Deep fried razor clams and onion rings

A friend of mine (Hi, Nancy!) gave me some razor clams. These are the whole clams, deep fried in a beer batter, and deep fried just plain. Of the two, I actually preferred the plain clams without the breading. With razor clams you don't want to overcook them -- they become clam-flavored rubber if you do. So a light fry and good drain, a large pinch of kosher salt, and you're ready to go.
and if you're going to deep fry the clams, you might as well make beer-battered walla wall sweet onion rings to go with them. It's onion season in Washington state, and walla walla sweets are both local and delicious as onion rings.

Beer batter (for onion rings, or fish, or clams or zucchini. Halibut is GREAT in beer batter)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

1 egg

1 12oz can of beer

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. break egg and mix it in. Slowly add beer, mixing it until you get a pancake-dough consistency. Don't worry about it being too thick, worry about it being too thin -- add the beer slowly.

Cut your (fish, vegetables, clams) into appropriate sized pieces, and then using two fingers, dip into batter, and then directly into 350 degree hot oil. I use lard, but you can use any oil you'd like. Cook until golden brown on the outside, tender on the inside, maybe 3-4 minutes.

You can deep fry in a deep pan -- I like a cast-iron frying pan -- but you have to use a thermometer and watch your heat. Adding cold/wet food to hot oil will cause it to foam a bit, so don't overfill your frying pan. 1/2" is plenty -- you'll turn the food halfway through to brown the top.

the livingroom piglet

One of the orphan piglets isn't doing as well as I'd like, and we've taken it home to bottle feed it for a week or so. Here's the little guy being held by andrea.
It's pretty late for the little guy -- he's trying his best to sleep as I'm taking these photos

He's sleeping the way babies do. Completely out.

Scalloped potatoes and ham steak

Every year I run a pig through each of the farm slaughter guys we recommend. I want to see how the meat cutting shop does, what the smoked product tastes like and what the process is like for the customer. This particular pig was sent to Sylvana Meats and we picked it up today.

Ham steaks are slices off the big end of the ham, they cover a plate pretty easily. They're pre-cooked and just have to be warmed to serve them; I like to sear them on a hot frying pan.

Cost per serving of tonight's meal:

80z pastured pork ham steak, $4

8oz scalloped potatoes, $1.50

Cheddar cheese scalloped potatoes (4 servings)

3 large baking potatoes (russets)

1lb cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

Butter

Oven-safe pan, about 8" square, 2" deep.

(optional) 1 slice bacon, diced

Cut the potatoes into slices about 1/8th inch thick. I use a mandolin to do that, but a knife or food processor will do an equally good job.

Grate the cheese, reserve 1/4 of it for topping

Grease the pan with the butter, rubbing it on all sides and the bottom

sprinkle a heavy pinch of cheese, then lay down a layer of potato slices, alternating until the pan is full.

sprinkle diced raw bacon on the top

pour milk into pan

bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft

top with reserved cheese, bake another 3 minutes to melt the cheese

let it sit for a few minutes after its done to allow it to "set" and make it easier to serve