Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα)

Greeks like to have an array of sweets, cookies, appetizers out for offering to the revolving door guests during the Christmas holidays.

I've already shown you Kourabiedes and now you get to see the other standard offering, Melomakarona. I'm sure you can read the ingredients list but here are the flavour tags for this simple cookie...orange, walnut, honey, clove, cinnamon....a party in the mouth!



Melomakarona (μελομακάρονα)
(makes 100)

10 cups pastry flour
3 cups vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup walnuts (roughly pounded)
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove

1. Into a large bowl, add the zest, honey, sugar and use your hand to mix all the ingredients.
2. Pour in the orange juice, cloves, cinnamon and mix well (again with your hands).
3. Add the eggs and mix well.
4. Combine the flour with the baking powder and baking soda and then add your dry ingredients to the wet. Once again, mix well with your hands.
5. Using your hands, roll the dough into small balls (about the size of apricots), then form them into quenelle shapes.
6. Take your box grater (the side used to zest) and place a cookie on top of it. Press the cookie down a bit to form a grid pattern on the top of the cookie. Repeat this process for all the cookies.
7. Place your cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven (middle rack) for 30 minutes.

Syrup Coating

2 cups of sugar
2 cups honey
2 cups water

1. To make the syrup, add all three ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Using a large slotted spoon or Spider, drop the cookies in batches into the syrup for 3 minutes to absorn the syrup. Reserve on a cooling rack and repeat until all the cookies are dunked in syrup.

Walnut Topping

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove

1. Add the above ingredients in a bowl mix well with a spoon.
2. Brush each cookie with the remaining syrup and then sprinkle each cookie top with the walnut topping. Allow to cool.
3. Store in a cool, dry container for up to 6 weeks.

Tiramisu

I know there are many Tiramisu recipes out there but I have to add mine to the roster of recipes. It has to be one of my favourite desserts to eat. It's easy to make, delicious and a crowd pleaser.

What I don't understand is how can so many people screw it up? Oh yes, I've tried Tiramisus with sponge cake, with too much alcohol or dry cookies in them.

Keep the Tiramisu simple. You can try different flavours with it but please, don't overdo it. With Tiramisu...less is more.

Before I go on with the recipe, I want to share a quote from the recipe card I have for the Tiramisu:

Rich and delicate at the same time, this Italian dessert is redolent of coffee and Marsala, and blessed with a light, creamy texture.

Tiramisu

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup strong black coffee, freshly made
6 Tbsp. Marsala or sweet sherry
Approx. 16 Savoiardi lady finger cookies
3 fresh eggs, separated
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup Mascarpone cheese
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
cocoa powder

1. Spoon half of the sugar to the coffee and stir until dissolved. Add the Marsala or Sherry.
2. Dip half the lady fingers in the coffee & Marsala mixture and arrange in the base of an 8" X 5" serving dish.
   
3. Beat the egg yolks and nutmeg with the remaining sugar until the mixture has thickened, then stir in the Mascarpone.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the Mascarpone mixture into the egg whites. Spoon half over the lady fingers and smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Dip the remaining lady fingers in the reamining coffee & Marsala mixture and arrange in the dish. Yop with remanining Mascarpone mixture and smooth the top.
6. Let it chill overnight for the flavours to marry. Before serving, sprinkle with grated chocolate and a dusting of cocoa powder.
   

Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon

We are on the other side of Christmas (most are) and I'd like to wish you all once again a Merry Christmas and a restful and safe holiday season.

The dinner came, it conquered, we dropped. Putting on a Christmas dinner is no small feat and I don't like toying much with the menu. I'll test some new menu idea before the big day and no one likes surprises and no wants to order delivery on Christmas day.

Having said that, I broke with tradition a little and we did our Prime Rib with roasted Yukon Gold and Sweet potatoes. Amid the whirlwind of cooking, entertaining, setting up tables, tending to the fireplace, I forgot to take the photo of the potatoes. They were a big hit and I'll no doubt do them again and share them with you real soon!

The new item on this year's menu was the Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon. Look at that beauty? I love simple recipes that use little ingredients yet they are packed with flavour.

Local Asparagus are not in season here in Ontario but the markets have had some quality imports and the price was right. I've always been a big fan of asparagus and for some reason they get lumped in with the other hated green, brussel sprouts.

Asparagus rules! It can be used for a soup, it can be grilled, used in a frittata or a quiche, included in a pasta, be part of a veggie tray or in this instance...made to dress up a piece of bacon!

Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon

2 bunches of asparagus, woody part of stalks trimmed
1 slice of bacon per person
olive oil
coarse sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
garlic powder

Preheated 425F oven

1. Wash and trim the woody parts of the asparagus. Usually bending them until they snap will determine for you where the woody part ends.
2. Divide your asparagus in bundles of 5 per person. Reserve.
3. Cook your bacon halfway. I placed my bacon strips in the microwave for 30 seconds per slice. (This step is important to ensure the bacon cooks in the same time in takes for the asparagus to be done roasting).
4. Pat dry your bacon with paper towels to remove any grease. Take each bacon slice and wrap and tie each bundle of asparagus.
5. Drizzle each bundle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place on a baking sheet.
6. Roast on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until they are caremelized.
   

Filipino Fruit Salad

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in many languages

Language	Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Afrikaans	Geseënde Kersfees en 'n gelukkige nuwe jaar Geseënde Kersfees en 'n voorspoedige Nuwe jaar
Akeanon	Maayad-ayad nga Paskwa Mahigugmaon nga Bag-ong Dag-on kinyo tanan!
Albanian	Gëzuar Krishtlindjet e Vitin e Ri
Aleut	Kamgan Ukudigaa
Alsatian	E güeti Wïnâchte un e gleckichs Nej Johr
Amharic	መልከም ልደት (Melikam yelidet beale Melikam Addis Amet)
Apache (Western)	Gozhqq Keshmish
Arabic (Modern Standard)	اجمل التهاني بمناسبة الميلاد و حلول السنة الجديدة (Ajmel altehani bemonasebt almīlad wa helol alseneh aljedīdah) (kullu sina winta t̴ayyib - to a man) كل سنة وانت طيّب (kullu sina winti t̴ayyiba - to a woman) كل سنة وانت طيّبة
Armenian	Շնորհավոր Ամանոր և Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shnorhavor Amanor yev Surb Tsnund)
Aromanian	Cãrciun hãrios (Hristolu s-aflà! Dealihea cà s-afla!) shi ti multsã-anji Anlu Nàù!
Asturian	Bones Navidaes y Gayoleru añu nuevu!
Aymara	Sooma Nawira-ra
Azerbaijani	Tezze iliniz yahsi olsun
Basque	Zorionak eta urte berri on
Belarusian	З Божым нараджэннем (Z Bozym naradzenniem) Сзцзаслівыцг Каліадау (Szczaslivych Kaliadau) З Новым годам i Калядамi (Z Novym godam i Kaliadami)
Bengali	শুভ বড়দিন, শুভ নববর্ষ (śtata baɽadin, śtata nababaṣ)
Bikol	Maogmang Pasko Mamura-way na Ba-gong Taon sa indo gabos!
Blackfoot	ᖱᒣᖳᒐᒉᑊᖿᒪᔪᖱᖽᐧᒡᒧᐧᖾᒍ (i'taamomahkatoyiiksistsikomi)
Breton	Nedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat
Bulgarian	Честита Коледа! (Čestita Koleda!) Щастлива Нова Година (Štastliva Nova Godina)
Catalan	Bon Nadal i feliç any nou
Cebuano	Maayong Pasko Mabungahong Bag-ong Tuig kaninyong tanan!
Cherokee	ᏓᏂᏍᏔᏲᎯᎲ & ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎢᏤ ᎤᏕᏘᏴᎠᏌᏗᏒ (Danistayohihv & Aliheli'sdi Itse Udetiyvasadisv)
Cheyenne	Hoesenestotse & Aa'eEmona'e
Chinese (Cantonese)	聖誕節同新年快樂 (singdaanjit tùnhg sànnìhn faailohk) 恭喜發財 (gung héi fáat chōi) - used at Chinese New Year
Chinese (Hakka)	聖誕節快樂, 新年快樂 (shin5-tan5-ziet7 kwai5-lok8, sin1-ngien2 kwai5-lok8) 恭喜發財 (giung1 hi3 fat7 coi2) - used at Chinese New Year
Chinese (Mandarin)	聖誕快樂 新年快樂 [圣诞快乐 新年快乐] (shèngdàn kuàilè xīnnián kuàilè) 恭喜發財 [恭喜发财] (gōngxǐ fācái) - used at Chinese New Year
Chinese (Shanghainese)	圣诞节快乐 (sendaijiq kualoq) 新年快乐 (sinni kualoq)
Chinese (Teochew)	圣诞快乐 新年快乐 (siandang kuailak singnin kuailak)
Choctaw	Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Comanche	Tsaa Nu̶u̶sukatu̶̲ Waa Himaru̶
Cornish	Nadelik Lowen ha Blydhen Nowydh Da Nadelik Looan ha Looan Blethen Noweth Nadelack looan ha looan blethan noueth
Cree	ᒥᑐ ᒪᑯᓯ ᑫᓯᑲᓐᓯ (Mitho Makosi Kesikansi)
Creek	Afvcke Nettvcakorakko
Croatian	Sretan Božić! Sretna nova godina!
Czech	Veselé vánoce a šťastný nový rok
Danish	Glædelig jul og godt nytår
