Tomato Sauce with Pig's Foot and Sausages

(2021 Update: Whether we like it or not, we eat according to the times in which we live. Right now, those times spell doom for meat. The price is through the roof. Enter spaghetti. It has always been a savior's meal to tough times on the pocket book. Sausages are economical. More and more grocery stores are putting out cuts of meat never seen before because they are cheap. Pig's feet is one on them. Cheese is not cheap, so try to find it on sale. The other day one my favorite grocery stores had pasta on sale for one dollar a box, a real bargain. I bought five.

I recently purchased a new cookbook: "ODD BITS" recipes for the rest of the animal "head to tail." There is a chapter devoted to nothing but feet--from chickens to cattle. Ox-tail used to be considered an "odd bit," but it became so trendy that I recently saw a package for over 20 dollars! Hopefully, the price of pigs' feet won't make us squeal.)

I had been eyeing the packages of little piggy feet (trotters) for several days at my local Food Lion Supermarket. For an authentic Italian "gravy," they are indispensable. But not easy to find. So I purchased a package of four for less than four bucks and a nice package of Italian sausages to prepare a simple, basic sauce or "gravy." 

A pig's foot adds richness to a tomato-based sauce. If ever you've wanted a thick sauce, the pig's foot is what you're after. The pig's foot is very gelatinous (not fatty). After hours of simmering, it lovingly melts into the sauce and melds with the the other meats to create a deep, rich and unctuous sauce.

Look for trotters that are pink and flesh colored. They should have little or no smell. After a good wash, bring to boil in a pan and simmer 5-10 minutes. Rinse again and then slip them into your sauce to simmer for 2-4 hours or until tender and falling apart.

Feel free to add any meats to your sauce. I settled for the sausages and made some quick meatballs* that I add the last hour or so. This is probably the best spaghetti I've had. 

• 1.5 lbs. fresh Italian sausage 
• 1-2 pigs feet, sliced down the center (about 1 lb.) washed, lightly boiled and re-washed/rinsed
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 6 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, including juice, chopped (see update)
• 1/2-1 cup water (or dry wine, red or white)
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh fennel seeds
• salt and pepper (more pepper than salt)
• 2 teaspoons freshly minced rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh oregano leaves
• Grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano, etc)
• Meatballs

In a large pot, add a bit of butter and olive oil. Add onions and sweat just until they turn brown. Add the fennel seeds. Stir. Add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Rinse cans with a bit of water (or wine) and add. Slice/chip garlic cloves into sauce. Add pig's feet and sausages. Dust with pepper and stir. Cover loosely and simmer for 2-4 hours.

The last hour, add the brown sugar, chopped rosemary and oregano and, if using, meatballs. Taste for seasonings adding salt and pepper as needed.

Remove and discard pig's foot (Some people pick the meat off, but there isn't much. After 3-4 hours of simmering, it's pretty much given up whatever it had to offer to the sauce. It may also leave behind tiny chips of bones, so beware.)

Serve over pasta of your choice with a liberal grating or shavings of cheese.

Notes: I used Tuttorosso brand crushed tomatoes with basil. You could complicate things and add green pepper and celery to the onions. My sausage was mild with a bit of heat. If you want a spicier sauce, add a pinch or two of red-pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper to the onions. 

This is a mild-tasting and satisfying dish. The tomatoes are neither overpowering nor acidic. I give it five oinks!

Update: Wow. I've now made this several times. People who eat it want more, more, more. This is Italian "gravy." It is not a marinara sauce of just tomatoes. There's a world of difference between the two. The amount of tomatoes you use will depend on the amount of meat you add. The more meat--the more tomatoes. Start with a balance and go from there.

* Okay... A meatball is not just a meatball. It all depends on how and in what you are going to serve it. I no longer use egg in my meatballs. I use Ricotta. 

Salt-Cured Salmon with Whiskey (Gravlax)

I'm always amazed at food or recipes I've heard about for ages but never tried. Salt-cured salmon is one. It was much easier to prepare than I thought and the result was nothing short of wonderful. After two days of "curing" in the fridge, the thin slices of flavored salmon were silky and buttery.

Now I feel even more venturesome to experiment with different flavors and liquors. 

"Gravlax" literally means "grave salmon." Fishermen would bury their salmon in the sand just above the high tideline. The salt in the sand would "cure" the salmon.

