Kin Dza Dza

Kin Dza Dza takes a Russian bent on the dark comedic satire, making the most of post-war Soviet social oppression and dissent in a really surprising way, by turning it into great science fiction.  Released a year after Terry Gilliam's Brazil, which is gleefully grotesque and whimsical by turn, Kin Dza Dza maintains a bleak and creaky attitude, the stoic characters slowly unpacking a cultural farce that may not be as foreign as it seems, while journeying into a scoured landscape of industrial ghost towns.  The production is at times budget, yet the directing rationale is always endearing, and the mood recalls some of the resigned spareness and ingenuity  of the sci-fi russian greats if not the elegance. Directed by Georgi Daneliya and scored by Giya Kancheli.

See Kin Dza Dza for sure! Koo!

While not entirely essential, it is helpful to know the origins of this clip below, which comes from the film, Kotovsky (Котовский), made in 1942-1943 by Alexander Fainzimmer and scored by Sergei Prokofiev.  Kotovsky, the man 1881-1925, was a Russian revolutionary, a kind of militaristic Robin Hood who deserted the army, stole from the coffers of the Tsars and became a Bolshevik hero.  The song reminds me of something from my early piano books but I can't pin down the provenance.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was a folk classic, but that's all just conjecture.  Apparently, the early propaganda film, the song, and the Georgian title are familiar to a Russian audience, so the irony of Kin Dza Dza has made the film a beloved cult classic, and it's really easy to see why.

New York Style Crumb Cake

For some reason, I have a fondness for those shrink wrapped crumb cakes you sometimes find while in line at the gas station, the kind with super sweet topping that looks just like rabbit pellets.  Appetizing, I know....

I've plugged away, baking coffee cakes with various streusel, but I could never quite reproduce what I was searching for.  Then, the Cook's Illustrated folk struck again.  I was making the wrong thing all along.  Today, I followed the America's Test Kitchen dvd instructions and made a New York/German style kuchen, a real crumb cake.  The secret is to make a substantial "dough", streusel-like but with a high flour content, and roll the crumb by hand by rolling each individual ball.

I slipped half a thinly sliced apple at the 2/3 mark and baked the batter in a lightly oiled springform pan.  I had no trouble turning the cake out, although I am still second guessing my oven temps and the cake is slightly overbaked at the bottom.  I really need an oven thermometer! With a soft and fine moist cake and a crumb like the lunar terrain, I am finally a happy gal.  Best of all, the sugar doesn't overpower like a gas station dandy.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

The New Best Recipe Corned Beef and Cabbage came out stellar.  It was so simple I didn't even take pictures.  I used the dry rub method and plain water poach.  Meat was paper towel dried while the whole spice ingredients went into the coffee grinder for a quick blitz, and then pressed on by hand.  I left the meat in the fridge for 5 days, weighted with my cast iron pot lid, then soaked it for several hours in cool water before cooking.  CI says you should flip the meat at least every day or so, but I think I only turned it once.  The roast looks pretty sad after a week, but not to worry, cooks up just fine!  The recipe omits the salt peter, so the beef turns out more gray than the typical pink deli corned beef. I received the "tasty" stamp of approval from Alex and that was all the ego boosting I needed to purchase a 14+ lb brisket from Smart and Finals, cut into rough fourths and try again.

Cabbage, carrots and onions go in while the meat gets a rest.   From the leftover beef broth, I flip a hearty barley vegetable soup with fennel, greens, carrots and mushrooms.  Below is the second attempt with a longer 7 day corning and afternoon soak.

While it looks pretty good, the original 2.5 lb piece of point meat was from Schaub's and the quality of the dry aged beef really stood out in terms of texture and fork tenderness. Definitely spring for better meat.  Also, the larger hunk seemed to benefit from twice the simmering time (just make sure not to boil the roast to death in the process).  I found that 7 days of corning requires a much longer soak or else the meat is just overwhelmingly salt flavored rather than spiced.  I also like the meat cooked without much rinsing so that the excess spices give the soup a little love too.

