Kerner.net

Holiday Eating

I hope everybody has had a good Thanksgiving. We're driving back from Tulsa where we celebrated our second overindulgent meal at Sarah's uncle Keith's house. Yesterday we were at the farm in Purdy and are returning there tonight. We'll be back in Springfield on Saturday.

I'm going to be starting a new series of posts between now and Christmas. I have several ideas, but haven't picked one yet. The final determination will happen this weekend with the first post on Monday.

Calzones & Pokey Sticks

DSCN0228.JPG Originally uploaded by kerner.

We love to make pizza at home. The problem with homemade pizza is that you have to plan ahead enough to let dough rise (otherwise dinner is after 9pm). Last weekend we encountered just such a situation and discovered happily that the Breadeaux Pizza near our house will sell balls of dough for $2. We bought three balls of dough. We made numerous calzones from two and rolled one into our equivalent of the Pokey Stix served by Gumby's Pizza. If you've never had Gumby's before it's one of the crappiest, cheapest pizzas around -- they're only located in college towns and there isn't one in Springfield. They do have a cheesy, sauceless breadstick like pizza (Pokey Stix) that is outstanding though. I've tried a lot of variations on the recipe, but this is the closest I've gotten to the Gumby's experience.

Pokey Stix

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground oregeno

1/4 tsp onion powder

mozzarella cheese

parmesan cheese (fresh grated is best)

pizza crust 

Combine all ingredients except for the cheeses and the crust. Prepare your pizza crust on a pan or a peel (the pan works best for these though). Brush liberally with the melted butter/oil. Top generously with cheeses (Gumby's is skimpy on the cheese, but they're better with more cheese). Bake. Okay, so it's not much of a recipe, but they are pretty good cheese breadsticks.

Coy Bald

Coy Bald
Originally uploaded by kerner.

Sarah and I went hiking in Hercules Glades today. This is a photo posted via LifeBlog from atop Coy Bald.

Serrano Ham

We went out with some friends last night for the First Friday Art Walk and started at the Bodega Bar above Agrario. I really liked the Bodega Bar -- I've been there for a few events and private parties in the past, but never just to drink. It's swanky, has good and relatively cheap appetizers and a real drink menu (they have both an old fashioned and a Manhattan on the menu). It's the kind of bar that might hopefully slow the death of skilled bartenders to crappy malt beverages.

My only complaint is the serrano ham appetizer is not serrano ham. I'm not saying that it wasn't a good -- it was very good, but I was very disappointed by the lack of real serrano ham. Serrano ham is the country ham of Spain. It is cured in salt and very rarely (almost never) smoked. The ham is cured for at least a year, often longer. Most people in the US have never had serrano ham, but have had Italian prosciutto, which is probably the closest comparison. Serrano has a much deeper flavor than prosciutto and is also firmer and less fatty. Unlike country hams in the US it does not need to be soaked and cooked. It is sliced straight from the bone. Had the Bodega Bar been in Spain there would be no question about the legitimacy of the ham -- dozens of cured pig legs would be hanging from the rafters of the bar (hoof and all). So Eric, I say buy yourself a couple of pig legs for the bar. There are even ham storage and service tips -- note that the method of storing is hung from the ceiling, never refrigerated.

As a normal consumer in Springfield you can buy serrano ham at the Wine Center, but it is grossly overpriced. A better option is to get it from Tienda.com. My suggestion would be to buy a few slices from the Wine Center to see if you like it then order a piece (or a whole) pig leg from Tienda.com -- it's always better to slice your own ham.