Dill is the preferred and standard herb to use when curing salmon. Along with "Aquavit," a Scandinavian liquor. This recipe, adapted from GQ, uses fresh fennel and whiskey. In the future, I could certainly imagine using flavored vodkas. Next time I prepare this particular recipe, I will add a grate or two of orange zest.

This is a great appetizer, especially on a hot summer's day. The prep is pretty simple--season, wrap and wait. Two days later, unwrap, slice and enjoy!

The delicate flavor of the cured fish is easy to lose with too many accoutrements. I prefer naked slices. But to be a bit fancy, I schmeared a bit of cream cheese on a plain water cracker followed by a razor-thin wafer of cucumber that I sliced with a vegetable peeler, a pinch of pepper and a few snips of chive. Lovely.

For this recipe, I used a beautiful center-cut one- pound filet of Sockeye Salmon that my fishmonger, Brad, cut for me. It was thrillingly red and meaty.

                                                                                                              (GQ Photo)

• One, center-cut salmon filet, skin on
• 1 fennel bulb
• 2 tablespoons good whiskey (I used Knob Creek)
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup coarse salt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fennel fronds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• Black pepper (I used less)
• 1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

Brush the fish with the whiskey and place in refrigerator while preparing the other ingredients. (The whiskey will absorb into the flesh of the fish.)

Lightly crush the fennel and caraway seeds. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the "cure" of salt, sugar, lemon zest and fennel fronds.

Measure a sheet of cling wrap 3 times as long as the width of the fish and spread on a baking sheet.

Spread half of the salt/sugar mixture on the plastic wrap. Remove fish from refrigerator and place on top on cure mixture, skin-side down. Now pat down the remaining half of the salt/sugar mixture on top of the fish. 

Sprinkle seeds over the top and arrange the sliced fennel over the length of the fish. Sprinkle with pepper.

Wrap tightly. Place skin-side down in a large resealable plastic bag to catch any leaks and place the package on the baking sheet. Place a heavy pot on top. Allow to cure 2-3 days. (Some recipes say to flip every 12 hours or so. I did not.)

When ready, remove fish from plastic wrap. Remove the fennel and rinse the cured fish  under cold water. The fish will have "hardened." Pat dry. 

Using a sharp knife, cut thin slices on an angle. The skin will be tough as leather, but the flesh will be tender and succulent. Enjoy!

Carrot Cake with Candied Ginger and Orange, Honey, Cream-Cheese Frosting

There's just something about this carrot cake that makes people sit up to take notice. Perhaps it's the candied ginger or the surprise of the orange, cream-cheese frosting. I don't know. But whenever I make it and give aways slices, I get comments and notes like this one from my neighbor:

Some carrot cakes are loaded with extra ingredients. So much so, carrots take back-stage billing to coconut, pineapple, raisins, nuts, even chocolate! So when I saw this carrot cake from good-ole gal Betty Crocker I was intrigued. And I love crystallized ginger. But I didn't want just a regular cream-cheese frosting. I thought it deserved a bit more oomph--adding a bit of honey and orange did the trick.

This makes a small cake and is one of many on this site that won't feed a wedding party. I love an 8 x 8 cake. It's perfect for a few people. And if you need bigger, simply make another and stack them. For this, I cut one layer in half and frosted it for a small, double layer which I don't recommend since the frosting is very light and needs to be refrigerated. In the future, I may not even frost the cake at all but add a few spoonfuls on the cake as I cut and serve it.

My workmates pronounced it one of the best carrot cakes they've eaten. The cake itself is very moist and redolent with carrots. The ginger is not at all pronounced. But without it, the cake would be a dud. The orange-honey frosting is, of course, wonderful and the perfect companion to such a simple cake, easily served any season of the year.

Avoid buying "jarred" candied ginger in your spice aisle at the grocery store. It's overly expensive. I buy small tubs of it for a few bucks in the organic section of my local store. It lasts forever. I'm not a fan of using all oil in a cake recipe, so I use part butter and part oil. It makes for a moister cake in my opinion without the greasy taste. Grate your own nutmeg--it makes a huge difference. I also use a combo of white and brown sugar for more taste. 

• 1 tablespoon AP flour
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (set aside)
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded/grated carrots (set aside)
• 1 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 F. degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 in square pan. Cut a piece of wax paper or parchment paper to fit in the bottom. Lightly grease it, too.

