Porchetta Preparation and Cooking Note on advance preparation: Ideally the Porchetta is seasoned, rolled and tied several hours (or even overnight) before cooking, so the seasonings can infuse into the meat. With a sharp knife, butterfly the pork belly so you have a single piece of meat that is half…
Getting Away
Reminiscing about Rome
Spaghetti Carbonara. Because it’s comfort food. And makes me think of Rome.
In the Woods
Every Tree Tells a Story
Every tree tells a story. Timber harvesting goes back hundreds of years in the state of Maine and those traditions continue today. On our daily romp in the woods yesterday, we came across this big boy which was cut last year. We can learn a lot by looking at a…
Getting Away
Tuscany (Wine and Dario)
Throwback to dreaming of Italy in May of 2017. We visited @dariocecchinimacellaio for an amazing steak and great company. Jonathan had been familiar with Dario for years but I was introduced to him through @phil.rosenthal and his gastronomic escapades. (Coincidentally Dario left the evening we took this picture to visit Phil in LA the…
In the Kitchen
Garganelli
Made with duck eggs. Hand-rolled and shaped, according to tradition, on a “pettine”, and served with a tomato sauce loaded with bits of sizzled pancetta, hunks of artichokes, and just enough red pepper to give it a satisfying zip. Inspiration from @pastagrannies . Note that the duck eggs are monsters – they…
In the Kitchen
Ultra-Moist, Super Chocolatey Cake
Sometimes you just need a chocolate cake. This is Stacy’s ultra-moist, super chocolatey cake with boiled chocolate frosting. The whole thing rendered even better through the use of @jailo_maine ‘s home-brewed vanilla essence. The ideal fuel, in short, for shoveling lots of snow – it will be interesting to see how much…
Getting Away
Prague
We’re pretending to be in Prague today. Because that’s what you do when you find a long-lost SD card in the bottom of your camera bag. Something about standing in the warm October sunshine with my daughter and my sweetheart, eating sausage and bramboráky (potato “pancakes”), and drinking some of…
In the Woods
Snowshoeing
We usually don’t dig out the snowshoes until we’ve got at least a foot of snow on the ground – and we exceeded that this week. I’ve tried the newer versions, made with synthetic materials, but I always go back to the old type, fashioned of wood and rawhide. With…
The Holidays
Paperwhites
Another holiday task completed: the paperwhites have been planted in their motley collection of containers and duly watered. We’ll give them a week or so in a sunny spot before spreading them around the house. The scent can become a bit cloying, but I can’t imagine not having at least…