Ham: An Obsession With The Hindquarter

FINE COOKING calls it "a witty ode to pork's most primal cut." It's our hymn to backsides: American country ham, European dry-cured hams like prosciutto crudo or jamón ibérico, wet-cured hams like the ones from HoneyBaked, and even fresh hams, the best pork roast you'll ever eat. (Click on the cover to get your copy today.)

MARK (AKA The Writer)

 

BRUCE (AKA The Chef)

DREYDL (AKA The Dog)

The Ultimate Cook Book

Our big compendium cookbook--900 new recipes, tons of cooking tips. You'll be an ultimate cook in no time.

Want to see a video on this book. Check it out here.

Cooking Know-How

WINNER OF THE 2009 GOURMAND AWARD at the Paris cookbook show for the "BEST COOKBOOK IN THE WORLD" for "easy recipes." Also starred reviews in both Publisher's Weekly and Library Journal, a main selection of the Good Cook Book of the Month Club, a selection by NPR as one of the best cookbooks of 2009, and a favorite of the San Jose Mercury--that called us "culinary wonks."

Pizza: Grill It, Bake It, Love It!

Our brand-new pizza book. That's the squash, caramelized onion, and pine nut pie. And there are 89 more.

Cooking For Two

Every dish for just two--and no waste. Cut it, open it--and use it. It's a feast for twosomes.

The Ultimate Muffin Book

Get your muffins! The chocolate chip ones soon became a holiday tradition in our house.

The Ultimate Ice Cream Book

The book that started a whole career. A quarter million copies in print and still going strong!

The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book

And a follow-up to The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, this time with gelato, sherbet, granita, and a groaning board of ice cream cakes and frozen pies!

The Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book

Cookies galore--and every one of them with chocolate: chips, shavings, cocoa, melted, irresistible.

The Ultimate Peanut Butter Book

America's favorite spread? Yes, but also the world's. Wait until you see all the no-cook Asian sauces, the African stew, the Filipino braise, and a host of favorites from breakfast to dessert!

The Ultimate Shrimp Book

A one-book compendium for America's favorite seafood

The Ultimate Party Drink Book

Up, shaken, frozen, pitcher punches, shooters--here's a guide to drinks to make your next party a splash

The Ultimate Brownie Book

Fudgy, cakey, you name it--even a chapter on brownie mix doctor recipes--here's a book that'll keep everyone smiling!

The Ultimate Candy Book

A reviewer on amazon called it "an evil book." We could only hope so. Gooey, crunchy, a ton of chocolate barks, fudge, divinity, and it just keeps going.

The Ultimate Potato Book

Spuds forever! We love everything about the potato--and in this book, we made our favorite vegetable front and center since every recipe is a main course with spuds aplenty.

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The Great Ham Contest

Don't miss the REAL FOOD HAS CURVES ham contest, your chance to win a gift certificate for an American country ham (or whatever you want) from one of the United States' best producers, Nancy Newsom. For the contest details, click here. And get obsessed with this hindquarter!

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REVIEWS OF COOKING KNOW-HOW

Don't take our word for it. Here are some cool reviews of COOKING KNOW-HOW:

weightwatchers.com

In Mama's Kitchen

Publisher's Weekly

5 Second Rule

Richmond Times-Dispatch

San Jose Mercury News

The Winston Salem Journal

Super Chef

NPR--chosen one of the ten best cookbooks for the summer of 2009

Relish Magazine (although the writer complains that I use too many big words. Heaven forfend!)

And if you want to see an outrageous clip of us on San Francisco TV, check out our appearance on A View From The Bay here.

Or for white bean veggie burgers on the same show--in which I go off on a bizarre jag about the ethics of cruising--click here.

DANCING WITH A COLLIE

brought on no doubt by that empty bottle of wine on top of the fridge

JOIN US!

We'd love to have you join us at Delia's Viking Cooking School in Wallingford, Connecticut, on the night of March 22nd as we bring down the house with all things ham. We're cooking exciting recipes from our new book, all about our obsession with that hindquarter. Click here for more information.

Can't make it to Wallingford, Connecticut? Join us at Draeger's market in San Mateo, California, on April 27th for a West Coast cooking class on all things ham! To sign up or to find out more, check it out here.

