Dear Friends and Foodies,

Firstly, let me wish all of you a belated Happy New Year. I just came inside, and let me tell you something that you already know... It's cold out there, really cold! Unfortunately, the frigid feeling is not only temperature related. We are all making an effort to spend as little as possible during this rough patch. Of course, one way you can reign in your spending is to eat in restaurants and order take-out less often, and cook for yourself and your family more often. The good news, is that it is winter time! Good news? You ask. Yes! The foods upon which we rely to keep us warm in the winter, often are composed of inexpensive ingredients. Not only are these dishes inexpensive, but they are among the easiest ones out there to prepare, and you will surely be a hero to your family if you add some of them to your repertoire. Remember, some of the greatest food arises out of peasant culture! Embrace your inner peasant! In this issue, we will talk about these great, old-standby dishes, the economy of home cooking, the myth that inexpensive food is unhealthy, and more!

Happy Reading, Cooking, and Eating.

Warmest Regards

Peter Shelsky
Executive Chef/Owner

Braises, Soups, Stews, and Organs! Organs?

About 2 weeks ago, after checking our family finances, it became clear, as it has to many people in recent weeks and months, that we must find ways to spend less money. Being that I'm me, food is definitely an area with room to tighten the financial straps. So, I made a list of all the great inexpensive dishes I could cook that would keep us satiated and healthy. It turns out that many recipes on my list are perfect winter dishes as well. These include braises, stews, soups, offal, or organ Meats, and fish.

Braising is one of my favorite cooking techniques. You take an inexpensive cut of meat, sear it, simmer with some vegetables and herbs in a liquid of your choosing in a low oven for a few hours. The rich fragrance of the braise will waft through your home and make your family smile as they come in from the cold. Costing you only a few bucks, the result is a pot filled with luxurious lusciousness.
A Stew, is very similar to a braise, except the meat is cut into smaller, bite-size pieces, and you use more liquid. You can process the stew in a food processor to make a ragu to put over pasta. (Great for left-over stew).
Offal (organ meat). Now, when you see organ meats, many of you might feel inclined to unsubscribe to this newsletter. Please don't do anything as emotional and rash as that! Have faith, I would never lead you astray! Too often I see a grimace on peoples' faces at the mere mention of liver. I think I know why. At some point during our formative years someone we trusted cooked each and every one of us a chalky, gnarly piece of calf's liver. There is nothing worse than overcooked liver. Cooked correctly though, it is quite tasty! It is also super inexpensive, easy to cook, and extremely nutritious. I recently made veal sweetbreads for dinner. They were fantastic with a lovely golden crust that had a beautiful crunch to lay contrast with the creamy rich interior. And, at $4 per serving, perhaps you might be willing to look past the fact that you are eating thymus gland! For those of you concerned about cholesterol, I am not suggesting eating this stuff everyday - everything in moderation!
Finally, Fish! We don't often consider fish to be wallet-friendly, but some wild caught fish is wonderfully inexpensive, and just as delicious. As a matter of fact, I am cooking Skate Fish for dinner this evening. That is dinner (or at least the fish) for 2 people for only $5.35. And that is from a fancy local fish store! Can you imagine the possibilities. There are many other inexpensive fish and seafood options. Stop into your local fish monger to check them out!

I Dig on Swine - The Virtues Of The Often Maligned Pig!

Saying goodbye to 2008 was difficult for me. You see, I actually kept my 2008 New Year's resolution. Ok, so it wasn't the most difficult one to keep, but still I managed to do something that few people can say they have accomplished. I set out to eat pork every day in 2008! I DID IT!
That doesn't mean I ate BBQ or pork chops everyday. I simply made sure that I had even the smallest amount of pork each day. Somedays, I would have some bacon in a salad. In the summer, I made sure to make at least 1 pie a week with whatever fresh fruit was coming from our CSA, and use fresh lard in the dough! It makes the flakiest pie crust and tastes so much better than worthless and dangerously unhealthy vegetable shorening. The sour cherry pie, I think was my favorite, but the blueberry pies, and there were quite a few, were steallar. Pig was everywhere for me in 2008. And, it actually was a difficult habit to break. I think my first day with no pork at all was around January 10th.
I am not the only Chef to extol the glorious pig. From Mario Batali to Emeril Lagasse and every Chef in between, there is no animal as prized as the pig. Why? What is so great about the pig?

1) Pork tastes great! OK, so this might be totally subjective, but I have never met anyone who doesn't eat it simply because they don't like it, and if they do say that, they're lying!
2) It is the only animal that you can eat every single part from head to toe!
3) It is probably the safest meat to eat! There has not been a case of trichinosis from pork in the United States since 1971. Go ahead, eat that pork chop a little pink... It is better that way! (The USDA still urges people to eat it cooked into shoe-leather at an internal temp of 165 degrees)
4) Pork Fat tastes good!
5) Pork Fat makes the best pie crusts
6) Pork Fat is the healthiest animal fat you can eat. Lard, although it has an awful name, has half the saturated fat and cholesterol of butter!
7) Can anyone dispute the fact that bacon makes everything better? I didn't think so!
8) Pork is pretty inexpensive!
9) There is some really great pork available these days - some excellent alternatives to the factory-farm, commercially produced junk so many people are used to! Look for 100% Berkshire Pork. Old breeds taste even better!
10) You can, pan-roast it, braise it, stew it, fry it, grill it, air-dry it, smoke it, barbecue it, age it, brine it, saute it, and gelatinize it! Now that is what I call serious versatility!

Click her for some really cool Pork Recipes!