Salt of the Earth (2015)

Wim Wenders is not one to shy away from difficult subjects as a film maker, and this is no exception.  In this documentary he trains his camera on photographer Sebastiao Salgado and the result is an invigorating and interesting observation of the man, his work and the entire medium of photography.
Salgado originally studied economics and worked for the World Bank in France after being exiled from his home country in 1969, before deciding to give it all up in order to pursue a career in photography. After his first major project, a photographic chronicle of South America, he began a series of expansive projects in which he used his keen eye and ability to create striking images to create works that allowed viewers to bear witness to glimmers of hope and humanity in the face of almost unimaginable misery. There are quite a few dead bodies in his work, which is wide ranging but largely man's inhumanity to man are laid out, from the refugee camps in Ethiopia to the massacre in Rwanda, and the war in the former Yugoslavia.  He then turned his attention to beauty across the globe as a means of healing after bearing witness to atrocities for decades.  He has an incredible eye, and the film is a testament to the power of visual imagery to begin to tell a story. 

Al Pastor Tacos

These are from the Food Lab, and like any Kenji recipes, these are not done the easy way, but rather the flavor driven way.  My spouse made them in a period after having a tooth pulled and I was having a lot of trouble eating a lot of different kinds of foods, and I was at best skeptical of this, but it was simply the best al pastor I have had, certainly in the town that I live in, and it is deeply comforting and delicious.  Leave yourself days to complete this task.

• For the Pork:
• 2 whole ancho chilies, seeds and stems removed
• 2 whole pasilla or guajillo chilies, seeds and stems removed
• 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried ground cumin seed
• 1 tablespoon achiote powder or paste
• 1 chipotle chili packed in adobo sauce, plus 2 teaspoons sauce from can
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 3 whole cloves garlic
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 pounds boneless blade-end loin or sirloin pork roast
• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) sliced bacon
•  
• To Finish and Serve:
• 1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into quarters lengthwise
• corn tortillas
• 1 medium white onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup finely minced fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 3 to 4 limes, cut into 8 wedges each for serving
• Avocadoes
  

Directions

1. Place chilies in a large saucepan over medium high heat and cook, turning chilies occasionally, until puffed, pliable, lightly browned in spots, and very aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock (it should boil immediately), then pour contents of pan into a small bowl. Cover loosely and set aside.
2. Wipe out saucepan, add oil, and return to medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Add cumin, oregano, and achiote and cook, stirring frequently, untila aromatic but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add chipotle chilies and sauce and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds longer. Add vinegar, salt, and sugar and remove from heat.
3. Scrape contents of saucepan into a blender along with garlic and chilies with their soaking liquid. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides as necessary. Set sauce aside to cool slightly.
4. Using a very sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice the meat as thin as possible. If necessary, place meat in freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up. Split the sides of a heavy duty zipper-lock bag. Place one slice of meat inside bag and pound with the bottom of a heavy 8-inch skillet or a meat pounder until less than 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with remaining meat.
5. Add marinade to bowl and toss with hands until every piece of meat is evenly coated in marinade.
6. Line the bottom of a disposable aluminum loaf pan with bacon. Add a layer of thin-sliced marinated meat. Continue layering in bacon and meat until all the meat is used up. (It may pile above the pan a little bit. This is ok.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 36.
7. To cook indoors: preheat the oven to 275°F. Uncover aluminum loaf pan and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and cook until meat is completely tender (It will drip lots of fat), about 4 hours. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
8. To cook outdoors (which I did not): light half a chimney of charcoal and allow to preheat until coals are mostly covered in gray ash. Spread out under one half of coal grate, and place cooking grate on top. Alternatively, set one set of burners on a gas grill to low and leave the remaining burners off. Unwrap aluminum loaf pan and place directly over cooler side of grill, placing a drip pan underneath if desired. Cover grill and cook until loaf registers 180 to 190°F in the center, about 4 hours, adding more coals to grill or adjusting burners as necessary to maintain an air temperature of around 275°F for the duration of cooking. Remove from grill, allow to cool slightly, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
9. To Serve: Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove cooked meat from aluminum tray, scraping off any fat or jellied juices from its sides. Use a spoon to collect fat and juices from tray, reserving each separately. Using a sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice meat as thinly as possible to create fine shavings of meat and fat. Transfer to a bowl.
10. If fat from meat is solid, heat gently in the microwave or in the oven until melted. Transfer pineapple pieces to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush with fat. Transfer to oven and roast until completely tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
11. About 10 minutes before pineapple is done roasting, transfer meat and 1 tablespoon of fat to a large cast iron or non-stick skillet. Heat over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until meat crisps and deeply browns in spots. Add any reserved juices and toss to combine, allowing it to cook until reduced to a moist glaze. Transfer meat to a warmed serving bowl.
12. Chop roasted pineapple into large chunks. Serve meat and pineapple immediately with warmed tortillas, onions, cilantro, salsa, and lime wedges. Meat will be very moist and should be packed into double-stacked tortillas for serving.

