Monthly Archives: March 2011

03.31.11
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April in Reno

Springtime in blossom…

We really left SF on March 30, but who is counting. March in Reno sounds kind of harsh, just not poetic. So why did we go anyway?

  1. We hadn’t been since last July for Brian and Natasza’s wedding. That’s one good reason.
  2. I have a pile of Sports Book tickets to cash in (plus more that I can’t cash), reason number two.
  3. It is actual spring in Reno, a condition that comes and goes in San Francisco at various times of year. In Reno, spring is here. Cool, crisp nights and warm green days; reason three if you need it.
  4. And finally, there is food in Reno and environs that we haven’t yet experienced.

A huge storm raged in the Sierras for nearly a week, ending only on Sunday, 3 days ago. Reportedly, the Tahoe area received over 15 feet of snow. At one point on Friday or Saturday, I-80 was closed simply because there was no place to put the snow. We were eager to see what it looked like up there.

r1_donner_hidden

As you can see, we were traveling on a simply beautiful day; the snow glistened and wasn’t too dirty yet. Here we are at Donner Summit, but the sign is buried in the snow.

Before we reached Auburn on I-80, a halfway lunch stop, Brian called to say that we should not have a big lunch; we’re going to a place for dinner that is an institution in Reno.

flower cookies

flower cookies

At Brian’s house, Natasza greeted us and offered a “flower cookie.” They actually taste good. And she was busy preparing cured salmon for Friday’s dinner.  Continue reading →

03.22.11
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beet snack

…or whatever

scrub beetsb_snack
place on foil and drizzle with water, olive oil, salt and pepper
wrap
roast beets 400°F for 50 minutes or so
cool
peel with a paper towel
store inna jar in the fridge

take out a beet
slice in a dish
drizzle with vinegar or lemon juice
drizzle with olive oil
salt
pepper

eat with a fork

yum

got some nice fat carrots?
same deal

beets in foil just out of the oven

beets in foil just out of the oven

roasted beets, these are formanova or cylindra

roasted beets, these are formanova or cylindra

peel with a paper towel... with luck, the skin will come off in one piece

peel with a paper towel... with luck, the skin will come off in one piece

composed salad of chioggia beets, tokyo turnips, snap peas

composed salad of chioggia beets, tokyo turnips, snap peas

roasted beets and carrots

roasted beets and carrots

03.08.11
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Pot Roast of Pork

Here’s what Fatted Calf had to say in their first week of March newsletter:

While I will gladly pile up stacks of dirty pans and bowls in pursuit of culinary glory and happily turn up the radio, roll up my sleeves and attack a sink of dirty dishes, if it’s the price for a good meal I have to admit there is something awfully appealing about a one pot wonder, the kind of cooking that takes its time but not yours.
The Versatile Pork Country Rib Roast slow cooked atop a bed of root vegetables makes for a tender, juicy pot roast.

I bought the Pork Country Rib Roast. This is not my first time, but I haven’t yet fixed on the perfect way to roast it.

When Niman Ranch was in the Market, they sold a Pork Country Rib with about 2 ribs and they sold it on the cheap, about $6 the pound. Then they changed their operation around and moved out of the market and I haven’t seen a similar “country rib.” I believe they described it to me as the first two ribs at one end or the other. I bring this up because Carol had a perfect way of roasting that country rib, so when I got one of those, I was pleased to let her do it.

p_pork_detail

But that country rib is not this country rib and I have a checkered history with this country rib:

Roasted Country Rib 12.09
I have a country rib roast from Fatted Calf, 3 ribs, 2.3 pounds, marinated with Mandarin oranges and Tournantes olives. C sez stick in the countertop convection oven on fan bake at 400° for 30 to 45 minutes.
Took 50 minutes to reach 150°. Yum.
I put it in the square roasting pan on no stick foil with a splash of water in the bottom. C sez she uses the pan that came with the oven and the wire rack to hold it off the bottom.

11.10
FC Country Rib roast with apples and walnut. 2.09 pounds.
Not so good.
First, on the wire rack the roast barely fit in the oven.
Second, it took way long to cook, and was more stringy than tasty, which I attribute to the HOT oven and the tight fit. I think I would go longer and slower next time (see Pernil Pork Roast by Mark Bittman).

My solution was to do nothing until I had an idea.

After rumination, the idea came on a trip to Sonoma to pick up some Cline wine and have Sunday brunch on a drizzly but not nasty day… “cook it like a pot roast, using a beef recipe as a guide.” I have a bunch of root vegetables from Mariquita that are taking up space in the refrigerator. Perfect. Continue reading →