Gone Eating: Pennsylvania in Winter

Well, I had some high hopes for the end of the year posts. I’m glad to have cleared the decks of reader questions, and to have looked back at the most popular stories of the past year. Sometimes the slow pace of the farm is great for writing. Other times, not so much.

That said, I can’t let a day go by without some kind of content for this beast of a blog. There are a lot of stories I want to tell, and I do always enjoy talking about Champagne in advance of New Year’s Eve. But those really require a bit more time than I have at the moment.

So what have I been doing on the farm that’s eaten up all my time? Good question. Here’s the pic.

Oh yeah. That, my friends, is a gorgeous piece of scrapple. If you checked out the mystery link of the day in this week’s Ask the Profussor, you already know almost everything there is to know about this glorious breakfast meat.

The one thing you may not know is just how delicious it is.

That thick cut slab pictured above, was cut from a loaf of scrapple made by Holland Brothers in Duncansville. It was fried in cultured butter from a local Pennsylvania dairy, and served with extra dark maple syrup made right here in Pennsylvania too.

What you cannot tell from the picture is that this gorgeous slab was cooked in a full-stick stainless steel skillet. Ideally, I would want to cook this on cast iron, but my mother-in-law has none in the house. Those pans would also wreak havoc on her glass stovetop. And I refuse to use her nonstick pans out of principle.

So instead, I’m left to my own devices, and compelled to use the stainless steel.

Is it a little bit tricky? Sure. But the secret is to cook it for a long time, over low heat, with plenty of butter in the pan. And to wait for a crust to fully form on the meat before trying to flip it. Letting the pan cool slightly will help release the food from the pan. And if you have to force it, the answer is more heat because the crust is clearly not fully formed.

Yes, it takes more time. But it’s totally worth it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s another slice of scrapple that’s calling my name. Somehow all of that reasonable eating I was trying to do over the past few months has flown out the window. Fortunately, I’ve recruited Mrs. Fussy to help whip me into shape in the new year.

I have no idea what she intends to do, but I drew the limit at running. No running.

Enjoy the weekend. This would be the time to buy something special to help ring in the new year. I’m a big fan of the selection of sparkling wine and grower Champagne at 22 2nd Street in Troy. But there are some very special beers available in the region which would make for a lovely midnight toast as well. And for those who don’t imbibe, some of those fizzy creations they are making at Yesfolk Tonics would be delicious too. The tasting room in Troy is even open tomorrow from noon to 4pm. Cheers!