Guatemala Acatenenango Finca La Soledad

Guatemala Acatenenango Finca La Soledad

Balance is an usually a good thing but it can also mean uninspiring. Everything where it should be, nothing out weighting anything else, completely textbook, those praises that can as easily be the opposite. This is a very balanced coffee; sweetness, acidity, bitterness are all there but nothing dominates. It is full, flavourful and even complex, but there is no unique defining character, unless balance is it. Still, it is a very enjoyable cup, at Full City, just before 2nd crack, I find that it does some interesting thing going for it, it has a lovely roasted maltiness to it that reminds me of the sweetness of a good cigar. I don't like it like I like a fine Yirgacheffe or Sulawesi, but if I want warm and comfort this may very well be it.

Lamb Shoulder

This is probably a pot roast.  The whole shoulder is salted and then browned in an extra hot (500℉) oven.  Whole carrots, chunks of onion, ribs of celery, head of garlic are laid on the bottom of the heavy pot and rest the lamb on top.  Sprinkle on black pepper, oregano and cumin, covered and bake in a slow oven (275℉) for 4 hours.  Add mushrooms for the last half hour.  The carrots and mushrooms are just right as sides.  Skim off the fat, mash the garlic cloves and the sauce is ready.  I like to take the bones out by pulling lightly with my hand and put the meat back into the pot in big chunks.  Eat over rice.  True flavours. 

Roast Pork Hash

When I used to party until 4am, I looked for greasy diners with good corn beef hash.  Coffee, hash and egg seemed to be the best way to hold off alcohol and fatigue; it is the starch and grease, they say.  I don't party till 4 anymore but I still like dinner hash.  Here is a quick way to make hash.  Diced potatoes are zapped in a microwave oven for 4 minutes then add them to a hot pan with onion already softened.  Cook until the potato starts to brown then add some corn beef (here I used leftover roast pork instead).  Cook a minutes or two, salt and pepper, top with an egg, there, a classic.

Waste Not--Shiitake Stem 冬菇蒂

With the affordable price of dry shiitake mushroom these days, most people just throw away the woody stems and use only the tender caps.  I remember when I was little though, my grandmother would come up with many ways to eat the stems.  The trick is to soak them really well and cook for a good long time. This is probably the easiest way.  After soaking it for almost a day, the tough bits on the end of the stems are cut off and then the whole lot is cooked slowly with the soaking liquid, sugar and soy sauce for about and hour and a half.  The stems become very tender but with a good bit and the mushroom flavour is full, more so than the caps.  It is a wonderful cold side dish.

Dry Noodle 牛腱乾撈拉麵

Usually whenI make this long cooked beef shank, I like to have it with noodle soup, preferably pull-noodle 拉麵.  Lately though, I find that I enjoy it with just tossed noodle.  The whole shank meat is cooked in star anise 八角, gancao 甘草, ginger, unrefined sugar 片糖, salt, dark soy sauce, shaoxing liquor 紹興酒 and water for a good 2.5-3 hrs until tender.  The remaining sauce makes for the noodle sauce.  I like some additional minced garlic and chopped scallion along with some sesame oil to round it up.

Sumatra FTO Aceh Arinagata

Sumatra FTO Aceh Arinagata,

As much as I like to blend with it, I am usually not a big fan of Sumatran coffee as a single origin brew--it is too often all body and no taste. This one is an exception. At full city, just before 2nd crack, it has cinnamon, clove and molasses on the nose, the body is a little lighter than typical Sumatran and surprisingly clean, the taste is of sweet spices and just a hint of acidity, the after taste is long and bitter-sweet. This doesn't make Sumatran one of my favourite single origins,but it would certainly make a good change from them.