FOOD, man cannot live by whisky alone.

@paddockjudge A tomato-garlic-onion-pork hock stew (ragú?) sounds delicious. And I love corn bread, and corn in general. As long as it’s not double-distilled to an über-high proof and aged in used barrels... (I had to; I’ll see myself out)

I only get these at this time of year. But what’s more Canadian than butter tarts? I’ve already eaten the first dozen. I’ll start back at the gym in January.

@OdysseusUnbound, what I like best about you is when the “mud-slinging” ends, you clean-up real good. Humour is a great way to bridge differences.

@BlueNote, kryptonite!! I have discontinued my Friday ritual of two pecan butter tarts with two fingers of bourbon, usually Booker’s. I was beginning to resemble a small planet.

@paddockjudge I hear you. I’ve got to knock this off before I have to hit the beach in Mexico in about 5 weeks.

As Chanuka nears its conclusion, it’s very important to ensure enough oil has been consumed.

For anyone who wants the recipe:

6 large baking potatoes, grated 1 large onion, grated 1 tbsp salt 2 eggs 1/2-1 cups flour (depends on how wet it is)

And LOTS of OIL.

Happy Chanuka!

@Nozinan Latkes!

@Nozinan Oh, yeah. You don’t have to be Jewish to love a latke. Happy Chanuka and the best for the new year.

2019 yielded an abundance of amazing food moments.

Food is best when shared with friends and family. Memorable dishes were shared with fellow Connosrs @fiddich1980, @cricklewood, @Astroke, @talexander, @Nozinan, and many more friends; however, my favourite food moment was shared with my son and nephew when I boned, seasoned, rolled, and roasted a couple of pork shoulders. We sipped a few in the 4 hours It took from butcher block to table. It paired very well with these three cask strength gems: Little Book Chapter 02, Booker’s 2015-01, and Lot No 40 CS 12 YO.

@paddockjudge That looks delectable. And the meat looks pretty good too! Do you ever make porchetta? My mom and/or sister sometimes gets a porchetta from Tarini’s when we have family get-togethers and it’s wonderful.

@OdysseusUnbound

@paddockjudge is the KING of porchetta

@OdysseusUnbound, not all Porchetta are created equal. You may not recognize the roast in the pic as a “porchetta” because it is not encrusted in black pepper.

The particular roast in the picture has been meticulously seasoned using a recipe I’ve perfected over the decades. It has the traditional freshly cracked/ground black pepper, but all the spices are under the skin and inside the muscles. When producing a roast that “crackles”, like this one did, the skin covers the otherwise obvious external seasoning. Most butchers add too much black pepper, and sometimes fennel seeds or weed to a porchetta. A delicate balance of salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs is found in only the finest of these roasts... and you are looking at one right now! I’ve presented this, or a whole boneless turkey version at more than one of the Canadian Connosr Tasting Sessions.

It’s a wonderful thing, a properly prepared porchetta. I’m pleased to learn you are a fan.

@paddockjudge Perhaps I’ve been fortunate, or not discerning enough. In my experience, there are no bad porchetta; but some are better than others. I do enjoy a lot of garlic in my porchetta, but I’m French Canadian and we tend to use more garlic in everything.

@paddockjudge that looks spectacular - I'm sure I can smell it from here It's a shame you can't easily import pork into NZ

@paddockjudge A friend of mine hosted a dinner and whisky tasting a couple of years ago. This was my first experience of what he called porchetta. It was delicious but did not look much like yours. He cooked it using the “sous vide” method. For one thing it did not have the beautiful looking crackling that yours has. Nonetheless, after sampling a serious amount of whisky, it went down very well.

@BlueNote, sous vide, that takes all the fun out of it. lol

The key to cooking a great porchetta is to let it stew in its own juices. Use the drippings to roast potato wedges and make the most incredibly delicious potatoes. Now back to the sous vide... that would be like oven cooked French fried potatoes vs deep fried.... Next time I’ll be sure to post before and after pics.

On a day like today, and a night like tonight, there will be many trips outside to shovel. I took three meat-laden bones from last night’s roast and it forms the backbone (well, ribs really) of a hearty beef barley soup. Can’t wait!

@paddockjudge I definitely like the sound of yours better. This particular member of our little whisky collective is a quintessential 42 year old hipster who is into everything hot and trendy. He’s quite a bit younger than the rest of us. We’re all serious comfort food guys. I’d love to see the before pics and the recipe for your porchetta.

@BlueNote, there is no recipe.... as the old timers say, I can show you, but I don’t measure anything. lol .... maybe I will show you some day....

@BlueNote, here’s a before pic. Two twenty pound NY Shoulders. I take out the bone and separate the Butt (blade section) and Picnic (shoulder). The blade (copa) makes one roast and the remainder can be tied into one large roast or two.

@BlueNote, and an after/during pic with test piece in the Center, fully cooked. Too much pepper! That’s why I test. The uncooked roasts, approx. 2 kilos each have no skin. I decided to make them without skin today

When eating hot, no strings are necessary. When serving cold (the strings help to form the roast during cooking) uniform slices may be desired and extra care is taken to form a cylindrical shape roast with the aid of string and a trussing needle. The uncooked roasts at the top of the picture have been tied.

@paddockjudge Mmmm, Mmmm, lots of garlic; right in my wheelhouse.

For crying out loud @paddockjudge, you've got me drooling all over my new sweater. This thread should be re-titled Food Porn

I don't think I've ever had a breakfast dram before but if I WAS going to this would be the perfect breakfast to have it with. Breakfast of champions (or heart attack on a plate). I did go for a run before this!

@Hewie would your whisky be going mano a mano against your coffee, or would you just pour some Jameson into the coffee?

I don't drink coffee, so I don't have that conflict.

I've had a number of breakfast drams, but they are usually as breakfast rather than with breakfast. Whisk(e)y as breakfast is usually a vacation thing for me. Nothing better at 0600 hrs prior to going for morning pool time in Arizona.

@Hewie, is that blood sausage!?...definitely requires a dram.

@Victor Yes, a whisky alongside would be my preference. Maybe on my birthday for a treat. I don't think I could contemplate a whisky at that hour of the morning (unless it had been an all-nighter - which I haven't done since my 20's). @paddockjudge yes, black pudding. I'm loving the stuff. I've served it up with whisky a few times before and it's a fantastic complement. It was screaming out for a dram

@Victor, the community I was raised in (pop. 4,000) started each day with something in its coffee.

It was a dry town, a company town. At one time 20,000 men were employed by The International Nickel Co. A local by-law did not permit the sale of alcohol within a mile of the main gate. We didn't get a liquor store until 1976, the town was incorporated in 1901 and started from humble beginnings. In 1885 a group of Finnish-born settlers from Northern Michigan crossed into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie and walked the 180 miles to Copper Cliff.

The Italian Club, which was located virtually inside the main gate served beer, wine, and spirits (est. 1935 and continues to serve today) without a liquor license until 1978 (nobody fucked with the wops) when the members' lounge was renovated and the inspector (now a city of 110,000) discovered a permit had never been issued for anything during those 42 years...they settled on a liquor license. I don't recall any of the dozens of local bootleggers getting a liquor license...some of the inspectors and local constabulary "occasionally" visited these unlicensed establishments.

This morning I had my usual cup of hot water with lemon juice (a favourite of the old Finns...they may have added something else in the absence of lemons, which was almost always). I'm now contemplating my Saturday morning dram which will be enjoyed upon my return from the local farmer's market. Fresh carrots, mushrooms, lettuce...modified sea containers are producing winter crops...great location for a still.

@paddockjudge, Finns! Do you know this one, "On Old Olympus' Towering Tops A Finn And German Viewed Some Hops"? I expect that Dr. Nozinan still does, since he graduated much later than 1977. Hint: it is a mnemonic device. One I learned in 1974.

@Victor That's not the mnemonic WE learned. And nothing you can say will get me to disclose ours... Not since #MeToo...

You would never look at cranial nerves the same way again...