Restaurant Widow

In Which Husband Makes the Most Delicious Soup & Stock. Ever

Kudos to my brilliant readers for sleuthing out my super secret picture titled "stock."  I know how to take all the fun out of guessing games...

So.  It all started the other day when Husband began thumbing through that good old ode to offal, Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast, and stumbled upon a recipe for braised pig's trotters with chicken, and began shopping.

What exactly are trotters, you might be asking? Someone asked me recently if "trotter" was polite term for, erm, Rocky Mountain Oyster (but he didn't use that term, either).  No, no, nothing that delicate.  A pork trotter is the foot of the pig.  I haven't had many pig's feet in my days, although I do recall seeing them pickled, and in a jar, and staring at them in mild horror at the thought of eating one of those tiny little feet. 

The idea of the recipe is to braise the trotters in a bottle of red wine, pluck the meat from them, and then braise the meat with cut up bone-in chickens.  All was going fine until we came to the point of plucking the meat.  No meat.  A lot of fat and connective tissue, but no meat of which to speak.  Hm.  They did, however, smell quite tasty - Husband compared it to precisely the aroma of a really gamey Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf.  We pondered the issue for a bit, and he bisected another foot with a knife, and upon finding no meat again, decided to just set the feet aside and braise the chicken in the pork stock.  He added some baby Yukon Gold potatoes and a few turned carrots, and after what seemed like an eternity (I have no patience, so when someone else is cooking, it always seems as though an eternity has passed), we finally sat down to eat.  And eat, and eat.  The chicken was meltingly tender, the stock was practically sticky with gelatin, and rich beyond belief - so rich, in fact, that we were certain we could fill the pot back up with water and get another equally delicious soup. 

We had a few soup leftovers, and the next night we staggered in from the bitter cold from work and set out to partake of them.  We knew we were onto something good when the leftovers plopped from their containers in the manner of a Jello mold - no joke.  A meat jello mold, with bits of chicken and potatoes and carrots floating within the nearly clear stock.  If it hadn't been 1 in the morning, I would have taken a picture.

Rhulman stock method, take two (click here for take one).  Into the oven (at 180) went the chicken bones, the pig's trotters, and 8 quarts of water.  Overnight it sat, and on through the next day.  Aromatics were added and still it cooked, and then was strained. 

At any rate, all of this to say that the secret to an amazingly rich stock (and soup), with a crazy mouth-filling meaty and savory quality, thanks to their huge amounts of gelatin, is pig's trotters. I believe chicken feet will have a similar effect, but I haven't tested that theory yet.  This stock can literally be refrigerated after straining and then sliced and placed into bags for the freezer.  The best thing about the trotters is that they are remarkably cheap - 3 large trotters were $5 at the Crestview Asian Market (High & Crestview, in Clintonville); one of the only places in Columbus where one can purchase trotters, chunks of pig's blood, soft-shell turtles (but you would never eat a turtle, would you?) and live frogs, all in one visit.  Heaven.

Two recipes!  The soup and the resulting stock.

Pig's Trotter and Chicken Stew - Serves 4, recipe adapted from Fergus, courtesy Husband

Scrub the pig's trotters.  Place three thawed pig’s feet in an 8 Quart stock pot with four chopped carrots, four stalks chopped celery, 10 cloves garlic, 12 peppercorns and one large onion chopped.  Add one bottle red wine (no, it doesn’t matter what it is) and one (32 oz) container of chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer on stove top so that scum may be skimmed. Transfer to 350 degree oven and cook uncovered for 4 hours. 

Remove trotters from broth and allow to cool.  In a separate pan render fat from 8 slices of bacon.  Remove bacon and reserve.  In Bacon fat brown chicken - pieces from 2 cut-up chickens.  When chicken pieces are browned, place in trotter liquid.  When finished browning chicken, pour off any fat and deglaze pan with wine or some of the trotter liquid and add to pot.  At this point, if any meat was on trotters it may be pulled and added to the pot.  Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours.  Before serving, add 2 pounds of lightly steamed baby potatoes and 1 pound lightly steamed  carrots.  If you wish, you can pull the chicken from the bones or simply serve the chicken pieces in a bowl and then ladle the stock over, garnishing with the reserved bacon.

