Country Pate and ”Olympia Provisions” American Charcuterie
Pates, assorted slowly cooked meats later prepared into tasty rillettes, selections of dry cured meat varieties, pancetta, salamis, sausages, chorizo, to long time smokehouse favorites like bratwurst and hot dogs and the list goes on in the How-To/Recipe Memoir book inspiring me making my own Country Pate. But first. The book. : “Olympia Provisions, American Charcuterie Quality Meats Since 2009 Portland, Oregon 97214.”
“Olympia Provisions,’ American Charcuterie Quality Meats Since 2009 Portland, Oregon 97214”
If you love charcuterie you will love this book and gain a further appreciation in its preparation. Thumbing through the pages caused my mouth to water to the tune of inspiring me preparation of an old longtime favorite, Country Pate, and hence in some version may do the same for you as well.
It has admittedly been a few years since pulling out my long, heavy enameled, creamy white colored terrine/pate dish that sits in the corner of the second shelf in my pantry.
I was so excited to marinate dried apricots in some brandy and eagerly pick greened pistachios from their hard outer shells, little details in re-creating flavor memories like a former trip to Quebec some years back having enjoyed some sort of varied yet similar pate at most every meal at every restaurant visited over the course of a little more than a long weekend.
In some ways the series of events coordinating my Country Pate tied to this Post could definitely be compared to even further enhancing a greater respect on the hard work and diligence required in the preparation of any Charcuterie.
The true delight in sharing this book, besides garnered appreciation in the preparation of Charcuterie is something like finally sitting down to that lovely country pate, the charcuterie tray, savoring each and every bite from the very beginning to end. I’ll just call it ‘Olympia Provisions’ for now, a cookbook oh so easy to get drawn into with its sometimes humorous, always engaging, and meaningful story line, really, even if you don’t happen to be into actually preparing Charcuterie.
Part of the richness of the memoir- like story of Olympia Provisions takes the reader on a journey of an individual, Elias Cairo, whose life was influenced by many interesting places, people, and experiences, including his sister and traditional first generation Greek family, later among friends and fellow colleagues particularly after landing a coveted internship working for four years in Wildhaus Switzerland.
The chapters pages visualize taking in the magnificence of beauty of this place, including skiing to and from work and braving hills to neighboring inns and restaurants with colleagues on days off, while learning and appreciating the essence of very good food prepared well and later on realizing an inspired trade beyond his dreams eventually setting up shop in Portland, Oregon.
If you want to become a Charcuterie Artisan well guess what? Olympia Provisions provides lots of recipes for one to get started. Read on, and you begin to get something much deeper there is a lot more to learn, much, much, more.
Got a lot of years of serious hard work you are willing to dedicate not to one technique of instruction but rather mastery in its truest form?
The journey within this unique story shares an earlier flawed, but always likeable character of Elias Cairo interwoven in continuous development with a daily focus on a strong work ethic, solid relationships with others, personal character attributes through consistent routine, very long hours without complaint, commitment to perfecting technique, learning, practicing over, and over, and over constantly striving quality caliber foods, even attention to cleanliness in preparation, all wrapped up: a dedicated strictest adherence toward traditional Old World Values summed up in a simple but powerful quote: “The task is everything not the glory.”
These Old World values provide the backdrop along the thread for Cairo and his attainment of high level craftsmanship, including personal discipline and little room for ego, thus eventually inspiring Elias Cairo to his highly respected trade-craft calling, Charcuterie.
Ultimately establishing Olympia Provisions with great success and accomplished achievement, Cairo continues on his aim in perseverance, batch by batch, these daily preparations delivered in the creation of his own version of inspired American Charcuterie. Today the Charcuterie Provisions of Olympia out of Portland Oregon, including its restaurants, has systematically grown to include orders for these specialty crafted Charcuterie Provisions being nationally available online.
Authored by co-owner Elias Cairo, and writer, Meredith Erickson, Olympia Provisions is filled with those specialty Charcuterie meat techniques that seem generally geared at the level of very experienced to intelligent avid enthusiast, one who can safely follow the procedures, techniques, and specialty ingredients required in this type of production, and too, perhaps one with a willingness to dive in to the beginning of a technique requiring much hard work before mastery.
Besides the captivating story line, for those of us others content in the home kitchen to the simple basics of rillettes and pates leaving other complex specialties to the masters.
This book also contains a good selection of alternative recipes served at the Olympia restaurants such as Schmalz Potatoes, Roasted Halibut, Ham and Mussel Salad, and Steamed Manila Clams with Chorizo (no need to prepare the chorizo yourself.) All part of a being a well-crafted and delicious choice, ‘Olympia Provisions,’ American Charcuterie Quality Meats Since 2009 Portland, Oregon 97214.
I received this book from Blogging for Books, all opinions contained within this post are my own.
Country Pate and ''Olympia Provisions" American Charcuterie
Ingredients
- 1 pound caul fat, pork fat back or bacon
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
- 1 1/2 pounds ground veal
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork fat
- 3 eggs, lightly whisked
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem, chopped
- 3 shallots, chopped finely
- 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon allspice
- 5 tablespoons brandy
- 6 dried apricots
- 1/3 cup pistachios
- 6-8 thin strips of pork loin, rabbit, or chicken livers (optional) Chicken livers need the sinew removed before cutting into halves or strips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a small bowl pour the brandy over the apricots to soften a bit
- In a large sized bowl mix together the ground pork, veal, and pork fat, add in the beaten eggs, parsley, thyme, shallots, garlic, salt, pepper and allspice, using your hands, blend thoroughly
- Line terrine dish with the fat bringing up the sides to cover the top of the pate once filled Remove the apricots from the brandy and pour into the meat, again blending well
- Place half of the meat mixture on top of the fat lining the bottom of the terrine dish, press evenly across
- Decoratively arrange the apricots, pistachios, and meat strips or chicken livers
- Evenly spread the remaining meat mixture across the top
- Fold the fat over the top of the pate then cover tightly with aluminum foil, finish topping with the terrine lid
- Place Country Pate into a baking dish large enough to fit the terrine mold then pour boiling water halfway up the sides, set into the oven
- Cook terrine 2 hours, remove from the water, transfer to a baking sheet, let warm for thirty minutes before chilling in the refrigerator, the top weighted down with cans or a brick for at least twenty four hours before unmolding from the terrine for slicing and serving alongside crusty bread, crackers and accompaniments
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