The Gastrocast

Welcome back and thank you for checking us out.

This is the second Podchef Gastrocast–sans food stylists or production crew.

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I’ve had a heck of a time getting this out there. I tried for about 8 hours this morning to upload the mp3. I finally hiked up the hill. I thought I had it beat, but when I can back I found that my file was not in my dot Mac account where it was supposed to be. I even checked that it worked before I left to come back–it did. Now, having spent almost the whole day at this, and still no podcast to post, I am subscribed to Liberated Syndication and am trying to upload my mp3 there. It may still be a while. I won’t post this until the file is uploaded and works.

You can download the mp3 here.

Unfortunately due to several interruptions, and my tendency to by long-winded I had to really chop up the show to make it workable. I hope it does not loose clarity. There might be some confusion around the magazine bit, or later towards the end of the cooking. Things were getting squirrelly by then with phones ringing and my girls coming in and out of the house. I had intended on leaving this all in, but then I am trying to keep the show down to around 45 minutes, and I have to upload this thing over dial-up. Crazy, I know.

I was hoping to leave one of the phone calls in as it pertained to someone asking me for an auction item in support for a family going through hard times here on the island. For a moment I thought they were talking about us. . . anyway I offered to cook a 3 course meal for 4 people. It won’t cost me very much, and it will probably earn a few hundred dollars. The least I could do.

This week we discuss a few of my favorite magazines.

1. Saveur
2. Food Arts
3. Kitchen & Cook by the CIA

As we plan to cook Fennel Seed and Coriander Encrusted Chicken Breast & Broccoli and Fennel Risotto we discuss short grain rices and two risotto cookbooks: Risotto and Risotto: 30 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes from an Italian Kitchen. Then we get down to cooking.

The Recipe: Broccoli & Fennel Risotto

• 4 ounces Fennel bulb, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 4 ounces broccoli, (stem peeled) and florets
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• 6 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 T butter–unsalted
• 1T olive oil
• 1/2 onion minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups Arborio Rice

Cooking:

As always, comments are welcome at podchef@gmail.com

Thanks again for all the feedback and generous donations. All money brought in here for the moment goes towards equipment costs, bandwidth and hopefully DSL. I really appreciate it.

Our Sponsor for the week: The Kitchen Garden Company

Technorati Tags: cooking show, risotto, italian food, gastrocast, culinary podcast, archive

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 I’m going to have to get my neighbor to move the wifi to the south side of his house so I can do this from the deck with a view over the bay, instead of hunched in the entryway on the shady side of the house.

It took forever to upload, but I have it.  What do you do when the data is willing, but the hardware is weak?



i’m headed back to post the show notes and have lunch and check on the girls’ who have wandered off while I was here for almost 2 hours.



Front of house



A view over the bay from the sunny deck

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I’ve hiked up the hill across the bay. As I suspected–my absentee neighbors 1/2  a mile away have left their wifi link on! I am now waiting for my idisk connection to finish closing. I don’t know why it takes so long. . .When I get back home I’ll put up the links and all.

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 I’m still waiting for the Podchef’s Gastrocast#2 to upload–it’s taking foreveeeeeeeeeer.



Meanwhile, I’m catching up on some blog reading.  This article just came over the wires about how radio is poised to take over podcasting. Funny, I thought all the other articles were stating that podcasting wasn’t a threat to traditional modes of radio or commerce–despite what Adam Curry is predicting on the Daily Source Code.  I happen to agree with Adam–I think radio’s days are over. I never listen to it. I’m almost 40 and I don’t think I’ve listened to non-public radio for 20 years unless forced to. The newer generations probably listen even less.  Nevertheless, Commercial Radio is seeing Podcasting as a threat. Loyal Ears is trying to get in first with a way for radio stations to market podcasts and make money at it. Only one problem as I see it. Oh, the stations might have the capital to reach a large audience and the power to make it happen and squash the grassroots podcasting movement; they might even succeed, but for one thing. They will still be governed by the Feds and all the red-tape. Dawn and Drew, Adam, and shows with "questionable" content, or religious programming will never fly. Sex and swearing: Radio stations would love to be able to branch out here–no way though. God: some stations already preach this way, but with Godcasting and Catholic Insider I think the content is far more stuctured and the ability to pick and choose what you listen to will out way radio’s power. And another thing. Commercialism in Podcasting–great if you have a loyal fan base. I can put up with Adam hawking his Sanseo and iRivers–sure I want to do it too. I’m jobless and envious of his success; something to aim for. Will I ever have his listenership–probably not. But will I have loyal fans who will tolerate me plugging Items I am passionate about–I hope so.  But will I, or anyone else, put up with hearing Paul Harvey plug the Bose Acoustic Radio each show, several times? No–we’ll fast forward and get to the rest of the story.

