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Today a few friends came over and we experimented with my stovetop smoker¹. The first thing we learned was that the woodchips included in the smoker kit were tiny little bits of sawdust, of which we were supposed to use 1.5-2 tablespoons worth, while the woodchips purchased at our local Kroeger are bigger chunks I would call 'kindling'. Naturally we put too much of that kindling in the smoker and the first batch of tomatoes as well as the Portobello mushrooms came out tasting like... campfire. Rather pungent campfire at that, which was a shame since we were using apple wood. Luckily we caught on to our mistake after that and the alliums came out quite nice (they will be pureed into a nice paste) while the leeks were heavenly on top of a slice of rye/pumpernickel bread with butter. I had wondered about the wisdom of using the leek greens - I shall not soon forget the absolute mouth-joy that came afterwards. Yum. Young Matt-the-rapier-fighter is a very gifted cook.

Unfortunately, the other thing I learned was that three and a half hours of playing with a stovetop smoker results in one's mouth tasting of smoke no matter what one eats or drinks afterwards. Or how much gum one chews. And that smoke-flavored cinnamon toothpaste is really nasty. Ugh. So from now on, there will be no more than two batches smoked in a day. Even with the house doors open and the fan going.

Tomorrow we are meeting up again to re-try the mushrooms and to smoke the various bell peppers brought over by my soon-to-be protégée. It seemed unfair to force her to go home without trying them but we were all pretty tired of smoke flavorings and the evening was growing late. I have yet to try my garlic, either. The too-smoky tomatoes have been saved to be combined with the second half of the batch, simply stewed, to create a ketchup that is supposed to be wonderfully tangy (and smoky) and totally unlike any commercially available ketchup. We shall see. It calls for 'pumpkin pie spices', fructose, and a cup of diced bell peppers along with a half cup of minced onions and some chopped garlic. I am looking forward to trying it. And this time, I shall measure out 1.5 Tbsp of wood chips, weight that, and use the weight to determine how much of the chunkier wood to use in the pan.

I've firmed up plans for taking a new protégée - between her work schedule and Bossman's chemo schedule, it has made finding a mutual event weekend tricky. Nonetheless, we've found one and if all goes well will be holding the ceremony at Ruby Joust. Not that it will be a Big Thing - I'm not much on hype so we'll have a quiet ceremony and sign our contracts among friends.

¹http://www.rakuten.com/prod/gourmet-stainless-steel-mini-smoker/223880859.html?listingId=252508513&scid=pla_google_TheGrillLife&adid=18172&gclid=CIynhZqK1b0CFc1cfgodDWYAEA