Peasant Food and a Glass of Red Wine

02/27/2009

Some of the best dishes in the world have humble beginnings. At Marczyk’s, we’ve always preached that one does not need fancy sauces or recipes for good eating, just some time to cook, and great ingredients. Braised meats and comforting pastas, soups…here are some dinner suggestions, new products, and great recipes we love!

Niman Ranch short ribs. These are meaty and perfect for an all day braise. You can’t beat a classic Italian recipe, but there are a hundred ways to prepare these, Gourmet Magazine has a few on-line. $4.99/lb.

Niman Ranch Pork Belly: Frozen in 2 lb packages. This interesting cut of meat is an all-star when braised. Try the delicious slow cooking recipe below.  $4.99/lb.

Watch for lots of Fresh Fish on Fridays. Skate wing, cod and sole, and Hawaiian fish too.

Next week’s March Wine Email will give you red wines galore!

New new new!

Halibut with Green Curry Sous Vide: A nice addition to our seafood case, just simmer the bag in hot water, serve with rice. $18.99/lb.

Chilean Salmon. A flavorful, juicy salmon at a great price! $9.99/lb.

Serrano ham wrapped scallops. A fancy dinner for a weekend night. $21.99/lb.

Marczyk-made veal brats. This nice mild sausage is delicious broken up in a creamy sauce over pasta, or braised in beer on a soft bun with German style mustard and a side of red cabbage. $6.99/lb.

Saucisse Merguez d’Agneau. A red, spicy lamb sausage from Algeria and Tunisia, North Africa. Merguez is flavored with a wide range of spices, such as sumac for tartness, and paprika, Cayenne pepper, or harissa, a hot chili paste that gives it a red color. See below for an easy recipe. (Hint: easy on the peppers because this sausage can be hot.) $9.99/lb.

Boudin Bearnais. A pork blood sausage which adds a depth of flavor to stews and braised dishes. $8.99/lb.

Old fashioned Bake Sale Taste from baker John Hinman. Go back in time with our American classics: chocolate chunk, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and white chocolate macadamia cookies, ridiculously chocolate brownies, and more. Made from the finest ingredients sold in the market, made right here in our little kitchen. And of course our Marczyk signature cookie: Niman Ranch bacon and chocolate chip. So for Pete’s sake, get yourself a cookie! $.99 - $2.99.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing our new and improved Frequent Shopper Program! So very easy: For every $250 worth of food you buy in a quarter, 3 months, get a $10 gift card. (pick it up at the market, no Ed McMahon and his Prize Patrol but exciting none-the-less.)
Buy $500 in a quarter, get a $20 gift card; $750, get $30; $1000, $40; $1250, $50…and on and on. We’re not counting visits anymore, just dollars spent. T-shirts count too! Make sure we get your card swiped, carry it with you

always

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A Panini grill in the deli! www.marczykfinefoods.com/blog has the soup of the day and the Panini of the day.

Drinking with Pete

http://www.marczykfinefoods.com/video2.html
Watch as Pete Marczyk and the Wine Chicks, Ash and Krisana, give you a taste by taste eval of their wicked awesome wines of the month. Pete has never tasted these wines before so be prepared for some off-the-wall tasting notes! Marczyk Fine Wines – No points, no Parker, just people and their palates.

Recipes

Pork Belly Hot Pot

• 3lb 5oz belly pork
• 1-pint pork or chicken stock (if available, otherwise water)
• 12 spring onions
• 3½fl oz light soy sauce
• 2½fl oz Chinese rice wine
• 1fl oz rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp demerera (or light brown) sugar
• 3 star anise
• 4in piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced in rounds
• A good pinch of dried chili flakes

Cut the pork belly in large rectangular chunks (1x2in), put in a large pan, pour over enough boiling water just to cover, then bring back to the boil. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface, then drain through a colander.

Rinse out the pan if necessary, return the pork to it and pour over enough boiling hot stock (if available) or water to cover it again.

