French Breakfast Radishes
Crusty baguette spread with double Devon cream butter, thinly sliced mild French breakfast radishes (from The Farm at Montesino Ranch), fresh chives (from my back porch), crunchy black sea salt and brown mustard home-sprouts..
Your Milk on Drugs
(From cheeseslave, Nourished Kitchen, Consumer’s Union, Organic Consumer’s Association)
FDA Promotes Unsafe Milk
Due to Industry Pressure
29 GROUPS URGE KANSAS GOVERNOR SEBELIUS TO VETO BILL ON RBGH MILK LABELING, CITING CONCERNS FOR FOOD SAFETY, CONSUMERS’ RIGHT TO KNOW, AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
State Legislature Backs Biotech Interests Despite Strong Opposition
Consumers in Kansas Could be Misled About the Safety of Their Milk
Unless Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoes it before April 16th, a Kansas bill would prevent any national US dairy from properly labeling their milk products as free from genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH or rbST).
Governor Sebelius, it should be noted, is the nominee for the cabinet position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.”
Please let the Governor know how you feel about genetically modified hormone-laden milk!
Ragoût d’Agneau
Ragoût of lamb with local, organic roasted vegetables and coco tarbais (white beans from Gascony) and bone stock in situ..
Ragoût d'Agneau
Pick over, rinse and soak coco tarbais beans overnight. You can substitute any large dried white bean if you can’t find the French variety, but it won’t be quite the same.
Marinate relatively inexpensive lamb shanks submerged in a whole bottle of red wine, garlic and fresh herbs for about 12 hours. In the afternoon, remove the shanks from the marinade and sear in hot oil in a Dutch oven until browned on all sides. Pour the marinade over the the lamb and place the covered Dutch oven into a 200 degree oven for 4 hours, or until the lamb is extremely tender.
Set the lamb aside until its cool enough to handle. Strain the stock into a clean pot and add the drained beans, cooking until just tender, about 1 hour. Do not salt, or the beans won’t cook properly.
Meanwhile, trim, split, season and roast a selection of seasonal vegetables until browned, about 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then chop coarsely.
Pull the lamb apart with a fork and add to the stock along with the vegetables and fresh herbs and simmer until heated through. Season with plenty of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
POSTPONED: Tecolote Vote Rescheduled for 4/14
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4/7/09
POSTPONED for One Week: County Commissioner Vote Regarding Tecolote Farm Water Crisis now on 4/14
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THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LETTERS, CALLS, AND COURTROOM VISITS IN EARLY MARCH IN SUPPORT OF TECOLOTE FARM. YOUR INPUT CONTINUES TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL IMPRESSION ON THE COMMISSIONERS’ COURT.
THE COURT HAS RESCHEDULED THE PITRES’ DATE ON THE AGENDA TO 4/14, AT WHICH TIME COMMISSIONERS WILL VOTE YES OR NO ON JUDGE BISCOE’S PROPOSED PLAN.
Show Me the Whey pt. 1
(Please also see Show Me the Whey part 2)
I use whey for all sort of things here and am often asked both how to make it and what to do with the leftover solids. Here’s a really easy demo..
You’ll need a strainer, clean cloth, bowl or jar and a tub of plain yoghurt. Be sure to use plain, cultured whole milk yoghurt without gelatin.
Line the strainer with the cloth, pour in the yoghurt and fold the towel over to keep it clean. Let it sit on the counter overnight. That’s it!
In the morning, you will have collected approximately 12 ounces of clear, greenish looking whey. Pour the whey into a jar, cover tightly and refrigerate. It will keep up to 6 months.
The leftover solids (roughly 18 ounces) are variously referred to as strained yoghurt, yoghurt cheese, labneh or dahi. By any name, it is similar in taste and texture to cream cheese, which is how I typically use it.
It’s great plain, with fruit, or with herbs and spices. I’ve added Lebanese Za’atar (sumac berries, toasted sesame and sea salt) to half, and fresh oregano, basil and garlic to the other half. The cheese will keep up to 1 month in the fridge.
