Milk and milk products

Conchiglie al Formaggio

/ Ren

Baked seashells with artisan cheeses, mustard and fresh cream with spring onions, grape tomatoes and bits of spicy sausage..

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Conchiglie al Formaggio

1 1/2 cups conchiglie pasta, cooked and drained
1-2 spring onions, sliced or 1/2 yellow onion, diced
1-2 spicy cooking sausages (such as Spanish chorizo), sliced
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup cheese (Manchego, Parmesan, etc.), grated
1 cup fresh whole milk, more-or-less
1 cup fresh cream
1 pastured egg
3 tablespoons grass-fed cultured butter, divided
2 tablespoons sprouted wheat flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/8 cup fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk in flour and mustard and cook, stirring continuously until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Slowly whisk in cream and stir until combined, then thin with milk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit, then whisk in the egg and set aside.

Quickly brown sausage and onions in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until some of the fat has rendered, then add tomatoes and cook until softened.  Drain any excess grease, then fold into the cheese sauce along with the parsley and oregano.  Fold in pasta and adjust taste with salt and pepper.

Turn pasta mixture into a buttered casserole, then top with fresh bread crumbs and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Serve with a green salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio if desired.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, in support of freedom of choice for farmers and consumers everywhere

Who’s invited?  Raw milk producers and their consumers, grass based farmers fed up with the low commodity milk prices looking for alternatives, folks that have seen healthier days, Future Farmers of America wanting to check out the buzz about direct sales of raw milk,  constitutional scholars and lawyers looking for work that makes a difference, mother and fathers looking for answers to their children’s chronic health and obesity problems, college students cutting classes and stumbling into some life changing information, new couples considering having  family, doctors and dentists interested in pragmatic prevention based solutions, teachers and parents concerned with sugared milk in school lunches and YOU!

Phở bò tái

/ Ren

Originating in northern Vietnam, Phở (Pho, pronounced fuuh) is a Chinese and French-influenced soup of carefully-crafted beef stock flavored with roasted ginger, star anise, coriander and cinnamon.  It is typically served with rice noodles, thinly-sliced beef, lime and fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil and mint.

I followed Steamy Kitchen’s recipe, and thoroughly enjoyed the results..

Phở (Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup)

Easy Raw Chevre

/ Ren

Hi, I’m Wardeh (‘Wardee’) from GNOWFGLINS. I was thrilled when Ren asked me to guest post on his blog. It took me awhile to decide what I would share, but I finally settled on my recipe for a no-mess, can’t-go-wrong, delicious, and beneficial cheese – raw chevre.

Chevre, a soft spreadable cheese from raw goat milk, is one of the easiest cheeses to make. My family started raising our own milk goats in the late spring of 2009. I’ve made many batches of chevre since then – at least one per week, though sometimes more. We consume it daily, either plain or in other dishes, but I’ve also managed to fill the freezer with finished batches at a fantastic rate.  Want some?

Not only delicious, raw cheeses are incredibly good for us. They are full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes. Often, people who are lactose-intolerant can eat raw cheese. This is because during the culturing stage, bacteria consume much of the lactose. The cheese also contains lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, which helps if there is any lactose left. It is marvelous that raw dairy foods bring with them the necessary enzymes to aid digestion.

I’ve made it my mission to find easy-to-make cheeses. Chevre fits the bill not only because it is simple and almost hands-off, but because it only requires a 1/2 gallon of raw goat milk to make it. By the way, you can make chevre with raw cow’s milk. The process will be the same, just you can’t call it chevre any more. This recipe makes 2 to 3 cups of chevre. I do it bag-style, rather than in little cup molds.

Ingredients

Stage 1: Culturing

Put the milk in a half gallon or gallon size jar. The milk’s temperature doesn’t matter. I usually start chevre with milk warm from milking, but I’ve also done it with milk cold from the refrigerator. Sprinkle the mesophilic culture on it and stir in with a wooden spoon (not metal).

Put the 1/4 cup of water in a little jar or cup. Add one drop of the double-strength liquid rennet. Stir well. Take one tablespoon of this solution and add it to the jar of milk. Stir well. If using regular strength liquid rennet, mix one drop of it with the water, but add 2 tablespoons of the solution to the milk and stir well.

This solution will keep in the refrigerator for one or two weeks. If it smells disagreeable, toss it. (It will smell like nothing when it is still good.)

