Cutting and cooking a pig from nose to tail

Class: Sunday February 28th

World renowned Tuscan butcher Dario Cecchini descends from a long line of butchers. He works to preserve centuries old recipes in his antique-style butcher shop in Panzano, Italy. Dario partners with the University of Florence in his endeavor to save the endangered species that are integral to traditional Tuscan cuisine. He also unites farmers and restaurant owners to continue producing and serving local products.

Riccardo Ricci, Dario's right hand man and the first non-Cecchini to work in the shop in over 250 years is coming to Avedano's this February 28th to lead a class in breaking down a pig from head to tail. He will also provide recipes corresponding to each cut of the pig. Of the dishes Riccardo will make will be "Tonno del Chianti" - pork spiced, massaged, marinated, and slow cooked for 3 hours and then packaged in sunflower oil. Amazing on a sandwich. The class is $110 and includes ample tastings.

More information is coming. In the meantime check out Dario's blog and give us a call with questions: 415.285.6328

A haunting example

Recently I watched The Cove, a 2009 documentary that sheds light on the annual slaughter of 2,300 dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Japan. The dolphins feed a growing consumer demand for seafood in Japan, especially for whale meat (dolphin meat is often marketed falsely as whale meat, which has a higher market value). This industry exists both from a lack of governmental regulation but also from a lack of consumer awareness. The film emphasizes that most Japanese citizens outside of Taiji have never heard of these dolphin killings.

I think this deserves our attention because it affirms the importance of being a thoughtful consumer. To systematically change a food industry that does not value human or planetary health, we need to demand more transparency and better alternatives. The foundation of this process is the small choices we make at the store - what eggs to buy, what produce. When we as individuals create a demand for sustainable and local foodstuffs, industries will be forced to follow suit. This begins with knowledge and awareness.

I inquired with CleanFish about the feed that the Loch Duart Salmon eats (see earlier post). They said that Loch Duart leveraged the high demand for their Salmon to change feed suppliers standards. This story is promising to me. I hope something similar will happen as a result of The Cove. Check it out.

Give me Liberty, or give me duck!

OK, the title of this post is maybe silly, but it does help to introduce the new Liberty Duck breasts and legs that we now carry at Avedano's. Liberty Ducks come from Sonoma County Poultry in Penngrove, which started in 1992 to meet a Bay Area demand for meatier, more flavorful ducks. The ducks live a hormone and antibiotic free life, and eat a diet of corn and other grains. The ducks are free to roam in an open environment. All of which result in one delicious bird.

How to cut up a chicken class!

One of the most useful skills I've learned at Avedano's is how to cut up a chicken. Here's your opportunity to master the bird:

When: Sunday January 24th, 1-3pm at Avedano's
What: Learn to truss a chicken, break it down into 8 pieces, and bone-out the breast.
How much: $80 per person (includes the chicken, which you can take home)

This class will be led by Dave the butcher. The class will not exceed 10 people and at least 8 people must sign up for the class to take place, so tell your friends.

Call or stop by to sign up.

It's not easy being green

I read an interesting article in The New York Times about the effect that going "green" has on relationships, "When Trying to Preserve the Planet Strains the Relationship." The Times points to an increase in marital strife and divorce as couples disagree over how green their lives should be. At Avedano's the decision to go green means buying more expensive products that have a better impact on the planet and your health, but this is not always an easy choice and some might be more on board than others. I know since starting work at the shop I've become more conscientious of what I eat - where it comes from, how it was raised or grown - but that doesn't mean my friends, family, girlfriend, etc. feel exactly the same way.

I believe going green is ultimately about quality of life. It's the decision to eat better, live healthier, and create a cleaner planet for future generations. But that means it needs to be balanced with the other details of our lives that make us happy - like our relationships. Check out the article and let me know what you think about this issue and how you find the right balance.

Salmon (Loch Duart)

I'm not a sustainable foods expert. I hope it's already apparent that this blog is a space of learning both for you and me. Like many people I interact with at Avedano's, I'm working on becoming a more thoughtful consumer. Feel free to keep me aware of issues I might be missing, or questions I'm not asking.

