Lots of cooking

Not much posting. Above is spaghetti with spicy Italian sausage (Country Gristmill) and turnip greens (Shaker Mkt.) in a goat cheese sauce. While the pasta was cooking I sauteed the sausage with some salt and pepper in a few tablespoons of pork lard (lard at Gristmill--the bargain of the Shaker Mkt.). Once the sausage was cooked a bit I added the greens and some tomato paste. When the greens were nice and stewed I turned off the heat, crumbled some goat cheese on top of the mixture, and added a bit of pasta water. Then the cooked pasta went on top of the mix, everything was stirred, and that was it. There was a slight rapini like bitterness going on with the greens that was really pleasant. I'm hooked on turnip greens.

And pictured above is one of the reasons I've been a little slow on the posting. Part of 70 lbs of Snake River Farms kurobuta jowls that I was involved in processing for an event. The event wasn't what I was expecting, but the after party made things much more palatable. The jowls got a quick cure at Bar Cento (not too unlike this one), and then some apple wood smoke through Crooked River Smokers, my alter ego. Shortly cured and smoked, this is far from a traditional guanciale, but I think it was great nevertheless. It may be available at Cento for a little while.

Currently my fridge contains two types of bacon, pancetta, lard, and the above smoked jowls. All from pretty solid animals. Still, I think I have a problem.