Spring

Twice a year, the earth is neither tilted toward or away from the sun and for just a moment, (this year, around 17:32 Coordinated Universal Time) the earth's equator aligns with the center point of the sun before it begins to list again. Darkness and daylight are in perfect balance for a day and for us in the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the beginning of spring.

The vernal equinox has been celebrated for thousands of years and there is no lack of traditions and rituals surrounding the coming of spring.

For most ancient civilizations, the vernal equinox was the start of the New Year. The Roman year began on the ides of March and the astrological year begins on the first new moon after the equinox, which brings in the first astrological sign Aries, the ram. The Greek God Ares, the god of the ram, is the equivalent of the Roman Mars for whom the month of March is named. The Persian New Year, Nawruz also falls on the spring equinox.

The Saxons had a spring festival celebrating the goddess, Eostre (from whose name we get the direction East and the holiday Easter). Eggs were one of the symbols of this festival and represented new life and potential. During the equinox, there’s supposedly a certain gravitational pull that makes balancing an egg on its point possible. Thus, we have the tradition of the Easter egg.

All these different cultures had their own food traditions based essentially around the same idea: They survived the gray and bleak winter! Time to forage for something that hasn’t been in the root cellar for three months.
Although it is often anything but springy here in the northwest in March, rivers are teaming with the Steel Head run and a couple edibles things are beginning to poke through the soil. Asparagus, rhubarb, young herbs, leafy greens, wild onions/garlic and fiddleheads are coming soon.
Winter is over. We made it. Happy Spring!

Welcome to your weekend. -KB


Cedar Planked Steelhead Recipes:

http://www.tastespotting.com/search/cedar+plank/1

Fiddlehead Recipes:

http://www.tastespotting.com/search/Fiddleheads/1

St. Patrick's Day Grilling

So, to prove that just about anything can be planked, I made the St. Patrick’s Day classic Corned Beef finished on the grill. But before I started making variations on traditional meals all willy-nilly like, I decided to research the history of the dish.

A brief, yet corny history:

A Corned Beef is a cut of brisket that is brine-cured over a period of two or more weeks. The term “corned” refers to the course salt or rock salt kernels used to preserve the meat. It is said to be a spring celebratory meal because the meat would cure in salt crocks all winter and be ready to eat just in time for the equinox.

Beef was considered to be an indulgence in Ireland and was only available to the wealthy, as cows were kept for their milk or for breeding. Corned Beef was reserved for special occasions and export, so pork joint or ham was the meat of the common Irish man. The Irish immigrants substituted brisket in their traditional Bacon and Cabbage dish because it was more readily available in New York in the 1800’s, so Corned Beef and Cabbage is actually an American St. Patty’s Day tradition. Cork’s Canned Corned Beef was one of Ireland’s only exports in the 1700’s and supposedly exclusively sustained the British armies during the Napoleonic wars. In 1861, Corned Beef and Cabbage was served at Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural dinner.


Outdoor Gourmet’s St. Patrick’s Day Feast
3 lb. Corned Beef Spice Packet (cloves, coriander, fennel, black pepper)
1 Outdoor Gourmet Maple Grilling Plank, soaked for 2 to 3 hours

* First, trim fat from meat. Brisket it traditionally a fatty piece of meat and up to a 1/3 of the weight can be trimmed down.

* Then place mean in large pot or Dutch oven and cover in water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, add spices and continue to simmer for 2 hours.

* While your brisket is simmering, heat grill to medium heat (350-400) and place plank on grill 5 minutes prior to brisket. Then place the beef on the plank, close grill lid and allow to cook for 20 to 25 minute. Remove from grill, slice thinly and serve with Colcannon. I used a pre-cured cut of meat because it was already the 17th and I didn’t have a couple weeks or several pounds of rock salt.

Colcannon Recipe: (I added kale to this recipe)

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Colcannon/Detail.aspx

For directions on how to make your own corned beef from fresh brisket go to: http://www.thespicehouse.com/recipes/traditional-corned-beef-recipe

Maple planking this corned beef created smoky flavor and added a nice, crispy crust to the meat, while the inside stayed very moist. It was the best Corned Beef I have ever had.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! -KB

Planking Essentials

Using cedar smoke to flavor food is hardly a new technique. Native tribes of the Pacific Northwest hung their fresh-caught salmon over open fires fastened to hand-split pieces of Western Red Cedar and stoked their smokehouse fires with wet cedar.

Plank cooking was taught in culinary schools as early as 1910 and recipes in the first edition of Fannie Farmer used cedar planks.

In 1998, the Outdoor Gourmet introduced the first cedar grilling plank to the market. Before that, people used cedar shingles, which I don’t really recommend, as many of them are treated and produced in a non-food safe facility.

Cedar grilling planks are used to grill fish, red meat, pork, poultry, vegetables, fruit, and even dessert items. The process of cooking on planks infuses food with a delectable flavor while moistening and protecting from direct heat. The result is a perfectly cooked entrée or side dish infused with the aromatic scent of Western Red Cedar.

Here’s how it works: First, soak your cedar grilling plank in water. An hour or two prior to grilling will work just fine, but a longer soak time permits the plank to absorb more moisture. This allows for more cedar-infused water vapor to be released during the grilling process.

Then get your grill up to medium heat (350-400 degrees).Place the wet plank on the pre-heated grill and heat plank for another 5 minutes before adding the food. This allows the plank to begin to smolder and smoke.

Next, place you food on plank and close grill lid and let cook for recommended time. No flipping, turning, or tweeking is needed.

Grilling planks are also an excellent option to hold, serve, and display delicate meats and fish, which may otherwise be overcooked or fall apart when placed directly on the grill. “Planking” is also an extremely healthy method of preparing food because no additional oil or butter is needed in the cooking process. But grilling planks aren’t just for the grill. They can be used in the oven or microwave to get the savory flavor of cedar.

Feel free to share your planking experiences, questions, or recipes. Happy Grilling!

Welcome to your weekend. -KB

Outdoor Gourmet

After over a decade and numerous knock-offs, we are here to raise our hand and say “we are the original.” Outdoor Gourmet introduced the first cedar grilling plank in 1998 and we’ve been planking and playing outside ever since.

So here I am, to write about just that.

The purpose of this blog is to document the northwest lifestyle as it relates to food and the great outdoors. My goal is to experiment with outdoor cooking methods, cruise the fodder at festivals, frequent barbecues, patronize potlucks, review restaurants, and invent recipes. I will hunt, gather, grow, pick, scavenge, forage, and otherwise procure local northwest ingredients all in the name of top-notch nosh and good company.

Each weekend, I aim to post my culinary conquests and gastronomic gaffes to hopefully enthuse you about what a great place we live in and all the enticing food fare choices that it provides.

Welcome to your weekend. -KB