 

Land Ho! (2014)

There are a lot of cringe worthy moments in this movie, but in the end I was glad that I had watched it, and I also loved that I got to see some of the incredible beauty of Iceland once again.
The story itself is about two characters, one that you could bear to be with and one that you most decidedly could not.  Mitch is an aging surgeon who turns up at his newly-ex-brother-in-law Colin’s house one fine afternoon, ostensibly to cheer Colin up.  Mitch is a good old boy--affable, unapologetically sexist, and a controller. He’s the kind of good time that can drive a less exuberant person a little nuts.  Colin is yin to his yang, and while the two do not change one iota as the movie progresses, you can see that this is a way for people who are very different to co-exist.  Mitch needs to talk less and Colin needs to say no more often, but while very different, they can manage to get along.  Mitch is struggling with a life event, and Colin is who he turned to.  It is a strange mix of quiet and loud that ends up working pretty well.

Smoky Jalapeño Bread

We have been back at watching the Great British Bake Off, since two seasons had passed since we last caught up with it, and since we are in the worst part of the pandemic to date where we live, we are looking for stay at home diversions rather than deep brainy fare.  This recipe comes from that, and is really very good.  It is a tear apart bread, or a tear and share, and it is really fun flavors and delicious.

For the smoky seasoning:

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp + 1 tsp tomato powder

1 tsp onion granules

1 tsp garlic granules

¼ tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried chives

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp caster sugar

For the dough:

450g strong white bread flour

7g fast-action dried yeast

1¼ tsp salt

1½ tsp caster sugar

2 tbsp smoky seasoning (see above)

30ml olive oil

40g red pepper,  diced

20g jalapeños, diced, 1 whole slice reserved for garnish

1 egg, beaten

40g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

100g red Leicester cheese, grated

2 spring onions, finely chopped

handful of chopped coriander, to garnish

For the smoky BBQ dipping sauce:

1½ tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

100g tomato ketchup

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp dark sugar

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground cayenne pepper

Step 1
Mix all the ingredients for the smoky seasoning together in a bow and set aside.

Step 2
Make the dough. Place the flour in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the yeast, salt, sugar smoky seasoning, olive oil and 280ml of hand-hot water (you may need an extra 2 tablespoons of water if the dough looks too dry). Mix for 4–5 minutes on a low speed, then increase to medium for 2 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Turn out into the lightly greased bowl and leave in a warm place or proving drawer to rise for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size.

Step 3
Meanwhile place the diced peppers and jalapeños on a sheet of kitchen paper to absorb any moisture.

Step 4
Make the BBQ Dipping Sauce. Heat the oil in a medium pan on a low heat. Add the garlic and fry very gently for 30 seconds, then add remaining ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water. Increase the heat to high and stir for 5 minutes, until thickened and infused. Set aside to cool.

Step 5
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly. Cut it in half. Roll out one half to a circle just over 30cm in diameter. Cut away the edges using a pizza cutter so you have a neat circle and lift the disc onto a sheet of baking paper.

Step 6
Use the beaten egg to brush a 2cm border around the edge of the dough (reserve the remaining egg). Spread the grated cheeses (reserving a handful for the garnish), peppers, jalapeños and spring onions evenly across the circle, avoiding the eggy border.

Step 7
Roll out the second piece of dough in the same way and lift with a rolling pin over the first disc. Press the edges together to seal in the filling, trimming as necessary.

Step 8
Place a 5cm biscuit cutter in the middle of the dough without pressing down. Using a long knife, pizza cutter or oiled scissors, cut the dough into 8 equal wedges, cutting from the outside edge up to the central circle (cut into quarter wedges first, then each quarter into half).

Step 9
Without tearing the bread, lift each segment, twist it twice round on itself and place it back down. Using scissors, snip the right corner off each segment. Carefully transfer the loaf to the baking tray, brush all over with beaten egg and sprinkle over the reserved cheese. Finish with a jalapeño slice in the middle. Leave to prove in an oiled bag somewhere warm or in a proving drawer for 20–30 minutes, or until doubled in size. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.

Step 10
Bake the loaf for 20 minutes, rotating the tray half way through the cooking time (it will catch if you don’t rotate, as the loaf is large). Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with the BBQ sauce alongside for dipping.

 

Emily In Paris (2020)

 I guess I should start off by saying that we watched this during the pandemic, a time when we cannot travel.  Once we can go back to international travel, France is on our list of first possible destinations, but Paris is really not.  There are great museums but for the most part I like France outside the larger cities.  I like regional France, where it is part of the culture to grow food and make jam and to savor the attainable rather than to reach for the best.  Just as I don't get the hustle and bustle and shopping aspect of New York, I do not get it about Paris either.  I do the cultural tour of each and enjoy, but it is not my favorite.