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 This week’s podcast is on its way. I went way over time and I’m having to do some heavy editing. It is hard because there was some great stuff and the sound was much improved. THe Flickr set is up to tempt you in the meanwhile.

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 Our Easter Dinner–and extremely large turkey roasting in my wood fired oven. The foil is keeping it from incinerating in the extreme heat.  This is not a commercial oven. There are no extra gas flame jets, and it is outside. All of this leads to some interesting, if unpredictible cooking. We mainly use it for baking bread. It is large enough to hold about 8 batards or 4 large boules at a time. It could actually hold more, but loading and unloading becomes impracticle.  In the photo I am burning apple wood, and the coals and flames are live. For bread baking, we sweep out the coals and seal up the oven with a wooden door. We typically bake 24 to 32 batards at a time and freeze what we can’t sell. If frozen as soon as it cools, this bread (largely due to the acid levels developed over several long rises) remains very fresh tasting if carefully reheated.  These are no Poulaine loaves, but we have a reputation in our small corner of the world . . . .

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 Another Show is in the works for later this week, so keep hanging on. . . .

I just posted a promo on openpodcasting.org, so we will see where that leads.

I thought I would take a minute or 5 to write a bit about myself–a favorite topic of mine. People are probably wondering something about me. I mentioned on Show #1 that I had been in construction, and that I live on an island so I’ll provide a bit of back story about all of that.

I became disillusioned in my doctorate studies in Philosophy and Literature of the Middle Ages. I retreated to an Island off the coast of Washington State. I worked as a handy man among other things for a while, before becoming a carpenter.  I spent almost 12 years working in construction, finally ending up as a supervisor, planning on  buying the company I was working for.  However, a severe back injury which has left me with a partial-life long disability stole that chance from me. Oh, I could probably be a contractor, or even a supervisor still, but I am the sort of person who must inspect all the work which is going on in my name–whether on the roof, or under the house. Jobsites are not the easiest places to walk either.  I made a choice to not risk causing myseld further injury in that profession.  My only other fallback without following long-term expensive education, was to turn to my other passion–cooking.
I began to cook privately for individuals on the island, later branching out to doing weddings, and other larger events. I recieved a settlement from the State for my industrial injury and spent the money to attend the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland. When I returned I set up The Kitchen Garden Company to provide myself the ability to branch out into the many other things which influence the things we eat, not just cooking. Two years later, this company is struggling thanks to the economy and the fact that the San Juan Islands, while a beautiful place to live, is not the easiest place to make a living. I help support the business and my family by freelance cooking in Private homes in Seattle, and light catering on the island. I sometimes work in restaurants as I have in the past–I love the pace of service and the ever-present chance to learn something new. However, this pace and schedule are not great on my back or my family.

You can find out abit more about me here.

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 Just the other day on either the Daily Souce Code or curry.com, the guys from The Audio Collective mentioned two microphones they’d used on a soundseeing tour. When I followed a link provided to Radio Shack the other day to one of the microphones, they were available. Today, a few days later, they are sold out. Is this a coincidence or a mild example of the power of podcasting?