Stock - makes 8 quarts of stock

Place the trotters and all of the leftover chicken bones, skin, and meat into an 8 quart stock pot and cover with water.  Place in a 180 degree oven and allow to cook overnight.  In the morning, add more water to bring level back up to 8 quarts and allow to cook for another 8 hours or so (you could probably strain it after the first 8 hours, but this is how we did it, so I wanted to be sure to give you the same instructions).  Add 4 ribs of chopped celery, 6 large carrots, chopped, one large onion, chopped, and a few cloves of mashed garlic.  Return to the oven and cook for one more hour.  Allow the stock to cool slightly and then pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.  At this point, you could pour it through a filter, but it was far too thick - even fresh out of the oven - to go through a filter.  Fortunately, when you  put the stock into the fridge, it will naturally separate, any detritus falling to the bottom of the bowl.  Freeze and enjoy!!!

Sidenote

While I typically like to keep things very food-related here at Restaurant Widow and not personal, I thought the good vibes of my readers couldn't hurt anyone . . .

My friend Kelly is donating her kidney (to her ex - imagine the selflessness!) tomorrow morning at 7am, and I just wanted to ask everyone to think of her, send good thoughts, vibes, prayers, or whatever you believe in.  I can't imagine doing anything so selfless (I don't know what that says about me) unless it were Husband, so I am very proud of her.  The moment she heard that her ex needed a kidney, she said she'd do it and has never looked back or thought twice.  It's pretty interesting to hear what all goes into organ donation from a living donor, and although I had an uncle who received a kidney transplant years ago, I was too young to really hear any of the details.  These days, the surgery is far less invasive than it was 20 years ago, but it still has a long (and unpaid) recovery period.

Kelly's first meal post-op will be chocolate ice cream, hopefully Jeni's, if she's lucky!

Thanks for the thoughts!

To read about surgeries going on with another friend of mine, visit Columbus Foodie!

Any Guesses?

Witness the beauty:

Things to do in Columbus::January 16th Edition

Baby, it is cold outside.  Really, really cold.  Fortunately, Husband has discovered the most delicious soup ever (more on that later), which made the jiggliest stock ever, so that should keep us warm for the next few weeks.  There are also a few events going on this week which should help you forget (for an hour, at least) about the cold.  As always, if you have any events you think I've missed or would like to promote, please email me or leave your event in the comments.

• My first suggestion for getting out of the cold is going to Franklin Park Conservatory.  An hour or so in the palm house should definitely make you forget about the 15 degrees outside.  And there's that nice Macau who lives at the Conservatory; it's always nice to stop by and have a nice chat with him.  Over the next month, the Conservatory will have an orchid forest.  The water garden will be filled with orchids; you can also take the opportunity to take a class in orchid raising, and on Wednesdays (1/16, 1/23, 1/30), from 5p - 8p you can enjoy island music, tropical foods, and of course, the warmth and glow of the Conservatory.  Sounds like a pretty cheap one-night vacation. Click above for more information.
• And of course, for the next few days, you can still catch the In Monet's Garden, the Lure of Giverny exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art. 
• If warming your soul counts, this weekend, Mavis Staples will join the Columbus Jazz Orchestra for a history of Gospel in The Gospel Truth: from Spirituals to Swing at the Southern Theatre.  If you've never been to the Southern, you should really take this chance to visit.  It's a great space to see a performance.
• More on the music front, this weekend (including a rare Sunday matinee), violinest Charles Weatherbee will join the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for a trio of violin favorites.  Junichi Hirokami will conduct. 
• If you've recovered from Christmas spending and have some cash burning a hole in your handbag, you might want to visit the Scott Antique market this weekend at the Ohio Expo Center.
• This week at the Whole Foods Cooking school, you can learn a few knife skills (probably one of the best skills to learn first in the kitchen) Thursday 6:30pm ($35).  Saturday morning, you and your kiddos can learn how to incorporate more healthy food & snacks into your life (click over to the calender for details on what grades should visit when).  Tuesday, January 22nd, you can learn how to balance fitness & nutrition.  Click over to the calender for more information.
• And, this week at Sur la Table - Friday Night out in Thailand with Mike McCauley 1/18; Kids in the Kitchen with Laura Finley 1/19 (10:30a, $45); Cupcake Madness with Dena Logan 1/19 (3pm); Cooking around the World with Yokiko Bates 1/21; Planning the Perfect Shower with Mike McCauley (1/22, noon); and Weeknight Inspirations with Mike McCauley (1/22).  Unless otherwise specified, all classes are $65 and take place at 6:30pm.  Click to their calender for more information.
• And, in future events: start brushing up your chili skills for this year's Fiery Foods Festival at the North Market on Saturday, February 16th.  There will be fiery foods available all day long, as well as cooking demonstrations, chili contests (I'll be judging!!), and even a spicy cooking demo for singles, sponsered by Columbus Alive in the afternoon.  To learn how to be involved in the chili cookoff, call (614) 463-9664 or visit the market's website.