Dutch	Prettige kerstdagen en een Gelukkig NieuwJaar! Zalig kerstfeest en gelukkig nieuwjaar
Esperanto	Bonan Kristnaskon kaj feliĉan novan jaron
Estonian	Häid Jõule ja Head Uut Aastat
Faroese	Gledhilig Jol og eydnurikt nyggjar
Fijian	Me Nomuni na marau ni siga ni sucu dei na yabaki vou
Finnish	Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta
Flemish	Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
Frisian	Noflike Krystdagen en folle lok en seine
French	Joyeux Noël et bonne année
Galician	Bo Nadal e próspero aninovo
Georgian	გილოცავ(თ) შობა-ახალ წელს (gilocʻav(tʻ) šoba-axal cels)
German	Frohe/Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr/ein gutes Neues und ein gesundes neues Jahr / und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr Frohes Fest und guten Rutsch [ins neue Jahr]
German (Bavarian)	Froue Weihnåcht'n, und a guad's nei's Joah
German (Hessian)	Frohe Weihnachte unn ein gudes neus Jahr
German (Swiss)	schöni Fäschttäg / schöni Wienachte und e guets neus Jahr / en guete Rutsch is neue Johr
German (Pennsylvania)	En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr
Greek	Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Ετος (Kala Khristougenna kai Eutukhismeno to Neo Etos) Καλὰ Χριστούγεννα καὶ καλὴ χρονιά! (Kalá hristoúgena ke kalí hroniá)
Greenlandic	Juullimi ukiortaasamilu pilluaritsi
Hausa	barka da Kirsimatikuma barka da sabuwar shekara
Hawaiian	Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew	חג מולד שמח ושנה טובה Chag Molad Sameach v'Shanah Tovah
Hiligaynon	Malipayon nga Paskwa Mahamungayaon nga Bag-ong Tuig sa inyong tanan
Hindi	शुभ क्रिसमस (Śubh krisamas) नये साल की हार्दिक शुभकामनायें (Naye sāl kī hārdik śubhkāmnayeṅ)
Hungarian	Kellemes karácsonyt és boldog új évet
Icelandic	Gleðileg jól og farsælt komandi ár Gleðileg jól og farsælt nýtt ár
Ilokano	Naragsak a Paskua Narang-ay a Baro a Tawen kadakayo amin!
Indonesian	Selamat Hari Natal dan Tahun Baru
Inonhan	Malipayon nga Paskwa kag Masadya nga Bag-ong Tuig sa inyo tanan.
Inuktitut	ᑯᕕᐊᓇᒃ ᐃᓄᕕᐊ (Kuvianak Inovia) - Merry Christmas
Irish (Gaelic)	Nollaig shona duit (Happy Christmas to you) Beannachtaí na Nollag (Christmas Greetings) Beannachtaí an tSéasúir (Season's Greetings) Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit (Prosperous New Year) Bliain úr faoi shéan is faoi mhaise duit (Happy New Year to you)
Italian	Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo
Japanese	メリークリスマス (merī kurisumasu) New Year greeting - 'Western' style 新年おめでとうございます (shinnen omedetō gozaimasu) New Year greetings - Japanese style 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetō gozaimasu) 旧年中大変お世話になりました (kyūnenjū taihen osewa ni narimashita) 本年もよろしくお願いいたします (honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu)
Jèrriais	Bouan Noué / Jouaiyeux Noué et Bouonne année Un Bouan Noué et lé Nouvel An!
Judeo-Spanish / Ladino	Noel alegre i felis anyo muevo
Kapampangan	Masayang Pasku Masaplalang Bayung Banwa keko ngan!
Kazakh	Жаңа жыл құтты болсын! (Jaña jıl quttı bolsın!) - inf Жаңа жылыңыз құтты болсын! (Jaña jılıñız quttı bolsın!) - frm (Happy New Year)
Kinyarwanda	Noheri nziza n'umwaka mushya muhire!
Kirghiz	Жаратканнын туысымен Жана Жылыныз кутты болсын (Žaratkannyi tuysymen Žana Žylynyz kutty bolsyn)
Klingon	yItIv QISmaS 'ej Quch chu' wa'maH 'ej cha' maSmey
Korean	메리 크리스마스 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (meli kliseumaseu saehae pog manhi pateuseyo)
Kurdish (Kurmanji)	Kirîsmes u ser sala we pîroz be
Kurdish (Sorani)	Kirîsmes u salî nwêtan lê pîroz bê
Latin	Natale hilare et annum faustum
Latvian	Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus un laimīgu Jauno gadu
Lithuanian	Linksmų Kalėdų ir laimingų Naujųjų Metų
Luxembourgish	E schéine Chrëschtdag an e glécklecht neit Joer Schéi Feierdeeg an e glécklecht neit Joer Schéi Chrëschtdeeg an e gudde Rutsch an d'neit Joer