Using a sharp knife, begin mincing the ginger. It can get sticky, so sprinkle a bit of flour on it as you go.

In a large bowl, mix everything but the shredded carrots and crystallized ginger with an electric mixer on low speed for about one minute or so, just until moistened. Then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Now stir in the carrots and ginger. Batter will be thin.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let rest for about ten minutes or so and remove from pan on a wire rack to cook completely before frosting. Cake will be moist and sticky.

Frost cake. Keep refrigerated.

Honey, Orange, Cream-Cheese Frosting

• 4-6 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons honey
• Orange zest of one orange or to taste

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Add more sugar as needed. Frosting will be light and a bit runny. Feel free to experiment with measurements.

Rump Roast

A feast for the eyes, indeed! Growing up, I never saw a rump roast that looked this good!

I always get a bit excited when I spy rump roasts in the meat department at the grocery store. It's not the best cut of meat, but I love the grain of its texture and rich, beefy flavor.

I grew up with Sunday rump roasts. My mom would throw one in the oven before we went to church on Sundays. Sometimes, she put it in the oven but forgot to turn it on ... YIKES! She was angry the rest of the day! I don't think she ever used a thermometer ... just time. So, there you go.

You need a thermometer.

I hated Sunday rump roasts. They were tough and difficult to swallow. Chew, chew, chew. My mother hated Sundays ... everyone was home, even my dad ... and she had to cook and clean up. She never got a day off. Pins and needles. When she was angry, she banged around pots and pans, cabinet doors. I think today, that is what we call passive-aggressive behavior.

The leftovers were better, though ... served over grocery store white bread that sopped up the gravy ... and made it all more palpable.

Roasts are more and more difficult to find, (good roasts, anyway, which include pork). Most of what we prepare is already sliced and diced. That's too bad. A roast is one of the easiest things to prepare: just season, bake, slice and serve. And if you have a family, it can go a long way. Leftovers are great for cold or warm sandwiches.

Thin slices of rare, seasoned rump roast served with a side
of garlic and rosemary polenta. Just a smidge of gravy.

When I lived in Michigan, I had the luxury of choosing between several butchers. The rump roasts were on the tender side and cut with a generous saddle of fat which basted the roast as it cooked. If there were not enough fat, the butcher would give several pieces of suet that I affixed to the roast with toothpicks. The roasts were also uniform in size so they cooked evenly.

If you get your roast in the supermarket, it will be packaged upside down making it difficult how much fat the "butcher" left on it. The more the better. You can always trim it yourself if there is too much--but there never is. Try to choose a roast that is uniform in size. Many are "triangular" shaped which means the thinner parts will cook sooner.

The rub below is enough to use for 2.5-3.5 lb. roast (this is a good rub for any beef cut that you will roast). Remember, the spices only penetrate about 1/4 inch of the meat as it cooks. A roast such as this should be served rare, and cut against the grain in thin, thin slices.

• 1, 2.5 - 3 lb. rump roast
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose black pepper
• 1 good teaspoon granulated/powdered beef bouillon
• 1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon dried thyme leaves, lightly crushed
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon regular paprika
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• optional: roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery, one whole unpeeled garlic clove,
• if desired add a spring or two of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram and
• lightly toss all in some olive oil 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With a damp paper towel, wipe all sides of the roast.

In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Rub the olive oil into the roast and then coat with the dry rub.

Place roast on a metal rack in a shallow metal pan/dish. If desired, spread roughly chopped vegetables on bottom

Notice the saddle of fat that has been
left on the roast. It adds
both moisture and taste.

Roast until it reaches an internal temperature of about 120-125 degrees. This will take anywhere from 50-70 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand, covered, without cutting for 10-15 minutes. This allows the juices to stop flowing out and settle back into the meat.

Cut against the grain when carving. An old pie tin serves well as a roasting pan.
I like the heat to hit all sides when roasting.

Remove roast to a cutting board and cut into thin slices. Sometimes a sharp serrated knife works best. Be sure to cut against the grain of the meat.

If gravy is desired, add a bit of water or beef or chicken stock to the pan drippings and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Pour into a small bowl and serve on the side. I don't use flour ... I like au jus ... 

If you added veggies, smash them a bit to release flavor and then remove. Add water or stock, scraping the bottom of the pan. Strain and serve.