In the Beginning

We have decided to cook our way through Cook's Illustrated magazine to give us some fun and excitement and try new foods. Thanks to the gift giver for the subscription. Since we have done the first two "official" recipes it is about time to start writing, lest we get behind. "official" by the way means that they have been made since we decided to start. We have made a few other things. Desserts since they are the most important part. So now we have started working through from the January/ February issue. Won't post the recipes since they are copyrighted I am sure, but go to their web site and I am sure you can find them. (Now maybe we can get paid for advertising?)

So we made "Indoor Pulled Pork" first. Quite spicy, but tasty. If we had actually had the outdoor version at some point maybe we could remark on how close it was to the goal of replicating the real thing. The biggest drawback was the time. About 7 hours. Get started well before dinner for this one or expect a late meal. Another pointer is make sure you have covered all skin defects before rubbing the mustard rub. The vinegar and mustard seed will highlight any you may have missed.

Next was "The Best Beef Stew". Which was about the best I have tasted. No where near as good as Mom's mutton stew, but it was just made with the lesser meat so what could I expect. This one only took about three hours. The secret ingredient (all non family look away) was anchovies. Add a few to your meat stew and it brings out the meaty flavor. Might have to try it with the mutton. Mash them up well before adding so people don't get grossed out by the little fishies swimming. Even the fish non-likers who knew they were there (especially Dad, but also my brother and his wife) enjoyed the meal. I am sure the bribing with dessert of banana cream pie had nothing to do with it either.

The next experiment is actually not from the magazine, but from my uncle who found a place to get all sorts of exotic yeast/sourdough starts. This one is Italian from Idaho. At least that is what we were told. We shall see how it works.