Worthington Winter Farmer's Market Report

Locally produced cider vinegar from Anderson Orchard.  The floatie is the "mother," or the bacteria which allows the vinegar to ferment.

Wow - my first market report of 2008!  I finally made it to one the Worthington's winter farmer's markets, and I have to say I was impressed with the turnout.  I made it just after 10am, and it was packed.  As a matter of fact, I won't be having any all-local meals this week because the one stand selling onions, garlic, greens and the like was swamped, and after waiting in line for about 10 minutes, I was cut by a group of 5 greedy woman.  When did we un-learn lining up and waiting our turn.  To make matters worse, a few of these women began huffing and puffing when they thought the farmer was taking too long with the previous customer.  Should I begin adopting this behavior?  Is it the new standard?  Are these people really more important than I am?  It happened again, when I was buying eggs.  A women came up and stood beside me.  The farmer looked at me, because I had been waiting, and I placed my order while this woman began stamping and huffing.  Am I invisible?  I really can't figure this out, and it gets worse and worse every year (which is why I do my best to get to the markets as early as humanly possible, and why I love love love those people at Gilogly Orchards, who staunchly guard their always-long lines and scold those who try to jump to the front).

So, enough with the line-jumping whining.  I stopped by summer market favorites Up the Lane Cattle to purchase some nice beef shanks, and was also encouraged to buy a bone-in chuck roast (which I did).  A friend gave me her slow cooker recently and I need an excuse to break it in, so I'll have some more braising to do this week.  The folks from Up the Lane Cattle have even begun selling some great mugs and market totes with "Locavore" on them, and a definition.  It is a great idea, so you should buy some!  I was pleased to hear that they are really doing well at these winter markets.

I also picked up some tarragon flavored cider vinegar from Anderson Orchard, which I thought was really cool - I haven't seen anyone making vinegar locally, so I was pleased to see it.  The vinegar is very cider-y and slightly sweet.  It will make a great vinaigrette sometime soon.

Lastly, I stopped by Raven Rocks farm to pick up some eggs.  It is so nice to be shopping locally again, and I am encouraged by the turnout at the Worthington market, although it was, as some have noted, incredibly crowded, even right at opening time.  Hopefully by next year they will have to find a larger space; as it seems, there are more vendors than space, which is certainly the problem you'd like to have!  Also, with the success of this year's market, perhaps more farmers will begin cold-weather farming, so by next winter there will be more than just a couple of produce vendors.

It's Winter. You Might as Well Try a New Vegetable.

Poor Rutabaga.  Everyone thinks they loathe you, people are stumped by you in the grocery store, no one wants you as a side dish.  You're misunderstood.  Well, so am I, rutabaga.  So am I.  Let's work through it together, shall we?  I'll point out your best features, and you can point out mine.  Well, I suppose you won't have much to offer, so I'll just highlight my talent by putting you to good use.

