sheldel Food Journal

(Promoted from the diaries - K)

It arrived yesterday. More pork...in all its splendor.

Our homestead isn't necessarily all about diamonds, roses and fine chocolates. Well, not on Valentine's Day, anyway.
We tend to go for the hard stuff. And by hard, I mean salumi. And pancetta. And capocollo... (Pardon my drool at this point)

If anyone remembers the last season of The Next Iron Chef, you may recall a scrappy contender that made it almost all the way to the coveted spot: California chef and offal-aficionado Chris Cosentino. We were pulling for him from the get-go ("What IS that man doing with those nasty bits?! You can DO that to pork?! I love it!") and were disappointed when he was finally sent packing.

Much to our amazement and wonder, not long ago we discovered that Cosentino has this little "side thing" (ahem) going on out west. Boccalone. Tasty Salted Pig Parts. Pork. Gloriously and painstakingly salted and cured and loved. And the parts are tasty indeed. They love their pork (even more than we do, I dare say), and it shows in every salty, meaty bite.

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For a non-traditional Valentine's Day nosh — first off, it being the night before Valentine's Day due to scheduling conflicts (thanks, City!), and second, my normal V-Day endeavors usually involve a few days of prep and lots of pots and ingredients — I decided to call up Boccalone and see what they had for me to create a simple celebration.

Thus, the package arrived and much slicing ensued.

Orange and Wild Fennel Salame. Salame Pepeto (Pepper Salame). Soppressata.

Glorious texture. Soppressata. Can't you just see the love?!

Capocollo. Are you kidding me? The hand-written tag sent me through the roof. That little tag is proof that these folks take their meats very seriously. This little guy was loved. He was an individual. Somebody made sure he was happy and safe and salty.

Lonza (loin). I can't even begin to describe the saliva level generated at the mere sight of this layer of fat. Herbed fat, even.

Opening each package was like Christmas morning all over again. Except better. It was like Christmas...with MEAT.

Pancetta. Who would have thought one would get whipped into a near frenzy at the thought of fatty belly?! Most people weep.

So I got to work. I had no particular plan, I was letting the pork inspire me. With just a few simple ingredients, these bits would be transformed and elevated to Valentine worthiness.

Some grainy crackers here, schmeared with a bit of fig & walnut confit, a slice of Iberico and a slab-ette of pancetta. A slice of baguette there, complemented by some german beer cheese and a slip of lonza. In the oven for a few moments to coax the beauty out of the luscious fat, and voila.

I have to admit, I wasn't even sure what the transformation would merit... But it worked. Ohhh yes it did.
I won't even begin to describe the noises that hubby made -- this is a family show.

Simplicity at its finest. A sip of red. Sliced pear. Black pepper cashews. Fig and walnut confit. Nutty crackers. A bit of this here and there left us open to each craft small, divine bites of sweet, salty and meaty.

Now that's love, my friends.

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Must thank Boccalone for opening our eyes to what cured meats SHOULD be. They rock. If we lived in Cali, we'd be frequent customers, for sure. The items I ordered (and PAID for, of course -- this is pure fan-girl talking here) were a mere sampling of what they hand-craft every day. They offer so much more that they wouldn't dare ship -- you have to grab it in your hot little hands on site -- it's that fresh and good. If you live near Oakland, look them up. I know I would! www.boccalone.com

You can also read about Chef Cosentino's antics and view his great guts pictures at www.offalgood.com