Pigs, eggs, and scones!

I went to a pig roasting this weekend with Matt in Berkeley. Actually, Oakland. They had a pit made from concrete blocks that had... charcoal in it, I think (some pretty big flames), and then these large flat grates, in between two, nested the little pig. And by little I mean huge - apparently it weighed in around 120 pounds, if I overheard correctly. This particular pig was particularly special because of its high fat content.. I thought all pig was fatty, but man, this one was ridiculous. Hopefully Matt can find some pictures to share. Ridiculous. (I did not have one bite, ew.)

On another note, hard-boiling eggs. The way I've always been taught (from the master of boiling eggs, my daddio) is you boil the water, and slowly drop the eggs in, wait a little while, and take them out. Sometimes, we Agharokhs have been known to forget about them until BOOM! They explode. Then.... you cut them and instead of a bright yellow yolk, it's got this weird, greenish gray halo around the yolk. The yolk is somewhat yellow but not bright like the sun in a little kid's crayon drawing.

Solution: Consult Martha.

In her book for home cooks, which I highly recommend, it has all sorts of practical tips that most cookbooks assume you know, because of course, as the home chef, you've been to culinary school. For boiling eggs (hard boil): put the eggs in a deep pot and cover with one inch of COLD water. Bring it to a boil on high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat, and cover it for 13 minutes. Voila! BEAUTY!

Umm, this should be on the cover of Food & Wine. The salad is just baby spinach, green bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, sharp cheddar, and avocados. Salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon, and you've got a dinner of champions. Heart healthy, ready to learn about EKGs. (eek)

Also, when I was in Berkeley, I made these chocolate chip scones:

When we went to Target to get supplies, I couldn't resist the orange sprinkles in the $1 spot for Halloween!

If you think you're not a baker because you have to measure out stuff... I beg to differ. True, you really should keep the proportions, but at one point, someone decided the proportions should change for one reason or another, because people like their baked goods different ways. I took a few recipes and melded them together to the supplies I had and the amount of fat that I wanted to incorporate. Enjoy!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1.25 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 stick of butter (unsalted!)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup half and half (slightly more if needed... it's your call!)

Chocolate chips (the recipe called for something like 1 cup.... yyeaahh I think used about 3 cups. Or so.)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut up the butter into small bits: about 1 cm x 1 cm or smaller, if you can. If you have a food processor this is so much easier, just put the flour mixture and butter chunks and pulse a few times until it resembles a crumbly mixture. Or do what I did, and use your hands to crumble in the butter chunks. Or a knife. The key is keeping the butter cold so it melts and leaves pockets in the pastry in the oven. I've had trouble with this but I think I finally got it. Add in the sugar and vanilla and chocolate chips. Add the half and half until the mixture comes together. Add more than I said if it seems too dry. Bring it into a quasi-ball and put it on a floured surface. Press it into a disc, about 1 inch thick. Cut out triangles and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Time to study!! :)