Today I'm looking at aquaculture and the Loch Duart Salmon we regularly carry. Sourced from CleanFish, this fish comes from a small, independent Scottish farm that attempts to replicate the natural life of a Salmon. The principle complaint against farm-raised seafood is that the process contaminates both the fish and the surrounding environment. I'm convinced that Loch Duart preserves the integrity of both. The area's natural tides flow water through the Salmon pens flushing them of waste. This allows the fish to grow in a clean environment. Simultaneously, the aqua-farmers avoid using any unnatural substances such as hormones or antibiotics that would contaminate the Salmon and the water itself. The pens are also allowed a year to fallow every three years to ensure water purity.

As for what the Salmon eat, the CleanFish website says the fish are fed sustainable feed that replicates what a Salmon naturally consumes. I contacted CleanFish and am waiting to hear what that means exactly.

The Salmon arrives in San Francisco 48 hours after harvesting, which is considered the ideal amount of rest time for flavor. That means it's fresh and tasty when it gets to Avedano's and back to your house. For more information, follow this link to a video on Loch Duart provided by CleanFish.

A reasonable compromise

If the world of seafood consumption functioned perfectly, consumers would only eat locally and in season when populations were healthy. If you're in Alaska during the summer you can feast on Salmon. If you're in Nebraska and want Salmon at all, tough luck. This would reduce the demand for any individual fishery and would not force the artificial production of a naturally fixed product. As it is, fish is an increasingly popular food staple around the country meaning that people with little to no local populations are looking elsewhere. Additionally, those with access to seafood often seek more established or popular fish from other places - like eating Yellowfin Tuna from halfway around the world here in San Francisco.

Unfortunately, most of us cannot devote the time or energy or patience to meeting this ideal of local and seasonal. I buy Salmon because it's always available (in the store), I've cooked it before, and I know it's delicious. But I also know there is not enough wild Salmon in the world's waterways to match our collective demand. In my eyes, this means aquaculture -farm raising - is a necessity if done with the consumer and environment's best interest in mind.

A quick aside

This past Saturday was my girlfriend's birthday so I decided to make braised lamb shanks (from the shop) for the occasion. I want to quickly share this recipe both because it was delicious but it was also simple:

I rubbed two lamb shanks with a Quatre Epices - equal parts cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice (all ground), salt and pepper. The shanks went into a 450 degree oven for 1 hour and then were removed to deglaze the pan with 1 cup of port. I returned the shanks to the pan, added 1 quart of chicken stock and covered for another 1 1/2 hour of braising. When finished I plated the shanks over mash potatoes and spooned the juices from the pan over everything. That's it. Delicious!

Follow the Fish

This is the first entry of what will be a series on the fishing industry and how it affects your choices and decisions as a consumer. I plan to address the individual heath, ecological, and economic issues related to farm raised and wild caught fish in the context of the species we usually carry. To kick off this discussion I want to introduce the company from which we source most of our product, which does an excellent job of setting industry standards for sustainable, delicious fish.

CleanFish is a company based in San Francisco that works exclusively with small scale aquaculture operations developing and implementing best practices to insure the continued health of the fishing industry. Top Bay Area restaurants - Foreign Cinema, Slanted Door, The French Laundry, Gary Danko, etc. - also source their seafood from CleanFish because of its high quality and sustainability.

At Avedano's we believe aquaculture - or farmed fish - is key to the continued survival of many fish species. With CleanFish we are confident that our product is great for the consumer and also for fish populations. But I readily admit the decision to buy farm-raised vs. wild caught fish is a complicated one. I hear daily from our customers that this is a concern for you, so I want to take a closer look at this issue over the next few posts. If you have questions that you want addressed specifically feel free to leave a comment and I will look into it.

That's some tasty cheese

Recently I've been tasting the various cheeses we carry. I like cheese quiet a bit, but I'm not an expert and usually find it difficult to make a selection when presented with several nondescript, tightly packaged wedges. What does it taste like? What does it smell like? Will it go well with dried apricots? On a salad? Unable to answer these questions I tend to get the same thing again and again. But where's the sense of adventure in that?

For those of you wanting to try something new, I suggest Capricious from the Achadinha Goat Cheese Company in Petaluma. I got to try this one while slicing it up for packaging and thought it was delicious. I'm a big fan of cheese and apples and Capricious would work nicely there. But their website also suggests recipes such as a Capricious burger and a Capricious artichoke and jalapeno dip. That's not to mention this cheese won "Best In Show" from the American Cheese Society in 2002. And best of all, it's made locally by a small farm in Petaluma. Let us know what you think when you give it a try.

2010

Happy New Year from everyone at Avedano's!