Current rub recipe, adapted from the book:

1/4 cup fine grained kosher salt
1 tbsp black peppercorn, cracked
3/4 tsp coriander seed, whole

1/2 tsp brown mustard seed, whole 
3 bay leaves
3/4 tbsp thyme

1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp California chili, or paprika

** optional

1 clove
2 juniper berries
1/2 tsp pink curing salt, for that candy color

Posole Roja

Posole is great comfort food for cooling nights and gets better with age.

However... Big Surprise... The Cook's Illustrated version is a dud for me, crowded with surfeit of pork, as well as burdened with one-note flavor from a soup lacking any chili piquancy or smokiness. I followed the recipe to a T but 6 cups of water really doesn't seem to be enough for the quantity of meat when oven braising (and gets even worse when the hominy goes in).  While the meat was tender and the texture of the soup robust due to the long braised pork butt bone, the whole dish was just off.   I didn't end up returning quite a lot of meat to the pot and we used the excess for a very fine meal of tacos the next day.  We added the zucchini to alleviate some of the portliness of this dish and believe me it was still a bear to return to.

I may very well try the below recipe from Epicurious the next time around, which includes more herbs, garlic and water, less meat, less cooking time for the canned hominy, plus two kinds (I've seen other recipes also include arbol, puya or jalapeno) of whole chillies (and more of them!) made into a paste and pan sauteed to bring out the aroma. The Epicurious recipe is more fussy, but I have reason to believe the results will be better.  Throw in a couple chicken wings to leaven the pork broth or add several pork neck bones for a thicker soup. I don't think the recipe needs the sweetness of the tomato paste or tomato puree etc., but perhaps someone else will like a fresh plum tomato tossed in for good measure. 

1 bunch mint (1 ounce)

1 bunch cilantro (1 ounce)

4 pound country-style pork ribs (not lean); pork butt or shoulder can also be used, just make sure the bones are still in.

10 cups water

26 garlic cloves (about 1 1/2 heads), peeled, divided

1 (1/2-pound) white onion, quartered, plus 1/2 cup, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

5 whole black peppercorns

2 ounces dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles (6 to 9), wiped clean

1 1/2 ounces dried ancho chiles (2 to 4), wiped clean

1 whole clove

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 (15-ounce) cans hominy (also called pozole), rinsed and drained

Tie together mint and cilantro with kitchen string. Bring pork and water to a boil in a large pot, skimming froth, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add tied herbs, 20 garlic cloves, quartered onion, oregano, peppercorns, and 2 teaspoons salt and gently simmer, uncovered, until pork is very tender, about 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, slit chiles lengthwise, then stem and seed. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, then toast chiles in batches, opened flat, turning and pressing with tongs, until more pliable and slightly changed in color, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to a bowl and pour 2 1/2 cups boiling water over chiles. Soak, covered, until softened, about 30 minutes. Purée chiles with 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid, chopped onion, remaining 6 garlic cloves, clove, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in cleaned blender until a smooth paste forms, about 2 minutes. 

Strain broth through a large sieve into a large heatproof bowl. Return broth to pot. Discard mint and cilantro. Transfer cooked onion and garlic to a blender with 1 1/2 cups broth and purée until smooth. Add purée to broth. 


Heat oil in cast-iron skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then add chile paste (it will spatter) and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. 

Discard bones and coarsely shred pork into broth. Add chile paste and hominy and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt. 

Accompaniments: diced avocado; crema; queso fresco; thinly sliced iceberg or romaine lettuce; chopped white onion; sliced radishes; fried tortilla strips or chips; lime wedges; dried oregano; dried hot red-pepper flakes

Carb Binge

Sun Dried Tomato and Pine Nut

Beer Batter Breads

Mushroom, Olive, White Sauce

Artichoke, Sausage, White Sauce

Steel Cut Oats and Whole Wheat No Knead Bread

I made some adjustment to timing and temp for this recipe, but I still think it could use more lift.  Next time, I will be adding a tiny bit of yeast to the mix.

I dried some starter and crushed them into flakes to send down to LA for a friend.

Boo Chips

My very favorite Halloween snack. Heck, maybe my favorite chip ever.  Too bad it only comes around once a year.