Malagasy	Mirary noely sambatra Arahabaina tratrin'ny taona vaovao
Malay	Selamat Hari Natal (Christmas), Selamat Tahun Baru (New Year)
Malayalam	ന വവത്സര ആശംസ (nava-valsara āshamsakal) - Happy New Year
Maltese	Il-Milied Ħieni u s-Sena t-Tajba Awguri għas-sena l-ġdida
Manx	Nollick Ghennal as Blein Vie Noa
Māori	Kia orana e kia manuia rava i teia Kiritimeti e te Mataiti Ou
Marathi	शुभ नाताळ (Śubh Nātāḷ) नवीन वर्षच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा (Navīn varṣacyā hārdik śubhecchā)
Mongolian	Танд кристмас ба шинэ жилийн мэнд хүргэе (Tand kristmas ba shine jiliyn mend khürgeye)
Navajo	Ya'at'eeh Keshmish
Norwegian	God jul og godt nytt år (Bokmål) God jol og godt nyttår (Nynorsk)
Pangasinan	Maabig ya Pasko Maaligwas ya Balon Taon ed sikayon amin!
Persian	(krismas mobārak) كرسمس مبارک سال نو مبارک (sāle no mobārak)
Polish	Wesołych Świąt i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!
Portuguese	Feliz Natal e próspero ano novo / Feliz Ano Novo Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo / Um Santo e Feliz Natal
Punjabi	ਕਰਿਸਮ ਤੇ ਨਵਾੰ ਸਾਲ ਖੁਸ਼ਿਯਾੰਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ (karisama te nawāṃ sāla khušayāṃwālā hewe)
Quenya	Alassëa Hristomerendë! Alassëa Vinyarië!
Romansh (Sursilvan dialect)	Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!!
Romanian	Crăciun fericit şi un an nou fericit
Russian	С Рождеством Христовым и С наступающим Новым Годом (S Roždestvom Khristovym i S nastupayuščim Novym Godom)
Samoan	Manuia le Kerisimasi, ma le Tausaga Fou
Scots	A Blithe Yule an a Guid New Year Merry Christmas an' a guid New Year
Scottish Gaelic	Nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath ùr
Serbian	Христос се роди (Hristos se rodi) - Christ is born Ваистину се роди (Vaistinu se rodi) - truly born (reply) Срећна Нова Година (Srećna Nova Godina) - Happy New Year
Sicilian	Bon Natali e filici annu novu
Sindarin	Mereth Veren e-Doled Eruion! Garo Idhrinn Eden Veren!
Slovak	Veselé vianoce a Štastný nový rok
Slovenian	Vesel božič in Srečno novo leto
Somali	Ciid wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican
Spanish	¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!
Swahili	Heri ya krismas Heri ya mwaka mpya
Swedish	God jul och gott nytt år
Tagalog	Maligayang Pasko, Manigong bagong taon
Tamil	Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Tahitian	Ia orana no te noere Ia orana i te matahiti api
Telugu	Nootana Samvatsara Subhakankshalu - (Wish you a happy new year)
Thai	สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส และสวัสดีปีใหม่ (souksaan wan Christmas sawatdii pimaï)
Tibetan	ལོགསར་ལ་བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས་། (losalazashidele - Happy New Year)
Tigrinya	ርሑስ በዓል ልደት (ይግበረልካ) (rHus beˋal ldet (ygberelka)) ርሑስ አውደ ዓመት (ይግበረልካ) (rHus əwed ˋamet (ygberelka))
Tongan	Kilisimasi fiefia mo ha ta'u fo'ou monū'ia
Turkish	İyi seneler / Yeni yılınız kutlu olsun (Happy New Year) Yeni yılınızı kutlar, sağlık ve başarılar dileriz (We wish you a happy, healthy and successful new year)
Ukrainian	Веселого Різдва і з Новим Роком (Veseloho Rizdva i z Novym Rokom)
Urdu	'New Year's blessings to you' = (naya saal mubarik hu) نايا سال مبارک هو 'Big day's blessings to you' = (burda din mubarik hu) بڑدا دنمبارک هو
Uzbek	Yangi yilingiz bilan! (Happy New Year)
Vietnamese	Chúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ và Chúc Năm Mới Tốt Lành
Volapük	Lemotöfazäli yofik e nulayeli läbik
Võro	Hüvvä joulu ja õnnõlikku vahtsõt aastakka
Waray-Waray	Maupay nga Pasko Mainuswagon nga Bag-ong Tuig ha iyo ngatanan!
Welsh	Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda
Xhosa	Siniqwenelela Ikrisimesi Emnandi Nonyaka Omtsha Ozele Iintsikelelo
Yiddish	אַ פֿרײליכע ניטל און אַ גוטער נײַער יאָר (A freylikhe nitl un a guter nayer yor)
Zulu	Sinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo

Copyright 1998-2007 Simon Ager

My first "real" job was at a Canadian bank in Toronto's financial district and the staff was quite the international bunch.

I still have fond memories of learning how to curse in other languages, say the basics of each language and most importantly (to me)...sample the different cuisines.

My work life and social life now began to revolve around downtown and the melting pot of people that it is.

Every year, around this time (Christmas) the staff would throw a "pot luck" lunch. Each person had to bring a food from their culture for all to sample. The array of colours, aromas, tastes was fabulous (despite the need for Rolaids afterwards).

I used to work with many people of Filipino background. I found them to be ever cheerful, deeply family oriented, a love of food and lots of joking and laughter.

To this day, the standout dish that I remember from the "pot lucks" was the Filipino Fruit Salad. The flavour can be described as simply, "food for the Gods".

You will need to visit an Asian store to get most of the ingredients but the result is worth the effort if you have to trek to your Chinatown. This dessert is simple to make and you'll fool everyone into thinking you slaved to make such a decadent and delicious dessert.

This recipe contains condensed milk...how can it go wrong?

Filipino Fruit Salad

3 (140oz) cans of fruit coctail
3 jars of sweet macapuno (coconut) strings
1 large can of pineapple chunks
2 cans of lychees
4 green, tart apples, peeled and cut, chunks
2 bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 can of condensed milk
3 cans of Nestle/Carnation cream
1 large bowl

1. Drain the syrup/liquid from all the canned/jarred fruits and add them to the bowl.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients into the bowl. Mix well using a large spoon.
3. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve cold.
   

Beef Barley Soup

A few days ago I showed all of you my Prime Rib and I'm looking forward to enjoying another during the holiday season.

Many know that it's not a cheap hunk of beef so, how does one stretch the use of such an expensive cut? Make stock with the leftover bones.

Don't throw out the bones from that Prime Rib after dinner. You can wash/rinse the bones, throw them into a stockpot with about 10 cups of cold water and boil them down for about 2-3 hours. What you'll end up with is a rich, flavourful beef stock which can be used for soups, stews and sauces.

If you simply want to make your own beef stock but do not have a leftover Prime Rib, then you might want to ask your butcher if they sell beef bones (most do). These scraps also have some meat attached to them and you can go straight to making a hearty beef soup when the stock is done.

I usually season the bones with some salt and pepper, preheat the oven to 425F and place them in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet for 1 1/2 - 2 hours to brown, render the fat and break down the meat. I also roast onions, carrots and celery with the beef. Now you have flavour.

When you're done roasting the beef bones, you can once again place them in lots of cold water and boil them down for 2-3 hours.

