Saturday, April 18, 2009

The Pork Show

Curly Tail Farm pork chop, stir fried dandelion greens, and poached egg. My first great piece of pork came from Curly Tail about 5 years ago and I haven't looked back. I've heard of pigs being referred to as the four-legged olive tree. After tasting the fat from this chop I finally understood what that meant. And that's a light mustard butter sauce on the plate.
Taquitos--these are about silver dollar sized. Meat from a Tea Hills Farm whey finished pork chop, stored Snake Hill Farm red cipollini onion, and a cilantro sprout. A touch of hot sauce and it's a great snack.

More of the whey finished pork, here seared then simmered in OJ, chix stock and shallot with a little coriander, cumin, and chili powder thrown in. It went into a slow oven to braise for about 2 hrs.

And have to get those veggies in. Cilantro, chard, parsley, a few types of basil, and some other things. Just about a month until fear of frost is over. As they say, waiting is the hardest part.

8 comments:

DianeS said...

I don't know why you don't open up your own little place. Serve a few plates a day; whatever looks good or what your whim dictates and close shop when it is all gone. You would do well and then we could all enjoy too!

I have this idea for a restaurant where people alternate weeks and there is no set menu. Each night the offerings are what ever dish or few dishes the chef of the week makes. It might not work but I like the idea.

The CFT said...

One could say the same to you.

I like the idea too. I dream of having a little taqueria, using good ingredients, making masa, . . . . good, inexpensive food. But between being risk adverse, having a perfectly acceptable day job, and having no clue how just about any restaurants generate a profit, I think for now I'll stay confined to the blog and the occasional dinner and let the chefs chef.

Anonymous said...

thats all very touching.
all you eat is pork that i can't even get. i refuse to buy pork anywhere because i know its bland and mass produced and lacks flavor. i know what good pork tastes like, its possibly the most delicious thing on earth. you have lots of it, i will trade you the best seafood in town for it. and where have you been.

-anonymous blog infiltrator

staypuff said...

for some ideas on pricing your tacos, here's what the comp in dc is doing...
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-nacionale-washington
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/taqueria-nacionale,1138110.html

The CFT said...

Anonymous, I got some spare ribs for you. Or you can take a Sat off and go to a real market. Last few weekends I've been out of town or super busy--I'll be by on Friday.

Puff, the tacos are everywhere but here. Unfortunate.

Dave said...

Where do you get Curly Tail from? Are they still just selling at the Peninsula market or are there other options? I'm on the westside (a couple minutes from Diane).

The CFT said...

Dave, a friend of mine gave me the chop. She had purchased a whole pig from them (suprisingly inexpensive at around $120) and had it butchered at Dee Jays in Fredericktown.

Curly Tail used to sell at the Coventry Farmers Mkt, but I have no idea if that still goes on, being a Westsider myself these days. As an easier to get alternative, I like the pork from the big Amish stand at the Shaker Market. I'm not even sure I prefer one more than the other.

The CFT said...

That pig may have been 220, not 120. Still cheap though.