Tomorrow is the official posting day for March’s Charcutepalooza challenge, but I thought I’d get the ball rolling early, since I kind of went nuts on this one. The second I saw “brined brisket” in the challenge discussion, my mind leapt to pastrami…and from there it naturally went to bagels and lox.
So, you might remember that I set some biltong (South African beef jerky) up to cure a couple of weeks ago. And now we have the finished product. I somehow got “It’s Biltong Time” – to the tune of Flight of the Conchords’ “It’s Business Time” – stuck in my head during this process.
Over the past several years I’ve gotten really into my annual Oscars party. I enjoy the actual awards show well enough…but what I really love about the awards season is coming up with ridiculous punning dishes based on Best Picture nominee titles. Such as…pickling beets for 127 Hours.
I love pickled cucumbers: I’m a little ashamed that, like Snooki, I’ll often stand my tiny self (only part Guidette, sadly) in front of the fridge and just eat pickles out of the jar. Thankfully, I’m a little less orange and a little less be-pouffed. And I’m a little more adventurous: I just branched out from classic pickled cucumbers to try pickled grapes.
Some very experienced epicures and cooks, think the old-fashioned way of preparing bacon is troublesome and useless. They say that legs of pork placed upright in pickle, for four or five weeks, are just as nice as those rubbed with so much care. The pickle for pork and hung beef, should be stronger than for legs of mutton. Eight pounds of salt, ten ounces of salt-petre and five pints of molasses is enough for one hundred weight of meat; water enough to cover the meat well—probably, four or five gallons. – Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife
Yes, our topic this week is bacon. Specifically, homemade bacon. Sorry, not a full leg of pork (I don’t have a barrel or room for one in my apartment). Rather, this piece of pork belly:
This recipe is from the internet, not from a vintage cookbook…but making your own spice blends is a seriously old-fashioned pastime (and one that I intend to try more, now that I have a nice new coffee/spice grinder). Making your own spice blends is fun, thrifty, and a great way to make your house smell awesome. Spices also make great holiday gifts: I know I already associate cinnamon and nutmeg with this season, so why not send some around! You can easily toss a few tablespoons in small Ziploc baggies and mail them with cards without increasing your shipping costs too much. The spice mix du jour: Barahat, a Middle Eastern seasoning. I like it even more than the better-known za’atar.
I am also working on my food styling/photographing skills, so please give comments and tips!
Bahārāt (Makes about 3/4 cup)
2 tbsp. black peppercorns
2 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. allspice berries
1 tsp. cardamom seeds
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
4 (3-inch) cassia or cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp. ground sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Grind it all up using a mortar and pestle, spice mill, or coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Some ideas for using bahārāt:
