Southwestern Ham Hash with Fried Eggs and Homemade Ancho Ketchup

/ Ren

Here’s an easy and inexpensive way to use up a bit of leftover ham..

Ham Hash, Fried Egg and Ancho Ketchup


For the Ancho Puree (makes 3/4 cup)

1 cup filtered water
3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and allow to steep 20 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Combine 2 parts homemade ketchup with 1 part ancho puree, more-or-less to taste.  Refrigerate up to 1 month.

For the Hash

1 tablespoon butter
2 slices ham, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 small red potatoes, cut into 1/4 dice
1/2 small Spanish onion, diced
1/4 cup poblano pepper, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Boil the potatoes in lightly-salted water until not quite tender.  Drain, and shake the pan until that the potatoes take on a slightly “fuzzed” texture.

Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and fry until lightly browned.  Add potatoes, peppers, ham and garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until browned and slightly crusty.  Mix garlic salt and spices together in a small dish and use this mixture to season the hash to taste.  Add scallions and parsley and stir to combine.

To serve, spoon hash onto a serving plate and top with a fried egg.  Dress with ancho ketchup and serve hot.

This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!

Portuguese Linguiça and Fava Bean Stew

/ Ren

Linguiça is a meaty-flavored, brined and lightly-smoked Portuguese sausage made with pork butt, oregano, and paprika.  Reminiscent of feijoada or a small cassoulet, it is combined here with uncured, smoked bacon, garlic sausage, onions and fava beans and simmered with tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg..

Portuguese Linguiça and Fava Bean Stew

Serves 2

2 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock
1 large link Portuguese linguiça, sliced
1/4 cup garlic sausage, diced
2 slices uncured, smoked bacon, diced
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry fava beans, blanched and peeled (use fresh when in season)
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 4″ stick of cinnamon
1 whole nutmeg seed, abraded
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped celery leaves
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Fry bacon until nearly crisp.  Add onions, linguiça, garlic sausage and cumin and sauté until very well browned.  Pour off grease and transfer meat to a strainer and allow to drain thoroughly.  De-glaze pan with a little stock, scraping up all the brown bits with the back of a wooden spoon.

Add cinnamon, garlic, nutmeg, celery and the rest of the stock, reduce heat and simmer until beans are nearly tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove cinnamon and nutmeg and add the meat, tomatoes and tomato paste, celery leaves and parsley and simmer 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls.  Drizzle a little good olive oil over the top and serve hot.

Risotto alle Castagne

/ Ren

Creamy risotto with chestnuts, wild mushrooms, onions, spinach, Parmigiano-Reggiano and freshly-grated nutmeg..

Risotto alle Castagne

For the Vegetable Stock (recipe from Gourmet magazine)

1/2 lb portabella mushrooms, caps and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb shallots, left unpeeled, quartered
1 lb carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including stems)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 qt water

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat.  Use within 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.

For the Risotto (adapted from a recipe by Judith Jones)

2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1/4 cup Spanish onion, diced
1/4 cup wild mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chestnuts, peeled, blanched and sliced
1/4 cup fresh spinach, blanched, squeezed and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 oz white wine
2/3 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4-1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Heat the butter in a stainless steel skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic until soft and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chestnuts and sauté another minute.

Add the white wine, salt and pepper and reduce.  Slowly add half the stock and cook, stirring continuously until absorbed.  Add the spinach, nutmeg and the rest of the stock and cook, stirring continuously until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Serve immediately.

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.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Ren

Old-Fashioned chunky peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips..

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen  (adapted from a recipe by Bon Appétit)

1 1/2 cups organic wheat flour (can use soaked or sprouted flour)
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup cultured butter, room temperature
2/3 cup organic chunky peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup rapadura
1 large pastured egg
1/2 cup organic grain-sweetened chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together butter, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Mix in sugar and half of the dry mixture.  Mix in egg and the other half of the dry mixture.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Flatten each cookie with the back of a fork, forming a crosshatch pattern.  Bake at 350 degrees until dry on top and golden brown on the bottom, about 12 minutes.

Red Chili Grits

/ Ren

Stone-ground corn grits simmered in chicken stock with green onions and ancho puree, served with pork belly and fried eggs..

Red Chili Grits with Pork Belly and Fried Eggs

Serves 3-4  (adapted from a recipe by Taylor Ranch)

For the Grits

3 cups homemade chicken stock
1/4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
3/4 cup organic, stone-ground coarse corn grits
1/4 cup ancho puree
2 tablespoons pastured butter
3/4 cup raw milk cheddar, grated, divided

Bring the stock to a boil, then add onion, garlic and salt & pepper.  Slowly whisk in the grits and simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the ancho puree, butter and half of the cheese.  Spoon onto serving plate and top with additional cheese, onions and a dollop of ancho puree. Serve with fried eggs and pork belly.

For the Ancho Puree (makes 3/4 cup)

1 cup filtered water
3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and allow to steep 20 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Belgian Chocolate French Toast with Roasted Bananas and Whipped Cream

/ Ren

Homemade Belgian chocolate bread is soaked in custard, then fried in cultured butter and served with roasted bananas and whipped cream..

Belgian Chocolate French Toast with Roasted Bananas and Whipped Cream

For the bread (measure flour by weight, liquid by volume)

6 oz organic pastry flour
2 oz sprouted wheat flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 oz non-refined sugar
4 oz cacao powder
4 oz Belgian chocolate, shaved
4 oz filtered water
4 oz plain kefir or yoghurt
2 large eggs
4 oz melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients (except Belgian chocolate) together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, kefir and butter.

Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.  Don’t over-mix.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a buttered 4×8 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees until just set, approximately 45 minutes. Don’t overbake.

Allow loaf to cool on a rack for 15 minutes.

For the Custard

2 pastured eggs
1/3 cup fresh milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and beat with a fork until frothy.

For the Whipped Cream

1/4 cup fresh heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

Use a whisk or hand mixer to whip all ingredients together until thickened.

For the Bananas

2 small bananas, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon granulated maple sugar

Place the bananas cut-side down on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with maple sugar and roast in a 375 degree oven until golden brown and partially caramelized.

To Prepare

Soak thick slices of day-old chocolate bread in custard until completely saturated.  Carefully to transfer to a rack and drain for a few minutes.  Heat butter in a heavy skillet oven medium heat and fry soaked bread until light golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Place skillet and bread in a 375 degree oven and bake 7 minutes.

Place French toast on a plate and slide roasted banana on top. Garnish with whipped cream and serve immediately.

Santa Fe Hot Pot

/ Ren

Human occupation of New Mexico stretches back at least 11,000 years to the Clovis culture of hunter-gatherers, who left evidence of their campsites and stone tools. After the invention of agriculture the land was inhabited by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples who built houses out of stone or adobe bricks. They experienced a Golden Age around AD 1000 but climate change led to migration and cultural evolution into the modern Pueblo peoples who lived primarily along the few major rivers of the region. (Wikipedia)

A contemporary New Mexican-style pork stew with dried beans, toasted chilies, onions, peppers, onions and sweet potatoes with cinnamon, cloves, green garlic, cumin and corn flour..

Santa Fe Hot Pot

Serves 2

1/3 cup mixed dried heirloom beans such as yellow Indian woman, tepary, pinquito & black
4 cups chicken stock, divided
1/2 pound braised feral hog (substitute leftover pork belly or pork shoulder roast), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons leaf lard (substitute bacon grease)
1/4 cup mild chili powder
2 dried New Mexico chilies, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground cloves
1 large tomatillo, husked, rinsed and chopped
2 red Fresno chilies, sliced
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1/4 cup poblano pepper, chopped
1 bulb green garlic, including leaves, chopped
1/3 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon smoked black pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon corn flour (not corn meal)
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Rinse, pick over and soak a variety of dried beans overnight. Place in a pot with 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.

Heat lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add diced sweet potatoes and cook until browned along the edges and somewhat tender.  Add onions, fresh and dried chilies, peppers and green garlic and sauté until softened.

Add tomatillo, pork, beans, stock, pork, chili powder, paprika, cinnamon and cloves, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.  Add corn flour, stir and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and serve with wedges of lime and corn chips or cornbread.

This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!

Tangerine-Glazed Pork Belly with Ginger and Green Garlic

/ Ren

Fresh pork belly is cured for 24 hours with sea salt, chilies and spices before being braised in stock, white wine, cinnamon and garlic.  Chilled overnight en confit, then pan-fried with green garlic, fresh ginger and tangerines..

Tangerine-Glazed Pork Belly with Ginger and Green Garlic

(adapted from recipes by Michael Symon and Emeril Lagasse)

2 pounds fresh pork belly (Prairie Pride Farm of Minnesota)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon dried red chiles, crushed
grated zest of 1 tangerine
1 red onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
4 garlic cloves, bruised
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick

juice of 2 tangerines
2 bulbs green garlic, thinly-sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, julienned
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon wildflower honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon safflower threads
1 teaspoon roasted paprika
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

Skin, trim and rinse the pork belly and pat it dry.

Combine salt, coriander, chilies and tangerine zest in a small bowl.  Coat the pork belly with the mixture, cover and refrigerate 24 hours.

Place the pork belly in a Dutch oven and cover with red onion, carrot, garlic, bay, stock and wine.  Put the lid on the Dutch oven and braise in a 275 degree oven until tender, about 5 hours depending on size.

Refrigerate cooled pork belly its the poaching liquid overnight.

Combine tangerine juice, safflower, paprika and cider vinegar in a small, non-reactive saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon.   Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in honey and cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut pork belly into 2 inch by 4 inch slabs and fry in a tablespoon of rendered pork fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown on all sides. Drain briefly on a napkin or clean kitchen towel, then place on a dinner plate and spoon tangerine mixture over the top.

Real Food WednesdaysThis post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Real-food blogger Wardeh is hosting her weekly Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, the purpose of which is to share through words and pictures what we’ve had going on in our kitchens this past week..

1) Smoked Duck Tostadas Thinly-sliced apple wood-smoked duck breast, toasted guajillo salsa, crèma Mexicana, pickled red onions & jalapeños, field greens with cilantro, fresh avocado, fried black beans and pumpkin-balsamic vinaigrette.

2) BBQ Pork Cheeks with Charro Beans and Vegetable Escabèche Heritage pork cheeks are slow-roasted with tomatoes, onions, peaches and chipotle and served with long-simmered charro beans and vegetable escabèche..

3) Chopped Beefsteak with Mushroom Gravy 70’s-style chopped beefsteak with mushroom gravy, real mashed potatoes and blue lake green beans.

4) Red Lentil Dahl with Spinach and Curried Yogurt Made with spices of Ayurvedic importance, this is a powerfully healthy and healing dish..

5) Thought you might like to see this almost foot-long sweet potato that showed up in my bushel today.  Big enough to feed a small army!

6) This is fresh pork belly that was braised for 1/2 day in stock, aromatic herbs and vegetables, bay, salt, orange and cinnamon.  After it chills overnight in the braising liquid it will be ready for any number of different recipes.

Texas Sweet Potato

It was a pretty OK week but oh, man, that beefsteak sure tasted like home.
I’m off to Twisterville to get some ideas for next week. See ya!

Red Lentil Dahl with Spinach and Curried Yogurt

/ Ren

With approximately 26% of their calories from protein, lentils have the third-highest level of protein by weight, of any plant-based after soybeans and hemp.  Lentils are an important part of the diet in the Indian subcontinent, which has large vegetarian population.

Made with spices of Ayurvedic importance, this is a powerfully healthy and healing dish..

Red Lentil Dahl with Spinach and Curried Yogurt

Serves 2 (adapted from a recipe by the Post-Punk Kitchen)

1 tablespoon ghee
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups vegetable stock
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon hulled cardomom
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 dried red chiles, seeded

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon good curry powder

Toast whole spices in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a spice grinder and pulse with chiles.  Set aside.

Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat and fry onions until golden.  Add tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, black pepper and toasted spices and fry 5 minutes.

Add vegetable stock and lentils and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Add spinach and cook 3 minutes, then add lime and cilantro, adjusting consistency with tomato paste if necessary.

Serve over brown basmati and top with a dollop of curried yogurt.

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.

That 70’s Dinner

/ Ren

If you grew up during the 60’s and 70’s (especially in the Midwest), there’s a good chance you saw your share of chopped beefsteak with mushroom gravy, real mashed potatoes and blue lake green beans.  Here is that iconic comfort food made with local pastured beef, wild mushrooms, just-dug potatoes and Meredith’s homegrown green beans..

Chopped Beefsteak with Mushroom Gravy

For the Beefsteak (serves 2)

12 oz freshly ground pastured beef with at least 15% fat
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1/3 wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons pastured butter, divided
2 oz burgundy
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon demi-glace
1 bunch of thyme, tied
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Form the ground beef into 2 oval-shaped patties about 1 inch thick.  Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

Sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms in half of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until well browned, about 5 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon the transfer the vegetables to a plate, then turn up the heat to medium-high and sear the patties to rare, using additional butter if needed.

Transfer the meat to a plate, then de-glaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the brown bits with the back of a wooden spoon.  Add beef stock and thyme and cook until reduced in volume by 1/3, about 15 minutes.

Whisk in demi-glace, then add the meat and vegetables (except the garlic, which is for the potatoes) back to the pan, reduce heat and simmer until meat is medium-rare to medium, about 5 minutes.

For the Potatoes

1 1/2 cups red potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 oz pastured butter, room temperature
1/3 cup fresh cream
3 cloves garlic, roasted and minced
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Slowly boil potatoes in salted water over medium-high heat until fork-tender.  Drain and return to pan set over low heat and allow to dry 5 minutes.  Cut the butter into small pieces, then whisk into the potatoes.  Stir in the garlic and cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Beans

16 5-6 inch blue lake green beans, trimmed
1 quart filtered water
1 teaspoon pasture butter
1 teaspoon salt
bowl of ice water
2 pieces uncured, applewood smoked bacon
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Plunge green beans into rapidly-boiling salt water and cook 1 1/2 minutes. Drain, then transfer beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Brown bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until almost done.  Pour off grease and add butter and green beans. Sauté, turning often until tender, about 3-4 minutes.  De-glaze pan with vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

BBQ Heritage Pork Cheeks with Charro Beans and Vegetable Escabèche

/ Ren

Heritage pork cheeks are slow-roasted with tomatoes, onions, peaches and chipotle and served with long-simmered charro beans and vegetable escabèche..

BBQ Pork Cheeks

BBQ Heritage Pork Cheeks with Charro Beans and Vegetable Escabèche

Melt 1 tablespoon leaf lard (substitute bacon grease) in a Dutch oven.  Add trimmed pork cheeks and turn to coat lightly with melted fat, then season with salt, pepper and chipotle powder.  Cover with a mixture of chopped onions, tomatoes and garlic and pour in just a little water.  Seal the lid and cook until the pork is tender, about 90 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pork to a platter, then place the Dutch oven on the burner over medium-low heat, add chopped peaches and a teaspoon of molasses and cook until thickened, about 30 minutes.  Return the pork to the pot and simmer 10 minutes.  Serve with charro beans and vegetable escabèche.

By the way,

/ Ren

There are lots of bloggers (including many friends) for whom compensated reviews are a modest source of household income.  The majority of these folks conduct themselves completely openly and honestly (indeed, informatively); these real-food bloggers deserve our thanks and our support for diligently vetting each and every product on our behalf before deciding whether or not to offer a personal recommendation.

As regards the solicitations sent to my attention, please understand that I choose neither to accept payment or gifts for the articles which appear on my blog, nor do I participate in services providing advertising revenue for those things that I do write about.  That having been said, I continue to look forward to hearing about the many amazing, healthy and sustainable goods and services that are available.  Cool?  Cool.

With a tip of the toque to Local Nourishment and an awesome toes-to-the-fire set of ground rules from Sustainable Eats then, here is the pledge that I’ve signed..

BLOG with INTEGRITY

By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.

I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.

I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.

I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.

When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them..

Blog with Integrity

Smoked Duck Tostadas with Guajillo Salsa, Fried Black Beans and Avocado

/ Ren

Thinly-sliced apple wood-smoked duck breast, toasted guajillo salsa, crèma Mexicana, pickled red onions & jalapeños, field greens with cilantro, fresh avocado, fried black beans and pumpkin-balsamic vinaigrette.  If this doesn’t wake up your senses, you may need to consult a trained medical professional..

Smoked Duck Tostadas

For the Fried Beans

2 tablespoons leaf lard
1 cup cooked black beans
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon epazote
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt

Melt lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté cumin and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add beans with a little of their cooking liquid and mash with potato masher or the back of a spoon.  Stir in epazote, oregano and salt and cook until much of the liquid has been absorbed.  Cover and hold.

For the Salsa (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

2 tablespoons fat or oil (I’m using leaf lard)
3 guajillo chiles, stemmed
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
filtered water

Heat fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Split the chiles and remove the seeds.  Place the chiles flat in the pan and cook, turning continuously, until bright red and fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a napkin and drain.

Pour off fat, then add tomatillos and garlic.  Cook until browned, about 3 minutes, then turn, sprinkle with salt and brown on the other side.   Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky.  Add water as necessary to form a thick but pour-able salsa.  Taste and adjust accordingly.

For the Vinaigrette

3 oz pumpkin seed oil
1 oz aged balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon guajillo honey

Slowly whisk the oil into the vinegar to form an emulsion, then whisk in honey and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To Assemble

Shallow-fry pumpkin tortillas (I got these from my local tortilleria) in a little very hot leaf lard until crisp, about 30 seconds per side, then transfer to a napkin to drain.  Be sure the fat is hot, otherwise the tortillas will be greasy.

Thinly slice smoked duck breast, season with pepper and heat briefly in the tortilla pan.

Spread one tostada with guajillo salsa and crèma Mexicana, then arrange duck slices on top. Dress with pickled red onions and garnish with pickled jalapeños and fresh cilantro.

Toss assorted fresh field greens (thanks, Meredith!) in vinaigrette and place on top of the other tostada.  Spoon fried beans over the top and garnish with slices of fresh avocado.  Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over all.

Place the tostada with the duck on top the the one with the avocado and serve immediately.

Keep Austin Weird!

