Pancetta

Today is the day I tie my pancettas. I will post pictures as soon as I am done. I am so excited. I love crafting, in every form.

Food Crafting?

Okay, so crafting is most certainly not limited to small, ridiculously cute wooly items that resemble farm animals. My husband and I are in love with crafting food. Being Italian, it seems to run in my blood. The picture is of a pork belly, the same cut butchers use to make bacon. Here we have the "brine" spread all over the trimmed belly. This piece of meat will go into a plastic bag and stay in the fridge for seven days. After that I will roll it into a log and tie it with string and then hang it in my garage for 15 days. When it is done it will be a delicous Italian bacon called Pancetta. So, if you are interested in knowing how to make this here is my recipe.....

....Buy a pork belly from your local butcher. If you get a whole untrimmed belly, it will make enough for two Pancettas. That is enough to give as a gift, which everyone will want after eating your first one! When you get it, it should lay out about big enough to fill a large cookie sheet. Carefully, and with a sharp knife trim as much fat from the fatty side, there will be an obvious fatty side, as you can. Try to make Pancetta as level as possible, that will make less air pockets when you roll it. Now cut the belly into two squares. This is approximate and will probably only leave you with a little trimmed off of one edge, feel free to cook and eat that, it should be very tasty.
Now, in a bowl combine these ingredients, so here is the deal, I don't use measurements because the old gmas in Italy didn't and I don't have to either. I use about a large palm full of each thing, except the bay leaves, I half that. Anyway, here is the list.
Rosemary
Thyme
Nutmeg
minced garlic
kosher salt
brown sugar
crushed black peppercorns
crushed juniper berries
bay leaves
That should make enough for two pancettas if you are liberal like me. Now take your trimmed belly and lay it in a large plastic bag and rub the brine on one side and turn over, then rub the other. Do the same with the second belly in it's own bag. Lay the bellies, in their bags in a cake pan and weigh down with a small flat weight. I have seen people use a box of kosher salt for this, about three pounds. I put both my pancettas in the cake pan, in their own bags, one right on top of the other, then I put a Costco bag of baking soda, 13 pounds, in it's own bag and laid that on top of the two pancettas.
Stick the whole shindig in the fridge. Turn the bellies over everyday and wait seven days. When they are done, remove from the fridge and make sure they are hard to the press of your fingers. If they still feel like raw meat, put them back for a few more days. When they are done, remove them from the fridge and rinse off the brine. rub the meaty side with a couple of tablespoons of peppercorns and roll tightly. Tie the whole thing up with a series of butchers knots, you can look that up on the internet as it is impossible to explain without pictures. Once tied hang out of direct sunlight, but somewhere with a relatively consistent temperature around 60 degrees for 15 days. Trust me, it will be more than fine, it will be delicous.
When done, remove string and slice beautiful round pancetta bacon slices and cook! Delicious,fast and easy. YUM PANCETTA!!!!!!!

So, I know it's not groundhog's day...

My husband has been on me for weeks to craft him up something to make his Itouch a little cozier. I finally found something I wanted. A sweet little groundhog who has a shadow no less! It is made of felt so it sticks to itself and doesn't need a closure. Very easy. So I made two, one for me and one for him. Now we have twin groundhogs! Thanks to Mollie Johanson for posting this tutorial. Not only was it super cute it is really easy. I made both of them in under an hour. I used fuzzier felt than she did, but the pattern is so easy you could make all sorts of fun creatures real and imagined. Have fun!

Easter is coming!

Easter is only a few days away and really any holiday is a good excuse to craft, but this one is especially good. Bunnies, chickens, chicks and grass, all so cute and fuzzy perfect for crafting.

I was hoping to make some cards this year so I headed down to my favorite art-supply-recyclers here in town, MECCA. (A shameless pitch yes, but a wonderful place. If you don't have one in your town, I am sorry.)

Anyway, they have packs of blank greeting cards there for a dollar, and of course as a natural born crafter I could not resist. Some wool roving, bits of left-over art paper and some chicken and bunny templates (thank you Martha Stewart) and I was in Easter card heaven. Here are some pictures to show off my work.