Potatoes Gratiné
A slightly different take on a classic dish, these Potatoes Gratiné forgo the usual cheese and cream in favour of bacon, onions and fresh tri-color sage..
Potatoes Gratiné
Serves 2-3 as a side dish
approx. 18-20 fingerling potatoes, quartered
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 pound un-cured bacon or fresh pork belly, diced
1 small bunch tri-color sage (Salvia officinalis Tricolor)
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground smoked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 pieces of stale bread
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Sauté bacon or pork belly in a heavy skillet until about half cooked, then add potatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender and the bacon is nearly crisp. Add onions, garlic and sage and cook until onions are translucent. Pour of excess fat then season potatoes to taste with sea salt and smoked pepper. Transfer to a small casserole and set aside.
Cut or tear stale bread into small pieces and combine with chopped parsley and melted butter. Scatter the gratin over the top of the potatoes then place the casserole 8 inches under the broiler until toasted.
Sprouted Brown Rice Curry
A thick, rich soup of sprouted brown rice, corn, curry, red chiles and coconut cream, topped with toasted cashews..
Sprouted Brown Rice Curry
Makes about 4 servings
2 cups germinated brown rice (GBR)
1 1/2 cups dent corn, soaked
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups filtered water
1 small white onion, diced
2-3 fresh red chiles, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon safflower threads, soaked
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ghee
1/3 cup coconut cream
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
2 teaspoons curry leaves
raw cashews
raw coconut flakes
To germinate rice, place in a bowl and cover with 100 degree water. Cover loosely and allow to stand on the counter, changing water 2-3 times a day until germinated, 18-48 hours.
Toast coriander and cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder and process along with mustard seeds, peppercorns, turmeric and fenugreek.
Sauté chiles, onions and garlic in ghee until softened.
Combine vegetable stock and water and bring to a boil. Stir in corn and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in rice, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add spices, curry leaves, onions, garlic, chiles, safflower threads and coconut cream and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Adjust flavor with salt if necessary.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro, toasted cashews and coconut flakes.
This post is in support of Meatless Monday, whose goal it is to goal is to help reduce
meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.
Lemon Snaps
Lemon snap cookies made with sprouted flour, wildflower honey, pastured butter, hemp seeds, fresh lemon and ginger..
Lemon Snaps
Makes about One Dozen 2-inch Cookies
1/4 cup sprouted wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached organic all-purpose wheat flour
2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
zest of 1 lemon (a micro-plane works best)
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup wildflower honey
5 tablespoons pastured butter, softened
1 pastured egg
coarse non-refined sugar
Stir together flour, hemp seeds, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.
Stir in the ginger, honey, egg, lemon zest and juice and mix until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients a third at a time. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.
Roll the chilled dough into the shape of a log, about 2 inches across. Cover and refrigerate another 15 minutes.
Slice the dough into 1/4-inch rounds and sprinkle with a little coarse, non-refined sugar. Place cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until light golden-brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Chicken Neeka
Paprika-roasted chicken with Spanish onion, Roma tomatoes, sweet peppers, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs, served with pecorino-safflower orzo..
Chicken Neeka
Serves 2-3
For the Orzo
1 cup orzo (semolina pasta)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons safflower threads (Carthamus tinctorius), crushed
1/4 cup aged pecorino, shredded
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
Bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Stir in orzo, reduce heat, cover and cook until barely tender (about 10 minutes). Drain off all but a little water, then stir in the pecorino and parsley.
For the Chicken
2 pastured chicken breasts, cut in thirds
2 pastured chicken thighs, cut in half
melted butter
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon roasted paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4-6 sweet peppers, chopped
2 Roma tomatoes cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 fresh lemon
Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Place chicken in a heavy skillet, brush with melted butter and season with roasted paprika, sea salt and pepper. Chop tomatoes, onions and peppers and scatter around the pan. Place in a 400 degree oven until the chicken is crisp and juices run clear, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a side dish and put the skillet containing the vegetables on a burner over medium heat.
De-glaze the skillet with the juice of a lemon, then stir in garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Stir in the chopped oregano, basil and parsley, then whisk in the butter, one piece at a time.
To serve
Spoon orzo into the center of a plate and place chicken pieces on top. Spoon vegetables and sauce over the chicken, garnish with herbs and serve immediately.
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- Neeka
Chili con Calabaza Asada (Roasted Pumpkin Chili)
Oven-roasted pumpkin, fried pork belly, fresh & dried chiles, onions, toasted corn, cumin and oregano..
Chili con Calabaza Asada (Roasted Pumpkin Chili)
Serves 2
1-2 small pie pumpkins, roasted
3-4 dried chiles such as Ancho, Pasilla, New Mexico and Chipotle
1 fresh poblano pepper, chopped
1 Serrano or 2 jalapeño peppers, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/4 pound pork belly, diced (can eliminate if vegetarian)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup black beans, cooked (optional)
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
salt & pepper
water
Split the pumpkins lengthwise through the stem and scrape out the seeds and stringy material. Season with salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven until softened, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, then scrape out the flesh with the edge of a spoon.
Meanwhile, place the dried chiles in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes. Remove from water, split and remove stems and seeds. Process in a food processor until a smooth paste is formed., corn,
Cook pork belly over medium-low heat until crisp. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, then add the cumin seed and toast until fragrant.
Add the peppers and onions and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, pumpkin and oregano and stir to combine.
Stir in the the chile paste, then thin with a little water (use the soaking water if you like). Add beans if using, then reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls and serve with fried corn tortillas.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!
Tuesday Twister
Each week, fellow real food-blogger Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS encourages us to take look back and share a little about what’s been twisting in our kitchens over the last week. Here’s what it looked like around here..
1) Roast Squash Coloradito Roasted sweet dumpling squash stuffed with poblano peppers, Spanish onions, smoked bacon and toasted corn, served over a spicy mole Coloradito. Seasonal, organic, local and darn tasty.
2) Lamb Keftedes A delicious traditional Greek offering of local, pastured lamb, toasted spices and fresh herbs, garlic, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. Frugal and dead simple to make.
3) Penang Goat Curry Pastured goat seared, then slowly simmered in coconut red curry with fried tomatoes, onions and Thai dragon peppers, with fresh ginger, garlic and Kaffir lime leaves. Easy to see why 70% of the world’s population eats goat meat!
4) Duck Fat-Fried Sweet Potato Chips Mandoline-cut sweet potatoes fried in rendered duck fat then sprinkled with coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper. A weekend indulgence.
5) Thai Red Pumpkin and Carrot Curry A vegetarian dish of roasted pumpkin, carrots, onions, red bell pepper, chiles, ginger, garlic, coconut milk and basil. Mm, mm mm.
Frying peppers, onions, bacon and corn for stuffed squash Coloradito
This post is a grateful part of the Tuesday Twister blog carnival at gnowfglins.com!