This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Thursday

Pan-Grilled Pork Cheeks with Toasted Guajillo Salsa

/ Ren

Heritage Berkshire cheeks are marinated with lime, garlic, red onions, smoked chile powder and cumin before being pan-grilled and served with sweet potato wedges, jalapeños and toasted guajillo salsa..

Pan-Grilled Pork Cheeks with Toasted Guajillo Salsa

For the Salsa (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

2 tablespoons fat or oil (I’m using leaf lard)
3 guajillo chiles, stemmed
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
filtered water

Heat fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Split the chiles and remove the seeds.  Place the chiles flat in the pan and cook, turning continuously, until bright red and fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to a napkin and drain.

Pour off fat, then add tomatillos and garlic.  Cook until browned, about 3 minutes, then turn, sprinkle with salt and brown on the other side.   Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky.  Add water as necessary to form a thick but pour-able salsa.  Taste and adjust accordingly.

For the Pork

1 pound pastured pork cheeks, trimmed
1 quart filtered water
1/2 lime, wedged
3 cloves garlic, slivered
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon toasted cumin
1 tablespoon smoked chili powder
1 tablespoon wildflower honey
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and pour over pork.  Allow to marinate 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator

To prepare, drain pork and blot dry.  Rub lightly with melted leaf lard and season with roasted paprika, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.  Grill to medium doneness, about 15 minutes.  Serve with grilled sweet potato wedges or bulb onions, guajillo salsa and grilled jalapeño.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, fellow blogger Wardeh encourages us to share a bit about what sort of GNOWFGLINS have been twisting in our kitchens during the past week.  What are GNOWFGLINS you ask?  They are God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.  You know, real food!

1) Wild Halibut en Persillade Thick-cut wild Alaskan halibut with a light coating of homemade coarse mustard and a persillade of chopped parsley and bread crumbs..

2) Wild Blueberry Biscuits with Maple Sugar and Rosemary A little savory and not too sweet. Good any time of day..

3) Pan-Roasted Moulard with Blackberry/Cranberry Chutney Succulent, aged Moulard duck breast with thyme, bay and a hint of freshly-grated nutmeg is pan-seared, then quickly roasted to a perfect medium-rare.  Served with Armagnac-flamed pan juices, asparagus with garlic and parsley root, and gingered wild blackberry and cranberry chutney..

4) Lobster Bisque Maine lobster, cream, dry sherry, aromatic herbs and vegetables and shaved black truffles.  A classic..

5) Fig Jam with Vanilla and Brandy Turkish figs, brandy, vanilla bean, fresh lemon and wildflower honey..

6) Curried Two-Pea Soup with Toasted Garlic and Crème Fraîche Split green and yellow peas are simmered in vegetable stock with Madras curry and fried onions, then topped with crunchy toasted garlic, Maldon sea salt flakes and a dollop of crème fraîche..

7) Poached Pear with Dark Chocolate, Creme Anglaise and Balsamic Port Reduction Organic Starkrimson pear poached in Tawny port wine, vanilla and peppercorns and served with dark chocolate, crème anglaise and a balsamic port reduction..

8) Conchiglie con Salsiccia di Pollo Coarsely-ground pastured chicken, spinach, sweet onions, garlic and yellow tomatoes tossed with conchiglie pasta, cream, saffron, Grana Padano and fresh herbs..

Wild Blueberry Biscuits with Maple Sugar and Rosemary

So, that’s what my week looked like.  Let’s head over to Wardeh’s house to see what wonders await..


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Conchiglie con Salsiccia di Pollo

/ Ren

Coarsely-ground pastured chicken, spinach, sweet onions, garlic and yellow tomatoes tossed with conchiglie pasta, cream, saffron, Grana Padano and fresh herbs..

Conchiglie con Salsiccia di Pollo

Serves 2

10-12 oz chicken meat (I use thigh meat), coarsely ground with 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
2 sweet bulb onions, sliced
2 fresh yellow cluster tomatoes, cored and choped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz spelt conchiglie
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in water
1/3 cup fresh cream
1/3 cup grated Grana Padano
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
fresh lemon

Grind chicken meat with fresh spinach and stir in 1 tablespoon cold rendered chicken fat.  Heat the other tablespoon of chicken fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Pinch off pieces of chicken sausage and sauté until lightly browned and crispy on the outside.  Add garlic, tomatoes, onions and herbs and sauté, stirring continuously until the tomatoes release their moisture, about 2 minutes.  Season to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta al denté in 1 1/2 quarts salted boiling water, about 8 minutes.  Drain, then return to burner over medium-low heat.  Stir in cream and saffron, then slowly stir in grated cheese until sauce is thick and creamy.

Toss sausage mixture with pasta and sauce, brighten with a squeeze of lemon and serve immediately.

Amuse-Gueules à la Canard

/ Ren

What to do with a bit of leftover duck breast?

Amuse-gueule (amuse-bouche) is a small, one or two-bite creation intended to stimulate one’s taste buds prior to a meal.  Here, I’ve prepared slices of seared duck breast served on garlic croûtons, topped with duck liver mousse and alternately garnished with blackberry chutney & chives, slivered ginger & red onion and fig jam & tarragon.  A bit of herb salad tossed with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar on the side..

Amuse-Gueules à la Canard

Poached Pear with Dark Chocolate, Creme Anglaise and Balsamic Port Reduction

/ Ren

Organic Starkrimson pear poached in Tawny port wine, vanilla and peppercorns and served with dark chocolate, crème anglaise and a balsamic port reduction..

Poached Pear with Dark Chocolate, Creme Anglaise and Balsamic Port Reduction

For the Crème Anglaise (adapted from a recipe by Michael Ruhlman)

4 oz fresh whole milk
4 oz fresh heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoons dark, unrefined sugar
3 pastured egg yolks

Combine milk, cream and vanilla bean in stainless steel or enameled saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Remove from heat and allow the vanilla bean to steep for 15-20 minutes before scraping the seeds back into the milk-cream mixture.  Thoroughly whisk the sugar into the eggs yolks.

Return the milk-cream mixture to a bare simmer over medium heat.  Very slowly pour the milk-cream mixture into the beaten eggs with one hand while whisking vigorously with the other.  Pour everything back into the pan and stir continuously until thickened but still pour-able, about 2-4 minutes.

Pour the finished sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl set into an ice bath and stir until the sauce is cold. Refrigerate and use within 2 days.

For the Pears

2 fresh pears, peeled and cored from the bottom
2 cups Tawny port wine
2 cups filtered water, more or less
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
8-10 whole black peppercorns

If necessary, cut a small slice off the bottom of the pears so that they stand upright.  Place pears upright in the smallest pan that will hold them and cover with port and enough water to cover.  Add vanilla and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently until pears are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.  Refrigerate until ready to use, reserving poaching liquid.

For the Balsamic Port Reduction

1 1/2 cups poaching liquid
1/4 cup Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale
raw wildflower honey

Simmer reserved poaching liquid and balsamic over medium heat until reduced to about 1/2 cup.  Remove from heat and add honey a little at a time, tasting on your fingertip as you go.  The result should be a little more tart than sweet.

To serve, spoon crème anglaise onto a chilled dessert plate and drizzle with balsamic port reduction.  Place the pear on top and serve with a pool of cacao nib-crusted dark chocolate.

Curried Two-Pea Soup with Toasted Garlic and Crème Fraîche

/ Ren

Split green and yellow peas are simmered in vegetable stock with Madras curry and fried onions, then topped with crunchy toasted garlic, Maldon sea salt flakes and a dollop of crème fraîche..

Curried Two-Pea Soup with Toasted Garlic and Crème Fraîche

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 Toasted Garlic

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Heat olive oil to 325 degrees (use a thermometer) in a heavy pan over medium heat. Shallow-fry whole garlic cloves, turning frequently, until light golden brown.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to a napkin to drain.  Sprinkle with sea salt while still hot.  Transfer garlic to a food dehydrator and allow to thoroughly dry.  Store in an airtight container up to 6 months.


For the Vegetable Stock (recipe from Gourmet magazine)

1/2 lb portabella mushrooms, caps and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb shallots, left unpeeled, quartered
1 lb carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including stems)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 qt water

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat.  Use within 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.

For the Soup (adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown)

1/3 cup split yellow peas, rinsed and picked over
1/3 cup split green peas, rinsed and picked over
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
toasted garlic
crème fraîche
Maldon sea salt flakes

Heat butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add onions and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.  Add curry powder, stir and cook 1 minute.  Add peas, vegetable stock and bay leaf and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour.

Use an immersion blender to partially purée the soup, then stir in chopped parsley and season to taste with black pepper.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and dress with a dollop of crème fraîche, crushed toasted garlic and sea salt 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.

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Time’s Almost Up, People!

/ Ren

Act as though your life depends upon it..

“If you’re talking about PCBs, Agent Orange, Bovine Growth Hormone, water privatization, bio-piracy, untested/unlabeled genetically engineered organisms, or persecuting small family farmers”,  you’re most likely talking about Monsanto, the World’s Most Hated  Corporation..

There are about 3 seconds left to join OCA’s campaign to mobilize one million consumers to end Monsanto’s global corporate terrorism.

Sign the Millions Against Monsanto petition, demanding the corporation:

  • Stop intimidating small family farmers.
  • Stop force-feeding untested and unlabeled genetically engineered foods on consumers.
  • Stop using billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayers’ money to subsidize genetically engineered crops–cotton, soybeans, corn and canola.

Bonus! Get the facts about Islam A. Siddiqui, Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America (you know, those people who sent letters to Michelle Obama, chastising her for not spraying toxic chemicals on the White House’s organic garden) and current nominee for  Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of US Trade Rep.

Fig Jam with Vanilla and Brandy

/ Ren

Turkish figs, brandy, vanilla bean, fresh lemon and wildflower honey..

Fig Jam with Vanilla and Brandy

Makes 1 Pint

1 pound figs, stemmed and quartered (mission figs will produce a darker colored jam than Turkish figs)
4 oz brandy
1/4 cup raw wildflower honey
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine all ingredients except honey in a stainless steel pot.  Allow to macerate on the counter for 1 hour, then slowly bring to a boil over medium-low heat.  Partially cover and boil gently, stirring often until figs are tender, about 40 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add honey and a pinch of salt and mash all together with a flat-bottomed potato masher.  Taste and adjust flavor with lemon and/or honey if you think it needs it  (I prefer mine slightly more tart than sweet).

Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

To keep for up to 1 year, transfer jam to a glass jar leaving at least 1/2 inch headroom, then seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Lobster Bisque

/ Ren

Maine lobster, cream, dry sherry, aromatic herbs and vegetables and shaved black truffles.  A classic..

Lobster Bisque

Lobster Bisque

Serves 2

2 shell-on Maine or Canadian lobster tails, as fresh as possible
1 1/2 cups court-bouillon or fish stock
4 oz fresh cream
1 oz brandy
2 oz dry sherry
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/4 fresh lemon, cut into wedges
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 sweet bulb onion, split and thinly-sliced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 Roma tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon half-sharp paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8-10 smoked black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
butter

Sauté celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes, herbs and lobster shells in a tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender and the shells have turned bright red in color.

Add sherry and brandy and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add court-bouillon, lemon, pepper and paprika, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.

Run a wooden skewer lengthwise through each lobster tail, then lower into the liquid and gently poach for 2 minutes.  Remove lobster from pan and allow to cool enough to handle.

Pour stock through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan, pressing on and discarding the solids.  Whisk in tomato paste and simmer until reduced by about 1/3 in volume.

Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and cook sweet onions until translucent.  Add chopped parsley, lobster medallions and any remaining pieces of lobster meat and gently poach until the lobster is just done.

Whisk the cream into the bisque, then finish with 2 tablespoons of the onion, butter and parsley mixture.

To serve, ladle bisque into a shallow bowl and arrange butter-drenched lobster medallions and pieces on top. Season lightly with freshly-ground black pepper and Maldon sea salt and garnish with fresh tarragon, thinly-shaved black truffles and bits of edible flowers.

Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Blackberry and Cranberry Chutney

/ Ren

Succulent, aged Moulard duck breast with thyme, bay and a hint of freshly-grated nutmeg is pan-seared, then quickly roasted to a perfect medium-rare.  Served with Armagnac-flamed pan juices, asparagus with garlic and parsley root, and gingered wild blackberry and cranberry chutney..

Pan-Roasted Moulard

Pan-Roasted Moulard with Blackberry/Cranberry Chutney

For the Chutney

1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rendered duck fat
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons wildflower honey
1 cup fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup wild blackberries
salt and pepper

Sauté the onions in duck fat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, vinegar, honey and cranberries. Lower heat, cover and simmer until all the cranberries have popped, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Adjust sweetness/tartness with a little vinegar or honey if you think it needs it, then season to taste with sea salt and cracked pepper. The finished mixture should be thick.

For the Duck (adapted from a recipe by Thomas Keller)

1/2 fresh Moulard duck breast (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup Armagnac

Use a sharp, thin knife to score a cross-hatch pattern into the fat side of the duck breast, taking care not to cut into the muscle.  Season on all sides with salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg, then lay bay leaves against the flesh, loosely wrap in butcher’s paper and refrigerate overnight.

Allow to duck breast to sit on the counter for 20 minutes while you pre-heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Add the duck breast skin-side down to the hot pan, then reduce heat to medium low and cook, moving often, until the skin is golden brown and much of the fat has been rendered out.

Flip the breast over and sauté for 1 minute, then pour off the fat and place the pan in a 375 degree oven until almost medium-rare, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and allow to rest at least 5 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, de-glaze the pan with Armagnac, and add a small knob of butter.  Sauté diced parsley root until tender/crisp, then add garlic and thinly-sliced asparagus (a great way to use up leftover stalks) and sauté until the asparagus is tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the duck breast on a 1/4-inch bias and arrange on a warmed plate.  Spoon asparagus and pan juices over the top and garnish with blackberry/cranberry chutney.

Wild Blueberry Biscuits with Maple Sugar and Rosemary

/ Ren

A little savory and not too sweet, these simple biscuits make a versatile side any time of day..

 

Wild Blueberry Bisquits

Wild Blueberry Biscuits with Maple Sugar and Rosemary

 

Makes about 10 3-inch biscuits (adapted from a recipe by Diana’s Kitchen)

2 1/4 cups organic, unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup rapadura or raw wildflower honey
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup cultured butter, softened
1 pastured egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup fresh buttermilk
3/4 cup organic frozen blueberries

Topping

3 tablespoons cultured butter, melted
3 tablespoons maple sugar
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary needles, chopped

Mix 2 cups of the flour with the rapadura, baking powder, lemon peel, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture forms pea-sized lumps.

Combine egg and buttermilk, then pour into the flour mixture. Stir just to combine- mixture will be slightly lumpy. Gently fold in still-frozen blueberries.

Sprinkle remaining flour onto the counter-top, then knead the dough by hand until it holds together, about 6 or 7 turns. Pat out the dough to a uniform 1/2 inch thickness, then cut out rounds with an empty can, glass or cutter.

Brush biscuits with melted butter, then sprinkle with maple sugar and rosemary.  Place 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degree until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Serve hot from the oven with cultured butter.

Wild Halibut en Persillade

/ Ren

Thick-cut wild Alaskan halibut with a light coating of homemade coarse mustard and a persillade of chopped parsley and bread crumbs..

Wild Halibut en Persillade

Wild Halibut en Persillade

Serves 2  (adapted from a recipe by Thomas Keller)

2 6-oz fillets fresh Wild Alaskan Halibut
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon homemade coarse mustard
1 teaspoon filtered water
pastured butter
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Trim crusts from bread and pulse in a food processor.  Bake bread crumbs in a 250 degree oven, tossing occasionally until completely dry, about 1 hour.  Toss with finely chopped parsley and set aside.

Rinse fish fillets and pat dry.  Season on both sides with  salt and pepper.  Brush one side of each fillet with a thin coating of thinned mustard, then dip the mustard side of the fish into the bread crumbs, pressing lightly to form an even coating.

Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, then place the fillets crumb side down into the pan and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute.

Carefully turn fish over, then place pan into a 350 degree oven just until the fish begins to flake, about 6-8 minutes.

Arrange fish on a plate, then drizzle with a little of the browned butter from the skillet and give it a squeeze of fresh lemon.  Delicious with Nantes Carrot Stew on the side.

kk-rfw-thumb3

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each week, fellow real food-blogger Wardeh encourages us to take look back and share a little about what’s been twisting in our kitchens over the last week.  Pastured beef and lamb prevailed for 4 days here, along with a savory vegetarian meal and couple of not-too-sweet treats..

1) Stash Cookies Cultured butter, papelón, piloncillo oscuro, raw cacao beans and wild cinnamon.  Oh, my.

2) Mesquite Grilled Beef Heart Burrito Grass-fed beef heart is marinated  and grilled over a mesquite fire before being simmered with tomatoes, garlic and smoky chipotles en adobo.  I missed an opportunity to do something interesting with all the blood, but a couple of real-food bloggers come to the rescue on that score.

3) Ancho-Grilled Sirloin with Avocado and Papaya Pesto Grass-fed sirloin is dry-rubbed with freshly-ground ancho chiles, roasted paprika, cumin, smoked pepper and sea salt and then pan-grilled and served with a raw avocado oil-based pesto containing cilantro, garlic, bits of dried papaya, macadamia nuts and chipotle powder.

4) Rosemary and Garlic Roast Leg of Lamb with Minted English Peas Local pastured leg of lamb is coated with fresh rosemary, garlic, coarse salt and cracked pepper then slow-roasted and served au jus with fresh peas, spearmint and fried shallots.  The leftovers went became Lamb Vindaloo two days later..

5) Cultured Ginger Peach Smoothie Home-cultured milk, fresh ginger, peaches, lemon and raw wildflower honey make a powerfully pro-biotic, anti-inflammatory and warming beverage.

6) Savory Bread and Cheese Pudding Sprouted wheat and wild yeast sourdough bread, pastured eggs, fresh milk, spinach, onions, garlic, sweet peppers and aged cheeses..

Stash Cookies with papelón, piloncillo oscuro, raw cacao beans and wild cinnamon

I’m off to gnowfglins.com to see what else has been twisting these last few days before Thanksgiving..

Lamb Vindaloo with Cardamom Pea Puree

/ Ren

Lamb is slow-simmered in coconut milk, onions, garlic and coarse mustard, then topped with curry-fried onions and served with puréed peas with cardamom.  A classic Goan dish..

Lamb Vindaloo

Lamb Vindaloo with Cardamom Pea Puree

For the Vindaloo

1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb (I’m using leftover roast leg of lamb)
1 yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons coarse mustard
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1-2 fresh hot chiles, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups thick coconut milk

Combine the vinegar, mustard and spices in a bowl.  Stir into a thick paste.

Fry the onions in ghee until golden brown, then add the garlic and ginger and sauté 30 seconds.  Add the spice paste and fry for 1 minute, stirring continuously.  Add the lamb and fry for 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to low, stir in coconut milk, cover and simmer until tender, about 75 minutes.  Stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.

For The Peas

12 oz fresh English peas
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground green cardamom
1 cup filtered water or stock, approximately
1 tablespoon curly parsely
salt and pepper

Boil the peas in 1/4 inch of water with butter and cardamom until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a food processor , add parsley and pulse until nearly smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Curry-Fried Onions

1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
sprigs of fresh parsley

Heat ghee over medium heat until shimmering, then add onions and curry powder and fry until crisp.  Add parsley and fry a few seconds more.  Season with a little salt and let drain on a napkin for a few moments.

To Serve

Spoon pea purée onto a serving plate and ladle vindaloo over the top.  Garnish with curry-fried onions and parsley and serve immediately.

Savory Bread and Cheese Pudding

/ Ren

Sprouted wheat and wild yeast sourdough bread, pastured eggs, fresh milk, spinach, onions, garlic, sweet peppers and aged cheeses..

Savory Bread and Cheese Pudding

Savory Bread and Cheese Pudding

A riff on a recipe by the Moosewood Collective

1 cup fresh whole milk
3 pastured eggs
2-3 pieces stale sprouted wheat bread
2-3 pieces stale wild yeast sourdough bread
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 sweet peppers, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups grated aged white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse-grain mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
butter

Whip milk into eggs, stir in mustard and season with cayenne, sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Tear bread into 1-inch cubes and place into a bowl. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in butter over high heat until slightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Scrape into bowl with bread.

Cook spinach until wilted, about 1 minute.  Squeeze out excess moisture, then add spinach to the bowl with the bread and onions. Add grated cheeses and toss all by hand to combine.

Transfer bread mixture to a buttered skillet and pour milk mixture over the top, pressing down with a spoon to coat the bread.  Top with sliced Roma tomatoes, then cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

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.


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Marly’s Peachy Kéfir

/ Ren

This delicious beverage of cultured milk, fresh ginger, peaches, lemon and raw wildflower honey is powerfully pro-biotic, anti-inflammatory and warming..

Marly's Peachy Kéfir

For the Cultured Milk

1 quart fresh whole milk
5 grams kéfir starter

Slowly heat milk to 185 degrees (use a thermometer) then immediately remove from heat and allow to cool to between 73-77 degrees.  Dissolve 5 grams kéfir starter in 1 cup of the cooled milk then add back into the quart and stir to combine.

Pour the inoculated milk into a clean glass container, cover and let stand at room temperature until curd forms, about 24 hours.  Transfer to refrigerator and chill overnight.

For the Smoothies

2 cups cultured milk
1 1/2 cups frozen organic peaches (use fresh when in season)
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger (substitute ginger powder)
1-2 tablespoons raw wildflower honey

Add all ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth.

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Leg of Lamb with Minted English Peas

/ Ren

Local pastured leg of lamb is coated with fresh rosemary, garlic, coarse salt and cracked pepper then slow-roasted and served au jus with fresh peas, spearmint and fried shallots..

Rosemary and Garlic Roast Leg of Lamb with Minted English Peas

Rinse leg of lamb and pat dry.  Remove the fell (a thin membrane covering the fat) if present, then coat with extra virgin olive oil and liberal amounts of fresh rosemary, garlic, sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Chop enough equal parts celery, white onion and carrots (mirepoix) to cover the bottom of a cast iron skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch.  Pour in 1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon then set the lamb on top.  Roast uncovered in a 325 degree oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest section reads 125-130 degrees, about 75 minutes depending on size.  Transfer lamb to a cutting board, cover loosely and allow to rest 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 2 cups cold filtered water to the roasting pan and stir to scrape up the brown bits.  Place over medium heat and cook until reduced by half.  Strain into a clean pan and adjust flavor with salt and pepper.  Keep warm.

Blanch fresh English peas in 1/4 inch of filtered water for 2-3 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water.  Heat butter in a heavy skillet and add a thinly sliced whole shallot. Fry until golden, then add minced lemon peel and cook 30 seconds.  Add drained peas and lots of chopped fresh mint and heat through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon peas onto a serving plate and arrange 1/2 inch-thick sliced of lamb over the top.  Dress with reduced pan juices and serve immediately.

Ancho-Grilled Sirloin with Avocado and Papaya Pesto

/ Ren

Grass-fed sirloin is dry-rubbed with freshly-ground ancho chiles, roasted paprika, cumin, smoked pepper and sea salt and then pan-grilled and served with a raw avocado oil-based pesto containing cilantro, garlic, bits of dried papaya, macadamia nuts and chipotle powder..

Ancho-Grilled Sirloin

 

For the Dry Rub

2 ancho (dried poblano) chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon roasted paprika
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon rapadura
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper

Place all ingredients into a coffee or spice grinder and pulse into a fine powder. Place in an airtight container and store away from heat and light for up to 3 months.

For the Pesto

1/3 cup raw avocado oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 fresh lime
1 tablespoon unsweetened dried papaya
1 1/2 tablespoons macadamia, pistachio or hazlenuts
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
salt and pepper

Place all ingredients except oil into the cup of a food processor and pulse a couple of times until coarsely chopped.  Stir in oil then adjust flavor with salt and pepper.

To prepare

Rinse and pat dry 1 or more 1 inch-thick sirloin steaks.  Coat all sides with spice rub, then wrap loosely in butcher paper and refrigerate 3 or more hours.

Allow steaks to sit on the counter 30 minutes, then grill 3 minutes per side in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Transfer skillet to a 400 degree oven and cook until medium-rare, about 10 minutes.

Transfer steaks to a cutting board and allow to stand 5 minutes before carving into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Garnish with crumbled goat cheese and dress with pesto.

Mesquite Grilled Beef Heart Burrito

/ Ren

Be sure to read Millie’s post about the nutrient value of traditional foods!

Grass-fed beef heart is marinated  and grilled over a mesquite fire before being simmered with tomatoes, garlic and smoky chipotles en adobo..

Mesquite Grilled Beef Heart Burrito

.

For the Chile con Queso Asadero

1 cup fresh whole milk
2 cups grated Asadero cheese (substitute Monterrey jack)
2 fresh Serrano chiles, thinly sliced
1 fresh red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
sea salt
freshly-ground black pepper

Heat milk and chiles over a double boiler, stirring frequently until small bubbles begin to break the surface.  Slowly whisk in grated cheese and stir until thick and creamy.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, reduce heat and keep warm.

For the Burritos (serves 4)

1 fresh grass-fed beef heart
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
1/2 Spanish onion, diced
juice of 1 fresh lime
1/3 cup melted beef tallow (substitute leaf lard or rendered bacon fat)
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted paprika
2 chipotles en adobo
sea salt
freshly-ground black pepper
4 large flour tortillas

Trim fresh beef heart of any sinew and gristle, rinse with fresh water, cut into 3-inch chunks and place in a colander set over a sink and allow to drain 20 minutes.  Transfer heart to a non-reactive bowl and marinate in melted tallow, garlic and lime juice while you prepare the grill.

Transfer marinated beef heart to a medium-hot mesquite fire and grill to medium rare as you would a steak.  Transfer grilled heart to a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle, then chop roughly.  Kill the fire, but leave grill covered to retain heat.

Place 2 tablespoons of the tallow marinade in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  As soon as the fat begins to shimmer, add the onions, garlic and chopped beef heart and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  Reduce heat and add tomatoes, oregano, paprika and chipotles en adobo. Add 1/4 cup water, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, partially cover and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.

To assemble, heat fresh tortillas on the grill or on a comal then heap filling in the center.  Spoon a little cheese sauce over the filling, then fold envelope-style.  Place burritos back on the grill, cover and heat 5 minutes.  Transfer burritos to plates and spoon cheese sauce over the top.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with pickled cabbage or pickled red onions for a nice contrast to the richness of the burritos.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Stash Cookies

/ Ren

One bite of these and you’ll know..

Stash Cookies

Makes about 18 1 1/2-inch cookies

3 oz unsalted cultured butter, melted
3 oz papelón (rapadura)
1 oz piloncillo oscuro (dark, unrefined Mexican sugar), shaved
1 1/2 oz raw cacao beans, skinned and ground
1/2 teaspoon ground canella (wild cinnamon)
5 oz unsweetened dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla bean paste
1 pastured egg (at room temperature)
6 oz unbleached organic all-purpose flour
2 oz sprouted organic wheat flour (adds structure and a slight nutty taste)
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 pinch aluminum-free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Slowly melt the butter in the top of a double boiler.  Remove from heat, stir in the papelón and let stand 10 minutes to dissolve and cool. With an electric mixer, whip the butter and papelón together until a smooth, butterscotch-color paste is formed.  Add the vanilla bean paste and egg and stir to combine.

Mix together the piloncillo, ground cacao, canella, flour, baking soda and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time until combined (the resulting dough will be thinner than regular chocolate chip cookie dough).  Cover and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Pinch off silver dollar-sized pieces of dough (there is no need to roll or flatten the cookies) and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until slightly dark around the edges and light golden brown on top, about 10-11 minutes.

These cookies are of course best when only minutes from the oven, but may be kept up to 2 days in an airtight container.

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Isn’t it interesting how the natural color of foods tend to follow the seasons?

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 the 2nd week of November looked like around here..

1) Chili con Calabaza Asada (Roasted Pumpkin Chili) Oven-roasted pumpkin, fried pork belly, fresh & dried chiles, onions, toasted corn, cumin and oregano.  I can (and do) make chili out of just about anything..

2) Chicken Neeka Paprika-roasted chicken with Spanish onion, Roma tomatoes, sweet peppers, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs, served with pecorino-safflower orzo..

3) Lemon Snaps I wanted to see if I could make old fashioned lemon snaps from scratch, using only healthy, unprocessed ingredients.  I got the taste and the healthy part down, but didn’t get the texture right this time..

4) Sprouted Brown Rice Curry A thick, rich soup of sprouted brown rice, corn, curry, red chiles and coconut cream, topped with toasted cashews. When I’m not making chili, I can generally be found making curry  🙂

5) 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.  This one’s a keeper!

Hot Peppers for Chili con Calabaza Asada


What say we head on over to gnowfglins.com to get some ideas for next week!

Potatoes Gratiné

/ Ren

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.


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Sprouted Brown Rice Curry

/ Ren

A thick, rich soup of sprouted brown rice, corn, curry, red chiles and coconut cream, topped with toasted cashews..

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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.

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Lemon Snaps

/ Ren

Lemon snap cookies made with sprouted flour, wildflower honey, pastured butter, hemp seeds, fresh lemon and ginger..

Lemon Snaps

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

/ Ren

Paprika-roasted chicken with Spanish onion, Roma tomatoes, sweet peppers, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs, served with pecorino-safflower orzo..

Chicken Neeka

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.

Chili con Calabaza Asada (Roasted Pumpkin Chili)

/ Ren

Oven-roasted pumpkin, fried pork belly, fresh & dried chiles, onions, toasted corn, cumin and oregano..

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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.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

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.

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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!

CAFO Action Alert

/ Ren

As Wendell Berry has tartly observed, to take animals off pasture and put them on feed-lots is to take an elegant solution — animals replenishing the fertility that crops deplete — and neatly divide it into two problems: a fertility problem on the farm and a pollution problem on the feed-lot. The former problem is remedied with fossil-fuel fertilizer; the latter continues to stink.

When It Comes to Agriculture, Size Does Matter –

A Rebuttal to the Dairy Business Association (DBA)
and the Factory Farm Lobby in Wisconsin

By: Tony Schultz

Stoney Acres Farm (Athens, WI) and FFD board member

A version of this op ed was printed in the Country Today, 10/14/09

Last week the executive director of the Dairy Business Association Laurie Fischer wrote a seemingly polite yet defensive editorial to many newspapers and media outlets across the state as a response to the increasing attacks against the rise of factory farming and the environmental issues that accompany them. Although the editorial tried to say “size is not the issue” it continually referred to pollution concerns surrounding larger farms and flat-out stated large farms are better for the environment. This is because no matter how much they use neutral phrases like trying to “keep cows in Wisconsin” or say “regardless of size” they are an organization that represents factory farming and the aggressive expansion of that particular type of agriculture. Much of DBA’s funding comes from corporate donors. Its website says they include Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC, Pfizer Animal Health, Accelerated Genetics, Wick Builders, Bayland Building, insurers, financial-service firms and a host of other agribusiness interests that view big farms as big accounts that buy lots of stuff. Anyone questioning or challenging them is told to shut up, get out of the way of the natural course of “progress” and portrayed as an enemy of all of Wisconsin agriculture. To read more click here

Support family farmers! Please contact Governor Doyle and let him know that you oppose this kind factory farming!

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photo credit unknown

Thai Red Pumpkin and Carrot Curry

/ Ren

A vegetarian dish of roasted pumpkin, carrots, onions, red bell pepper, chiles, ginger, garlic, coconut milk and basil..

Thai Red Pumpkin and Carrot Curry

Thai Red Pumpkin and Carrot Curry (click to enlarge)

For the Curry Paste (adapted from a recipe by Darlene Schmidt)

1 shallot, chopped
1 stalk lemon-grass, minced
2-3 red chilies
4 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size piece galangal (substitute ginger)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons traditionally-fermented soy sauce
1/2 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Process all ingredients together in a food processor, using just enough coconut milk to keep the blades turning.  Set aside.

For the Vegetables

1 small pie pumpkin, split, seeded and roasted
2-3 carrots, trimmed and cut on 1/2 inch bias
1 small red bell pepper, julienne cut
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 fresh green chiles, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon raw coconut oil
2 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons curry paste
1/2 can coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh basil, torn
1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds

Split 1 small pie pumpkin in half lengthwise and remove stem, seeds and stringy material.  Place cut-side down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast in a 350 degree oven until tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

Heat coconut oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Sauté carrots until not quite tender, then add red bell pepper, onion and chiles and cook until just tender.

Add ginger, garlic and curry paste and fry until it begins to release a little oil.  Add coconut milk and roasted pumpkin flesh, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Add scallions and basil a few minutes before the end.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and basil leaves.

 

This post is in support of Meatless Monday!

Slow-Roasted Wild Salmon with Genmaicha, Fried Capers and Caramelized Lemon

/ Ren

Wild Alaskan salmon is marinated in genmaicha-infused olive oil before being slow-roasted and served with a pan sauce of caramelized lemons, shallots, garlic, capers, parsley and butter..

Wild Salmon

Slow-Roasted Wild Salmon with Genmaicha 玄米茶, Fried Capers and Caramelized Lemon

For the Salmon

2 wild Alaskan fillets
6 oz extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons genmaicha brown rice tea
1 teaspoon paprika
coarse sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 185 degrees.  Remove pan from heat and stir in genmaicha.  Allow to steep until the oil reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.  Pour cooled oil over salmon set in a shallow dish and marinate 1 hour.

Remove salmon from oil, drain briefly and place in a heavy skillet (skin side down) and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Roast in a 225 degree oven until it is brilliant red and flakes easily with a fork, about 12 minutes.

For the Sauce (adapted from a recipe by Michael Symon)

2 tablespoons pastured butter, divided
4 thick slices lemon
1 teaspoon capers
1 1/2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped

Heat half of the butter in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until the bitter begins to foam.  Add the lemon slices and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 3 minutes.  Flip the lemons over, add the capers and sauté 30 seconds.  Add the shallots and sauté another 30 seconds.  Add the garlic, parsley and the remaining butter and cook until the lemons begin to lose their shape, about 1-2 minutes.

To Serve

Spoon sauce in the center of a plate.  Place roasted salmon on top and garnish with lemon slices.  Serve immediately.

Duck Fat-Fried Sweet Potato Chips

/ Ren

Mandoline-cut sweet potatoes fried in rendered duck fat then sprinkled with coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper..

Chips frying in duck fat

Salt and Pepper Sweet Potato Chips frying in Duck Fat

Wash and peel as many sweet potatoes (garnet yams) as you intend to fry.  Using a mandoline set to about 1/16″, slice potatoes on a bias directly into a bowl of ice water.  Allow potatoes to sit in ice water for 1 hour, then spread out on clean kitchen towels and pat completely dry.

Heat rendered duck fat (substitute beef tallow) in a scrupulously-clean skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch until it shimmers.  On my electric stove, I set the dial to mark below medium. If the oil is smoking, the pan is too hot.

Place sliced potatoes into hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.  Work in batches so as not to crowd the pan.  Transfer to kitchen towels to drain and season immediately with coarse sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.  These chips are best served still hot, but still great at room temperature.

Penang Goat Curry

/ Ren

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..

Goat Curry

Penang Goat Curry

Serves 2

1 pound goat stew meat
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 small white onion, diced
1 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 red or green chiles
1 tablespoon traditionally-fermented soy sauce
1 tablespoon poivron rouge
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon true cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
2 kaffir lime leaves, slivered
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup thick, raw coconut milk
1 cup filtered water
coconut oil or ghee for frying

In Austin, pastured goat and kaffir lime are available from Farmhouse Delivery.

Trim goat meat of fat and silver-skin and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Thoroughly rinse then pat dry.  Heat raw coconut oil or ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat until the first wisp of smoke appears.  Add the goat and sear until dark brown with a slight surface crustiness.  Transfer meat to a plate.

Stirring frequently, fry tomatoes, onions and chiles until until the onions are translucent and the tomatoes lose some of their moisture.  Add ginger, garlic and dry spices and cook until a thick paste is formed.

Add coconut milk, goat meat and lime leaves and simmer until goat is tender, about 75 minutes.  Stir the pot now and then, adding water as needed to keep it from thickening too much.

Taste for salt, then add chopped cilantro just before serving.

This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!

Lamb Keftedes

/ Ren

A traditional Greek offering of local, pastured lamb, toasted spices and fresh herbs, garlic, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil..

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Lamb Keftedes

Makes about 8-10 Meatballs (adapted from a recipe by Michael Symon)

1/4 cup white onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup day-old bread, torn into cubes
1/4 cup fresh, whole milk
1/2 pound freshly-ground lamb, 75% lean
1 pastured egg
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon nibs
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
sprouted wheat flour for dusting
clarified butter
fresh oregano, torn
fresh mint, torn
1 fresh lemon

Toast the cinnamon, cumin and coriander in a dry skillet until fragrant, then set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, sauté the onion with a pinch of salt in a little clarified butter over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic  and cook until softened, about another 2 minutes. Set aside.

Soak the bread in the milk.

Grind the toasted spices and cinnamon together in a mortar, then combine with the black pepper and nutmeg.

In a mixing bowl, combine the onions, garlic and lamb.  Squeeze out the bread and add to the lamb along with the spices, pepper and torn oregano.  Mix everything together by hand.

Form the meat mixture into golf ball-sized balls then roll in the flour, gently shaking off any excess.

Heat clarified butter in a heavy pan over medium heat, then add the meatballs to the pan.  Pan-fry until golden brown and crusty on the outside, then drain briefly on paper towels.

Arrange the meatballs on a plate, drizzle with olive oil then season with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.  Garnish with lemon zest and oregano and serve with olives and lemon wedges.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!

Roast Squash Coloradito

/ Ren

Roasted sweet dumpling squash stuffed with poblano peppers, Spanish onions, smoked bacon and toasted corn, served over a spicy mole Coloradito..

Roast Squash Coloradito

Roast Squash Coloradito

For the Sauce

Simmer 1/4 cup mole Coloradito paste (a somewhat complicated combination of Ancho and Guajillo chiles, almonds, sesame seeds, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, banana and pumpkin seeds) with 3/4 cup vegetable stock.  Keep warm.

For the Roasted Squash

Split, trim and seed one or more small, suitable baking squash (such as the thin-skinned sweet dumpling variety, shown here).  Scoop out and discard the stringy fibers, leaving 1/2 inch flesh.  Brush with ghee or melted butter, season with salt and smoked pepper and roast in a 375 degree oven until tender and caramelized, about 40 minutes. Keep warm.

For the Filling

4 pieces of un-cured smoked bacon, cut into large dice
1 Poblano pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell or sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until nearly crisp.  Add vegetables and continue to cook until barely tender.  Fill the cavity of the squash with the vegetable mixture, season with salt and pepper and return to the oven until heated through, about 7 minutes.

To Serve

Spread mole in the center of a warmed plate and place roasted squash on top.  Toss some toasted pumpkin seeds and a little chopped cilantro at it and serve immediately.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, real-food blogger Wardeh at gnowfglins.com asks us to share a bit about what’s been twisting in our kitchens during the past week.  This is a great way for me to be able to how well I’ve been doing (or not) with my goal of eating a healthy diet consisting of primarily seasonal, local and sustainable food..

1) Blackberry Mascarpone Pancakes Marion blackberries, fresh mascarpone, soaked and sprouted flours, vanilla bean paste, pastured butter and eggs and a dollop of maple butter.  If you’re inclined to indulge a little now and then..

2) Rustic Roast Chicken with Sweet Peppers and Sausage Pastured chicken, sweet peppers, sausage, fresh herbs and garlicky croûtons. One of my personal favorites, this one’s in permanent rotation.

3) Lechón Asado Mojo-marinated, slow-roasted pork shoulder with sour orange juice, cumin, oregano and fresh peppers, served with black beans and saffron rice.  Cuban comfort food!

4) Tacos de Tinga Poblana Smoky pulled pork, pickled red onions, avocado and crumbled goat cheese on roasted jalapeño tortillas, made from leftover Lechón Asado.  I used all the leftovers!  Yay!

5) Cauliflower Gobi, Scallion and Black Lemon Pancakes Cauliflower florets in a tomato curry with onions, ginger and whole spices, served with savory garbanzo flour pancakes with scallions and black lemon (limes, actually, but they’re marketed as lemons for some reason).

6) Pickled Red Cabbage.  Love this stuff, especially with roasted meats!

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Pickled Red Cabbage

Another week fairly well met, my fine fellow food folks!  Say, I wonder if anyone’s making desert over at the Tuesday Twister..

Pan-Roasted Quail with Wild Rice Stuffing and Blackberry Jus Lie

/ Ren

Semi-boneless quail seasoned with sea salt and smoked pepper and stuffed with wild rice, pecans, scallions and porcini mushrooms.  Served with blackberry jus lié.

I wish the plate presentation were better, but I was scrambling like mad before losing the light.  Oh, well..

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Pan-Roasted Quail with Wild Rice Stuffing and Blackberry Jus Lie

Serves two

For the Rice

1 cup wild rice
chicken stock instead of water, in the quantity specified on the rice package
2 whole porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 chopped pecans
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
sea salt and black pepper

Cook the rice and set aside to cool.  Sauté mushrooms, pecans, garlic, scallions and sage until the pecans are golden brown then stir into the cooled rice.  Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

For the Quail

4 semi-boneless quail
2 tablespoons pastured butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon poivron rouge
sea salt and smoked blacked pepper

Rinse and pat dry the quail.  Tuck the wing tips.  Use a teaspoon or your fingers to stuff in as much rice as the bird will comfortably hold.

Transfer the birds to a skillet.  Mix together the melted butter and paprika and use that to paint the birds with.  Place in a 375 degree oven until golden brown and the juices run clear, about 18 minutes.  Transfer to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil.

For the Jus Lié

2 pieces uncured, applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup blackberries
2 oz port
2 tablespoons glace de poulet
2 tablespoons filtered water

Sauté bacon and shallots in a tablespoon of the drippings from the pan that the quail was roasted in.  Once the bacon is crisp, de-glaze the pan with port and add the blackberries.  Stir and cook until the berries begin to break apart, then add demi-glace and water.  Cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then strain or not, as you see fit.

To Serve

Split quail in half lengthwise and spoon sauce over the top.  Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Gobi, Scallion and Black Lemon Pancakes

/ Ren

Cauliflower florets in a tomato curry with onions, ginger and whole spices, served with savory garbanzo flour pancakes with scallions and black lemon..

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Cauliflower Gobi, Scallion and Black Lemon Pancakes

For the Pancakes

8 oz garbanzo flour
1 cup filtered water
3 tablespoons ghee or melted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon black lemon
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl and allow to stand 15 minutes.  Heat ghee or butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Ladle in batter to form 3″ pancakes.  Cook until golden brown on both sides, then drain on paper towels.

For the Gobi

1/2 white onion, diced
6 plum tomatoes, peeled and crushed through your fingers
6 large cauliflower florets
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1-2 small green chiles, minced
1 teaspoon hulled cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon curry leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon true cinnamon nibs
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons poivron rouge
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon amchur (mango) powder
ghee or clarified butter

Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, chiles and whole spices in ghee until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add turmeric, paprika, pepper and amchur and stir until thickened.

Add tomatoes, cauliflower and curry leaves and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon gobi over pancakes and serve immediately.

This post is part of Meatless Monday, an initiative of The Monday Campaigns,
in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

/ Ren

Smoky pulled pork, pickled red onions, avocado and crumbled goat cheese on roasted jalapeño tortillas..

Pork Tinga Tacos

Pork Tinga Tacos (Tacos de Tinga Poblana)

For the Pickled Onions (adapted from a recipe by David Lebovitz)

3/4 cup organic white vinegar
3 tablespoons rapadura
pinch of sea salt
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
a small, dried chile pepper
1 star aniseseed
1 clove garlic, bruised
1 large red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced into rings

Bring all ingredients except onions to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Reduce heat and add the onions. Simmer 30 seconds, stirring continuously.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator for up to 3 months.  Pickled onions may be eaten the day they are made, but taste best after 3 days in the refrigerator.

For the Tinga Poblana (adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

2/3 pound pulled pork (I’ve used yesterday’s leftover Cuban pork)
1 red potato, cut into 1/4″ dice
1 Roma tomato, cut into 1/4″ dice
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon leaf lard or pastured butter
1 cup chicken stock
1-2 chipotle chiles en adobo, chopped, plus 1-2 tablespoons sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon smoked chile powder (optional)
sea salt

Sauté diced potatoes and cumin seed in a tablespoon of leaf lard until soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.  Add tomatoes, chipotle en adobo and oregano and cook until tomatoes have released all their water, about 5 minutes.

Add pork, chicken stock, chile powder and Worcestershire, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add chicken stock as necessary to keep the pork from drying out.  Season to taste with sea salt.

To serve, place pork mixture in the center of a tortilla (steamed corn or freshly griddled flour tortillas) and dress with pickled red onions.  Add slices of fresh avocado, crumbled goat cheese and chopped cilantro.

Lechon Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

/ Ren

Mojo-marinated, slow-roasted pork shoulder with sour orange juice, cumin, oregano and fresh peppers, served with black beans and saffron rice..

Lechon Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

Lechón Asado (Cuban Roast Pork)

For the Mojo (Cuban Marinade, Three Guys from Miami)

8-10 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup sour orange juice, or 1/2 cup orange juice plus 1/4 cup each fresh lemon and lime juice

Use a large mortar and pestle to mash all the ingredients (except orange juice) into a paste.  Transfer paste to a bowl and combine with the orange juice.  Allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the Pork

Marinate the pork in the mojo for 4 hours (refrigerated).  Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry.  Heat some fat in a Dutch oven set over medium heat, then brown the pork well on all sides.  Transfer the pork to a plate and pour off all but a tablespoon or two of fat from the Dutch oven.

Toast a tablespoon of whole cumin seeds in the Dutch oven, then add a cup of chopped red onion, 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/3 cup of Cubanelle, bell and/or jalapeño  peppers and sauté until softened and fragrant.

Nestle the pork shoulder (fat side up) in the vegetables, then pour in 1 cup of chicken stock and the marinade.  Add some wedges of lemon and lime and a palm-full of chopped fresh oregano. Cover and cook in a 200 degree oven until fork tender, about 3-4 hours depending on the size of the roast.

Remove from the oven, uncover and let stand 20 minutes.

For the Rice

Cook long-grain aged basmati in chicken stock until tender, adding water-soaked saffron during the last few minutes of cooking.  Season to taste with salt & pepper and garnished with chopped parsley.

For the Beans

Soak black beans overnight in filtered water before preparing in the usual fashion.  Stir in some of the vegetables from the Dutch oven during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

To Serve

Spoon rice onto a serving plate then top with beans.  Use 2 forks to pull the pork into chunks and place alongside the rice and beans.  Spoon some of the vegetables and pan juices over the pork and serve immediately.

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This post is part of the Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays!

Rustic Roast Chicken with Sweet Peppers and Sausage

/ Ren

Pastured chicken, sweet peppers, sausage, fresh herbs and garlicky croûtons. One of my personal favorites..

Rustic Roast Chicken

Rustic Roast Chicken with Sweet Peppers and Sausage

For the Bone Broth (adapted from a recipe by Thomas Keller)

5 pounds chicken parts such as necks, bones, backs, wings and feet
1 gallon cold, filtered water
1 3/4 cups carrots cut into 1-inch cubes
2 heaping cups leeks cut into 1-inch pieces (white and light green parts only)
1 1/2 cups Spanish onions cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bay leaf

Keller writes “As with all stocks, the goal is to remove impurities while extracting as much flavor and gelatin as possible from the bones, and the maximum flavor from the vegetables and aromatics.  You do this not only through gentle heat, but through gradual heat transitions as well; in other words, you don’t start with hot water, you begin with cold and bring it slowly up to heat”.

Rinse the chicken parts thoroughly under cold water to remove any remaining blood.  This helps to ensure that the resulting stock is clear, not cloudy.

Put all the bones into a large stock pot and add a gallon of cold water, just enough to cover the bones.  Slowly bring the liquid to a simmer and begin to skim as soon as the impurities rise to the top. Continue to simmer and skim until as much of the impurities have been removed as possible.

Add the vegetables and bay leaf and continue to simmer and skim for 45 minutes.  This recipes produces a lightly-flavored, gelatinous stock suitable for soups and braising.  For a stronger stock, simply continue to simmer and skim until the liquid has been reduced by 1/3 in volume.

Turn off the heat and let the stock rest 10 minutes to allow any particles left in the stock to settle to the bottom.

Ladle the finished stock through a strainer lined with a tea towel into a suitably large container, then transfer into quart jars set in a pan of ice water.  Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to keep for up to 3 days.

For the Vegetables

Split a number of sweet peppers, Spanish onion and plum tomatoes in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a skillet or on a parchment paper-lined tray.  Roast in a 375 degree oven until blistered but not blackened, about 30 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool enough to handle, then pull the skins off the peppers and tomatoes.

Coarsely chop the vegetables with fresh basil and oregano and set aside.

For the Chicken

Split large breasts and thighs into 2-3 pieces each and season lightly with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.  Melt a couple of tablespoonfuls of chicken fat in a heavy skillet.  Add the chicken as soon as the fat is shimmering but not smoking, and brown well on all sides.  Transfer chicken to a plate.

Cut 1-2 pieces of Italian sausage on a deep bias so that there is a lot of exposed surface area.  Brown the sausage in the same pan that you used for the chicken.

Arrange chicken and sausage in a Dutch oven containing 1 cup of bone broth as shown below.  Scatter roasted vegetables over the top, and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and place uncovered in a 375 oven until the chicken has finished cooking, about 15 minutes.

For the Croûtons

Steep a clove of garlic in pastured butter for a few minutes, then toss in roughly-torn pieces of bread and fry until golden brown.  Add chopped parsley and give the croûtons one more toss before setting aside.

To assemble, arrange alternating pieces of chicken and sausage on a plate and top with vegetables.  Tuck in some croûtons here and there, then drizzle all with some of the roasting juices.  Garnish with additional chopped herbs and serve immediately.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday

Blackberry Mascarpone Pancakes

/ Ren

Marion blackberries, fresh mascarpone, soaked and sprouted flours, vanilla bean paste, pastured butter and eggs and a dollop of maple butter..

Blackberry Mascarpone Pancakes

Blackberry Mascarpone Pancakes

For the Mascarpone

1 pint farm-fresh cream (not the ultra-pasteurized stuff from the grocery store)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Put the cream into the top of a double boiler set over shimmering (not boiling) water.  Once the cream is warm, stir in the cream of tartar and stir continuously until the cream reaches 180 degrees F as measured by a thermometer.  Immediately remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Pour into a bowl lined with cheesecloth or a clean towel, cover and allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.  Use within 2 days.

For the Soaked Flour

6 oz organic whole wheat pastry flour
3 oz filtered water
1 tablespoon buttermilk (can substitute whey or yoghurt)

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl, cover loosely and allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

For the Pancake Batter (informed by a ratio by Michael Ruhlman)

6 oz soaked flour
2 oz sprouted whole wheat flour
2 pastured eggs
2 oz cultured butter, melted
2 tablespoons mascarpone
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (substitute vanilla extract)
1 1/2 tablespoons rapadura
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 scant teaspoon fine sea salt
buttermilk as needed
Marion or other blackberries, halved if large

Whisk the mascarpone until fluffy, then whisk in the remaining wet ingredients.  Combine the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then combine with the wet ingredients.  Thin with buttermilk until thick but pour-able.

Method

Heat a comal or cast iron skillet over a little less than medium heat.  Grease lightly with butter, then place small clusters of blackberries around the pan.  Let the berries sizzle a bit, then ladle the batter over the top.  Cook until golden brown, turning once.  Serve hot from the pan with a dollop of maple butter.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Another Tuesday, another look back at what’s been twisting in the kitchen lately.  My gosh, where does the time go?

1) Black Bean Tamales Fresh corn masa spread on soaked husks and filled with cumin-fried black beans.  Served with fire-roasted tomato salsa and chile con queso..

2) Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken There’s a reason why this dish is still on the menu 130 years later!

3) Elderberry Syrup If the drug companies could patent nature, you can be sure they would be selling us barrels-full of elderberry syrup right now..

4) Kentucky Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Most popular post of the past week.  Must be the booze.

5) Lemon Poppyseed Cookies A personal favorite.  I brought these to work so as not to eat them all myself  🙂

6) Beef Heart Chili I’ve been wanting to do something with beef heart and tallow for a long time.  For me, the result was near-revelatory!

A week full of blessings.  I’m particularly grateful to some very generous friends, and very pleased to post in support of The Tuesday Twister.  Please join me as I head off to GNOWFGLINS to see what real life, real food inspiration awaits!

ps don’t forget to toss a recipe in the hat for a chance to win a great new cookbook from Thomas Keller!

Beef Heart Chili

/ Ren

I’ve been making and eating chili for a very long time now (some examples here and here), but I can honestly say that this is the most intensely-flavored, beefy–tasting pot I’ve ever had.  The secret?  Well, there are a couple.

Beef Heart Chili

Beef Heart Chili

Let’s look at the ingredients..

Chili Ingredients

its all about the ingredients

This is a fairly mild chili, but you can certainly increase the heat with jalapeño or Serrano peppers if you desire.

Clockwise from the bottom-left, we have 70% lean coarse-ground grass-fed beef, chiles Chipotle Dorado, New Mexico and Ancho, beef tallow, white onion, ripe plum tomato, Mexican Oregano, annatto seeds, cumin seed, sea salt, black pepper, long-neck garlic, coarse corn flour and freshly-ground beef heart.

Start by splitting the chiles with a scissors and removing the stems and seed clusters.  Its a good idea to wear gloves while doing this- I keep of box of recyclable medical gloves for this purpose.

Lay the split chiles out flat on a dry comal or heavy skillet along with some whole cumin seeds and toast over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 8 minutes.  Don’t let anything burn or it will be bitter.

Transfer the toasted chiles, cumin and annatto seeds to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into a semi-fine powder.  Set aside.

Melt beef tallow in a heavy skillet over medium heat until shimmering, but not smoking.  Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, add ground beef and heart and sear until well browned.  Transfer meat to a Dutch oven, then sauté onions and garlic in the same pan.

Add the onions, garlic, oregano and diced tomato to the meat along with about 2 cups of filtered water for each 1 1/2 pounds of meat.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the corn flour and simmer another 15 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper if necessary and serve garnished with finely minced tomato, white onion and cilantro.  Offer beans and/or tortillas on the side if you wish.