So, that is to say that all the snobby things about Paris and the French that are portrayed in the most exaggerated manner in this series worry me not at all.  This is not an accurate rendition of life in Paris, but rather a culture clash played out in a very amusing way.  It is American culture and values juxtaposed with the French counterpart.  It is youth culture and values meets the way we have always done things.  And it is how to make the old ways hip again.  I would recommend it as escapist  television, and hope there is a season 2.

Georgia Peach

Wowza.  It has been a week since Georgia certified their vote, and a Republican governor got up in front of national media and said that Joe Biden had won Georgia.  He did so by the slimmest of margins, and that shrunk a bit in the hand recount of the vote, but still it stands.  On the very same day Michigan GOP lawmakers announced after their visit to the White House that the electoral vote in their state will go to the winner of the state, Joe Biden.  They affirmed that this was never in doubt, that they have always done it this way, and will continue to do so. 

So why is all of this even news?  The outgoing administration is determined to break every thing that they can grab on their way out, and sow seeds of distrust and discontent in the wake of their destruction.  Truly, who thought it would be otherwise.  I wish the media had a ho hum approach to this, balancing each announcement from the petulant narcissist with something more appropriate and factual, rather than fanning the flames of his chaos.  The main one would be to examine every claim he is making about Democrats because a narcissist projects blame onto others for their wrong doing, so let's start investigating wrong doing on the president's behalf.  That should be the story.

Southern Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Biscuits

My youngest has been obsessed with Babish for quite some time, and my spouse and I have been less enthusiastic.  However, having made several things following his recipes and videos and they have really been very good.  So this past week, even though the main event was Thanksgiving, we undertook a traditional southern meal.  These are THE BEST biscuits that we have made at home (grating frozen butter, then turning the dough like it was puff pastry apparently works), the addition of soy sauce to gravy adds just the right amount of umami and color, and ricing the mashed potatoes makes the texture fantastic.  And yes, we did use the MSG.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

• 1 whole chicken

• 16 oz of buttermilk

• 12 herbs and spices

  • ⅔ tsp salt

  • ½ tsp thyme

  • ½ tsp basil

  • ⅓ tsp oregano

  • 1 tsp celery salt

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp dried mustard

  • 4 tsp paprika

  • 2 tsp garlic salt

  • 1 tsp ground ginger

  • 3 tsp white pepper

  • ¾ tsp MSG

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• ½ cup of corn starch

• Canola and Peanut oil, for frying

Creamy Mashed Potatoes & Homemade Gravy

• Gravy

  • 6 tbsps butter

  • ⅓ cup all purpose flour

  • Soy sauce

  • 3 cups chicken stock

• Mashed potatoes

  • 4 lbs russet potatoes

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 1-2 cups warm milk

  • Kosher salt

  • White pepper

Buttermilk Biscuits

• 13 ½ ounces all purpose flour

• 2 Tbsp sugar

• 4 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp kosher salt

• 2 sticks frozen butter

• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk

Method

Buttermilk Fried Chicken (Babish Style)

1. Break down chicken into 8 pieces. Save wing and spine pieces for making chicken stock.

2. Into a large food-safe bucket, add 16 oz of buttermilk and 12 herbs and spices along with an extra tablespoon of kosher salt and chicken pieces.

3. Press chicken down into the buttermilk brine and give it a good mix until they are evenly coated and keep the bucket in the fridge for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. Take it out once or twice during its marinade time to give it good stir.

4. In a wide casserole dish, add 12 herbs and spices, 2 cups of all purpose flour and half cup of corn starch, and whisk together. 

5. Add a few tablespoons of marinade to the dredge, and mix it up with your fingers or a fork until creating tiny little bits of breading that are going to stick to the chicken.

6. Bread all of the chicken at once and let those sit there for about 10 minutes.

7. Heat canola and peanut oils to 400°F, frying for 6-9 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Dark meat should reach 175°F and white meat should register 165°F. Place on a wire rack and keep in a low temperature oven until all of the chicken has finished frying.

8. Optional but you really should: Scoop up the brown, sloppy gold off the bottom of the pot and add it to the gravy.

Homemade chicken stock

1. Add chicken bones and vegetables to a large saucepan with oil. Brown all of the pieces.

2. Once the chicken has some color on it, deglaze the pot with 8 cups of cold water.

3. Bring the whole thing to simmer lower heat until it reaches a bare simmer, and keep it there for about 4 hours.

Gravy for Mashed Potatoes

1. In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter until foaming and add ⅓ cup all purpose flour, and whisk to cook for an additional minute.