Cover the jar of milk with a cloth napkin and secure with a rubber band. Let sit out at room temperature to culture for 24 hours.

Stage 2: Dripping

Place the colander inside a pot or bowl. Make sure it is big enough to catch up to a quart of the whey that will drip out. Layer the two pieces of cheesecloth in the colander.

The milk should now be thick and gelled, much like a firm yogurt. Transfer these curds into the cheesecloth. It is okay if they fall apart. Do it gently, but don’t be concerned about keeping them all in one piece.

Tie up the opposite corners of the cheesecloth, making a bag to enclose the curds. Lay the ends of the cheesecloth on top of the bundle of curds in the colander. Don’t let the ends of the cheesecloth hang out of the colander, or the whey will drip down into a puddle on your counter (true story).

Leave this setup out at room temperature for 24 hours, during which time the whey will drip out and the curds will thicken.

Stage 3: Collecting

Untie the cheesecloth and check the consistency of the cheese. You may let it hang longer if you wish the cheese to thicken more. At this point, it is usually spreadable and soft, thicker than mayonnaise but not dry.

Transfer the chevre to a clean bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir. Adjust amount of salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Save and refrigerate the whey that drips out; it may be used in lacto-ferments.

Mix It Up

Besides spread plain and salty on scones or toast, I like to use chevre in some other yummy ways.

It has become my family’s favorite creamy salad dressing. Combine 1 cup of chevre with 1 cup of raw milk and 4 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar. Blend well, adding salt, pepper, garlic, and other herbs (parsley, dill, and chives are good) to taste.


I mix the chevre with a seasoning salt such as Herbamare, or my homemade version of it, for a delicious vegetable dip.

And it makes a great sour cream substitute. Blend the chevre with enough raw milk to make it the consistency you desire. It will thicken up in the refrigerator.

And that’s it! Chevre is a great cheese that anyone can make and everyone likes. I’ve enjoyed having this opportunity to write at Edible Aria; Ren’s blog is one of my favorite blogs, not just because of the fantastic foods he makes, but because he’s a sincere and caring person.

You can find me at my blog, GNOWFGLINS, where I write about how my family embraces “God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.” I’d love to see you there.

Criques au Caviar

/ Ren

Delicate potato pancakes topped with crème fraîche and domestic caviar..

Criques au Caviar

For the Crème Fraîche

6 oz fresh heavy cream
2 oz cultured buttermilk

Gently heat heavy cream to 105 degrees (use a thermometer), then remove from heat and stir in buttermilk.  Transfer to a glass jar, cover with a napkin and allow to stand at room temperature until thick, about 24-36 hours.  Transfer to the refrigerator and age for 24 hours.  Use within 7-10 days.

For the Criques, (about 6 2-3 inch pancakes, adapted from a recipe by Jacques Pépin)

1 cup Yukon gold or fingerling potatoes
1 large farm-fresh egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 spring onion, slivered
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon cultured butter
fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Peel and dice potatoes and transfer to the bowl of a food processor.  Add egg and pulse until smooth.  Stir in baking powder and onion and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering, then pour batter into 2-3 inch pancakes.  Allow to cook undisturbed until the edges begin to brown and the pancake releases itself from the pan.  Flip and cook until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack hold in a warm oven until ready to plate.

To serve, dress criques with a bit of smoked salmon or applesauce perhaps, or my favorite, crème fraîche and caviar.

Tulsi Chai

/ Ren

Revered in India for over 5,000 years as an adaptogenic balm for body, mind and spirit, modern research suggests that tulsi may be effective in supporting the heart, blood vessels, liver and lungs and may also help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar.

A soothing and healing decoction of holy basil, green tea, fresh ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with fresh milk and a touch of raw honey.

Tulsi Chai

Makes about 2 cups (adapted from a recipe in The Herb Companion)

1/2 cup fresh holy basil leaves, compacted or a scant 1/4 cup dried
2 cups cold, filtered water
2 rounded teaspoons green tea
2 green cardamom pods, crushed
one 1/4 inch-thick slice fresh ginger
one 2 inch length Ceylon cinnamon
2 whole cloves
freshly-grated nutmeg
honey to taste
milk to taste

Bring water to to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add basil, cover and simmer 3 minutes.  Stir in tea and spices, cover and steep 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer.  Stir in milk and honey to suit and garnish with grated nutmeg and crystallized ginger.   May be served warm or cold.