Beef heart is very high in iron, riboflavin, selenium and vitamin B12 and high in niacin, phosphorus and zinc, and has an extraordinary amount of cancer-fighting CoQ10.  The appearance, texture and taste are indistinguishable from that of high-quality ground beef, except that it has a beefier flavor than hamburger.

Giveaway: Ad Hoc at Home (Hardcover)

/ Ren

Wow, what a lot great recipes for home-cooked dishes!  This has surely one of our best giveaways yet – thank you all so much for participating!

I’m pleased to announce that the winner of the Thomas Keller book is Elya (elfimka).  Congratulations, Elya!  Please email me with with shipping information and I’ll get the book out to right away.

Be sure to stop back now and again for news about the next giveaway  🙂

 

I have a copy of this book in front of me right now, and let me tell you- it rocks!

“In the book every home cook has been waiting for, the revered Thomas Keller turns his imagination to the American comfort foods closest to his heart—flaky biscuits, chicken pot pies, New England clam bakes, and cherry pies so delicious and redolent of childhood that they give Proust’s madeleines a run for their money. Keller, whose restaurants The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York have revolutionized American haute cuisine, is equally adept at turning out simpler fare.

In Ad Hoc at Home—a cookbook inspired by the menu of his casual restaurant Ad Hoc in Yountville—he showcases more than 200 recipes for family-style meals. This is Keller at his most playful, serving up such truck-stop classics as Potato Hash with Bacon and Melted Onions and grilled-cheese sandwiches, and heartier fare including beef Stroganoff and roasted spring leg of lamb. In fun, full-color photographs, the great chef gives step-by-step lessons in kitchen basics— here is Keller teaching how to perfectly shape a basic hamburger, truss a chicken, or dress a salad. Best of all, where Keller’s previous best-selling cookbooks were for the ambitious advanced cook, Ad Hoc at Home is filled with quicker and easier recipes that will be embraced by both kitchen novices and more experienced cooks who want the ultimate recipes for American comfort-food classics.”

OK, so here’s the deal.  Submit a recipe (use the comment area below) for a favorite home-cooked dish (preferably featuring fresh, local ingredients) and I’ll put your name in the hat for the drawing.  Pretty easy!  Submit 2 recipes and I’ll put your name in twice.  Blog, Stumble or Twitter about the giveaway and I’ll put your name in once more!

The recipe(s) that you submit don’t have to be fancy and can be just about anything, so long as its yours or one that has been handed down in your family.  The winner will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries.  I can only ship the book to a US address (sorry), but everyone is welcome to participate!

Permalink: http://ediblearia.com/2009/10/25/giveaway-ad-hoc-at-home-hardcover
Short URL: http://wp.me/pjS8J-1kp

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

/ Ren

Sprouted flour, pastured butter, honey, fresh lemon and poppyseeds are the only ingredients you’ll need for this wholesome treat..

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

Makes about 18 cookies (adapted from a recipe by Michael Ruhlman)

3 oz raw honey
6 oz pastured butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
9 oz sprouted flour, finely milled
zest of 2 small lemons
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Using an electric mixer, whip together honey and softened butter until light and fluff.  Stir in the zest of 2 lemons (a micro-plane works best for producing tiny zest), poppyseeds and vanilla (if using).  With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour a little at a time until just combined.  Turn out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and roll into a log about 2 inches in diameter.  Twist the ends and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.  Using a thin-bladed knife, cut the dough into 3/8 inch-thick rounds and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until light golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.  Best eaten within 2 days, not that that should pose a problem for anybody 🙂

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Farmhouse Delivery Launches New Farm Membership Program

/ Ren

In an effort to create a sustainable revenue stream for local growers, Austin’s Farmhouse Delivery is launching a new seasonal farm membership.

Each bushel (available weekly or bi-weekly) will contain about 10 different types of all-local produce, including things like turnips, sweet potatoes, fennel, broccoli, greens, citrus and heirloom cauliflower, all delivered right to your door.

Running from November 2nd through December 21st, membership includes invitations to exclusive Rain Lily Farm events including demonstrations, dinners, cooking classes and more.

The deadline to sign up is October 30th, so better hurry!

Farmhouse Delivery Seasonal Bushel photo by Jody Horton, www.jodyhorton.com

Farmhouse Delivery Seasonal Bushel photo by Jody Horton, www.jodyhorton.com

Eat fresh, eat local – support your farmers!

Elderberry Syrup

/ Ren

“European elder is a plant native to Europe, Northern Africa, and Western-and Central Asia. Its flowers and berries have a long history of use in traditional European medicine. Elder berries have also been used for making preserves, wines, winter cordials, and for adding flavor and color to other wines. Native Americans used the flowers, berries, and bark of elderberry trees to treat fevers and joint pain for hundreds of years, but elderberry’s real claim to fame is as a cure for the flu. Israeli researchers have developed five formulas based on elderberry fruit that have been clinically proven to prevent and ameliorate all kinds of influenza.”  –Mountain Rose Herbs

“This syrup is especially helpful for those with colds or flu. The elderberry will assist with the healing while the added cinnamon, ginger and cloves will help the syrup to be warming and the honey adds an antibiotic and quality while also making the syrup soothing for sore throats and coughs. Take 1 tablespoon per hour during illness.  Elderberry syrup is also a wonderful preventative so you can take a few tablespoons of this syrup each day during cold and flu season to help avoid getting sick. Better yet, pour it over your pancakes and benefit from it’s health promoting properties while enjoying this special breakfast treat!”  –HerbMentor

1/4 pound dried organic elderberries (Sambucus nigra)
5 cloves
1  cinnamon stick
1 heaping tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cups filtered water
1 cup raw honey

Combine all ingredients except honey in a small pot.  Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer until the liquid has reduced in volume by half, about 25 minutes.  Allow to cool to room temperature, then stir in honey.  Transfer to a sterile jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Take up to 1 tablespoon per hour during illness or up to 3 tablespoons per day during cold and flu season to help avoid getting sick.

This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

For educational purposes only.  This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Kentucky Bourbon-Glazed Chicken

/ Ren

Local, pastured chicken brined overnight with garlic, peppercorns and lemon peel, then slow-roasted with homemade coarse mustard, wild honey, fresh tarragon and Kentucky bourbon..

Kentucky Bourbon-Glazed Chicken

Kentucky Bourbon-Glazed Chicken

For the Brine (adapted from a sub-recipe by Thomas Keller)

8 cups filtered water
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 oz raw honey
6 bay leaves
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a pot and boil for 1 minute to dissolve the salt.  Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.  Add chicken pieces to the brine and press to submerge.  Refrigerate overnight.

For the Glaze

1/4 cup homemade coarse mustard
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons pastured butter, melted
1 1/2 oz good Kentucky bourbon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white onion, minced
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

To prepare

Drain chicken and pat dry.  Lightly coat on all sides with glaze , then place in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Turn up the heat to 375 and cook another 10-15 minutes until the skin has crisped and the juices run clear.

Home canning lids coated with bisphenol A

/ Ren

Did you know that Ball, Kerr, Golden Harvest and Bernardin brand canning lids are coated with bisphenol A (BPA)?!

Bookmark Home canning lids coated with bisphenol A

Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken, Cream Gravy

/ Ren

While the exact origin of Maryland Fried Chicken isn’t known for certain, a dish by this name did show up on the menu of New York’s Grand Union Hotel as early as 1878..

Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken

Traditional Maryland Fried Chicken

Serves 2-4 depending on appetite and accompaniments

1 whole pastured frying chicken, cut up
3 cups fresh whole milk plus the juice of 1 fresh lemon

2 cups sprouted wheat flour
1 tablespoon freshly-ground pepper
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, oregano and basil

4 oz ghee or clarified, pastured butter
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup fresh cream
1 cup chicken stock

fresh parsley, chopped

Wash chicken and place in a non-reactive bowl.  Pour in enough milk to cover then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Combine flour, pepper, salt, paprika and dried herbs in a bowl.  Lift a piece of chicken with one hand, let the milk run off, then place into the flour mixture.  Use the other hand to coat the chicken and place onto a plate.  Repeat until all the chicken has been lightly but thoroughly dredged.

Heat the butter in a high-walled iron skillet over medium heat to about 325-330 degrees (this is why you need a fat such as clarified butter with a high smoke-point), then carefully place the chicken in the pan, working in batches if necessary.  Don’t crowd the pan too much.  Turning as little as possible, cook until well browned on all sides.  Transfer chicken to a heat-proof dish and finish in a 275 degree oven while you make the gravy (assuming another 15 minutes or so).

Add the onion and garlic to the pan that the chicken was cooked in and fry until golden.  Scrape up the brown bits with the side of a wooden spoon, then whisk in enough of the remaining seasoned flour to form a thick paste (roux).  Stirring continuously, cook until the flour is no longer raw, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat cream and chicken stock just to the boiling point.  Whisk in roux and cook until gravy has thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The chicken may be served with the gravy over the top or on the side, as you prefer.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Thursday

Black Bean Tamales, Roasted Tomato Salsa and Chile con Queso

/ Ren

Fresh corn masa spread on soaked husks and filled with cumin-fried black beans.  Served with fire-roasted tomato salsa and chile con queso..

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Black Bean Tamales, Roasted Tomato Salsa and Chile con Queso

For the Chili con Queso

1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk
1 1/2 cups grated raw cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons pastured butter
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 red Fresno pepper, minced
1 tablespoon sweet dairy whey
1/2 teaspoon smoked chili powder
1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Heat butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat.  Add peppers and cook until softened.  Add milk and bring to a strong simmer, stirring often.  Add whey (this gives the sauce a tangy taste) and stir to combine.  Add cheese a little at a time, stirring as it melts.  Season with smoked chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in cilantro and parsley and keep warm.

For the Tomato Sauce

2 plum tomatoes, cored and halved
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small white onion, diced
1-2 small green chiles, diced
pinch of non-refined sugar (optional)
salt and pepper

Roast, grill or broil tomatoes until partially black and blistered.  Allow to cool enough to handle, then sauté together with garlic, onions and chiles until most of the water has evaporated.  Add sugar if using, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Keep warm.

For the Filling

1 cup black beans, soaked overnight
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon leaf lard
salt and pepper

Cook black beans in chicken stock until tender.  Drain and set aside, reserving liquid

Sauté onion, garlic and cumin in lard until fragrant.  Add beans and mash with the back of a wooden spoon.  Add bean cooking liquid as necessary to form a thick but spreadable paste.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

For the Dough

1 1/2 cups coarse corn masa (not cornmeal)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, warm
1/4 cup leaf lard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

6 8-inch enconchada-style corn husks, soaked

Whip lard until fluffy, then blend in masa, salt and baking powder.  Slowly mix in chicken stock until a moist, consistent dough is formed.

Spread dough as evenly as possible over one side of each husk, about 1/8 inch thick.  Place a large spoonful of fried bean mixture in the center of the dough.  Fold the sides of the husks so that they overlap in the center, forming a long cigar-like structure.  Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rests against the seam.

Bundle tamales together and steam standing upright until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

To serve, ladle tomato sauce into the center of a plate, carefully unwrap the tamales and arrange around the perimeter.  Spoon chile con queso over the top, and garnish plate with bits of diced onion, red pepper and cilantro.  Drizzle hot sauce and serve immediately.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Real-food blogger Wardeh is hosting her weekly Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, the purpose of which is to share through words and pictures what we’ve had going on, twisting, in our own kitchens this past week.

The hits, the misses, all is fair game in the Tuesday Twister..

1) Pomegranate Chutney Fresh pomegranate seeds, coriander, green onions, chiles, ginger and red currant coulis. Wowza!

2) Asian Beef Noodle Soup A little bit like ramen and a little bit like Phở, this healthy, nourishing soup is made from homemade beef stock, shiitake mushrooms, buckwheat soba, fresh scallions, grass-fed beef, herbs and whole spices.  Keep eating like this & make your doctor lonely.

3) Classic Pot Roast Slow-cooked grass-fed chuck roast with mushroom pan gravy, fresh herbs and roasted winter vegetables. Ah, comfort food.

4) Sweet Potato Quesadillas Fresh flour tortillas spread with mole rojo and topped with pan-roasted sweet potatoes, bacon, red onions, poblano peppers with crumbled goat cheese and fresh cilantro.  Messy, but good!

5) Orange Pomegranate Scones Sprouted wheat flour, fresh cream, pastured eggs & butter, honey and pomegranate arils..

So, there you go!  Follow me to GNOWFGLINS to see what else’s been twisting..


Scones cooling on the back porch

Scones cooling on the back porch

Roasted Asparagus and Maitake Soup

/ Ren

Oven-roasted asparagus tips, maitake mushroom, ginger, green onions, poached duck egg and brown rice in a healing miso bone broth..

Roasted Asparagus and Maitake Soup

Roasted Asparagus and Maitake Soup

Lightly coat fresh asparagus tips and Maitake mushrooms (Hen of the Woods) with melted pastured butter. Season with freshly-cracked pepper (no salt) and roast in a 400 degree oven until the asparagus begins to caramelize and the mushrooms begin to crisp on the edges.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook organic short-grain brown rice in homemade chicken stock with the melted butter and juices from the roasted vegetables until just tender, about 50 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium low and add crushed garlic, minced fresh ginger, thinly sliced green onions and coarsely chopped maitake.  Stir to combine.

Carefully pour one or more duck eggs from a dish directly into the simmering soup.  Cover and cook until the eggs are set, about 7 minutes more-or-less.

Remove from heat a stir in a spoonful of miso.

Garnish with a little red pepper and some pea shoots or micro-greens and serve immediately.

Orange Pomegranate Scones

/ Ren

Sprouted wheat flour, fresh cream, pastured eggs & butter, honey and pomegranate arils..

Orange Pomegranate Scones

Orange Pomegranate Scones

(adapted from a recipe by Mark Bittman)

1 cup sprouted wheat flour, plus more as needed (substitute good organic wheat flour if needed)
1 cup unbleached organic all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey
5 tablespoons pastured butter, cold
3 pastured eggs
3/4 cup fresh cream
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 tablespoon orange zest

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Cut the chilled butter into the flour, ensuring that it is thoroughly combined.

Beat 2 eggs with the cream, then stir into the flour.  Fold in pomegranate seeds and orange zest.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until barely sticky (about 8-10 times).

Press the dough into a lightly greased 10-inch cast iron skillet.  Beat the remaining egg with with a scant amount of water and brush the top of the dough.

Deeply score the dough with a thin knife and optionally sprinkle with a teaspoon of coarse non-refined sugar.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until it passes the toothpick test, about 15 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving with butter, honey or clotted cream.

This post is part of A Moderate Life’s  Tackling Bittman Recipe Hop!

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Sweet Potato, Bacon and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

/ Ren

Fresh flour tortillas spread with mole rojo and topped with pan-roasted sweet potatoes, bacon, red onions, poblano peppers with crumbled goat cheese and fresh cilantro..

Assembling Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Assembling Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Sauté diced bacon in a heavy skillet until some of the fat has rendered and it begins to brown.  Add diced sweet potatoes and continue to cook until browned and softened.

Add cumin seeds, diced red onions, diced poblano peppers and sauté until softened.  Add Mexican oregano and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Lightly spread fresh tortillas with thinned mole rojo (a thick paste of Ancho and Guajillo chiles, onion, tomatoes, pecans, peanuts, sesame, garlic, oregano and a hint of chocolate).

Top tortillas with sautéed vegetables, fresh cilantro and crumbled goat cheese.  Place a second tortillas over the top and press the edges together to form a seal.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is bubbly, about 12 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then cut into wedges and top with fresh diced avocado, quartered grape tomatoes, diced white onion, garlic, s&p and avocado or olive oil.

Classic Pot Roast

/ Ren

Slow-cooked grass-fed chuck roast with mushroom pan gravy, fresh herbs and roasted winter vegetables..

Classic Pot Roast with Mushroom Pan Gravy and Roasted Root Vegetables

Classic Pot Roast with Mushroom Pan Gravy and Roasted Root Vegetables

Blot roast dry with paper towels and sprinkle all surfaces with kosher salt.  Wrap loosely and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Pre-heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and pre-heat oven to 225 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon pastured butter in Dutch oven.  Blot roast dry, wiping off any remaining salt and add to the pot.  Brown 5 minutes per side without moving in between.

Add 1/2 cup Burgundy or other hearty red wine, 1 small yellow onion, chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, a few peppercorns and a mixture of fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, thyme and sage.

Cover and braise for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove from oven, add 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, turn the roast, cover and return to oven until fork-tender, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, leeks and fingerling potatoes.  Dress with melted butter, season liberally with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper and roast alongside the beef for 1 hour.

Remove the beef from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest.  Meanwhile, turn the oven up to 375 degrees and let the vegetables get well browned.

Meanwhile, strain the liquid from the Dutch oven into a clean pot.  Reduce slightly over medium heat, then thicken by whisking in a bit of roux.  Add sautéed mushrooms and a little demi-glace if you have it.  Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper if needed.

Slice roast against the grain into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a plate.  Tuck roasted vegetables alongside and ladle mushroom gravy over the beef.  Serve with horseradish on the side if you like.

Asian Beef Noodle Soup

/ Ren

A little bit like ramen and a little bit like Phở, this healthy, nourishing soup is made from homemade beef stock, shiitake mushrooms, buckwheat soba, fresh scallions, grass-fed beef, herbs and whole spices..

Preparing Asian Beef Noodle Soup

Preparing Asian Beef Noodle Soup

Serves 2

(adapted from a recipe by Jennifer Iserloh)

4 shiitake mushroom caps
4 oz grass-fed beef  (I’m using a small muscle cut from a chuck roast)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled & minced
1 finely minced hot chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon star anise
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan pepper
1/2 package organic buckwheat soba
1 cup beef stock
2 cups seasonal herbs and greens (I have pea shoots, cress, cilantro and basil), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon pastured butter
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon traditional fermented shoyu

Set the trimmed beef in the freezer to firm up so that it is easier to slice.

Grind the anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon and Szechuan pepper together in a spice grinder (you’ve just made Chinese Five Spice).