Cut 5 of the spring onions in half and add to the pan with the soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, sugar, star anise, ginger and chili flakes. Cover tightly and simmer very slowly for about 2 hours, turning the meat occasionally, until the pork is very tender, soft and succulent.

Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid, ideally through muslin or a fine chinois, into a clean pan. Skim off as much fat as you can (but don’t worry about leaving a little), then boil the stock hard to reduce and concentrate the flavors. It should be lightly syrupy and intensely aromatic, but don’t over reduce as the soy sauce may make it very salty.

Thinly slice the remaining spring onions on the diagonal. Return the pork to the sauce and heat through.

Serve over plain noodles in a warmed soup bowl, with plenty of the sauce ladled over, and the sliced spring onions scattered over the meat.

Quick Collard Greens with Merguez Sausage and Couscous

• 2 pounds collard greens or chard, stemmed
• 1 1/2 pounds Merguez sausage links
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried currants
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10 ounces plain couscous, cooked according to package directions

Bring large pot of salted water to boil; add collard greens and boil until soft, about 2 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Cool greens slightly and cut into 1-inch strips.

Place sausages and 1/2 cup water in heavy large skillet. Cook over medium heat until water evaporates and sausages start to brown, about 12 minutes. Continue cooking until sausages are cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes longer, depending on size of links.

Meanwhile, heat oil in another heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add dried crushed red pepper and next 3 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add greens and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in currants. Add reserved 1 cup cooking liquid to skillet; bring to simmer. Partially cover pan and cook until liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir cilantro and butter into hot couscous; divide among plates. Top with greens and sausages.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara, ala customer Steve Connaughton

Serves 2. If you’d like to make this pasta for four people, double the recipe, but transfer the pasta back into the pot used for cooking it and then toss it with the eggs and cheese.

• Kosher salt
• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 oz. fatty pancetta or guanciale, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1-1/2 x 1/2-inch rectangles
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 large eggs, chilled
• 1/2 lb. imported dried spaghetti
• 1/2 cup lightly packed, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta or guanciale and 1/2 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. (If the meat is browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium low.) Add the onion and continue to cook until it’s soft and golden and the meat is crisp, about 5 minutes more.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully spoon off all but about 2 Tbs. of the fat. Add 1 Tbs. water to the pan and scrape any brown bits from the bottom.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl until smooth and set aside.
Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water according to package directions until it’s just shy of al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the spaghetti. Transfer the spaghetti to the skillet, set it over medium heat, and toss with tongs to coat the spaghetti with the fat and finish cooking to al dente, about 1 minute. If the pasta is too dry or starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 1 or 2 tsp. of the pasta water. You want the bottom of the pan to be just barely wet. If the pan is too dry, the eggs will scramble when you add them.

Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the eggs over the pasta, tossing quickly and continuously until the eggs thicken and turn to the consistency of thin custard, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Tossing constantly is important, as it prevents the eggs from scrambling.)

The sauce should be smooth and creamy, and it should cling to the pasta. Add a little more pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Stir in the Parmigiano and season to taste with salt and pepper (you may not need additional salt, as both guanciale and pancetta can be very salty). Serve immediately.

Cuban Pork Soup

This flavorful soup is a spin-off of our popular Cuban Pork dish. The pork is marinated overnight before being cooked and added to the bean soup.

• 1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 each garlic cloves
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup grapefruit juice
• 2 cup olive oil
• 5-to-8 lbs Niman Ranch Boston Pork Butt

Add all ingredients but pork and oil to blender, blend and slowly add oil to make marinade. Add marinade to cover pork and refrigerate overnight in closed container. The pork is cooked with marinade, covered, at 300 for 2 1/2 hours or until “fork tender”, as oven cook times will be different. The pork is shredded and added to the following bean soup recipe:

• 1 cup yellow onion
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1 ounce achiote paste
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 quart water
• 1 #10 can black beans, drained  

Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno in olive oil until softened. Add achiote paste, tomato paste, vinegar, and spices. Stir and cook 10 minutes. Add beans and water and simmer for 20 mins. Add shredded pork.