The Rutabaga: a human invention or happy accident, actually.  A hybrid of the turnip and cabbage with many names; in British countries, it is known as a "Swede" whereas in Sweden, it is known as a Cabbage root; In Norway, it's called a kohlrabi, which we know as this also very delicious cruciferous veggie; the Scots call the rutabagas either tumshie or neep, but my favorite is the NE England "snadgie."  (take with a grain of sea salt, please - it's from Wikipedia.)

Rutabagas look very much like a large turnip; in supermarkets, they are heavily waxed to protect the cut ends of the root.  The rind on the rutabaga is a little thick.  Along with the wax, this can make it a little tricky to peel.  For this reason, I prefer to peel it with a very sharp paring knife instead of a potato peeler.  Peel through the white parts of the rutabaga until you get to the orangey flesh.  Rutabagas have a very nice clean earthy aroma.  It's very pleasant when it's winter and you've nearly forgotten what really great fresh veggies smell like.

Rutabagas contain very few calories (50 in a one-cup serving), a good deal of vitamin C, and like many cruciferous vegetables, a nice bit of potassium (13% DV) and a whopping 66% of your daily calcium intake - so if you are trying to eat a little healthier in the New Year, you might think about picking one of these up on your next shopping trip.

I am going to present two recipes for rutabagas here - nearly identical save the cooking methods - although there are many ways you could prepare them - soup, gratins, roasting, fries even.  Rutabagas make a very nice companion to pork dishes.

First up - a simple method I like to employ for lots of vegetables - potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, what have you.  The basic idea is to use a small bit of fat for browning purposes, and a large amount of liquid is used to cook the rutabagas.

Glazed Rutabaga - serves 2

2 tbsp butter
1 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper

Melt half of the butter in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat; if the butter browns slightly, it's all the better (but don't let it burn).  Add the rutabagas chunks, and toss everything to coat.  Turn the heat to high and add one cup of the chicken stock and cook until it is absorbed, then add the remaining stock and the white wine, and cook until the rutabagas chunks are soft but still present some resistance (about 15-20 minutes); you might want to taste a chunk and see how you like it; it like mine with some of the root veggie goodness still in tact, and it makes glazing easier.  The chicken stock should all be absorbed - you might have to add a little more.  Add the remaining butter, and the brown sugar, and season liberally with salt and pepper; toss everything to coat and brown the rutabaga slightly.  Serve immediately.

Mashed Rutabagas - serves 2

1 large rutabaga, peeled and cut into large chunks
salt & pepper
2 tbsp butter, or to taste
1/2 ounce half & half
freshly grated nutmeg

Place the rutabaga chunks into a steamer basket and sprinkle with salt.  Cover and place over a pot of simmering water.  Steam for about 25 minutes or until very soft (they take much longer to soften than potatoes or squash).  Drain the water from the pot and place back over high heat; add the rutabaga chunks back into the pan and toss for just a few seconds to take off any excess water.  Remove from heat.  Add the butter and half and half, and mash with a potato masher.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Yum!  If the flavor is a little too "rutabaga-ey" for your tastes, you can add equal parts of regular mashed russet potatoes; the rutabagas will give the potatoes a delightfully earthy flavor.

Come on, you know you want to try something new and delicious!

Things to do in Columbus::January 9th Edition

Dear Readers: If I seem scarce, or become more so in the next few weeks, it might have something to do with this.  I am finally the rock goddess I always knew I was.  Guitar Hero is helping me with my resolution to watch fewer hours of television, but it's distracting me from other areas of life.  All apologies.

Just to keep this food-related, I'll just let you know that a cup of green tea and a bowl of hot & sour soup from Ha Long Bay does wonders for the sniffles.  You might want to file that away because they are going around.