Pre-heat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Add the butter, then quickly sauté the mushrooms, ginger, chiles and garlic until fragrant.  Sprinkle a little of the 5 spice over the top and stir to combine.  Unused 5 spice will keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Add the broth, noodles and shoyu. Cover and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the beef across the grain as thinly as you possibly can.  As soon as the noodles are tender, drop the meat into the boiling broth and give it a swirl.  Add the fresh herbs, greens and scallions and heat until wilted, about 1 minute.  Serve immediately.

This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!

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Chili Cheese Grits

/ Ren

Tonight’s challenge was to make something nourishing, tasty and inexpensive using mostly SOLE foods (sustainable, organic, local and ethical).

These chili cheese grits, made from local grass-fed beef and stone-ground yellow grits succeed on all points, I think..

Chili Cheese Grits

Chili Cheese Grits

For the Grits

1/2 cup organic, coarse yellow grits
2 cups fresh whole milk
1/4 teaspoon organic turmeric (optional)
1/4 teaspoon organic annatto powder (optional)
1 small jalapeño, finely diced
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 cup raw cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper
filtered water

Slowly bring the milk to a slow boil over medium heat.  Add grits in a slow, steady stream while whisking vigorously.

Add jalapeño (and turmeric & annatto if using), reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until grits are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Stir in butter, cheese and cilantro.  Thin with water if necessary and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Chile

1/2 pound 80% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon beef tallow
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 small dried New Mexico or Ancho chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/2 small white onion, diced
1 plum tomato, diced
1 tablespoon chile paste
1/4 cup filtered water
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper

Toast cumin seeds in tallow.  Add ground beef, dried chiles and onions and cook until browned.

Add tomatoes, oregano, chili paste and water and simmer 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

To serve, spoon chili into a bowl.  Make a well in the center, spoon in the grits and serve piping hot.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter

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Pomegranate Chutney

/ Ren

Fresh pomegranate seeds, coriander, green onions, chiles, ginger and red currant coulis..

Pomegranate Chutney

Pomegranate Chutney with Salmon

For the Red Currant Coulis (adapted from saveur.com)

1 cup red currants, rinsed, stemmed and picked over
1/3 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon rapadura or other non-refined sweetener to taste
pinch of salt

Bring currants and water to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and simmer until currants begin to break apart, about 10 minutes.

Stir in salt and sugar, then mash all together with the back of a wooden spoon.  Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for up to two weeks.

For the Chutney (adapted from a recipe by Sunset Magazine)

1/4 cup red currant coulis
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 small Serrano chiles, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 1ablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
sea salt and and freshly-ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.  Add a little more coulis if too thin, a little pomegranate juice if too thick.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pomegranate Chutney is high in vitamins C and B5 and contains numerous free-radical scavenging phytochemicals that may help to reduce heart disease risk factors.

Try pomegranate chutney with salmon and leafy greens for extraordinary flavor and nourishment!


kk-rfw-thumb3

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

La Tornade de Mardi

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what’s been twisting in our kitchens over the past week.

Welcome to La Tornade de Mardi, the Tuesday Twister for October 13th!

1) Roasted Winter Squash Roasted winter squash with smoked bacon, poblano peppers, onions and toasted cumin seed.  These flavors were just meant to come together.

2) Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas Ridiculously inexpensive and outrageously good, I say.

3) Rib-eye Steak Far superior in taste, grass-fed beef is at its best when simply prepared using just a few ingredients.

4) Pindi Chana A traditional, healing curry of tomatoes, onions, chiles, cashews and spices fried in ghee with chickpeas, plump raisins, fresh pomegranate seeds and cilantro.  Even people who “don’t like Indian food” tend to love this dish.

5) Roasted Corn Chowder with Scallops and Bacon I got a shout out from the extraordinarily generous Top Chef Master Rick Bayless on this one.

6) Shirred Eggs with Grilled Ham, Peppers and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Shirred duck eggs with grilled smoked ham & peppers, roasted tomatillo salsa and fried tortillas.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.  Now let’s go see what our most talented neighbors have been up to!

Shirred Eggs with Grilled Ham, Peppers and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

/ Ren

What comes to mind when you think of ham and eggs?

Shirred duck eggs with grilled smoked ham & peppers, roasted tomatillo salsa and fried tortillas..

Shirred Eggs

Shirred Eggs with Grilled Ham & Peppers, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

For the Salsa

(adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless)

1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved
4 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed
1 small white onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon non-refined sugar (optional)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons whey (optional)
filtered water

Broil the tomatillos and chiles until cooked through and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to 425 degree and roast onions and garlic (turning often) until well browned, about 15 minutes.

Pulse the chiles, onions and garlic until chunky and pour into a bowl.  Purée the tomatillos and cilantro and combine with the chile mixture. Add whey if using, thin with water,  season to taste with salt and add sugar if its too tart or spicy for you.

If you’re using whey, jar the salsa and allow it to stand on the counter overnight before transferring to the refrigerator for up to several weeks.  Otherwise, jar, refrigerate and use within 3 days.

For the eggs, crack 2 duck eggs (substitute chicken eggs) into a buttered ramekin.  Pour 1 tablespoon cream over the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Place the ramekin inside another larger ramekin and pour in enough hot water to come 1/2 way up the smaller ramekin.  Bake at 325 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

Cut tortillas into thin strips then fry in a bit of oil or leaf lard.  Griddle the ham and roast the peppers. Slice the peppers on the bias.  Arrange everything on a plate as shown, and drizzle with salsa.

Vegetarian Pindi Chana

/ Ren

A traditional, healing curry of tomatoes, onions, chiles, cashews and spices fried in ghee with chickpeas, plump raisins, fresh pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

Pindi Chana

Pindi Chana

2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 plum tomatoes
1 small white onion
2-4 small green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly-grated ginger
2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter (substitute olive oil for vegan option)
1/2 cup large black raisins
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 teaspoon crushed star anise
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet cinnamon shards
1 1/2 teaspoons hulled cardamom
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced curry leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup filtered water

Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and all of the whole spices (including bay) and sauté until onions are browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in turmeric and paprika to form a thick paste.

Add chiles and tomatoes and continue to cook until tomatoes have released their water, about 5 minutes.

Add chickpeas, water, raisins and remaining spices and simmer 15 minutes.

Add cashews, pomegranate seeds and cilantro and stir to combine.

Serve accompanied with aged basmati rice or flat-bread.

Get Cultured! Free!

/ Ren

cover

“Born of necessity and waste-not-want not attitude, probiotic foods have nourished the human race for thousands of years and appear in one form or another in traditional cuisines cross-globally.  Fermented foods are rich in probiotics – those beneficial bacteria that keep our immune systems and digestive tracts running smoothly and healthfully.”

Get Cultured: Probiotic Foods from a Nourished Kitchen, the first of many e-books detailing tried-and-true nourishing recipes, Get Cultured details thirteen recipes from classics like pickled jalapeños and real sauerkraut to the exotic like Vietnamese preserved limes, green salsa and cortido.

Each recipe in Get Cultured focuses on nourishing pro-biotic, naturally fermented vegetables and all the recipes are dairy-free.

>>> Check it out at nourishedkitchen.com/get-cultured/

 

Keep it Simple

/ Ren

Ethically-raised cattle spend their entire lives eating quality forage, not the byproducts of industrial ethanol production.  Free from hormones, pesticides and antibiotics, traditional ranching is a sustainable, environmentally friendly practice, as is intended by God and nature.

Evidence is very strong that grass-fed, grass-finished beef is lower in total fat and calories and significantly higher in vitamin E, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acid and CLA’s than animals raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Far superior in taste, grass-fed beef is at its best when simply prepared using just a few ingredients..

Rib-eye Steak

Rib-eye Steak

Take a 1 1/2 inch-thick bone-in ribeye steak and season it liberally with coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper.  Drizzle it with raw olive oil and cover it with fresh rosemary, parsley and lemon slices (Steamy Kitchen).  Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, turning once or twice.

Allow steak to come to room temperature for 1 hour while pre-heating a cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Take the skillet from the oven and place it on a burner over high heat.  Place the steak in the pan and allow to sear undisturbed for 30 seconds.  Turn the steak and sear for 30 seconds more.  Put the lemons and herbs on top of the steak and place the pan back into the oven for 2 minutes.  Turn the steak and cook 2 minutes more for medium-rare (Alton Brown).  Remove the steak to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

Buy healthy foods directly from your farmer and fight for your right to keep traditional view and values.. be a Food Renegade!

Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas

/ Ren

Fresh whole wheat tortillas, homemade chili con queso, avocado, black beans and heirloom tomato..

Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas

Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas

For the Chile con Queso

Gather jalapeños, green onions, garlic and cilantro from your backyard (or CSA, farmers’ market or co-op), grab some fresh whole milk and raw cheddar from the fridge and whole cumin, coriander, sea salt, pepper, chili powder and Mexican oregano from the pantry.

Toast the seeds in a dry pan over moderate heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add oregano, garlic, chili powder and milk and simmer for a few minutes.

Stirring briskly, add peppers, onions, cilantro and lots of shredded cheese.  Continue to stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened, perhaps 5 minutes (do not let the mixture boil, or you will lose valuable nutritional value and risk curdling the sauce).  Add a little more milk if too thick, a little more cheese if too thin.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Filling

Mix together roughly equal parts diced white onion, avocado, cooked black beans and tomatoes.  Add the juice from half of a fresh lime, bits of diced red Fresno and poblano peppers and chopped cilantro.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate at least one hour before using.

Method

Using a rubber spatula, spread a thin layer of cooled chili con queso on one side of each tortilla.  Be sure to spread all the way to the edge.

Spoon avocado mixture into the center of a tortilla and spread to within about 1/2 inch of the edge.  Top with another tortilla and press the edges together to form a seal.

Place the assembled quesadillas into a lightly-greased comal or skillet and cook in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is bubbling and the tortillas have begun to get crisp and brown on the edges.

Slide the quesadillas onto a cutting board and let stand 2-3 minutes before cutting into wedges.  Serve with pro-biotic pickled red onions on the side.

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday

Roasted Winter Squash, Locked and Loaded

/ Ren

Roasted winter squash with smoked bacon, poblano peppers, onions and toasted cumin seed..

Winter Squash, Roasted & Loaded

Winter Squash, Roasted & Loaded

Split a firm, thick-walled winter squash lengthwise through the stem.  Remove seeds and pulp, oil lightly and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Place the squash halves into a skillet or onto a baking sheet along with half of an onion, half of a poblano,  half of a red bell pepper and additional chunks of peeled squash and roast at 400 degrees until the peppers are blackened.

The squash halves might need more or less time depending, but don’t let them cook until they collapse.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook diced, thick-cut smoked bacon in a heavy skillet with a spoonful of whole cumin seeds.  Add roasted vegetables, toss in some roughly-chopped fresh cilantro and taste for salt and pepper.  Add a little vegetable or chicken stock to keep things moist.

Place roasted squash halves on a plate and fill with the vegetable mixture.  Serve with charro or black beans on the side if you like.

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

While we’re still getting a fair amount of summer vegetables including the last of the heirloom tomatoes, its clear that fall isn’t far off;  the past week reflects that sometimes awkward transition..

1) Rosemary Chicken Liver Skewers Local, pastured chicken livers pan-fried on rosemary skewers with garlic smashed purple potatoes and mushroom & onion gravy.  I could eat this 3 times a week and be very happy.

2) Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup with Tasso Ham Roasted San Marzano tomatoes, yellow onions, garlic and peppers with spicy Tasso ham, celery, fresh herbs and raw olive oil.  Winter yesterday, summer today 🙂

3) Pork Belly, Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos This was easily my favorite thing for the week.  The roasted sweet potatoes added an unexpected dimension to the beans and pork.  This one’s definitely going into the rotation.

4) Roasted Chicken Posole Soup Achiote roasted chicken, homemade chicken stock, posole corn, yellow onions, fresh chile peppers, smoked chile powder, lime and vermicelli.  Comfort food, Texican-style.

5) Chocolate Almond and Almond Shortbread Cookies Not that the chocolate cookies weren’t good, but the simple, unpretentious almond shortbread cookies were a standout.  I have a long way to go in mastering the art of sourdough bread-making, but these little diversions help build experience and confidence.

6) Classic Tuna Melt Pacific albacore, heirloom tomatoes, purple onions, celery, homemade mayonnaise and local pepper-jack cheese on toasted wild-yeast sourdough English muffins.  One of the easiest and best lunches of the season.

A rather eclectic week, I’d say.  I wonder what else has been twisting out there in twisterland?


100_3623

Prepping Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup with Tasso Ham

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An open letter to Henry Jackson, Aramark

/ Ren
The Texas Union and slavery

Henry Jackson
Director of Dining Services, Aramark
The Texas Union
PO Box 7338
Austin TX 78713
(512) 475-6500

Dear Mr. Jackson:

As concerned students, alumni, and community members, we urge Aramark to follow the recent example set by the Compass Group North America in working with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to eliminate human rights violations in its tomato supply chain.

According to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, “the norm is a disaster, and the extreme is slavery” for tomato harvesters in Florida’s fields. The tomato picking piece rate has remained stagnant since 1980. A worker today must pick and haul roughly two and a half tons of tomatoes to earn minimum wage for a typical ten-hour day. These wages – combined with the precarious and seasonal nature of farm labor – result in workers’ sub-poverty annual earnings and create an environment where horrific forms of labor abuse flourish.

In the extreme, workers face situations of forced labor. The CIW – a Florida-based worker organization leading the movement to reform the state’s farm labor relations – has aided the Department of Justice in the successful prosecution of six modern-day slavery cases involving more than one thousand farmworkers in the past decade. Fifteen farm labor supervisors are currently serving sentences in federal prison as a result of these slavery prosecutions.

On September 25, the CIW and Compass Group North America announced sweeping changes to improve tomato harvesters’ wages and working conditions. Compass is the first major food-service provider to join Yum Brands, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Whole Foods Market and Bon Appetit Management Company in partnering with the CIW to address the human rights crisis in Florida’s fields.

Now we turn to Aramark. Your company claims to “conduct business with the utmost integrity and according to the highest ethical standard… working hard to continuously improve [its] actions.” With news of the Compass agreement, Aramark can no longer claim that it meets the highest ethical standards. We expect that your company will follow suit and establish an agreement with the CIW with all due diligence to demand those same higher standards of its tomato suppliers. Until that time, however, we have no choice but to intensify our educational efforts to inform the campus and community of Aramark’s role in prolonging Florida’s harvest of shame.

Sincerely,

Members and Supporters of Fair Food Austin

Classic Tuna Melt

/ Ren

Sustainable Pacific albacore, heirloom tomatoes, purple onions, celery, homemade mayonnaise and local pepper-jack cheese on toasted wild-yeast sourdough English muffins..

Classic Tuna Melt

Classic Tuna Melt

For the Tuna Salad

1 5.3 oz can hook-and-line-caught Pacific NW albacore tuna
2 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
1/4 cup thinly-sliced celery
1/4 cup finely-diced purple onion
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
sliced heirloom tomato
fresh chives
salt & pepper
sourdough English muffins
pepper-jack cheese

Split and toast sourdough English muffins. Place slices of pepper-jack cheese on top of the muffins, then add a thick slice of ripe tomato The cheese on the bottom will prevent the tomato from making the sandwich soggy.

Mound tuna salad on top of the tomato and compact into place.  Top with additional cheese slices and bake in a 450 degree oven until the cheese is bubbly.  Top with snipped chives and serve immediately.

Chocolate Almond and Almond Shortbread Cookies

/ Ren

Raw (non-irradiated) almonds, pastured butter, organic unbleached flour, non-refined sugar, grain-sweetened chocolate, whipped egg whites and pure almond extract..

100_3696

Chocolate Almond & Almond Shortbread Cookies

 

2 oz non-refined sugar
4 oz unsalted cultured butter
6 oz unbleached organic flour
1 tsp almond extract
1 pinch of salt
1 doz whole almonds, raw

2 large egg whites
3 oz melted chocolate

For the Almond Shortbread cookies, beat the sugar, butter, salt and almond extract together until light and fluffy.   Gradually fold in the flour and mix to combine.

Roll the dough into a log using plastic wrap or parchment paper then place in the freezer until firm.

Meanwhile, blanch whole almonds in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, cool, remove skins and chop.

Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, slice chilled dough into 3/8″ rounds and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven until just done, about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly.

For the Chocolate Almond cookies, follow the same basic recipe and fold in almonds, 2 whipped egg whites and 3 oz melted chocolate. Chill, slice and bake as above.

 

Roasted Chicken Posole Soup

/ Ren

Achiote roasted chicken, homemade chicken stock, posole corn, yellow onions, fresh chile peppers, smoked chile powder, lime and vermicelli.

100_3687

Roasted Chicken Posole Soup

Soak 1 1/2 cups dried posole overnight in cool, filtered water.  Drain and put into a Dutch oven with 1 quart homemade chicken stock.  Cover and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add 1 yellow onion, chopped, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 large jalapeño, chopped, and a cup of mild red, yellow and orange peppers cut into varying shapes and sizes.

Add leftover roast chicken (skin removed) cut into large chunks 1 teaspoon smoked chile powder and 1 tablespoon toasted cumin seed and simmer until posole is tender, about 1 hour.  Add additional chicken stock as needed.

Add crumbled saffron and cooked and drained vermicelli and simmer another 5 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and serve with fresh lime and/or wedges of avocado.

Pollo de Campo

/ Ren

Pastured chicken brined overnight in smoked chile powder and annatto, then roasted with peppers, onions and a cilantro, lime & pumpkin seed pesto.

Made in a Dutch oven, this Pollo de Campo (camp chicken) is easy to prepare at home or on the trail..

100_3664

Pollo de Campo

For the brine

1/2 gallon filtered water
3 oz kosher salt
5 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon sweet cinnamon shards
8 allspice berries
2 teaspoons smoked chili powder
1 tablespoon organic annatto powder
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Bring the water to a bowl.  Stir in salt and annatto powder and stir to dissolve.  Allow to cool then add the rest of the ingredients.

For the Pesto (can be made a day ahead)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup fresh parsley
juice of 1 small lime
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
pinch of salt
olive oil

For the Chicken

1 3-4 pound whole pastured chicken, rinsed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
2 red Fresno or jalapeño peppers
1 teaspoon paprika
sea salt and cracked pepper

For the Rice

1/2 cup Bomba rice (a short-grain Spanish rice that holds 3x its weight in stock)
2 1/2 cups water + roasted chicken stock in situ
Roasted onions and peppers in situ

Method

Submerge the chicken in the brine and refrigerate overnight. Remove the chicken, pat it dry and place it on a bed of chopped onions and peppers in a Dutch oven.  Roast fro 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Remove chicken from the pan and scrape the vegetable and juices into a clean pan with the rice and water.  Cook the rice 20 minutes, season to taste and hold under cover.

