feast plans – Page 4

Remember the ribs, forget the game…

October 23, 2014 by Convivial Boar 1 Comment

a mound of ribs awaiting blackberry finishing sauce

a mound of freshly smoked baby back ribs await blackberry finishing sauce

We briefly interrupt our Paella and Sangria posts for an update on Saucy Snout tailgating.

Swept away by the rising enthusiasm, certain that our team was poised to reclaim its rightful spot among the elite (and actually win a conference game), we decided to throw a fitting feast –so secure were we in our emotions that we even invited a Bulldog fan, boy did she make some noise during the second quarter! But instead of a victory, we received yet another lesson in perspective. Our rash of recent nail-bitingly close near-wins caused us to forget, for a brief moment, the desperate feeling of never having a chance. Lesson learned –go back to nearly winning, please.

But before the game became forgettable, the feast raged… Featured below is the invite for the tailgate, (including our feast plan) with added photos from the event.

Dear Fellow Snouts,

Well, well, well… I’m either writing to you as a fan of a floundering institution that hasn’t won a conference game in fifteen attempts, or as an ambassador of a team that nearly beat two top-ten powerhouses —quite a lesson in perspective. Either way, it occurs to me that a proper tribute to our team would be to plan and prepare the best tailgate fare we’ve ever had, and then turn our backs as someone else gobbles it down. Of course, to make it right we all have to be lulled into believing that we will actually enjoy the feast…so, here’s the plan for the tailgate that we will likely (maybe) enjoy…

This week’s tailgate will be hosted in the backyard of fellow Snout, Shawn, near the stadium. We will begin in the morning say ten-ish (think Bloody Mary), and continue until near game-time.

And to whet your appetite, here are the courses…

duck breast jerky and sweet and sour dipping sauce

duck breast jerky with sweet and sour dipping sauce

Duck Breast Jerky Dipped in Sweet & Sour Sauce

As improved as our team is this year, the last two weeks have been tough —and just a bit sour. This course seeks to capture that feeling.

Wild Boar Harvest Sausage Bathed in Guinness

Next, I suggest its time to wash away the grime from the last fifteen SEC games with a bath —whether we need it or not. For this course we will braise freshly made wild boar sausage incorporating apples, and parmesan cheese in a bath of Guinness beer.

Smoked Baby Back Ribs finished in Blackberry Sauce served with Citrus Cole Slaw

Then it’s time to create something new —as in from a rib he created… may our creation be tantalizingly beautiful.

Two younger snouts helping create the mudslide for our skewered apples and marshmallows

Skewered Apples and Marshmallows on Mudslide

Finally, we need to have some fun. The Convivial Boar will need some help from the younger-snouts to construct a mudslide of chocolate and caramel sauces in which to plunge our skewered treats.

Here’s to being in the game, my friend.

Paella and Sangria –“We’re having what?”

October 19, 2014 by Convivial Boar 4 Comments

Our paella featuring chicken, chorizo sausage, prawns, and crawfish

I struggle to determine exactly when things begin —once something happens it seems it has always been so and my mind can’t sort out the moments before it happened —at least not very well. For instance, I cannot determine when I first heard the word “paella” uttered. Suffice it to say that growing up in South Arkansas, we did not regularly dine on paella. But somehow the notion of a paella began to dance in the Boar’s head.

I wonder why?

Months before our annual family trip to Lake Table Rock, my family traveled with friends to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I mentioned to our friends that I was interested in Spanish cuisine—especially, paella. Next thing we knew, I was skipping (or my version of walking happily) out of a Spanish cooking store with a paella pan big enough to serve twenty feasters, a long wood handled flat-spatula, two ounces of saffron, and a bag of paella rice. The pan balanced on our suitcases –and clamoring with every bump for hundreds of miles –served as the soundtrack to my daydreams of a paella feast —I’ve heard others in the car describe the sounds differently.