At any rate, here are a few fun thing to do in Columbus.  As always, if you have an event, please email it to me or leave it in the comments.  Aside from work, you can find me in Husband's office, rocking out.  If you have a life beyond video games, you might want to check some of these out:

• COSI has a few cool things going on, aside from the usual fun exhibits: You can see Hurricane on the Bayou, which tells the story of the Louisiana area before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, and also the Secrets of Greece.
• The Cultural Art Center has an interesting exhibit going on featuring folk art from Father & Son Walter Mayo.  Aside from the exhibits, the CAC is a great place for bored adults to take some classes and get some creativity back into their lives. 
• Shadowbox is back to great sketch comedy in CrazySexyCool running now through March.  There are lots of showtimes.
• The Curtain Players will showcase new plays by up and coming playwrights, and the shows are a mere $5.  Another great event for those of you who want to get some culture into your life.
• This week's Cooking Classes at Sur la Table include: Fri 1/11, Ravioli Workshop with Mike McCauley; Sat 1/12, Cake Decorating Workshop with Mike McCauley (10:30am); Hearty Tuscan Dinner with Marty Moran (5pm); Monday 1/14 Weeknight Inspirations with Mike McCauley; Tuesday 1/15, Sushi 101 with Yokiko Bates; Wed 1/16 5 Classic recipes every cook should know with Mike McCauley.  Unless otherwise noted, classes are $65 and take place at 6:30pm.  Click through to their calender for more information.

I know there aren't an overload of events going on this week; I suppose it's that time of year.  I promise to try to put the plastic ax down every now and then to either cook something or eat in a restaurant . . .

Crumbs, Calls for Suggestsions & A Few Things to do in Columbus

Shop Locally - Christmas present from Husband, this fabulous funtote (tm) ginkgo tote from Tigertree.

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to do any events this week, but a few did come across my radar which seemed worth mentioning, and there was a little bit of restaurant news this week, etc.  Please read all of the bullet points because there are requests for suggestions, news about our fundraising event, etc.

• First of all, the Burgundy Room in Dublin closed this weekend.  I had friends who worked there and I wish them the best of luck as they find new places of employment.  And I'm sorry I never made it in again for a Monday night dinner.  Where Chef Mike Black goes, look out for him - he is talented and enthusiastic about food, and is committed to using as many local ingredients as possible - and he hooked me up with my fantastic JB King turkey.  Cheers, M & J.
• Please don't forget that this weekend is another winter Farmer's market in Worthington.  All apologies, it is next Saturday, January 12th.  I heard the previous one was pretty crowded, which I am taking as a good sign.  Alas, I probably won't be able to make this one, either, but I am going to try my best.  Husband is spending the day at wine tasting boot camp (there really is such a thing), so I'll have to negotiate COTA with my winter squash!
• Do you have a favorite locally owned shop you'd like to promote?  (such as the fabulous Tigertree - 17 e Brickel in the Short North - from whence the ginkgo tote bag came - thanks, Husband!) I am working on compiling a list of ways to keep your money in the city - whether food-related or not.  This will begin as a single post and will continue in the form of a page on RW and hopefully, a map which anyone can contribute to geotag via Google Maps.  I am working hard on getting that going; it's just a bit time consuming since I don't have any super cool devices (YET) which will allow me to do it instantly.  Soon!
• Don't forget my tee shirt/market bag contest!
• I am still planning to do a charity event!  A super cool venue has been offered to me and I am looking for your advice, suggestions, etc.  Here's a question: if we had a really big potluck, would people bring their favorite foods?  Or, would you rather have me provide foods?  OR, are you a chef or restaurant who would donate food to pimp out your restaurant?  Fellow foodblogger who'd like to show off your most popular recipes? There's a chance you might even be able to prepare something on the spot or give a demonstration or something.  I don't know, the options are really overwhelming and the ideas are flowing, so someone better stop me before I go overboard.  The event will probably take place sometime late in February, on a Sunday afternoon.  A few fellow bloggers have asked if they can be involved, which got me thinking of an "Independent Media" event.  Or, maybe even more tongue in cheek, what I like to call myself: "Non Legitimate Media" event.  Which will be even more funny when you find out what the venue is.  So, this is the call for entries/ideas/offers to help: if you would like to be a "sponsor" of the event, provide food, alcohol, flier-printing services, promotions, etc.  This will be low-key, but I'd like to have a cool graphic invitation and I am no Photoshop genius.  Send me an email if you have any suggestions or would like to be involved in any way.  I will then try to get in touch with everyone and see if we can have a brainstorming session.
• Black Creek Bistro will hold an Iron Chef-style competition this Sunday as a thank you to all who have supported them and to showcase their new artwork.  The event is free with a cash bar, and takes place from 6-9pm.
• Get some culture into your life!  This weekend is the Columbus Symphony Orchestra's Mozart Festival.  You know that listening to Mozart makes you smarter, right?  Who couldn't use a few more IQ points?  The festival even includes a showing of Amadeus after the Saturday night concert.
• This weekend is the Gallery Hop in the Short North.  If the Holiday Hop was too crowded for you, now's your chance.  And, it's supposed to be warm(er) this Saturday, to boot.  For those of you who don't frequent the Short North and get frustrated trying to find parking, click here for the Short North Business Association's Parking Tips.
• For you new homeowners, or those of you thinking of doing some remodeling or landscaping (should I turn my yard into a raised bed garden? someone convince me. Maybe I can write the new "eat super local" book - how I sustained myself with my 35X35 foot urban garden), visit the Home Show this weekend at the Columbus Convention Center.