Both methods will also produce some impurities and fat. You can invest in a fat separater or after your beef stock has cooled to room temperature, place the stock pot in the fridge (or wintery outdoors) for the stock to chill overnight. The next day you will find the fat has risen to form a hardened white "crust", which can simply be skimmed off with a spoon and discarded.

Strain your beef stock and you can immediately use it for a stew, sauce or freeze it for later use. Today, I'm making Beef Barley Soup.

Beef Barley Soup

5 cups of beef stock
hand-shredded beef pieces
4 Tbsp. of vegetable oil
1 onion, roughly diced
1 carrot, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
1 large potato, diced
1/2 cup barley
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. of tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
beef base

1. Place a large pot on a burner with medium-high heat and pour in your vegetable oil, vegetables and bay leaf and saute for 5 minutes. Add your tomato paste and stir in to incorporate and cook through for another five minutes.
2. Add your beef stock and turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil.
3. When you have a boil, add your barley, beef pieces and some beef base to taste. Cover with lid, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 90 minutes.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Enjoy hot on a cold day!
   

Saucisson of Pork Tenderloin

Bulletin - Dec. 20, 2007

Hi Folks, I've been doing some reading on home dry salting and curing and yes, end result can be a bit salty.

What you can do is soak the tenderloins in warm water(80F) for a couple of hours and some salt will draw out.

The meat looks a little grey on the outside but the deep red colour remains in the middle, it's softer and a delight to eat.

Finally, towel dry the pork and once dried, re-wrap with the original tea towels and refrigerate for future nibbling.




HOLY $#!@.....IT WORKED!

Excuse my exuberance but I was "iffy" on if this cured pork tenderloin recipe would turn out well and it did!

I will try anything (almost) anything once, be it ceviche, carpaccio, prosciutto, braesola, tartares, sushi....bring it on!

Now I can add Jacques Pepin's Saucisson of Pork Tenderloin to the roster of adventurous eats. I followed his instructions verbatim and this was uncharted territory for me but I will relate my experiences from preparation to the final, delectable tasting of this wonderful pork.

Before I proceed, let me emphasize that if you're the type that's sheepish about cured meats or any other food that hasn't been cooked using heat, then move on...this post isn't for you. If, on the other hand you're like me, daring and willing to try something new to add a new taste experience, then stick around!

If you're the type of person that loves sausage (like me) but you're also watching your weight, this could be the answer for you. The Saucisson is a salty cured meat...like a prosciutto but it's also lean as it's a cured pork tenderloin. Just as Jacques Pepin recommends, have it with some buttered bread and a bottle of red wine and damn was this tasty!

(For the record, I will be buying some more pork tenderloin this weekend for curing)

You can save & follow Jacques method as I did but here's how I exactly made it (with some explanations he doesn't provide).

Saucisson of Pork Tenderloin

• 2 pork tenderloins, each about 1 lb., with the silver skin removed and cut off about 2-3 inches off the ends (cook the ends as Jacques recommends as the ends are thinner, become saltier and hard and barely edible)
• 1 cup kosher salt (or 1/2 cup Morton Tender Quick Curing Salt)
• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp of Cognac
• 2 Tbsp of fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 Tbsp of herbs de provence

1. Put the salt and brown sugar rinto into a plastic zip-lock bag large enough to hold the 2 tenderloins and mix well.
2. Add the tenderloins into the bag, force out any air, seal the bag and gently mus the bag around to coat the meat with the salt/sugar mixture. Refrigerate overnight (or 12 hours).
3. After 12 hours or so, remove the tenderloins from the bag (discard the bag and contents) and wipe them dry with paper towels.
4. Rub the meat with Cognac then roll them in cracked black pepper and sprinkle the herbs de provence all over the tenderloins.
5. Wrap each piece of meat in a cotton cloth and use butcher's twine to to wrap and secure the cloth tightly.
   
6. Hang the tenderloins in a cool cellar or do what I did...hang it in my fridge. I cleared enough space between the salad crisper and the the shelf above it. I then tied a long piece of butcher's twine around the shelf. I then attached twine to each tenderloin, looped it through the twine that was wrapped around the shelf and tied the 2 twines. Now my tenderloins were hanging, air curing in my fridge.
7. The tenderloins will dry out in 5 -6 weeks, even less if the tenderloins are smaller than a pound each (use less salt as well if they are less than the 1 lb.). Slice thin, enjoy with buttered good bread and polish off a bottle of red!