What are your general feelings about weekly blog schedules? I've been contemplating starting one, just to help me organize my posting. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it though.
Sometimes I think it would help me to ensure that I'm getting to everything I wanna post - i.e. recipes, restaurant reviews, and the not forgotten but wholly neglected, Project Gardner. Aw, poor Project Gardner. I'm still growing shit, it's just not getting posted.
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Other times (and probably why I haven't done it yet) I struggle with the idea of such rigid structure - what if I don't have a post ready that day for the pre-determined topic? What if I have something to say that exists beyond what any of the designated themes demand of me? I tend to think of my blog as not only an avenue to connect with others and disseminate information, but also as a bit of an art. It's a creative outlet. Can I still be creative in such rigidity? Is rigidity a word?
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| playing with fabrics and iphoto. |
Maybe just selecting one or two specific day during the week for a theme....? Hm... That sounds possible. What do you think?
Last night I was also uncertain about something. Bacalao. Bacalao is Spanish for salt cod. It's white fish (generally, as the name would suggest, cod) that has been cured with salt. Its a bit of a process to do and thus I purchased mine pre-salted from Ottavio's last week. It was relatively inexpensive (about $6) considering how much we ate - ours was just under a pound in weight and it easily created an appetizer for 4 or 5 people. You can only use it after soaking the fish in frequent changes of fresh water for at least 24 hours in order to soften the flesh and remove the salt - yes, after all the work that went into salting the cod, it has to be removed. Thus, it's a bit of a process but if you plan ahead a little, it is so worth the effort.
This dish is tender, flaky, moist, rich, and kind of super delicious. Seriously. Take the time to plan ahead. Make this. And get ready to do some dishes. But believe me, you won't be sorry.
Cazuelitas de Bacalao
Ingredients:
1 lb Salt Cod.
175 g White Waxy Potato (generally 1 medium to large sized potato), peeled and chopped.
150 ml Cream (i used 18% table cream because that's what i had).
150 ml Good Quality Olive Oil.
3 or 4 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and very finely chopped.
1 Lemon for Juice.
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.
3 Tbsp Grated Parmesan.
Pinch of Nutmeg (optional).
Kosher Salt (optional).
What to Do:
Fill a bowl with cold water. Add the fish. Cover. Refrigerate. Change the water 2 or 3 times over the next 24 hours. Drain when ready to use.
When the fish has been de-salted: Bring the potatoes to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and mash with a fork. Put the lid on the pot to keep warm.
As those boil, bring another pot of cold water to the boil with the salt cod. Once boiling, turn off the heat and let the fish sit in there to steep for about 5 minutes. This will allow the fish to cook and become flaky. Then, remove from the hot water and flake with a fork - make sure there are no bones or skin left in the fish.
As those boil, bring another pot of cold water to the boil with the salt cod. Once boiling, turn off the heat and let the fish sit in there to steep for about 5 minutes. This will allow the fish to cook and become flaky. Then, remove from the hot water and flake with a fork - make sure there are no bones or skin left in the fish.
Pre-heat your broiler.
In 2 shallow pans (or pots), separately heat the olive oil and cream over low-medium heat. Add the garlic to the cream. You want these to be and remain very warm but not hot!
Now, throw the fish into a food processor. With the motor running, slowly and alternatively add the warm oil and creamy garlic mixture. It should end up looking very gloopy.
Now, throw the fish into a food processor. With the motor running, slowly and alternatively add the warm oil and creamy garlic mixture. It should end up looking very gloopy.
Pour that mixture into am oven safe bowl and gently mash the potato, pepper, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt if necessary (it wasn't in my case) until just combined.
Top with a little Parmesan just to cover. Place bowl into the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, or until the top is golden.
Serve with yummy homemade crackers, crostinis, or my basic polenta.
Eat.
I tried. I failed. I am an organized girl, but you can't keep up with two "lives". I mean, some bloggers do tit as work, I do it for my pleasure. Scheduling needs a huge commitment, and at the end I felt terrible because everytime I didn't stick to what I "had to" post I felt guilty. I also tried the two "planned" posts a week thing, but then my brain just rebelled to it. Now I just have a list of things I want to show you (I have tons of recipes for "From the garden to the kitchen, actually, like your gardner series. time flies!), and if I feel like it I post and sometimes I red something I wanted to post a month ago and think "oh what a stupid idea" and just leave it out. =) This works,haha, I don't feel too obliged. But I think everyone has his/her own way of organizing it.
ReplyDeleteTo blog or not to blog.....I decided for my blogging experience to be positive in all ways that I would only do any entry every 10 to 12 days...about 3 a month. I only want to blog when I have something I really want to share. For me that would not be my every meal or thought about food, but some particularly wonderful food moment. I did not want my blogging to become just another obligation that I had set for myself, but a pleasurable time, an easy fun time, a creative time...who can be creative when the clock is ticking. So for me every 10-12 days works just great.
ReplyDeleteLove your thought provoking discussions like this one. Thanks. By the way, nice cod!
I'm all about blog love. I can't schedule -- that would drive me nuts, it would feel like a requirement, and I would fall out of love with my blog. I've read that successful bloggers should blog more often, but my some of my favs are once-a-week blogs... I like to start a lot of posts and work on them as the inspiration arises. Then I find that I have several posts I could decide to share each week. Love the garden posts, too -- nice way to switch things up! Thanks!
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