Official Tee Shirt/Market Bag Contest

Okay, now that the holidays are (finally) over, I can get down to the business of answering emails, following up on promises, communicating with my fabulous readers, and getting back into the swing of things.

So: a few weeks ago, I mentioned that this year I wanted to have a tee shirt made for my website.  I received a few really cute ideas, and they were so good that I really want to have some more.  The winner will recieve my undying gratitude and a tee shirt of their choice from Skreened, a tee shirt with their logo on it, and Columbuswide fame.  Runners up may have their design on a canvas market tote bag, if you choose.  I will also place the logo on my sidebar with a link to your website, if you have one.  I've never done anything like this before, so hopefully we can work out the details.

• The tee shirt can contain as many colors as you'd like.  There is no cost to print extra colors.
• When you submit a design, you are giving me your permission to put it up on my website, where others can comment on it. 
• Please send the file in .pdf format or something else which can easily be opened with a PC.
• If you have an idea, but do not have the wherewithal to produce an image, please send me the idea.  I will clarify it with you, and ask another designer to either design something on your behalf, will try to do it myself, of will put the idea out there for another talented reader to draw up.

Those of you who have already submitted a design, I will be emailing you to make sure it's okay to put your design on the website.

The deadline for the contest is February 1st.  I will be reminding everyone as time goes by.

New Year's Eating - Hoppin' John & Pork Shoulder with Sauerkraut and Beer

Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder & Hoppin' John::here's to the New Year!

*sigh of relief*

The holidays are finally over.  It's finally the new year.  I thought about doing a recap, a redux of the year, review of my least and most favorites, resolutions, and all of that good stuff.  But instead, I decided to just give you my 2 favorite New Year's recipes.  I promise they will give you the energy to start a new year.  Special thanks to Chef Chef for teaching me to appreciate Hoppin' John and giving me guidance for making it, a few years ago.

First up, the pork shoulder.  This recipe could not be easier - seriously.  Last year, before my slow cooker exploded (not literally, it just burned a slow death on this very day), I put the whole mess in the slow cooker before going to work and then, when Husband and I arrived home after our long nights at work, the entire house was full of the smell of pork.  Unfortunately, I don't like to leave my gas oven running while I'm at work for 10 hours, so I had to make it overnight.  And, at about 5am, the amazing smell of yummy pork actually woke me up.

New Year's Day Pork & Kraut - serves however many you'd like.  Husband and I like to leave it on the "keep warm" setting of the oven and pick at it all day, and then have leftovers.  I'd say this serves about 6.