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    Bruce's Blog

    Bruce has his own blog. A knitting blog. Knits Men Want. It's a companion site to his new knitting book: ten rules every woman should know before she knits for a man--plus ten patterns men are guaranteed to like. And I do. I have some of the sweaters. And I wear them. Imagine that. Check on the cover to check it out.

    Thursday
    04Feb2010

    Salt Cod Cakes

    Let me tell you this: the very last thing I need in my life is some idiot locavore wagging a finger in my face, telling me how I must only eat in season. In my part of the world--rural New England--there's nothing in season right now. Not even eggs. The chickens have stopped laying with the loss of daylight. Nothing. Zip.

    Which is why salt cod was invented. (Well, not because of the chicken part of all that.) It's a way to preserve the catch for the long winter: the fish so highly salted that it can't go bad. In other words, the only way to eat locally in a world of snow.

    Isn't it funny that something that was created as a means of survival has now got high-falutin' culinary aspirations? We can even find salt cod at our local supermarket these days!

    The other night, Bruce made cod cakes. And boy, were they a wintery hit! But I should warn you that this takes planning. You have to start a day ahead.

    Put 1 pound salt cod in a big bowl, cover with water, and refrigerate 24 hours, changing the water at least 2 times. Why? Oh, that osmatic pressure thing, same as the cider-cured ham. You've got to get the salt back out of the fish. And to do that, you have to keep changing the water in the bowl because as more salt leaches out, the water then comes into equilibrium with the fish, causing the osmatic process to stop. Thus, change the water.

    OK, so now you're ready. Steam 1 pound peeled Russet or baking potatoes. Just set them in a vegetable steamer over an inch or so over simmering water, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer about 20 minutes, until you can pierce them easily with a fork.

    Meanwhile, cook 6 finely chopped medium scallions and 3 thinly sliced celery ribs in a tablespoon or so of unsalted butter until the onion turns translucent.

    Chop the hot potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and put them in a bowl. Dump in the contents of the skillet. Add 2 large eggs, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons stemmed thyme, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and several dashes hot red pepper sauce, like Tabasco sauce.

    Drain the cod and rinse it very well. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, then poach the cod for 3 minutes. Drain in a colander set in the sink. Why this step even after you've soaked the fish? To remove any last traces of salt and get cleaner, purer water back into the cells. Plus, you need to tenderize that fish a bit. It has been the Dead Sea for quite a while now.

    Now chop the cod into small bits, about the size of the potato pieces, and add these to the bowl. Mash this up a bit and form it into cakes, patting them into shape between your palms. The mixture should make about 6--even 8 if you want them a little thinner. Thicker will make softer, more luxurious cakes; thinner, more crunch--because you're going to drop them in a skillet to fry them!

    Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the cakes and fry until brown and crisp on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes, turning once.

    And that's it. Winter fare. The only way they used to do it. And a darn fine dinner these days with a green salad on the side.

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    Reader Comments (6)

    those look great! i love fish cakes that have a lot of green. i wish i could make panko at home. my store has it, but it's kinda pricey and i'm just that kind of cheapskate.

    February 4, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterDana

    Oh YUM! I love these, and will order the Portuguese equivalent, bolinhos de bacalhau, whenever I get the chance. It never occurred to me to make them before - thank you for the inspiration!

    February 5, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterCelia

    Dana: The green is great--but if you ask me, the crunchy and saltiness are even better. Love them for dinner.

    Celia: Yes, the Portuguese version is actually far better--if also pricier. A real treat.

    February 5, 2010 | Registered CommenterMark Scarbrough

    I grew up in newfoundland, on the east coast of Canada, where salt cod can be bought in nearly every market, gas station, convenience store, or even from trucks on the side of the road. It was a staple food for most of Newfoundland's history, and an important part of the trade between us and jamacia, who'd send us molasses and rum in exchange for our tasty codfish.
    Cod cakes bring back lots of memories for me, it's nice to see some new recipes to try. Thanks!

    February 12, 2010 | Unregistered Commenterbridge

    Bridge: Did you know Newfoundland is one of my favorite places on earth? Indeed. Love Rocky Harbor. Love the whole thing. I can't WAIT to go back. Maybe this summer. Seems a great 50th birthday present to spend some time among the Newfies.

    February 13, 2010 | Registered CommenterMark Scarbrough

    Food Blog list is so hot and cool having a crunchy crunchy food in it but i prefer salty fish at dinner time with very very green salad having it

    March 11, 2010 | Unregistered Commenternewskycars

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