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Food Thread: Primitivo And Pig: A Match Made In Heaven

Back in the day, Zinfandel was a poorly understood grape that was used mostly to make insipid white wines that had some residual sugar. Pretty boring and crappy. But there were an intrepid few in Northern California who understood how good the grape could be. Some of them were the Old Italian grape growers who knew of the grape from Italy, where it is called "Primitivo."

Now of course the slim-hipped hipsters have discovered Zinfandel and it is no longer a lovely secret, and the prices have skyrocketed. But the Italian version is still reasonably priced, and it can be a great drink. I was in Hoboken recently for dinner, at an old-school Italian restaurant that served the classics...and did a really good job of it. They had a Primitivo on the menu for not very much money, and it was a pleasure to drink. Fruity and big and without the sere qualities that too many modern wines aspire to.

So all of you wine drinkers out there, give it a try. Don't spend too much...my favorite wine store has two...a nice one for $11 and a fancy-bottle one for $17. A cursory check on the internet has dozens for less than $10, so they haven't gone mad with pricing like the California Zins.

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This sounds absolutely spectacular!
Pot-roasted Shoulder of Pork with Chilli and Beer
It's a simple recipe, with no weird ingredients, and the technique is basic. And that's as it should be! The liberal use of lemon juice is a nice touch, since it will counter the richness of the fatty meat. I would caution you to be careful with the dried red chili. The typical dried stuff in this country can be quite spicy, and while it will be damned fine eating, it might not be optimal for Red Sox fans and other weak-willed people.

Oh, I'll bet it will work with the other end of the pig. Hams are even cheaper than shoulders!

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I like eggnog! Yeah, it's sort of sweet and sort of thick and to be honest is redolent of mucus, but for whatever reason -- probably the booze -- it hits the spot once each year. Alton Brown's Eggnog sounds like it would be good, especially in comparison to some of the commercial brands. Taste Test: Eggnog is obviously subjective, but a few of these sound repulsive. Home made is worth the trouble, especially since it's only once a year...
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I love this idea, but the pie itself is massive, calling for two pounds of meat (smoked ham is never optional in Dildo World). If I were to make this I would make a few smaller pies, which would require actual thought before attempting, so..um...maybe not.
English Pork Pie
Although, now that I think about it, the idea of a slice of pie rather than an entire pie for oneself is appealing.

First World Problems baby!

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It's clickbait, but it's fun and disgusting clickbait!
Only Someone With a Stomach of Steel Would Be Willing to Try at Least 15 of These Vintage Recipes
Prune Whip anyone?
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Here's something a bit different.
Fudgy Chocolate Mug Cakes
It's written to be made with, or at least for kids, but it's a quick and simple dessert that works well for just two people. I'm not a big fan of cakes, but hot out of the oven, or in this case microwave, covers up a multitude of sins.
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Food and cooking tips, Haggis, young wild pigs, Scotch Eggs, thick and fluffy pita and good tomatoes that aren't square, pale pink and covered with Mestizo E.coli: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com. Any advocacy of French Toast with syrup will result in disciplinary action up to and including being nuked from orbit.