the English-speaking, or cervesas. Sounds like a rough trip, huh? It wasn’t all eating and drinking the entire time though, but those were the good parts
Sampling of tapas at Las Teresas in Sevilla
Variety of jamons at La Venencia in Marbella
Mushrooms y cervesa at La Fria in Marbella
Brie cheese tapa at El Comercio in San Pedro
Sardines at Gambrinus in Malaga
Pintxos at Sagardi in Barcelona
Burrata at a wine bar in Barcelona
Favorite tapa at Tapas 24 in Barcelona
This isn’t some sort of magic trick or cloning that I’m talking about, but a quick tip that has kept my asparagus fresh for up to 10 days.
All you need is a glass or cup that can hold your asparagus, cold water, and a refrigerator. See below.
While asparagus is still at my local farmer’s markets and most grocery stores, it disappears quick and I like to make the most of every stalk.
As I sit here at 8:37pm, I still haven’t eaten dinner. This is a typical weeknight scenario for me. Yes dinner is in the oven as I type, but I’m hungry – I cannot lie and I wish it wasn’t this way. Sadly, it’s also one of those nights where my husband can’t wait for me and already ate what was in the fridge.
Some of you can probably relate to my late dining or you can’t because if dinner is gonna be at 9pm on a weeknight it means you should have gone out. I hear ya, but I’m obsessed with my own cooking. Not because it’s “the best”, but because I know what goes into it and I can use up stuff I have on hand.
This dinner is exactly that: using stuff I canned last summer, grabbing spices I have in my spice rack, and picking up a couple fresh items to help the rest shine. Doesn’t sound too hard, does it?
Salmon with Tomato Jam and Curry Cauliflower Puree with greens
It all started last summer when my tomato plants were going crazy and I learned to can. If neither of those describe you, don’t worry I still highly recommend this recipe for Tomato Jam from The Minimalist in The New York Times.
1-1/2lbs of good, ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1c sugar
2TB fresh squeezed lime juice
1TB fresh ginger, grated or minced
1tsp ground cumin
1/4tsp ground cinnamon
1/8tsp ground cloves
1tsp salt
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has the consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use; this will keep at least a week.
See, not too hard. You can even freeze it if you’re not the canning type. Okay, keep your comments to yourself.
Next up is dinner, which can be accomplished in 20 or so minutes. Quick, right?
This dinner is based on “Gourmet Every Day” from Gourmet magazine back in January 2002. I’ve made the Roasted Salmon and Cauliflower Puree before, but this time I wanted a new twist: tomato jam and curry flurry.
Roasted Salmon with Tomato Jam
2 – 5oz pieces of salmon, preferably center cut, with skin
1tsp EVOO
1/2c tomato jam
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place each piece of salmon, skin side down, on a 10-12″ piece of foil. Rub the salmon all over with EVOO then spread half the tomato jam on each piece of salmon. Fold up the foil around the salmon and place on a baking sheet. Bake on the upper third of the oven until fish is just cooked through, about 15-17 minutes.
Using a spatula, lift flesh from the skin and transfer each piece of salmon to its own plate. Half of your dinner is ready.
Curry Cauliflower Puree
1lb cauliflower florets, chopped (about 4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2/3c broth (chicken or vegetable will do)
1tsp salt
2tsp curry powder
4TB milk
1TB unsalted butter
Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, salt, and curry powder in a small saucepan, covered, until cauliflower is very tender about 15-20 minutes.
Puree mixture with milk and butter in a food processor or using hand blender until smooth. Alternatively you can mash with a potato masher or fork.
Split the pureed cauliflower between the two plates. The other half of dinner is ready.
The flavors of the tomato jam and the curry in the cauliflower puree work so nicely together. Add a green salad or fresh bread to complete the meal and you’re good to go… before 9pm.
Cochon 555 is culinary competition that pays tribute to heritage pigs. It’s the exact opposite of eating a McRib®. If you have any interest in sustainable farming of pigs and tasting what top local chefs can create with them, then this is an event for you! Oh, wine is involved too so that’s a bonus.
If you are lucky enough to live in one of the ten cities that hosts this piggy event, well consider yourself lucky… or move. 2011 is the third season of this traveling culinary event, but this was the first year in Denver. You better believe I wasn’t going to miss it.
Now tickets are not cheap, but worth the price tag which varies by city. If you feel like splurging a bit more, you can be VIP, but I don’t think it’s necessary. So you get a few more samples of wine and a few little nibbles, including cheeses and oysters. If that’s worth the extra dough to you then by all means.
Let’s get to the good stuff: chefs and their corresponding swine delights. Honestly, I can’t possibly remember (or some cases even know) everything I ate, but I tried my hardest to eat it all in honor of you, my readers. It was a hard job but somebody had to do it.
- Alex Seidel of Fruition Restaurant presented a wide array of charcuterie and I mean a WIDE array. The winning dish for me was his take on a peanut brittle that had bits of – you guessed it!
Alex Seidel with his charcuterie
- Kelly Liken of Kelly Liken Restaurant made a soft pork bun, pig, pig, pig, and a bacon waffle with ice cream and a cinnamon dusted pork rind alongside some potent bourbon. Obviously some of the dishes are a blur, so I’m sharing the highlights.
Kelly Liken's Bacon Waffle with cinnamon pork rind
- Frank Bonanno of Mizuna, Luca D’Italia, Bones, Osteria Marco, etc. created his signature pork belly bun from Bones, pork, pork, pork, and two different chocolates speckled with – you know it!
Frank Bonanno plating pork belly buns
- Lachlan MacKinnon of Fasca Food & Wine and Pizzeria Locale created a plethora of tasty morsels, including his intensely flavored version of chicharones called ciccioli frolli. It was the most amazing bite of the entire evening.
Lachlan Mackinnon's sampling
- Jennifer Jasinski of Rioja and Euclid Hall crafted a number of unique dishes, including a Korean blood sausage, which was reminiscent of the sausages she’s cranking out at Euclid Hall, and lemongrass steamed ribs served with flavors of coconut, mango, green curry, and herbs.
Jennifer Jasinski's lemongrass steamed ribs
Just when you think you’ve had your share and you’re feeling like an oinker, then comes the pig roast portion of the event. Seriously. My husband couldn’t even partake in this part. Of course I did it for you, the readers.
Pig Roast - part 1
Pig Roast - part 2
For those of you passionate about wine, there was plenty of liquid grapes there as well, but it was more of a palate cleanser for the next pork dish. There was also a couple of different cocktails made with St. Germain that were perfect palate cleansers – refreshing with a bit of sweet and a bit of tart.
There was entertainment too: butcher competition, of course. It may sound gross, but it was impressive to see how fast and skilled those butchers could cut those pigs into their parts. I’ll just leave it at that.
Butcher in action
Amongst all the squealing, you get to vote for the “Prince or Princess of Porc” aka the chef with the best dishes. All while official, qualified judges are doing the same. I heard the patrons’ votes actually counted for slightly more than the judges, so this is one time where your vote really does count. The crown went to Alex Seidel as Denver’s Prince of Porc! He now moves on to the Grand Cochon in Aspen on June 19, 2011 to compete against all the other cities’ princes and princesses.
Overall this was an evening I won’t forget. I’ve never been in one room with so many… well, you know, pigs. You better believe I was sweatin’ bacon grease the next day. It’s not an event for everyone, but if you dabble in swine, I recommend pigging out.
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