Meanwhile, place the chicken back into the Dutch oven and use a spoon or spatula to coat it with the cilantro pesto.  Return to oven and continue to roast until the juices run clear, about 20 minutes.

Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes before carving and serving with the rice.

Pork Belly, Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos

/ Ren

Local, pastured pork belly, organic black beans, pan-roasted sweet potatoes, poblano peppers..

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Pork Belly, Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos

(click image to enlarge)

Makes about 4 large tacos

1/4 pound pork belly, cut into large dice
1 poblano pepper, cut into strips
1 aji mirasol or New Mexico dried chile, seeded and chopped
1 cup cooked black beans
1 large tomatillo, diced
1/4 cup bean cooking water
1 cup sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rendered fat, if needed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon epazote
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
freshly-made flour tortillas
sea salt and cracked pepper

Brown pork belly in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add additional rendered fat if needed, then add diced sweet potatoes, cumin and dried chiles and cook until browned on all sides.

Add onions, poblano peppers and garlic and cook until onions begin to brown.

Add tomatillos, oregano, epazote and just enough reserved bean cooking water to keep everything moist. Toss in the cilantro, season to taste with salt & pepper and give it one last stir before loading onto fresh tortillas straight off the comal.

I like to serve these tacos with lots of jalapeño Tabasco and Cholula hot sauce on the side.

This post is both part of the Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays and
the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods at Kitchen Stewardship!


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Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup with Tasso Ham

/ Ren

Here’s a super-nourishing and frugal dish that doesn’t skimp on flavor.

Roasted San Marzano tomatoes, yellow onions, garlic and peppers with spicy Tasso ham, celery, fresh herbs and raw olive oil..

Roasted

Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup with Tasso Ham

(click image to enlarge)

Serves 2-3 as a main dish

A specialty of Cajun cuisine, tasso ham is a spicy, peppery smoked pork butt

1 28 oz can organic San Marzano tomatoes, drained (juice reserved) OR equiv. fresh plum tomatoes
1 can organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, OR equiv. soaked and cooked dry white beans
8 oz tasso ham, cut into cubes
1/2 large yellow onion
1 head garlic
1/2 red bell pepper
1 large Italian grilling pepper
1/3 cup celery, diced
1 bay leaf
1 6-inch sprig rosemary
3-4 basil leaves
1 small bunch thyme
2 blades mace
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon hulled cardamom
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon pastured butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper more-or-less
3/4 teaspoon sea salt more-or-less

Lay the tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast in a 500 degree oven until browned/blistered.  Set aside to cool.

Sauté celery, tasso and whole spices with butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until celery is soft and spices are fragrant, about 7 minutes.

Working in batches if necessary, squeeze garlic from their skins and pulse roasted vegetables in a food processor until slightly chunky.  Transfer to Dutch oven with celery and ham.

Stir in cooked beans, ground spices and minced fresh herbs.  Adjust consistency with reserved tomato juice and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and dress with a tablespoon of good olive oil.  Accompany with slices of toasted alternative-grain bread if that’s to your liking.

This post is both part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet and
the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods at Kitchen Stewardship!


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Rosemary Chicken Liver Skewers

/ Ren

(you might also like this recipe)

Local, pastured chicken livers pan-fried on rosemary skewers with garlic smashed purple potatoes and mushroom & onion gravy..

Rosemary Chicken Liver Skewers

Rosemary Chicken Liver Skewers

For 2 servings

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

3 medium purple potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1-2 cloves Chesnok or other strong garlic, minced
1 tablespoon pastured butter
2 tablespoons fresh whole milk
sea salt and cracked pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Pour off all but 2 ounces of water and keep hot until 5 minutes before ready to serve.  To finish, pour off any remaining water and stir in butter and garlic.  Mash with a flat-faced potato masher and thin slightly with milk.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mushroom and Onion Gravy

1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 palm-full pearl onions
1 palm-full large brown mushrooms, quartered
1 oz Armagnac or brandy
4 oz roasted chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons roux
sea salt and cracked pepper

Sauté mushrooms and onions in butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until well browned.  Off-heat, de-glaze the pan with 1 oz Armagnac or brandy.  Return to heat and add chicken stock.  Reduce slightly, then whisk in a little roux to tighten.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Whisk in a knob of cold butter just before serving.

Rosemary Chicken Liver Skewers

12 oz fresh, pastured chicken livers, cleaned, rinsed and patted dry
4 6-inch rosemary skewers
1 tablespoon rendered chicken fat
1 tablespoon pastured butter
sea salt and cracked pepper

Thread 2-3 plump chicken livers onto each of 4 6-inch rosemary skewers.  Set on paper towels and pat dry.  Season with salt and pepper.

Sear livers on all sides in chicken fat and butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until nicely browned and medium-rare to medium doneness.  Add 2 tablespoons chicken stock and allow to sit 2 minutes.

To serve, mound smashed potatoes in the center of a large plate.  Place 2 skewers on top of the potatoes then spoon gravy over the top.  Garnish with bits of herbs and greens.

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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays


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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

Gravitating towards a more primal diet, my focus this last week has primarily been on simple, fresh ingredients that are served raw and/or minimally-cooked.

Here are a few examples..

1) Loin of Rabbit with Pancetta, Porcini and Wild Onions De-glaze the pan with an ounce of Armagnac and stir up all the brown bits with the edge of a wooden spoon. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and reduce slightly..

2) Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate A traditional, healing dish of sprouted lentils in a spicy, savory tomato sauce with toasted whole spices, onions, peppers, pea shoots and wild pomegranate seeds..

3) Antidote Salad At home this evening, I knew I needed to make up for the nutritionally empty & otherwise damaging lunch, so I gathered up what I could from the garden, pantry and fridge and made this Antidote Dinner Salad..

4) Filet de Bœuf Béarnaise Pan-roasted grass-fed filet mignon, asparagus tips, shiitake mushrooms, heirloom tomato and sauce béarnaise..

5) Corn Spaghetti with Duck Egg Aioli Pungent Chesnok red garlic, duck eggs and 100% organic corn pasta..

Overall, a pretty satisfying, nourishing week.   Now let’s go see what wonders await at the home of the Tuesday Twister!


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Corn Spaghetti with Duck Egg Aioli

/ Ren

Gluten-free, 100% corn spaghetti with fresh herbs, roasted vegetables and a rich duck egg aioli..

Corn Pasta with Egg Sauce

Corn Spaghetti with Duck Egg Aioli

Make a traditional aioli, substituting pastured duck eggs for chicken eggs, and using a bold garlic such as Chesnok red.  Add minced fresh opal basil, oregano, frisée (curly endive), a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice and plenty of sea salt and cracked pepper.  Set aside.

Boil one quart of filtered water with one teaspoon sea salt for every 4oz of corn spaghetti.  Swirl the water, add the pasta and cook al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.  Keep warm.

Broil 3/4 inch-thick slices of heirloom tomato seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper until brilliant red and blistered. Hold in warm oven.

Meanwhile, quickly sauté onions and Italian roasting peppers in a bit of oil over high heat until just softened.

Toss the pasta with the sautéed vegetables, then stir in the aioli.

To serve, arrange pasta in the middle of a large plate and use a spatula to place the broiled tomato on top.  Shave a little Pecorino over all and garnish with additional minced herbs.


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Filet de Bœuf Béarnaise

/ Ren

(Like steak? You might also like this and this)

Pan-roasted grass-fed filet mignon, asparagus tips, shiitake mushrooms, heirloom tomato and sauce béarnaise..

Filet

Filet de Bœuf Béarnaise

Lightly coat all sides of a thick-cut beef tenderloin filet with coarse sea salt.  Wrap in brown paper and refrigerate overnight, turning once.

Blot the filet with paper towels to remove the surface moisture and any remaining salt.  Allow to come to room temperature.

Combine asparagus tips, quartered shiitake mushrooms, chopped garlic, shallots, melted butter, sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Set aside.

Make sauce béarnaise.  Keep warm.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Sear the filet on all sides until well browned but still rare.  Remove from heat.

Remove the steak from the pan and put thick circles of heirloom tomato in its place.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Center the steak on top of the tomatoes, and spread the asparagus mixture around the perimeter.

Place the pan in a 400 degree oven and roast until the filet is barely medium rare, about 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand 5 minutes (the steak will continue to cook).

Use a spatula to transfer the steak and tomato to a dinner plate.  Top with roasted asparagus mixture, then dress with sauce béarnaise.

Duck Egg Migajas

/ Ren

A variation of the traditional Tex-Mex migas, this is a shirred duck egg with pork sausage, poblano peppers,  queso cotija, pico de gallo and fried corn tortilla strips..

Duck Egg Migas

Duck Egg Migajas

Cook pastured ground pork seasoned with salt, cumin seed and Mexican oregano in a heavy skillet until brown and crumbly.

Pour off all but a teaspoon of fat, then use a wooden spoon to make a well in the middle of the pan.  Crack one or more duck eggs (substitute chicken eggs) into the well, and season lightly with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

Scatter diced poblano peppers and fresh tomato wedges around the perimeter of the pan, then sprinkle queso cotija (substitute Parmesan) over the top.

Place the pan in a 400 degree oven until the eggs are shirred (baked) to your preferred degree of doneness.

Meanwhile, fry strips of corn torillas in a bit of leaf lard or reserved pork fat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.

To serve, use 2 wide spatulas to transfer the contents of the skillet to a dinner plate.  Dress with fresh pico de gallo and garnish with tortilla strips.  Beans and hot sauce may be offered on the side if you like.




Antidote Salad

/ Ren

Today’s post isn’t so much about any particular dish (although this salad was really good) as it is a reminder to myself of why I choose to eat clean, healthy nourishing food.

Earlier today I ate a cheeseburger & fries with the guys at a local joint. While the food tasted OK at the time, I knew I was in trouble less than an hour later when the industrial CAFO burger & potatoes fried in God-knows-what kind of unnatural hydrogenated oil together felt like a greasy, soggy bowling ball in my gut.   Back at work, I resisted the urge to crawl under my desk & sleep it off.

It is readily apparent why America is so sick.

At home this evening, I knew I needed to make up for the nutritionally empty & otherwise damaging lunch, so I gathered up what I could from the garden, pantry and fridge and made this Antidote Dinner Salad..

Antidote Salad

Antidote Salad

Kamut pasta, raw virgin olive oil, raw and pickled peppers, olives, scallions, Lupini beans, avocado, anchovies, fresh basil and oregano, tomatoes, watercress, pea shoots, prosciutto, white balsamic and lots of coarse sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

I swear I felt completely restored almost immediately!

Be a Food Renegade – Fight back against the Standard American Diet (SAD) !


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Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate

/ Ren

A traditional, healing dish of sprouted lentils in a spicy, savory tomato sauce with toasted whole spices, onions, peppers, pea shoots and wild pomegranate seeds.

Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate

Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate Seeds

Sauté whole hulled cardamom, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, bay leaf and true cinnamon in ghee or clarified until fragrant and the seeds begin to “pop” in the in pan.

Add diced white onion, peppers and plum tomatoes and cook, stirring continuously until the oil separates, about 5 minutes.

Add turmeric, paprika, black pepper, freshly-grated ginger and wild pomegranate seeds and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Add raw, sprouted lentils, pea shoots and chopped cilantro and stir to combine.

Note: if feeding a crowd, you could easily extend this dish with simmered chickpeas

Serve over aged basmati rice or with naan if desired.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet


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Wild pomegranate seeds are sometimes used as a spice known as anardana (which literally means pomegranate (anar) seeds (dana) in Persian), most notably in Indian and Pakistani cuisine but also as a replacement for pomegranate syrup in Middle Eastern cuisine. As a result of this, the dried whole seeds can often be obtained in ethnic Indian Sub-continent markets. The seeds are separated from the flesh, dried for 10–15 days and used as an acidic agent for chutney and curry production. Seeds may also be ground in order to avoid becoming stuck in teeth when eating dishes containing them. Seeds of the wild pomegranate daru from the Himalayas are regarded as quality sources for this spice.

Loin of Rabbit with Pancetta, Porcini and Wild Onions

/ Ren

Loin of rabbit with pancetta, porcini, wild onions, garlic and sage..

Sauté pancetta in a teaspoon of clarified butter until most of the fat has been rendered.  Turn the heat up to medium-high, then add thick pieces of porcini mushroom and continue to cook until golden brown.

Season strips of rabbit loin with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper and add to the hot pan with garlic, onions and sage. Let the rabbit brown, but keep it to no more than medium doneness.

De-glaze the pan with an ounce of Armagnac and stir up all the brown bits with the edge of a wooden spoon. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and reduce slightly.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add a couple of ounces of fresh cream and a good spoonful of coarse mustard.  Stir until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.  Toss in some coarsely-chopped curly parsley and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve over rye spaetzle or egg noodles.


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This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

Center for Food Safety v. USDA

/ Ren

Earth Justice

Court Finds USDA Violated Federal Law by Allowing Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets on the Market

Government failed to evaluate environmental and economic risks of Monsanto product

September 22, 2009

San Francisco, CA — In a case brought by Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice representing a coalition of farmers and consumers, a federal court ruled yesterday (PDF) that the Bush USDA’s approval of genetically engineered (GE) “RoundUp Ready” sugar beets was unlawful. The court ordered the USDA to conduct a rigorous assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of the crop on farmers and the environment.

The federal district court for the Northern District of California ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (“APHIS”) violated the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) when it failed to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) before deregulating sugar beets that have been genetically engineered (“GE”) to be resistant to glyphosate herbicide, marketed by Monsanto as Roundup. Plaintiffs Center for Food Safety, Organic Seed Alliance, Sierra Club, and High Mowing Seeds, represented by Earthjustice and the Center for Food Safety, filed suit against APHIS in January 2008, alleging APHIS failed to adequately assess the environmental, health, and associated economic impacts of allowing “Roundup Ready” sugar beets to be commercially grown without restriction.

“This court decision is a wakeup call for the Obama USDA that they will not be allowed to ignore the biological pollution and economic impacts of gene altered crops,” stated Andrew Kimbrell Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. “The courts have made it clear that USDA’s job is to protect America’s farmers and consumers, not the interests of Monsanto.”

Read the full article..

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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

One practical benefit of the Tuesday Twister is the ability to see at-a-glance whether I’m hitting my diet/nutritional goals or not.  I can immediately see for instance, that I need to increase my intake of fermented/pro-biotic foods.

Here’s a look back..

1) Salmon Cakes with Sauce Rémoulade Made from homemade mayonnaise, fresh herbs, capers and cornichons, sauce rémoulade is a perfect contrast for spicy, pan-fried salmon cakes.  With lots of healthy Omega-3s, this one’s staying in rotation.

2) Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice Local, pastured lamb loin chops with rosemary garlic demi-glace, fresh peas with fried shallots and mint, and mushroom wild rice.  Bring on those fall flavors!

3) Deep Chili With pastured beef, chiles, onions, water & little else, this 1880’s style chile con carne really hit the spot.

4) Chicken à la King Another classic from the 1800’s, made with local organic ingredients.  I just had this again for lunch today.

5) Mayan Banana Bread With sprouted spelt, roasted Maya nut and mashed bananas, this nutrient-dense, low-gluten bread tastes of coffee and chocolate, but contains neither.  Highly recommended.

6) Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Garlic, Mint & Grape Tomatoes I hadn’t intended to turn this one into a blog post, but the flavors were so amazing that I wanted to document this one for later.

So, there you have it..  now let’s go see what everyone else has been up to!

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Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Mint, Garlic and Grape Tomatoes (a recipe in progress)

/ Ren

I stuck my hungry face in the fridge this evening and spotted 3 lamb loin chops that had been marinating in olive oil, rosemary and garlic for a couple of days.

I threw the chops into a super hot skillet with some of the oil & a tiny bit of butter and seared them to a perfect rare+ doneness, then tossed in some halved grape tomatoes, slivered garlic and lots of fresh mint, sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

I hadn’t planned on posting anything tonight, but this primal, ad-hoc dish was so good that I wanted to document it for future development  🙂

Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Mint, Garlic and Grape Tomatoes

Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Mint, Garlic and Grape Tomatoes


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Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

/ Ren

Simmered black beans with red and white quinoa, toasted cumin, onions, tomatoes, New Mexico and poblano chiles, garlic, oregano and wedges of avocado, all served up in baked corn tortilla shells..

Black Bean Chili

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Soak dried black beans and quinoa in filtered water overnight.  Drain, rinse and cook in vegetable stock until just done.

Sauté cumin seeds, chopped chiles, garlic and onions in a heavy skillet over medium heat until browned and fragrant.  Add chopped tomatoes and poblano peppers and cook 5 minutes.

Add garlic, Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon each cloves, allspice and cinnamon, cooked beans and quinoa and simmer 20 minutes; keep moist by adding bean-cooking liquid as needed.  Adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

Meanwhile, lightly coat small corn tortillas with oil and press into the wells of a jumbo muffin pan.  Bake at 400 degrees until crisp and browned.

To serve, spoon chili into tortillas shells and garnish with avocado wedges, a squeeze of fresh lime and hot sauce.



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Mayan Banana Bread

/ Ren

(you might also like this recipe for Maya Nut Cake)

With sprouted spelt flour, roasted Maya nut, mashed bananas, fresh milk, pastured butter and eggs, this moist, delicious bread looks, smells and tastes like chocolate and coffee although it contains neither.

Extremely high in Fiber, Calcium, Potassium, Folate, Iron, Zinc, Protein and Vitamins A, E, C and B, it is also high-fiber, low-gluten and easy to digest.

Try it with a little sweet, cultured butter, raw honey or Crème fraîche..

Mayan Banana Bread

Mayan Banana Bread

For one loaf

6 oz. (by weight) sprouted spelt flour
2 oz. (by weight) organic, roasted Maya nut powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 oz. rapadura or other non-refined sweetener
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 oz. fresh whole milk
2 medium bananas, mashed
2 large pastured eggs
4 oz. pastured butter, melted

Combine the wet ingredients (whisked) and the dry ingredients separately, then fold the two together until just combined.

