Episode 11 Ko ko Mono

Songbird

Surrounded by the scent of death
Caged
Yet singing 

Still 

     This episode is named for Ko ko Mono, the course of preserved vegetables that signals the beginning of the end of the Kaiseki dinner. Its crisp textures and aromatic vinegared flavors sharpen the senses and prepare the diner for the final courses. Please pass some to Alana.

Not all background actors are boars and dummies but here is a couple waiting outside the studio for their scenes to start

Ortolans, then and now

   I have known for some time that ortolan will be on the menu at Hannibal’s table. This lovely bird has frequent mention in Harris’ novels: as a child he hears them in the woods beyond Lecter Castle; he listens to their song at the Café de L’Este with Lady Murasaki; he hears them again trilling in the background of a threatening  phonecall – then releases them after he dispatches their hapless cager - the restaurateur who put them on the menu and his sister in the soup. I imagine these little songbirds flitting from room to room like yellow moths in Hannibal’s Memory Palace.

     Ortolans are tiny songbirds no bigger than a man's thumb. Unfortunately for their species they are delicious. Now illegal to sell for the purposes of eating, they are famous as food of gourmands through the ages. They are captured live and force-fed til they are bloated. Not with a feeding horn, as are foie gras geese and ducks, but by taking advantage of their instinct to feed voraciously at night. Romans used to blind the birds so they would think it was night and feed endlessly. Now, they are merely put in covered cages and fed nuts and fruit. When they become so bloated they cannot move, they are quickly drowned in Armagnac, then plucked and roasted whole - they are eaten in one mouthful - bones guts and all. The little head with the brain and the crispy beak is thought to be the best part. Traditionally, one covers one's head with a cloth napkin while eating the bird so God will not see you engaging in such debauched indulgence.

My sketch sent to Heads of Departments prior to shooting

    The early draft of the script has the food scenes fleshed out so I have already been working on the cooking and eating of ortolans. The problem I have is that eating the bird is illegal. I couldn’t buy one let alone the two dozen I would need for the dining room scene. And as dedicated as I am to this show, I am not going to get a bb gun and hie to the hills of Gdansk to bag them. Besides, Mads and Hugh may not be up for chomping their way through several pounds of whole baby birds. 

    I need to make ortolan fakes. The birds they used in Babette’s Feast were made of marzipan – the ones in Gigi must have been quail – judging by the size. Ortolans are not much bigger than a man’s thumb.

Faking the songbirds

     I don’t want to make them out of marzipan because it would be a horrible thing to ask Mads and Hugh to eat that much hot, sweet, gummy almond paste. (Hot, because they will, like Freddie-in-a-wheelchair, enter flaming.)

Some sad examples of what not to use: gnocchi, solid potato, gefilte fish

    There must be something that tastes neutral but can be sculpted to look like a little roast bird. I experiment: carved potatoes have promise but fall apart after cooking…gefilte fish has the wrong texture…gnocchi shows promise until the revised script comes in saying that Hannibal “lifts the bird by the head and puts the body in his mouth…then draws the head and beak into his mouth blithely crushing them between his molars.” None of the things I have been working with are solid enough for that. The slightest pressure would cause the head to crack off and roll across the table.

When all else fails, use marzipan

     So with the deadline nearing, I decide that marzipan is my best alternative. Mads and Hugh will just have to act like they are enjoying it. I carve a little wooden cradle for forming the birds – so they won’t have flat backs – and cut up a square of fiberglass mesh from a window screen to press against the marzipan to make the skin texture. Pine nuts for eyes and spaghetti for the little legs. I make them hollow so they will be a little easier to eat.

Testing the flame colour of various flammable substances - hmmmm overproof rum, brandy or lighter fluid?

Decorated tray ready to go out with Buddy and Pedro in the pan. I named the two "ortolans" after a pair of penguins at the Toronto Zoo who were internet stars a few years ago for their ill-fated love affair..

Acting delicious…

     The shoot goes well. I’ve planned to accompany the ortolans with oysters and foie gras – just like the last controversial meal of Frances’ President Mitterrand before he died of cancer. And although Mads and Hugh hate the marzipan, they do the scene beautifully sending my hand-made baby birds to a fiery sticky death by cognac flambe – eating them whole imagining the crunchy bones, guts, Armagnac-filled lungs --  take after take after take.

oysters on barnacles and fake ice crawling with crayfish

Torchon of wine-cured foie gras decorated with butterflies (Will) and peacock feather eyes (Hannibal)

     The kitchen scenes will be shot in tomorrow by 2^nd Unit. So I have to head back to my studio kitchen and make another flocking bunch of the baked buntings overnight.

