One thing I ordered from the gourmet store was guanciale, a fancy italian bacon cured pork jowl. I have read of its unique taste and how you can only get it at the best shops. Yum! The Emporer’s New Pork Jowl! That jowl has my name all over it.
Guanciale is best known as the carbonera in Pasta Ala Carbonera, but I didn’t want to first try my hand at something so fancy. Instead I tried Martha Stewart’s Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Yeah, I did what Martha said, even the ice bath so it would stop cooking at just the perfect moment. Well, I didn’t have any ice.
So here’s the guincale.
Weird stuff. After a few minutes of cooking the white fat turns see-through. Of course, I was afraid to taste it.
I think I might have overcooked it a bit.
Mac came by and said, “Is that guanciale?”
When it was all done I pulled out a bit and tried it.
It really was different. Kind of like unsalted bacon crossed with barbeque burnt ends. Gary said he thought it tasted like burned pork chop fat. (But Martha said crisp, damnit!)
I don’t care even if it was burnt, because I’ve got eleven more ounces of this. I can fake it till I make it. On the subject of faking: my spice rack is even more awesome than before.
I hate that all the spice companies went round after I set up my spices. Now I’ve got a spot for the round.spices too. And yes, I’m inclined to just remove mustard entirely.
14 responses to “Them’s Some Fancy Sprouts”
I have pantry envy.
I only have two wee cabinets in which to store my spices, canned goods, dried beans, etc.
Then again, there is the whole basement. The whole stupid basement.
Myself, I would be put off by seeing the word ‘Hefty’ every time I opened my pantry door.
Since mustard, dry or otherwise, is essentially a condiment, I’m fine with its removal from the spice rack.
GAH. Mute with envy at your spice rack (after rummaging around in the bottom cupboard for five minutes and emerging with a crick in my neck and no peppercorns earlier today). I make it a policy not to eat any jowl. But that’s just me.
Becs – [GROSS WARNING] I am discovering horrible things whi;e cleaning the basement. The mice had a poop party on the ping pong table in the basement. The cockroaches died in the linen drawers. The mice ate through the fabric box. Don’t put food in the basement.
Big Dot – Damn, good eyes woman.
Candy – I can’t remember ever putting that mustard in anything, either. It might have to be purged.
Allison – The house I grew up in had a cabinet-sized corner cupboard lazy susan where we kept the spices. If you turned it too fast the spices whirled off and got stuck in the back of the lazy susan. You want a neck crick, that’s how you get it.
That’s a classic mustard powder and a staple in my pantry. Add some to a cheese sauce, it makes it taste cheesier. Which is always a good thing.
I have five cats. There are no mice in my basement. The garden shed (shudder) is a completely different story.
That mustard really stands out.
I use ground mustard in my hamburgers. This weekend I made a really good pork roast that had kosher salt, freshly ground mixed pepper, ground mustard, and applesauce on it. Sounds gross, tastes great.
Big Dot – It’s a classic antique, is what it is, because I haven’t opened it for 20 years.
Becs – Oh of course. I should have realized that.
Hattie – I know. It just isn’t right.
Caroline – The only thing tht makes it sound gross is the mustard.
Not that I’ve been cooking, but I used to put a little extra mustard in my honey mustard vinaigrette.
I do bacon bits and pine nuts with roasted brussel sprouts. You know why I roast vegetables? Because the cleanup is easy.
I suspect that you had the heat up too high on the guanciale – which I’ve never heard of, and I’m confused by that.
Tami -Usually I roast them too. And, I know I read about guinciale, because I didn’t know how to pronounce it. If I’d heard about it on a show I’d have known.
I’m sure I can find plenty of uses for the guinciale. I certainly won’t waste it on brussel sprouts.
Hot Mom – I’ve got two clumps. I’ll give you one.