Yeah yeah, still running late these days and this week is no exception. Not much going on at the Lab this week, not much to report. I almost cooked something fancy last night, but chickened out. Oh wait, I did cook something GREAT this week. But I didn’t post about it. I figured there wasn’t anything stellar about what I did other than how great it tasted in the bowl with rice. It was a Cajunny dish for Fat Tuesday, not sure what to call it other than Pig Foot Soup.

My only regret was that I didn’t do a roux, that would have put it over the edge. It had the garlic & onion browned of course. Then I tossed in a smoked pig’s foot from Highland Hills Farm, a load of fresh Andouille from Fatted Calf and a leftover fried pork chop! Some jalapeno, can of maters, can of black eye peas, smattering of broffs and a toss of hearty red wine. At this point I added too much “Cajun Seasoning”, this means it was too salty and spicy. But that was fine because once you added the rice? Perfection. It sat on the stove top for 3 hours, oh yes.
Reheated a few days later? Just as good.
Enough of that, on to the Fatted Calf’s menu for Saturday morning.
Their special this week is the Bone in pork loin roast stuffed with brandied prunes and peppery sausage. While I haven’t had this specific combination, I can tell you the quality of the pork loin roast is incredible. I attempted to find something in my archives, but it’s too vast a search and couldn’t find anything in a reasonable amount of time. Just take my word for it, the roast is beautiful with or without the stuffing. As you can see, it has peppery sausage in it. This could very well mean that if you show up a tad early you very well might get some of that in casings! It could happen you know.
Next up we have the crepinettes, they’re pork with Mariquita’s erbette chard, pine nuts and lemon. I believe these will be exceptionally good this week cause they gots citrus! Did you catch that Shuna? Citrus !!!
I’d like to point your attention to the Rabbit Boudin, these are skinny little dudes with sweet rabbit meatses. Be careful if you grill them, they tender.
OoOo OoOo, check out the Salumi isle! They’ve got the Spanish Style Chorizo listed! Listen up, this is a wonderful treat. Rich, and wildly tasty on the buds. Taylor has figured out a fat to meat to spice ratio that sends these flavors to all corners of your mouth in a rush. It’s crazy, get one, you’ll see.
And last but not least in any sense of the word is the Sugo di Carne (meat sauce). Just get some, don’t care what you say. Kate and I were discussing how incredible the junk is. Warm and spread on toast, veggies or whatever. Add maters and you have a pasta sauce worth sharing with your mother. That means it’s good, you knob.
No matter how you slice it, this week’s lineup looks great. Do yourself a favor and head to Berkeley Saturday morning at maybe 10am, you’ll be glad you did.
Xo Xo
ps – Make sure you have a front license plate when you park. I didn’t and got a fix-it ticket, costs me 25 bux.

Fatted Calf
Phone/Fax (510)653-4327
A roast is a splendid thing, princely and full of promise.
You braved the weather and fought the throngs of early morning shoppers but
now the roast is yours to enjoy. You unwrap it and set it in its roasting
pan on a throne of carrots and turnips to temper while the oven readies.
The kitchen is warm, the moment is right. You need both hands to maneuver
your roast. In the sudden heat of the oven a light brown crust is formed.
You adjust the temperature to slow things down.
Now you are free to tend to the lesser details; a frisee salad, a chocolate
chestnut something. But as the air grows thick with the aroma it is
difficult to ignore your roast, hard not to peek. In a small, private
moment you gingerly pull off a crispy end bit. The taste of salt then the
bite of black pepper ultimately giving over to rich sweetness ensures good
things to come: a sauce made from drippings, a meaty rib bone, a quiet feast with no leftovers.
See you at the market!
Saturday, March 4
Special
Bone in pork loin roast stuffed with brandied prunes and peppery sausage
Sausage
Pork Crepinettes with Mariquita’s erbette chard, pine nuts and lemon
Rabbit Boudin
Andouille
Calabrese
Merguez
Sweet Italian
Toulouse
Chorizo
Breakfast Sausage
Pates, Confits & Terrines
Guinea Hen Terrine
Devil’s Gulch Rabbit Pate
Duck Liver Mousse
Duck Confit
Duck Rillettes
Pork Rillettes
Tonno di Maiale made with Heritage Foods Berkshire Pork
Salumi
Fegatelli
Petit Sec Aux Herbes
Mortadella
Pancetta
Saucisson Sec
Umbrian Salami
Spanish Style Chorizo
Other Meaty Goods
Smoked Ham Shanks
Duck Demi
Glace de Viande
Sugo di Carne
Bacon