Back at home, I cleaned and seasoned my paella pan as visions of a feast began to form in my head, like a coming storm. The pan beckoned me as a blank canvas to an artist. I researched and studied for months, the urge growing stronger by the day. Finally, I decided to unleash the paella feast on my family during the Lake Table Rock trip.

My announcement to the family was met with questions along the line of, “we are having what?,” “what is that?” And my personal favorite from a boy who shall remain nameless (but with whom I share a roof), “Why don’t you just make ribs again like you did last year? Why are you always trying to make something nobody ever heard of?” Alas, the young lad solidified that which he sought to discourage —I’m sure a therapist will help him understand me later in life. I find few things as alluring as making a feast for the first time and serving it to feasters who have never heard of it before. The game was afoot.

In a later post, we will go step-by-step through our paella feast preparations, but today let’s explore why the Boar fixated on this dish…

tradition, unique pan, and fire…

Paella is a traditional rice dish of Spain —and the fact that it is typically prepared outdoors over an open fire in a large pan makes it an excellent feasting-food. The name of the dish comes from the special pan in which it is prepared. A paella pan is a large flat pan with short sides typically made of carbon steel (though other types exist).

fresh local ingredients…

Traditional paella was made with rabbit and snails. Hmm, isn’t that interesting…even with my credibility as a feast-maker not sure I can sell my family on rabbit and snail as part of a dish they never heard of. But looking more closely at the origins and development of paella, I discover that it was simply a rice dish to feature fresh local ingredients —rabbit and snail just happened to be what was at hand at the time, lucky them. Most paella today is made with some combination of fresh meat, seafood and vegetables.

sofrito with an array of peppers

aromatic, complex and unique flavor foundation…

The foundation (and many say the secret) of good paella (as with many Spanish dishes) is sofrito. While many variations exist, sofrito is an aromatic sauce made with tomatoes (typically grated or pureed), onions, and garlic (sometimes herbs and peppers are added). Sofrito infuses the paella (and nearby feast-watchers) with aroma and depth. The word sofrito means “gently fried.” To prepare sofrito for paella, the tomato, onion and garlic are slowly sautéed in olive oil —typically after meats have been browned in the oil creating a complex and unique flavor profile.

particular rice to absorb flavorful liquid…

Paella is essentially a rice dish —so, not surprisingly, the rice is important. The rice of choice is Bomba or Valencia. These are favored because of the short-grains that soak in more liquid than other varieties (three cups liquid to every one cup rice) which means the rice will absorb more of the powerful flavors of the sofrito and rich broths.

seductive essence…

Since the time of Cleopatra saffron has enjoyed a mystic allure as a seductive and powerful essence. Today, saffron is known as the Queen of Spices and is the most expensive spice (price estimates for one pound exceed $1,500 —no wonder its sold by the gram). Luckily, a little goes a long way. For paella saffron is dissolved in the broths to add color, flavor and allure.

celebration of the crusty edges…

The most prized part of paella is the Socarrat —the crusty part of rice on the edge and bottom of the pan where it singes and caramelizes. Obtaining a Socarrat requires patience and poise at the end of the paella cooking. Once the liquid is absorbed, the rice will begin to singe. The feast-maker must listen for the sizzle and smell the aroma of the caramelization judging for a toasty crust, instead of burnt rice —now you see why I took it as high praise when feasters came back for seconds requesting more of the crusty part of the rice.

______________

As the Boar sees it, paella is a celebration of tradition, local ingredients, and Spanish cooking techniques caramelized on an open fire in a uniquely designed vessel beckoning with a Cleopatra-like seduction.

Feast on the crust of life, my friend.

Saucy legs, cornbread and grass

September 22, 2014 by Convivial Boar 2 Comments

Saucy Snout kicked off its first tailgate event of the season at the Arkansas v. Northern Illinois game this past weekend. The Convivial Boar gives a shout out to two young snouts, Alex and Christian, who helped bring this feast together.