2. Slowly stream in 3 cups chicken stock, and whisk constantly to prevent clumping.

3. Add a good glug of soy sauce.

4. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until it gets nice and thick. Taste for seasoning.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

1. Peel 4 pounds of russet potatoes and chop into 1 inch cubes. Place into a pot of cold water.

2. Bring the pot to a boil. Once a boil is reached, cook for 12-16 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

3. Rinse the potatoes with hot tap water.

4. Place a few chunks of potato in a potato ricer and press them through. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Add 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature (cut into 1 inch pieces) , 1 or more cups of warm milk, some kosher salt and white pepper.

5. Mix together.

Buttermilk Biscuits

1. Start by combining 13 ½ ounces all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in a bowl. Whisk with a fork until homogeneous.

2. By using the slightly larger holes on a cheese grater, grate 2 sticks of frozen butter.

3. Add butter to the flour mixture, and mix around until all the pieces are coated.

4. Add 1 ¼ cups buttermilk to the mixture and give it a good stir.

5. Remove the mixture from the bowl and continue to try to coax together into a sort of rectangle. Using a generously floured rolling pin, roll it out to a 16 by 9 inch rectangle and fold in thirds like a letter.  Watch the episode above if you need help!

6. Repeat this process five times.

7. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.

8. Roll the dough out to a roughly 9x9 square-ish shape, and trim off the edges using a very sharp knife that was dusted in flour.

9. Cut cleanly into 9 square biscuits.

10. Place back on the parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with butter.

11. Bake the biscuits at 400°F for 20-25 minutes.

12. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before consumption.

The Good Liar (2020)

There is little that can be revealed about this movie except to say that the issue is who is zooming whom.  There are two very heavy hitting actors at play here, and that is at the core of the film's charm.

Set in London in 2009, the film opens as two people late in life find themselves chatting on a dating website and agree to meet for a casual dinner. This is where Roy (Ian McKellan) and Betty (Helen Mirren)) come together and after an initial bit of awkwardness—each one utilized a fake name online—they quickly hit it off. Their relationship is not so much romantic—Betty just lost her husband a year earlier and is not ready for something along those lines—but companionship. The only fly in the ointment in this otherwise sweet-sounding story is Betty’s grandson Steven, who is instantly suspicious of Roy and worries that his vulnerable grandmother is rushing into things far too quickly.  And he isn't wrong about that, we know right from the beginning.  It is a fun movie, that is low key entertainment.
 

Pumpkin Peanut Soup

November has been a month of cooking East African food every week, but this week I made this recipe, which I saw in the New York Times that heralds from West Africa.  It is appealing on several levels.  First, peanut butter as a component of soup give you depth of flavor without much effort or adding salt.  Second, having a couple of potentially vegan options in your back pocket is always a good thing.  Then there is the fact this is largely a pantry soup, so if the food supply tightens because of the raging pandemic, then you can whip this up with what is on hand. I did not puree and it was very good that way too.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• ½ habanero or bird's eye chile
• 1 (14-ounce) can pumpkin purée
• 3-4 cups stock
• 1 (13-ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon agave or honey (optional)
• ¼ cup unsweetened natural peanut butter
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons sliced fresh chives
• ¼ cup crème fraîche or yogurt (optional)

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently until softened and just beginning to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes. Stir in the chile and pumpkin purée, and whisk in the water or stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer on low, giving an occasional stir, for 20 minutes or until slightly reduced and thickened. Remove the chile after the soup simmers if you don’t care for much spice.
2. Add coconut milk, agave or honey (if using), and peanut butter to the pot. Using an immersion blender or working in batches in a standing blender, purée the soup until smooth. Season with salt and keep warm over low heat. Do not bring soup up to a simmer or boil at this point. (This reduces the risk of the oils in the peanut butter separating and breaking the soup's smooth texture.)
3. Divide soup between bowls, sprinkle with the chives and a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, or a drizzle of olive oil to make it vegan. Serve with a warm crusty baguette or chunks of warm sourdough for dipping.

 

 

 

50:1 (2018)

This movie is a horse-racing drama inspired by the true story of long-shot Mine That Bird, the horse that had an upset victory in the 2009 Kentucky Derby.  Watching it is a lot like watching the original race — as long as you factor in about 100 minutes of pre-race  programming before you get to the main event.. As in real life, the exciting part lasts only a minute or two, and then it’s over. The rest of the movie is background to get you to that point.
I liked this movie, probably because the genre, sports movies about underdogs who go on to upset victory, but I did not particularly care for the people who inhabit the movie.  The owner and the trainer meet in a bar fight, and the depth of their relationship starts and basically stops there, in terms of the emotional depth of the movie.  However, in telling a mostly true story, you are stuck with the details, and in this one New Mexico cowboys bring a horse they don't quite understand to a big race, get treated like yahoos and snub their noses at tradition and snobbery in thoroughbred racing.