Going to the Dogs

In this case, at the brand-new American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog, 101 Park Avenue just a block south of Grand Central. It’s in the lobby of an office building entered from around the left side.

What a hoot! The whole shebang is small enough to take in during an hour+ but, if you had serious research to do (or a kid to entertain) you could spend a lot longer. There are interactive displays like one at the entrance where you take a photo of your face and it matches you to a breed.

(I look nothing like my photo or a German Pinscher but hey…) and many on the second floor including one where you “train” a cartoonish puppy who is learning to be a service dog with your voice and hand commands.

There are lots of paintings, the requisite Wegman photo of Weimaraners (four wearing orange life jackets sitting in a canoe), sculpture both larger than life and small, some pre-Columbian pottery as well as some Staffordshire;  artifacts including this dog cart

used by kids in the 19^th century and a fossilized dog paw print from roughly the 2^nd century CE.  Also dog movie posters, a nicely curated gift shop area, a beautifully arranged space where little ones can draw and what looks like an area where dogs get photographed. However, unless yours is a service dog, he or she is not welcome at the museum but perhaps there are other days when Fido can come by special invitation and be readied for his close-up.

You can search for a particular breed on a computer device and learn about it or do more complex research in the upstairs library. The whole museum is well-lit and cleverly made, right down to a moving frieze of breeds that runs around the upper outside edge. Thanks to all the AKC supporters who made it possible.

Did you anticipate a recipe for dog food? Nope, this recipe uses bones, (preferably not those your hound has already worked on), to make a great beef stock which can be the base for cooking any kind of grain or vegetable or turned into soups. Added value—it’s ever so trendy.

Beef Bone Broth  (Rhoda Boone, Epicurious)  

4 pounds beef bones, preferably a mix of marrow bones and bones with a little meat on them, such as oxtail, short ribs, or knuckle bones (cut in half by a butcher)

2 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium leek, end trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, quartered

1 garlic head, halved crosswise (less if you’re not a garlic fan)

2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place beef bones, carrots, leek, onion, and garlic on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Toss the contents of the pan and continue to roast until deeply browned, about 20 minutes more.

Fill a large (at least 6-quart) stockpot with 12 cups of water. Add celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, and vinegar. Scrape the roasted bones and vegetables into the pot along with any juices. Add more water if necessary to cover bones and vegetables.

Cover the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook with lid slightly ajar, skimming foam and excess fat occasionally, for at least 8 but up to 24 hours on the stovetop. (Do not leave on stovetop unattended, just cool and continue simmering the next day.) The longer you simmer it, the better your broth will be. Add more water if necessary to ensure bones and vegetables are fully submerged.

Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly. Strain broth using a fine-mesh sieve and discard bones and vegetables. Let continue to cool until barely warm, then refrigerate in smaller containers overnight. Remove solidified fat from the top of the chilled broth.

You can freeze to continue the operation later on. Arf arf.