The Hogs rooted up another opponent! The featured dish for this feast celebrated our renewed running game, and helper Alex matched the sauces with the running backs: Collins —spicy; Williams —tangy; and Marshall —sweet. And the opening kickoff validated Alex’s selections because it was “s-w-e-e-t!!”

Speaking of exciting moments, Saucy Snout was visited by a live pig prompting one fun-loving snout to heckle from behind the Expedition Bar, “we can put that on the smoker.” Of course, that comment opened up the whole “should you eat your mascot on game day” debate. But that’s a post for another time…

Thanks to connections (my father-in-law) the Convivial Boar’s party had great seats for the game and a bit of street theatre as well. A nearby fan began desperately yelling at the concessionaires (who were more than fifty rows from her), “W-a-t-e-r! W-a-t-e-r! W-a-t-e-r!” —as though she had just walked across a scorching desert (and couldn’t muster the few steps to the concession stand). No response.

Undaunted, she continued her throat-crackling mantra each time a backpack-burdened young man popped out anywhere in the stadium. Alas, her pleas were denied as the concessionaires, rather inconsiderately, peddled their goods to other fans (the ones they could actually see and hear).

But I’m happy to report that her pleas did not go unrequited. Another fan, sitting a few rows below her, heard her cries and summoning the same throaty tones of desperation yelled, “W-h-i-s-k-e-y! W-h-i-s-k-e-y! W-h-i-s-k-e-y!”

Nothing like being at the game, my friend…

Below is a reproduction of the email invite for the Saucy Snout tailgate event which includes the plan for our feast.

______________________________________

Fellow Snouts,

It is time to get saucy again! That’s right Big-Jan and the Convivial Boar present another edition of Saucy Snout tailgating. We will begin our festivities around noon and continue right up until we panic that we might miss kickoff —of course, our panic response may be a bit impaired if we congregate around the Expedition Bar in which case…

The dry spell is over! The dry spell is over!

After two years without football, we appear to be playing again! So far our team has been invited to play three times and has shown up each time —it did clock out early in the first game but in its defense (something that would have come in handy during that game), we had just made the trip to hell and back to retrieve our snowball… (we left bread crumbs for Nichols State to follow the next week). And then in week three, our team strolled over the Red Raiders with relative comfort —at least that’s Brandon Allen’s story, somebody get that boy a lawn chair.

Time to get our snout saucy again, bar’s open!

Southern Comfort

While the full Expedition Bar will be in action, our focus this week will be on Southern Comfort. It just seems to fit the moment…

In the mid-1800’s (just before Petrino’s ill-fated motorcycle ride), a creative mixologist named M. W. Heron (same ilk as Big-Jan) was asked to improve the taste of stale barrels of whiskey that had been left afloat too long (not unlike the request Long made of Bielema). Heron dressed the whiskey up with fruit and spice (think gray anthracite uniforms). He named the drink “Cuffs & Buttons” in response to another popular drink of the day “White Ties & Tails” —eerily similar to the name of the new documentary about the first couple of Razorback football, “White Windbreaker & Tail.”

Ahh, the mysteries of life… revealed through Southern Comfort. Tune in Saturday for more revelations…

First Course: Medley of Smoked Sausage

In moments of success, it is important to remember the moments that went before. In our case, the grinder. Enjoy the sausage. Pairs well with regret —also known as tequila.

Second Course: Saucy Legs, Cornbread and Grass

I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but our running game seems to be improved this year —or maybe that was Wisconsin the announcer wasn’t quite sure.

Either way, it is the inspiration for our main course. Envision smoked chicken legs adorned with a trio of sauces (in celebration of our three running backs) nestled behind a big slab of smoked cornbread (in honor of our corn-fed boys up front) atop a field of citrus cole slaw.

Now that’s Southern Comfort —right Brandon?

Third Course: Cuffs & Buttons on a Pineapple

The third course is a celebration of the sweet feeling of winning again. It will feature smoked pineapple brushed with a Southern Comfort glaze.