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 I was invited to dinner last night at the neighboring farm. It just happens to be a Monestary with the only Raw Milk dairy license in the State. The dinner was a sort of Passover recollection meal–Lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs, etc.  I use the big kitchen at the monestary when I cook large events on the island. In return I help out there occasionally and offered to help with last nights dinner as there were many other guests. Along with raising a dairy herd they also raise Cottswold sheep, pigs, cattle, etc.  Do I hear soundseeing tour? You bet, as soon as I can get mobile!  Talk at dinner turned to butchering–a pet peeve of mine in the States, as in the Butchers here don’t know what they’re doing (at least locally)–please pitch in here if you know something of a remedy.  The leg of lamb we had, from the Sister’s own herd had been whacked apart by the meat-cutter who processed the animals post slaughter. It wasn’t even cut into nice portions which made carving difficult. I can remember when we used to raise our own cattle and send it off for cutting and wrapping. We never got back recognizable cuts. I always had a sneaking suspicion that the butcher was giving us the lesser cuts, and ground meat, while selling off the prime, tenderloin, sirloin, filet, etc. Partly why we stopped raising our own meat; that and loosing field rights. . . . I would love to study more about butchering and revive the art so lost here.  In England and Ireland where I have studied cooking there are clearly defined cuts. I suppose in NYC and LA the big restaurants can get what they want. My supplier, sometimes can get me the exact cuts I like to use, but the local people are clueless.



Talk at dinner also turned to the Dairy and milk–or the lack of it. It seems that the cows have dried up and failed, for the moment to be re-bred. Great for the milkers–all 7 or 8 cows are hand milked (my personal record is 20lbs in 15 minutes. . . .), but not so good for the customers.  What’s worse is I was hoping to talk the Sisters into starting up their cheeses again. What better than a local, farm produced raw cow’s milk cheese where you know exactly how it has been made and handled. People go miles to seek such a thing. I am hoping to show the Sister’s that it would be a viable thing if they started it up again, if only for selfish culinary reasons.  What do you think?

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 Haven’t been able to ping audio.weblogs.com in the last 48 hours — what’s up with that? Seems to be stuck on last Wednesday. Ah technology.

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I’m sitting here, trying to download some new podcasts– Catholic Insider, and the latest Soundseeing Tours, and I’m getting no where. What’s worse is I keep getting dropped off of Dial-up. I’m not sure whether there are limitations in my telephone line, or whether there is some bandwidth limiter at the modem on the other end. It seems that I can be logged on for hours with no problems if I’m just surfing, but as soon as I begin to download anything, and surf I get dropped. Sometimes it is just the downloading. It’s beginning to piss me off royally! It takes sooooo long to search for anything or check gmail, etc it’s becomming impossible.



What’s worse is I keep feeling that I’m missing out on stuff. I would love to be downloading many more podcasts than I already am. I was trying to check out IT Conversations this morning but it’s just become so much of a hassle. I normally reserve rants like this for my other blog, but I thought this is more appropo of podcasting.



Now you’re probably wondering why I’m still on Dial-up: why doesn’t he shut up and just get broadband already? Fact is I’d love to.  Apart from being a bit of a squeeze financailly at the moment, though, it is becasue I live on an island. Shaw Island.  There is no easy way to get DSL where I happen to live on the island. Apparently, when last I checked I am just at the maximum allowed distance from the main hub so it would be dicey. That may have changed, I guess I should look into it.  I currently have a PTO from a Willys Jeep Station Wagon listed on ebay. ( I wish I still had the truck.) When it sells, perhaps I should put that money towards broadband if I can get it. Problem is I can’t even investigate it without putting in an work order, ie subscribing to the service, before finding out whether I can or can’t get it. At this point I’d do it. The whole thing is giving me a headache, and I want to download the latest update to Circus Ponies Notebook which I use for everything, and I am sure there are security updates I need to install. . . .

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 Here’s what I spend my time doing; searching for hard to find cheeses for a friend:

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Thanks in advance to everybody who is checking out this site and subscribing to the feed.



I’ve just ‘pinged’ Feedburner, so this message is to check how fast the updated information is relayed–sorry for wasting your time.



Please keep subscribed and stay tune for more and  better content.

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I’ve just included a Feedburner RSS feed button in the right hand column. You can use it to subscribe to both the blog and the podcast in your aggregator. I hope this is easy enough for everyone. Thanks.

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