Celebrity Apprentice

I had a blast with the lovely ladies on the Celebrity Apprentice. We nearly burned the kitchen down more than once, but in the end they rocked it! I never got to find out how the episode turned out but I've got tons of faith in those ladies.

While you're here, please check out my new website and cookbook, in stores on May 10th and on Amazon.com now! Ands follow us on twitter: @marriedNcooking @jamesbriscione

And the pork just keeps coming...

Porchetta is one of the ultimate indulgences in the porcine world. A succulent roast that incorporates many of the best pieces of the pig- loin, belly and crisp skin- it’s best made from a suckling (or young- less than 80 lb) pig. As the pig grows, so too does the porchetta from the perfect sandwich sized slice to a plate-sized marvel of goodness.

Both delicious, though one more manageable than the other. When I got my hands on my own half hog, I couldn’t help carving one section of the loin into a Fred Flintstone sized porchetta for myself.

Check out my photo journal of the process below.

boneless pork loin section with the belly attached

skin on is key- so crisp and delicious after roasting

butterfly the loin section and salt generously

rub all surfaces with a mixture of garlic, parsley, rosemary and thyme

re-roll and tie tightly

oven ready- about 2 hours to internal temperature of 140˚

cool completely before slicing

reheat under the broiler to crisp the skin

Homemade Andouille

Having grown up in the South, I’ve kind of got a thing for andouille. For me, it’s the perfect fix to turn to when you want to give whatever-you-may-be-cooking ‘a little something extra.’ Like mirepoix to French cuisine or garlic, ginger and scallions in Asian cookery, smoked meats are an essential base to many classic Southern dishes.

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The Perfect Food from 'The Whole Hog'

Last night's Whole Hog cooking class

Tomorrow one of my classes will take a quiz that marks their midway point in the curriculum. On that quiz I will expect them to tell about the things that make a great dish. I want them to tell me that a plate should be constructed to offer a variety color and shape. And explain that these things are very when it comes to a dish's visual appeal. But, when you're done looking and it's time to eat nothing is more important than texture (it's understood that flavor is paramount). Without differing textures on the plate a diner is likely to lose interest after about 3 bites. The top food textures (and the most important ones to get on the plate) are creamy/smooth, chewy and crisp.

These thoughts of the perfect plate were running through my mind as I sat down to a plate of slow roasted pork belly from last night's Whole Hog cooking class.

Crackles filled the air as my knife pushed through the brittle skin and into a creamy layer of soft fat before it reaches the succulent meat. So, to recap- crisp skin, creamy fat and chewy, tender meat... I never needed any convincing that pork belly was the most perfect food in the world but now I think I've got the empirical evidence. I encourage you to test my hypothesis:

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

1 piece boneless pork belly

3 heads garlic, cut in half

8 branches fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

olive oil, as needed

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

preheat oven to 350

Place the pork belly on a cutting board, skin side up. Trim into an even shape and score the skin in a cross-hatch pattern.

Arrange the garlic, cut side up, in the bottom of a baking dish large enough to hold the pork. Scatter the thyme and bay leaf over the garlic, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the white wine and chicken stock.

Place the belly on top of the garlic. Cover the pan with aluminum and place in the oven.

Remove the pork from the oven every 45 minutes until to baste until finished cooking, two hours and fifteen minutes later.

Remove the pork from the oven and cool completely. Place the pork in the refrigerator between two trays with weights on the top overnight to firm.

heat oven to 450˚

Cut the pork into portions drizzle with oil and return to the oven to cook until the skin is crisped, about 15 minutes.

A Quick Cassoulet

I know, I know the word 'quick' goes against everything that cassoulet is about but sometimes you need a bowlful of hearty goodness in a hurry. This a recipe I made for the first time with homemade pork liver sausages. Brooke and I were shocked and thrilled to see Parker (our 21 month-old little girl) was an ever bigger fan of the either of us- which is saying something!

In these cold winter months we could all use a little comforting. I find little more comforting than a warm bowl of creamy-tomatoey beans studded with rich sausage. On these frigid days when all you want to stay inside and snuggle under blankets on the couch, a meal like this will zap any ambition you might have had and keep you firmly planted indoors. Think of it as cassoulet on a budget of both time (about 20 minutes vs. 6 hours) and money (6 ingredients vs. 12+).

Here' s what you do:

1. get some sausage- what ever you like: italian, chorizo, bratwurst, anything (I actually used a pork liver sausage I created when testing recipes for my new charcuterie workshop at ICE). Cut it in to 1 inch pieces and brown in a skillet.2. Add 1 cup minced onions and 1 tablespoon minced garlic, saute until tender.

3. Add approximately 16 ounces chopped tomatoes (canned are a good option right now). Stir well and bring to a simmer. Allow the tomatoes to simmer until slightly thickened.

4. Add approximately 24 ounces cooked white beans and simmer 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve in bowls topped with celery that has been thinly sliced and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

And for the ambitious out there: Pork Liver Sausages

500g pork liver
1200g pork shoulder
200g fat back
20g kosher salt
2 g white pepper
1 g marjoram
2 g basil
1 g ground allspice

Thoroughly chill all ingredients and grind each separately. Combine the ground meats in a bowl, add the spices and blend well.

Cook a small pieces of the mixture to taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Pack the seasoned mixture into casings and rest in the refrigerator over night. Poach the sausage to an internal temperature of 160˚ then cool in the poaching liquid. Seal sausages in cry-o-vac bags or store refrigerated in the poaching liquid.

Charcutepalooza

I just recently came across two very ambitious bloggers Cathy Barrow and Kim Foster who have set out on a year long project to help all of those involved connect with the food they eat. They have decided that they are no longer going to be intimidated by things like duck proscuitto, bacon or pancetta. Not only have they set out this year to start making these items themselves, they're challeneging their fellow bloggers to see what recipes they can come up with using the items that they've made.

I am thrilled and fascinated with this project and cannot wait to get started on February's challenge- bacon and pancetta. Charcutepalooza, here I come...

New Things for the New Year

Hello to all the people that still visit blog. I want you to know that I appreciate you both.

It was a very busy close to 2010, finishing up the manuscript for Just Married and Cooking and putting together our new website WWW.JUSTMARRIEDANDCOOKING.COM so please click over and take a look at what's happening over there.

I plan to be back here on this website soon as well. With the book wrapped up I been burying myself in new charcuterie projects and have almost finished a new curriculum for my Two-day Terrine and Charcuterie Workshop at ICE, so even if you came last year think about coming back. Recipes will include a new headcheese, blood sausage, pork liver sausage and deep fried rillettes.

some of Michael Clampffer's (of Mosefund Mangalitsa) badass charcuterie that he and I brought The Chef's Garden this past spring.

I've also got a long backlog of recipes from cooking adventures in my Sous Vide Supreme. My favorite of which is the perfect recreation of one of New York's ultimate street foods- the Rafiqui's chicken pita.

So stick around and check back often for plenty of new things here and at www.justmarriedandcooking.com in the coming year!