Enjoy the sweet moments of life, my friend.

Saucy Snout Tailgating

September 5, 2014 by Convivial Boar Leave a Comment

We are in the midst of football season again and that means tailgate feasts! The Convivial Boar is a Razorback fan —go figure—which among other things means that the joy of a game often peaks just before kickoff. At home games, the Boar joins forces with a good friend to present Saucy Snout tailgating.

Just to whet our appetite, below is the tailgate invite for the 2013 Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game —featuring a certain player that seems to have his finger in everything these days.

Greetings! My Snouty Friends.

We invite you to another edition of Saucy Snout tailgating to savor the moments (and by moments I mean hours) before the ball is first struck by one’s foot…and then, well we know what happens then…

Course I –“smoked avocado bruschetta”

In the off-season, we decided to up our game (we thought that was the general mood in the vicinity of Fayetteville) so we
decided to employ a more coordinated and disciplined approach to tailgating fare. To that end, we are now offering a menu complete with food and drink pairings. But, do not fear, in addition to the suggested drink pairings, the Expedition Bar will be open.

Our first course, which will be served around noon, will feature smoked avocado bruschetta paired with champagne (sparkling grape juice for the younger snouts)— we share Johnny Football’s zeal for the green-stuff and finer things in life.

Course II –“skewered duck”

Several people have asked me over this past weekend, “Did we lose to Rutgers?” It seems, for some odd reason, that many folks thought we had won. Alas, the game outlasted our zeal, and I must sadly report that if you are the sort of person that looks only to the final score, then you will see it as a loss. But, there is a bigger story at play.

I’ve noticed over the past few years that the AFLAC Duck is running short of trivia material. Imagine ten years from now, an older but still fairly spry duck marches across the screen and the following question appears: “What SEC team had the Scarlet Knight’s Sword stuck up its ass two years in a row?” And, the wise-and-oh-so-clever commentator (you know the one) adds, “Hint: by ass I mean ham,” and then snorts a few times for good measure.

So, you see the Duck won and will be skewered with a pepper in our second course and paired with a variety of tequila shots or a nice margarita on the rocks (I always think of tequila when I see that duck). (younger snout pairing: orange juice).

Course III –“smoke’n-snappy balls”

I do want to give a shout-out to our center, Travis Swanson (anybody else recall a center being the most celebrated player on the team?). Apparently, he’s so good in fact and snaps the ball with such force, the quarterback can’t catch the snaps (also, an odd situation). Third Course: smoke’n-snappy balls (think, spicy venison meatballs slathered in a smoky barbecue sauce and wrapped in bacon) paired with a chilled, brown New Castle beer. (younger snout pairing: root beer).

Course IV –“Bielema’cue sandwich”

And now, in the spirit of Johnny Football, our signature course:

Bielema’cue Sandwich: spice-rubbed smoked pork loin with a bold slab (possibly a bit smelly) of Wisconsin cheddar cheese served topless (bun showing on bottom) and scantily dressed with a drizzle of truffle oil. Drink pairing: Moscow Mule: vodka, ginger beer and lime. (younger snout pairing: fruit punch)

Course V –“#karma apples”
I can’t finish without addressing a disturbing situation –silly really, but it has garnered some attention. Last season, I attempted a dessert on the smoker (oh there were the naysayers and those who secretly wished it to flop). It was edible, some even said “good.” Even still, I was not proud of it. We can do better. But, the saddest most cruel thing happened a few minutes later when Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay seemingly received word of my smoky mediocrity and floated up a hot-air balloon for all to see with the following printed in bold letters: #karma. Oh the pain, it hurts still. Undaunted, however, I will again attempt to finish strong with a smoked dessert.

Final course –#karma Apples: smoked apple crumble braised in a hard apple cider. Take that Flay…

Here’s to another season of tailgating, my friend…and hopefully a little football too.