Second Unit has a different vibe.

     Usually, I work with Main Unit because the dining room scenes are long and involve dialogue. Second unit does close-ups or pick-up shots --  quick sequences that will be cut into the main action -- usually shot MOS (without sound) with a much smaller crew. The atmosphere is comfortable and intimate. The team works fast and tight. 

     If Main Unit is an opera house, 2^nd Unit is a downstairs jazz club. I will enjoy the low-key pressure of playing by ear. Chris Burne is directing so he will be spinning LPs on an old turntable while we shoot his inventive angles. It’s nearing the end of the season so the editors have a long list of close-ups and inserts they need to polish the final edits.  I’ll tell you all about it in a couple weeks. 

Another batch of ortolans prepped for next day's 2nd Unit

But now, it’s time to cook!

PUT THAT BUDGIE BACK!!! We are not roasting tiny tweeters! That’s just wrong. Here’s a recipe for the next best thing: Quail. Which are perfectly legal and can be easily and inexpensively  purchased reassuringly headless, clawless and totally gutless on a Styrofoam tray. Stuffed with sweetbreads to give your dinner that Hannibal touch.

Quail Stuffed with Sweetbreads

3 mains or 6 appetizers

1 lb       Sweetbreads

4 Tbsp  Butter

1 cup    Onions, dices

½ cup   Celery, diced

 1 cup   Mushrooms, diced

1 tsp     Fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp     Green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp  Red wine

pinch    Ground nutmeg

             Salt, Pepper to taste

6           Quails

3 slices Bacon, halved

6 pc      Butcher’s string

1. Soak sweetbreads overnight in water. Drain and rinse well. In a medium-sized saucepan, cover sweetbreads with cold water and bring to boil over high heat. Turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Peel off membrane and connective tissue. Chop coarsely and set aside.

2. In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add celery and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until juices have evaporated and mixture is fairly dry. Remove from heat. Add chopped sweetbreads, thyme, green onions, wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and allow to cool.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). On a baking sheet, crumple a large sheet of foil so it forms 6 evenly spaced shallow “nests” on which to balance each quail. This will keep the quails upright and ensure even browning.

4. Using paper towel, dry the quail inside and out. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside and out. Stuff the cavity of each quail with sweetbread mixture. Thread a toothpick through each cavity opening to keep stuffing from falling out. Tie legs of each bird together with string. Place quails on prepared sheet and place one piece of bacon on top of each bird. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Rest for at least 10 minutes, remove string and toothpicks and serve. Flambe them at the table if you wish with warm cognac or brandy.

  If you flambe these birds, raise a glass to Freddie Lounds – the bait in the lure. It’s really really hard for that outspoken redhead to play dead. I got a message from her saying she was hiding out at Will’s place – finding only Steinbeck, Hemingway and fishing magazines his bookshelves – so nothing much for her to do except play with the dogs…

Next week: what’s black and white and read red all over?

More of you have been cooking and sharing: 

Frittata by Christian

Christian S sent along this photo of his deliciously fresh looking frittata with shrimp!

Lounds-o Saltado made by Rosendo

Rosendo M went to university in Perú and writes: "You can imagine how wide-eyed I got when Hannibal decided to cook this. Followed your directions and this came out easily one of my best plates. Can't wait for season 3!"

Maru's Osso buco - love the stag onthe risotto dish

And dessert in the same red white and green Italian theme - Maru's Dolce Vita

Maru made the ossobuco with risotto milanese and reports "added sauteed green asparagus (because I felt there had to be more veggies, especially green ones.) As a dessert, to go with the red-white-green Italian theme, I combined flourless white chocolate cake, raspberry and kiwi with cranberry sauce, chopped pistachios and whipped cream.

yummilicious lamb's hearts on mashed potatoes from Arron and Emma in Leicester

Arron and Emma try their own ideas for a Hannibal themed dinner for two each week. Arron says,"First week we made Bacon wrapped lambs heart with Broccoli and Mash potato (We Brits love our mash!) and Emma made a lovely blood cherry cheesecake." 