7 pound piece of bone-in pork shoulder, aka pork butt
salt & pepper
2 28 oz jars sauerkraut
5 whole allspice berries
1 tsp fennel seeds
1" stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
2 (12 ounce) bottles of beer, preferably not a lite beer, but something fuller bodied - I used Columbus Brewing Company's Ohio Honey Wheat

Place the pork butt in a large Dutch oven or stock pot (mine fit in my trusty All Clad 8 quart stock pot) and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  Turn it so that the fat side is up - my theory is that the fat will melt down over the pork and keep it delicious.  I have no idea if this is true or not, but I've always done it that way.  Dump the sauerkraut over - including the juices, add in the seasonings and the beer - the pork should be almost covered in liquid, and covered with the kraut.  Cover the pot.  Place in the oven and set the heat for 275 degrees - think low and slow.  The pork should be done in about 7-8 hours, but you can pretty much leave it in for up to 10 hours without harm.  Alternatively, you can cook it in a slow cooker set on low heat for about the same amount of time.  You can pretty much tell the pork is done when you prod it with tongs and the meat just falls off.  Serve hot with a good amount of sauerkraut on top.  This recipe is also really good with the addition of a great knackwurst (slice them up and you only need about 1/2 per person when you have all of that pork butt).  Alas, I didn't make it to Thurn's in time this past Saturday.

You might notice I did not brown the meat - you are certainly welcome to do so, but I am usually making this dish in a bad mood (ie, having to go to work on NYE), so I like to keep it criminally easy, and it's so delicious, there's no reason to stress out about it.  It should be easy, especially if you have *ahem* indulged the night before.  I'm just nursing my sore knees and feet.

Hoppin' John is a Southern tradition that I had never heard of until my previous restaurant job, where Chef taught me to love it and the basic principles of making it.  More than a sum of its parts, Hoppin' John is cheap and nutritious, and tasty to boot.  Basically, it is black eye peas and rice, with bell peppers and bacon.  A good dose of Tabasco when eating never hurt anyone, either. A lot of people are scared of black eye peas, for some reason, but they are really good.  They have a rich, full flavor - almost a little smoky, which makes them perfect with another delicious pork product - bacon!  The story is, one should eat Hoppin' John & collard greens on New Year's day to bring prosperity in the coming year - the black eye peas are for coins, and the collards are for dollar bills.  Alas, when I was doing my shopping (stupidly, last-minute) at Weiland's, and they didn't have any kind of fresh braising greens, so I guess Husband and I will only have lots of coins this year.  Sounds about right.  This recipe is just a guideline - you can adjust it however you'd like after you make this basic version the first time.

Hoppin' John - serves about 6

6 nice thick strips of bacon, cut into 4 strips lengthwise, and then into 1/4" dice
1 medium red onion, small dice
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 green bell pepper, small dice
Pinch red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, mashed in garlic press
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
2 cans black eye peas, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken stock (homemade, of course) or water, plus a little more if needed
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp butter
Lots of Tabasco, to serve

Render the bacon over medium-high heat until it is nicely browned and crisp.  Drain about half of the fat off.  Leaving the bacon in the pan, add the onions and cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes, then add the pepper.  Cook a few more minutes, until the peppers begin to soften, and then add the garlic and the red pepper flakes.  Add the rice and stir everything to coat nicely.  Add the peas.  Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot; simmer for 20 minutes, checking after 15, just to make sure you don't need anymore stock or water.  After 20 minutes, lower the heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes.  The stock should be absorbed and the rice soft.  The taste actually improves after sitting for another 10 minutes or so on low heat, just letting the flavors meld together.  Taste to check seasoning - because bacon can be very salty, I usually don't add salt at the beginning of the cooking process as I typically would when cooking rice (or any starch, really) - and add salt and pepper as needed.  Stir in the butter.  Turn the heat off and place in bowls with Tabasco on the side. 

Serve with the bottle of Egly you brought home from work and didn't have the energy to drink.

Here's to a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!