Arron's helping hand in the pate-making

ready for the oven

Roasted!

Emma's blood-drizzled cheesecake

Next week Arron decided to go all out and made a whole arm feast! He describes, "Stuffed Pork loin with Cumberland and apple sausage stuffing and a sausage hand based upon my own! We served it with honey roasted figs, baked apple and grapes, with Dauphinoise potatoes, asparagus with cheese and dried bacon. Emma made a lovely lemon tart that also went well with the honey roasted figs & crème fraiche." 

Thanks for sharing your Hannimeals - you continue to amaze me with your ability!!!

pix to: janicepoon8@gmail.com

 Unless otherwise stated, all content copyright Janice Poon 2014 

Episode 10 Naka choko

Cat and mouse.

Claw.  Tooth.  Fang.

When mouse becomes mouser

and brings its catch

to drop at the feet of its master

Tenderly,

Mouser becomes master.

    This episode is named for Naka choko, a course in a Kaiseki dinner. It is a citrusy soup that cleanses the palate to refresh the overexcited taste buds and make the diner ready to receive the completely new sensations that will be offered in the following final courses.

     I am on tenderhooks awaiting the next draft of the script of this episode. I’m fascinated by the unfolding drama with Margot and Mason Verger. And with all these mad killer pigs running around, there’s bound to be a suckling roast on the menu...eventually.

My first concept sketch after reading the production draft script. Before the changes. At first, Hannibal refuses Mason's offer of a freshly killed pig from his man-eating herd. This gets rewritten so I deal with the pig roasting later....

More redhead jokes

Lara Jean has a sly smile carrying the Carrot top slaw. Her hat matches the sea urchin shell.

    The production draft has some irresistible “chopping the ginger” lines that have me very worried about the mortality of Freddie Lounds. I have always liked her blunt honesty and her nerves of steel. I have a recurring mental image of her hurtling off a loading dock strapped in her wheelchair engulfed in flame. But that’s just me. When I see LJ on set, I think BBQ. But no worries – even after almost 2 seasons of shooting Hannibal, I have not yet become a psycho-empathetic. Your guess is as good as mine. I’m just saying, Freddie’s fate hangs in the balance in this episode but I remember how many episodes it took for Beverly to finally meet her baker, so I’m not firing up the barbecue just yet.

Food sex food sex food

    My first food scene on the schedule is a tense “menu a trois” between Will, Alana and Hannibal featuring a little piglet that didn’t get away. Roast suckling pig, of course.

Metamorphosis: Lotus chip and skeleton leaf "butterfly wings" in a peach half "body" with red onion "claws"

   I love suckling pig. I roast my first when I was about 13. My eldest brother had gone off to chef’s school and on his weekends home, he would teach me some of the things he had learned. We made textbook things like “Chicken Cordon Bleu” and “Steak Diane”.  Then one weekend he decided we should make a Roast Suckling Pig. Whaaat? But we got right down to it, trussing the thing up and readying it for the oven. It was simple to make—he showed me a few tricks of the trade like putting crumpled tinfoil inside the belly so the pig would sit upright. And a ball of foil in its mouth to be swapped out later for an apple. And foil-wrapping its tail and ears to keep them from burning. When it emerged from the oven it had a tan that would have impressed George Hamilton. It looked like a sculpture and tasted fantastic – crispy skin and velvety textured meat of the most delicate flavour. It was a revelation to me. After that, nothing would seem too difficult to attempt.

Getting ready for the retakes: A line-up of spider butterflies scraping blood onto the plates

But back to Hannibal.

     The evening before the suckling pig shoot, the script changed. Of course. The scene was originally mid-meal, (we always love a mid-meal scene - the resets are so simple) But now, Hannibal is to bring out the whole roast and then cut it up to serve to Alana and Will.  Sounds good if you are a script writer. Sounds bad if you are a food stylist. Do I roast 7 or 8 pigs so Mads can have a fresh one to carve for each new take? No. I just can’t go there. It is not easy – even for Mads – to carve a whole pig without making a giant mess all over his gorgeous mahogany table. And it’s just a little late for me to get – much less roast – seven identically sized piglets. The director and the prop master are worried about how Mads is going to carve and serve whole pig with ease for the many re-takes.

The director loves the idea!

     This sets my head spinning but luckily, my racing mind trips and falls into the Mud Puddle of Bright Ideas: I realize if I hollow out the saddle of the roast pig and fill it with rice pilaf and pre-cut cubes of crackling and pork, it will simplify the resets. Mads can simply wheel the rice-stuffed roast into the dining room and ladle out the servings. Then all we have to do for resets is refill the same pig with more rice and pork cubes over and over and over.

     I send this idea out to the heads of Departments and everyone is happy.

Roast suckling pig stuffed with rice crawling with langoustine and spilling sausages on a cart of fruit

When pigs fly…

     Except me --  I just don’t have an oven big enough for a 40 lb roly-poly pig – the size I need to make biggest visual impact on screen. So I call up Bernard, my elfin 92-yr-old “lechon” maker and he agrees to roast me up a fat piglet. Well, two. Always back up your work – it wouldn’t be the first time a roast suckling pig broke his crispy little ears off flying across my car’s dashboard in a sudden stop.

Piggie on set being made into a serving bowl

     On the day of the shoot, prep is unusually dissonant –just next to my work tables, the Theremin instructor is teaching Mads and Caroline how to play the instrument. If you have ever endured the sounds of a person earning to play the violin, multiply the earache by five and that’s two people learning to play the Theremin. Add to that the sound of steady hacking as my cleaver chops up the roast piggies and you have an oddly unsettling auditory snapshot.

Carrot top Slaw emerging from a sea urchin shell stabbed with porcupine quills and wreathed with hydrangea stems and spider mums

Hannibal: “Will, you slice the ginger”

     Will’s answer, “I already have” was dropped from the early script but when Hannibal and Will cook their first “I know it’s people” meal together, can you doubt that it’s Freddie?

     Maybe it is...why else would I make Carrot Top Cold Slaw wreathed with bloodless white flowers....

Of course I got help with the carrot curls from Lara Jean's on set Hair stylist, 

     Or maybe it’s just a red herring…which I hint at with a platter of Red Snapper in Singing Rice with crispy skin. 

Red Snapper with crisped snapper skin on singing rice

My clue to you is the fan of porcupine quills: the quill is mightier than the sword.      

Lomo Saltado with spicy curly fries, the writer's quills and carrot slaw

Want Fries with that rice?

Long before Wolfgang Puck popularized Asian fusion, Lomo Saltado was invented in Peru by Chinese slaves brought in to work the sugar plantations and guano mines (and you thought you had a shit job…) They blended stir-fry and rice with yellow potatoes and peppers to create a favorite that is cooked up daily in Peruvian homes and Chifas (Chinese-Peruvian restaurants). Made from soy-marinated beef sautéed with onions, tomatoes and yellow Aji peppers, it’s topped with French fried potatoes and served over rice. Double carbs and deep fried? How could it not become a classic? Of course, I add a dash of Freddie and use Spicy Curly Fries as homage to her hair.

baby corn and baby purple, yellow and Roman cauliflower in a horn

a bit of the script

And now to the kitchen for the cook-along pig:

     Two recipes this week – since you may not want to wrestle a 20-lb pig into your 8-lb baking tray, I’m also giving a recipe for Lomo Saltado which will fit into a pan of any size.

Roast Suckling Pig

     This looks hard but is really easy. The hardest part is getting a pan to fit the pig to fit your oven. You could try putting two shallow sided pans side by side and covering them as one with several layers of tinfoil. The pig you can get by calling an Italian butcher or a local farm that raises organic pigs. 

Rub:

1 Tbsp dried rubbed rosemary,

1 Tbsp dried rubbed Italian branch oregano

1 tsp. rubbed dried sage

2 Tbsp coarse sea salt

1 suckling pig, about 15 to 20 lb (or to fit your oven)

2 Oranges halved

1 Lemon, halved

4 shallots, halved

1.  Preheat oven to 300°F and line the baking pan with parchment or foil.

2.  In a small bowl or large mortar, mix together rosemary, oregano, sage and salt.

3.  With a large heavy knife such as a cleaver, make a vertical slash through the skin and meat of the pig’s neck along the vertebrae between the shoulder blades ( about 4 inches long) This is to keep the skin from cracking when it browns and crisps. Turn pig over and sprinkle herb-salt mixture liberally in the chest cavity and rub onto the entire interior surface.

4.  Place the pig on its side on the baking pan and stuff the chest cavity with the orange, lemon and shallots. Pig should be room temperature at this point to ensure even cooking.

3.   Place in oven and roast for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, basting occasionally, then turn the pig over on its other side being careful not to tear the skin. Roast for an additional 1 ½  hours or until thermometer reads 150°F. Baste occasionally. Skin should be very soft and meat just undercooked at this point.Turn the oven up to 450°F. If possible, turn the pig so it is sitting upright. Roast for another 45 min to 1 hr or until skin is golden brown and crisp. (Total roasting time about 12-15 minutes per pound)

6. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least an hour before serving.

Lomo Saltado

Will used “Long pork” for this. Peruvians use beef. You can substitute chicken strips or Portobello mushrooms for the beef in this recipe. 

For four portions served over steamed rice

12 oz sirloin steak cut in strips ¼ “ x ¼ “ x 2 “

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp grated fresh ginger, optional

½ tsp crushed cumin seeds, optional

3 Tbsp oil

½ red onion, sliced

2 plum tomatoes, in thin wedges

1 Tbsp aji sauce or other hot pepper sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup frozen spicy French fried potatoes

2 – 3 sprigs cilantro, chopped

1. In a small bowl, mix steak strips, vinegar, soy, Worchestershire. garlic, ginger and cumin. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat Spicy Fries in oven as per instructions on the bag. Keep warm in oven.

3. In a large frying pan or wok over high, heat pan til very hot. Add 1 Tbsp oil and onions. Stir-fry on high heat until onion slices have browned in places and are turning translucent. Do not overcook – they should still be slightly crisp. Return pan to heat and add 1 Tbsp oil and half of the beef slices. Do not crowd the pan or meat will not brown. Stir-fry for 2 – 4 minutes or until meat has browned but still medium-rare. Add meat to bowl of fried onions and repeat with remaining oil and beef.  With a paper towel, wipe pan clean of juices. Repeat with oil and meat. Add tomatoes and aji sauce to hot pan and stir-fry until skin starts to peel away and tomatoes start to release their juices. Add beef and onions back into the pan and mix well until heated through. Add hot French fries and toss until everything is well coated with the juices. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve over steamed rice. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Next week: Ortolan: Several little birds will sing no more...

And now, more fantastic Hannidinner cook-alongs: 

You've been busy cooking but not too busy to share with other hungry readers by sending me (janicepoon8@gmail.com) photos of your creations inspired by my Hannibal recipes!

Joshua adds to the circle of inspiration

Here's a photo sent a few months ago by Joshua, a French-Canadian taking fashion in France. He said my Hannibal dinners inspired this photo he shot for an assignment. This episode's plates show how his photo inspired me right back. Hannibal thanks Joshua!

Raja K masters the trout-tail fold!!!!!

Raja wrote: ...stuffed the trout with garlic and onion, fresh basil and rosemary, lots of butter and cooked it on a frying pan for a short while. I then placed it in the oven to get the whole fish to cook. It came out HEAVENLY DELICIOUS.

John N's pork roast came out moist and looks utterly delicious, Hannibal style!

 John wrote: Every week we get the family together for dinner and the latest episode.  I thought I would share one of my creations: Pork loin with a raspberry sauce, rosemary bread, and a spinach kale salad. 

Everybody loves Hannibal's Huevos and here's Evren's yummy late-night version

Evren says...as the daughter of a food photographer I've grown up seeing food stylists work   Huevos High Life with some brioche loaf slices and tomatoes for a cheeky midnight snack.

Vegard from Norway made this - check his cucumber feather garnish...beautiful

Vegard writes: inspired by liver omelette from Suziikana. Very similar to the one in the episode, but with a different garnish (cucumber leaves and tomato roses to go with the tomato salsa). The filling is chopped chicken livers glaced in concentrated meat stock, herbs, spinach and potato. Quite delicious! 

Tee, shocking and rocking the supermarket says: people kinda freaked when I asked for live fish--gotta settle with just the "fresh" ones and not live ones...also made scallop quenelles 

Tee W made trout and baby octopus - here's her luscious photography of that dish!

Thanks again for sharing all those lovely pictures!

All content copyright Janice Poon 2014 unless otherwise noted