Pour batter into a buttered loaf pan, sprinkle with crushed Maya nuts (raw, soaked and dried) and bake on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven until a thin knife blade inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.

Allow to cool on a rack at least 25 minutes before slicing.

Learn more about the benefits of Maya nut



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Chicken a la King

/ Ren

Tender pieces of pastured chicken simmered in bone broth with fresh cream, sherry, nutmeg, peas and mushrooms.  Invented in the late 1800’s, this retro dish is every bit as good now as it was then..

Chicken à la King

Chicken à la King

To make roux, melt 4 oz. pastured butter over medium-low heat until it just begins to sizzle.  Add 5 oz. by weight sprouted wheat or spelt flour and whisk to combine.  Stirring continuously, continue to cook until it smells like baked bread, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.

To make topping, toast a piece of sprouted wheat or spelt bread in the toaster, then tear it up into small pieces and sauté in butter and parsley until golden brown.

Gently simmer chunks of pastured chicken (I’m using thighs, skin removed) in chicken stock with a little sherry and fresh thyme until just done.

Lightly sauté halved pearl onions, wild mushrooms and a bit of red bell pepper, then stir into the chicken.

Add fresh cream, green peas and freshly-grated nutmeg and simmer 5 minutes.

Whisk roux into the chicken and simmer, stirring continuously until thickened, 3-5 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

To serve, simply spoon chicken mixture into a deep dish and top with toasted bread crumbs.



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Deep Chili

/ Ren

Nobody knows for sure exactly when and where chili con carne was first made, but we can generally agree that the original recipes read something like this..

“Cut up as much meat as you think you will need (any kind will do, but beef is probably best) in pieces about the size of a pecan. Put it in a pot, along with some suet (enough so as the meat won’t stick to the sides of the pot), and cook it with about the same amount of wild onions, garlic, oregano, and chiles as you have got meat. Put in some salt. Stir it from time to time and cook it until the meat is as tender as you think it’s going to get.”  –Texas, early 1800s

With deep, dark beef and chile flavors, this is an intensely flavored dish.

Deep Chili

Deep Chili

Smoke onions, garlic, jalapeños and a plum tomato over mesquite for 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, roast a variety of chiles such as Guajillo, ancho, arbol and New Mexico in a slow oven for an hour.

Pull the stems from the peppers and shake out the seeds.  Transfer to a food processor and chop into a fine powder.  Add the roasted onion, garlic, jalapeños and a tablespoon of cider vinegar and blend into a paste.

Brown a couple of pieces of pork belly in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add small chunks of grass-fed beef chuck or bison and sear until seriously browned.

Add 1/2 cup of the chili paste and just enough water to cover the meat.

Add toasted cumin seed, Mexican oregano, a little sea salt, a few shards of true cinnamon and 3-4 whole cloves.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours, adding the chopped, smoked tomato during the last half hour.

Add 1 ounce of Mexican chocolate and stir until melted.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve with beans, cornbread or tortillas on the side if you like.


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Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice

/ Ren

Local, pastured lamb loin chops with rosemary garlic demi-glace, fresh peas with fried shallots and mint, and mushroom wild rice.

C’est si bon!

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Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice

lamb loin chops from premiumlamb.com via greenling.com

Marinate lamb chops in olive oil, chopped garlic, fresh rosemary, freshly-ground pepper and a three-fingered pinch of coarse sea salt for 4 or more hours (refrigerated).  Allow to come up to room temperature before cooking.

Rinse and prepare true wild rice according to package directions, about 1 hour.  Add sautéed wild mushrooms, a teaspoon of pastured butter and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Lightly steam fresh peas until about 2/3 done, then transfer to a skillet with pastured butter and chopped shallots. Fry until browned, then season with chopped fresh mint, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Keep warm.

Quickly sear lamb chops in a very hot skillet with butter and a little of the marinade until well browned but still rare.  Transfer to a side plate.

De-glaze the pan with burgundy then scrape up all the brown bits with the side of a wooden spoon.  Add a little brown stock, reduce and finish with demi-glace and fresh rosemary.

Set the rare lamb chops in the pan with the demi-glace until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.

To serve, heap wild rice in the center of a dinner plate and arrange lamb chops around the perimeter.  Spoon demi-glace over the top, then spoon peas in between the chops and garnish with additional mint and parsley.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

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Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes, Sauce Remoulade

/ Ren

Made from homemade mayonnaise, fresh herbs, capers and cornichons, sauce rémoulade is a perfect contrast for spicy, pan-fried salmon cakes..

Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes with Sauce Remoulade

Pan-Fried Salmon Cakes with Sauce Rémoulade

Makes 4 large Salmon Cakes

2 cans wild Alaskan Salmon, drained
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons celery, diced
2 tablespoons scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 large pastured eggs
2 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked black pepper, more-or-less
1/2 tablespoon half sharp paprika or cayenne, more-or-less
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 pieces stale sprouted wheat bread, toasted and torn into 1/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter

Warm diced red bell pepper, celery and red onions in a little butter over medium-low until softened, about 3 minutes. Refrigerate.

Lightly toss together salmon, scallions, parsley, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasonings.  Fold in cooled vegetables and refrigerate 1 hour.

Fold enough toasted bread pieces into the salmon mixture so that you can form patties that are cohesive and moist, but not wet.

Fry salmon cakes in ghee over medium-high heat until browned on 1 side, then flip over and cook 1 minute longer.

Place the pan in a 400 degree until the cakes are sizzling, about 5-7 minutes.

Allow to cakes to rest in the pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.

Dress each cake with a tablespoon or more of cold rémoulade and optionally garnish with a bit of caviar.

For the Rémoulade

1 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon fresh chives
1/2 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh chervil
1 tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped
2 cornichons, finely diced
1 small anchovy fillet, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

There’s Nothing “Smart” About Froot Loops

/ Ren
Action Alert: (Not So) Smart Choices ProgramLearn more at The Nourished Kitchen

Dear Doctors Kennedy, Kahn, Hager, and Bier,

I am writing to express my outrage that you are supporting the “Smart Choices” program. Any certification program that calls Froot Loops a “Smart Choice” doesn’t deserve your support. Our children are already eating too much sugar and suggesting that parents should consider Fruit Loops and other unhealthy foods packed with sugar a good choice is irresponsible given the dangerous and costly rise in childhood obesity we currently face.

Fruit Loops is 41% sugar.

You should know better, as doctors and as public health leaders, than to promote eating sugary cereals for breakfast. I am appalled that any university or nonprofit organization that supports healthy eating would want to be associated with an industry-backed promotional gimmick suggesting that Fruit Loops and other clearly unhealthy foods are a good choice for children.

This is, simply put, unacceptable. I urge you to resign from the board of the Smart Choices program. Until you do, you not only cast doubt upon your own objectivity, but also on the credibility of Tufts University, the Baylor College of Medicine, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Diabetes Association. I highly doubt that any of these institutions want to be associated with the idea that Froot Loops, or any of the other unhealthy foods manufactured by the program’s sponsors are “Smart Choices.”

Prefer an ACTUAL Smart Choice?  Try Kelly’s Breakfast Oatmeal..

The night before, mix these ingredients together in a small saucepan (takes about 2 minutes):

1/2-1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. real maple syrup (we get ours at our farm, ask at your local health food store)
2 c. organic oats (not the quick-cooking kind)
2 c. warm water (filtered is best) (***Only 1 c. if you’re just adding hot water in the morning – see below.)
4 T. organic whole-milk yogurt (even better: homemade yogurt from raw milk), OR you could also use whey, kefir or buttermilk – using ONE of any of these is the key to breaking down the phytic acid. (Those with severe milk allergies can substitute lemon juice or vinegar.)

Cover and leave it on the counter-top overnight.

In the morning, turn on your stove and heat the oatmeal to the desired temperature, and that’s it!


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Go get some more REAL breakfast ideas!


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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

Here’s a look at what’s been going on around here the last few days..

1) Pork Stew with Chipotle and Plantains A simple weeknight sort of meal.  This one could easily be made into a Cuban or Jamaican dish.

2) Brussels Sprouts and Ham in Mustard Cheese Sauce Loved this. May try adding smoked black pepper next time.

3) Huevos con Tocino y Salsa Verde I have eggs at least 4 times/week.  Got smart & made enough salsa to last several few days.

4) Chocolate Maya Nut Cake Loved the idea & it tasted fine, but I think I’ve lost my enthusiasm for dessert.

5) Creole Beans and Rice Red beans & rice is one of my standby comfort meals.

6) Cryptolaemus montrouzieri ? If so, this the larval stage of a beneficial predator and not a garden pest.  We’ll see what happens when I introduce a couple thousand ladybugs this weekend!

7) Basil with Green Anole Found this guy hanging out in the basil. His bright green color indicates that he’s a healthy & non-threatened  specimen  🙂

8) Mango Mole The slightly sweet, warm chile/cinnamon flavors were amazing when paired with the tart pickled onions.

Well, that’s a wrap..  let’s go see  what everyone else has been up to!


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Mango Mole (Sauce)

/ Ren

Adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit magazine (via Edible Therapy), this complex sauce is fantastic with pickled red onions and grilled pork chops..

Making Mango Mole

Making Mango Mole

2 tablespoons leaf lard or other fat
1 large plantain, sliced
1 cup fresh diced mango
2 large dried Guajillo or Ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
1/2 cup chopped white onion
12 whole raw almonds
1 tablespoon homemade chili base
2 tablespoons shelled peanuts
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 small bay leaf
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1 teaspoon true cinnamon shards
2 cups homemade chicken stock, more or less
1 small piece Mexican chocolate

Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add plantains, chili base and everything else except stock and chocolate.  Sauté until plantain is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock.  Reduce heat and simmer until chilies are tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree sauce in blender then return to skillet.

Add chocolate and stir until incorporated.  Thin with reserved stock if necessary, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.



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Creole Beans and Rice

/ Ren

A densely nutritious dish with tender kidney beans, Andouille sausage, okra, kale and aged Basmati rice..

Creole Beans and Rice

Creole Beans and Rice

Soak dried red beans overnight.  Rinse, cover with fresh filtered water and bring to a boil.  Add a bay leaf, reduce heat and simmer until just tender, about 2 hours.

Sauté bias-cut Andouille sausage with a little pancetta or fatty bacon until browned.  Add diced yellow onions, celery and bell peppers and cook until vegetables soften.

Add okra, seeded jalapeño, garlic, and chiffonade of kale and sauté 2-3 minutes.

Add cooked beans, black pepper, caraway, dill, oregano, cumin, thyme and paprika and simmer 20 minutes, adding bean-cooking water as needed to keep moist.

To serve, mound Basmati rice in the center of a bowl or dinner plate and ladle bean mixture around the perimeter.  Offer Louisiana hot sauce on the side.



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Chocolate Maya Nut Cake

/ Ren

(you might also like this recipe for Mayan Banana Bread)

“With one tree able to produce as much as 400 pounds of food a year, using the Maya nut prevents rain forest clear-cutting to harvest other foods and increases populations’ food supplies. Dried, the Maya nut can be stored for up to five years — a lifeline for regions with frequent drought.

The Maya nut has high levels of nutrients including protein, calcium, fiber, iron and vitamins A, E, C and B…

It is also less susceptible to climate changes than the crops that had been brought in to replace it.”  -CNN

Chocolate Maya Nut Cake

Chocolate Maya Nut Cake

Adapted from a recipe by The Equilibrium Fund

1 1/2 cups sprouted wheat flour
1/2 cups Maya nut, ground
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 teaspoon aluminum-feee baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon true cinnamon
1/3 cup panela or other non-refined sweetener
1 cup strong coffee (use decaf if you prefer)
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
2 teaspoons coumarin-free Mexican vanilla
2 tablespoons organic cider vinegar

Grease an 8″ deep-dish pie pan (or two 4-inch ramekins) with coconut oil.  Sift together the dry ingredients.  Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly stir back into the dry ingredients.  Pour the batter into the pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Take care to not over-bake.  Allow to cool 15 minutes before inverting onto a large plate and glazing.

1 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coumarin-free Mexican vanilla
2 tablespoons warm, filtered water

Melt the chocolate in a pan set over steaming water. Whisk in vanilla and water, then spoon over cooled cake.  Garnish with coconut flakes, cinnamon and ground, toasted Maya nut.

The Equilibrium Fund in partnership with Alimentos Nutri-Naturales, BanRural, Rainforest Alliance, the Guatemalan Ministry of Education and the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture started the Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests Program in September, 2008..

Please visit The Equilibrium Fund to learn more

Salsa de Tomate Verde Asado

/ Ren

Time was when I’d come home at the end of the work week and just pull out a frozen pizza or microwave dinner and plop down in front of the TV.

Not anymore.  Even when I don’t much feel like cooking or fiddling around with the camera or the blog (i.e., tonight), a simple, comforting meal is within reach because I only keep fresh, whole foods on hand.  The TV?  Gave it away years ago.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa..

Salsa de Tomate Verde Asado

Husk, rinse and halve fresh tomatillos.  Place cut side down in a heavy skillet along with a few cloves of garlic, a jalapeño and a poblano chile.  Brown well on both sides.

Seal the peppers inside a paper bag and allow the steam 15 minutes.  Peel away most of the skin (leaving a few charred bits), split and remove stems and seeds.

Transfer peppers to the bowl of a food processor along with tomatillos, garlic and a handful of cilantro.  Moisten with 1/4 cup or so of filtered water and pulse into a coarse puree.

Stir minced onion into the salsa and season to taste with sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Leftover salsa will keep 2-3 days in the fridge.

Bacon & Eggs

Fry uncured streaky bacon or pork belly with yellow onions until the onions are brown and the bacon is crisp.

Pour off all but a teaspoon of fat, then crack eggs directly into the pan and allow to set for just a moment.

Spoon roasted tomatillo salsa over the eggs and toss in some chopped cilantro.  Stir and scramble to your preferred degree of doneness and serve with frijoles and fresh tortillas.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

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The Thing About Brussels Sprouts

/ Ren

In the same plant family as cabbage, broccoli and kale, Brussels sprouts have been cultivated in Belgium (hence the name) since the 1200’s.

Extremely high in Vitamin C and a good source of iron, a lot of people dislike Brussels sprouts, reporting that they have a bitter or sulphur-like flavor.  The objectionable taste actually comes from a compound called sinigrin (CAS 3952-98-5), which is released when the vegetables are overcooked.

So to ensure mild, sweet-tasting Brussels sprouts, simply do not overcook them..

Brussels Sprouts and Ham in Mustard Cheese Sauce

Brussels Sprouts and Ham in Mustard Cheese Sauce

Place washed, untrimmed Brussels sprouts in a covered steamer for 6-7 minutes until bright green but underdone. Shock the sprouts in ice water to stop the cooking process and preserve the color.

Trim off the stems and peel away the outer leaves.  You want the sprouts to be as uniform in size as possible, so you might cut the larger ones in half (or even in quarters) and leave the smaller ones whole.

Heat some fat (bacon grease, butter or leaf lard all work well) in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and Brussels sprouts and cook until both are well browned.

Add uncured ham and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add fresh cream and coarse mustard (preferably homemade) and simmer until it sprouts are fork-tender.

Add cheese such as raw-milk cheddar with caraway seeds and stir to combine.  Add some chopped parsley for visual appeal if you like.

Season with sea salt, freshly-ground pepper and perhaps a few red pepper flakes and serve hot from the pan.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet


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Pork Stew with Chipotle and Plantains

/ Ren

Smokey braised pork with peppers, onions, piloncillo and plantains..

Chipotle Banana Pork Stew

Pork Stew with Chipotle and Plantains

Trim pork shoulder, removing any heavy fat.  Cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks, arrange on a foil-lined baking tray and broil, turning once, until golden brown.  Some pieces will be crisp, others less so.  This is a good thing.

Transfer meat to a Dutch oven and add minced fresh garlic, diced fresh peppers, red and/or yellow onions, sliced ripe plantains and 1-2 diced  chipotle peppers with 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce.

Season with a little toasted cumin, a pinch of Mexican oregano and just enough shaved piloncillo (a traditional, unrefined sugar common to Central and South America) to balance the heat of the peppers.

Add enough dark beer (preferably a Munich-style beer such as Negra Modelo) to almost cover the contents of the pot.  Cover tightly and braise in a 300 degree oven until fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Serve with fresh tortillas.


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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

Here’s a glance at what’s been cooking around here..

1) Grilled Mango Salad with Aji Mirasol Bacon Dressing Fresh ripe mangoes, avocados and an aji mirasol-infused balsamic bacon dressing over watercress and field greens.  I really liked this one, but it wasn’t particularly popular with my readers.  Oh, well.

2) Pan-Seared Salmon, Fresh Peas and Mustard Beurre Blanc I really liked this one too, but my readers weren’t impressed.  Tough crowd!

3) Huevos Rancheros Fresh, pastured eggs poached in roasted tomato salsa with fresh tortillas.  Garlic, cumin, Aji Mirasol (a Peruvian chili whose  means looking at the sun), onions and cilantro. A long-time favorite in my family.

4) Salade Niçoise Américaine A primal, seasonal all-American version of the venerable French Salade Niçoise.

5) Chili Lime Delicata Fries, Avocado Mayonnaise Wedges of oven-roasted delicata squash, seasoned with smoked chili powder and fresh lime, served with homemade avocado mayonnaise.  This one drove a ton of traffic  🙂

6) Smoked Beef Brisket Good old fashioned hickory-smoked Texas beef brisket with chili BBQ sauce.

7) Horchata Horchata is a traditional agua fresca made from rice, almonds and cinnamon. Really refreshing and costs just pennies to make.

8) Grilled Cheese Soup Homemade vegetable stock, sourdough croûtons, fresh basil, scallions, Roma tomatoes and raw cheeses.

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket

Now go see what everyone else has been up to!


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Grilled Cheese Soup

/ Ren

Simmering vegetable stock, sourdough croûtons, fresh basil, scallions, Roma tomatoes and raw cheeses..

Grilled Cheese Soup

Grilled Cheese Soup

This recipe is a riff on The Moosewood Collective’s Italian Bread & Cheese Soup

For the stock

Roast such vegetables as you have available.  At a minimum, try to include celery, onions, carrots, tomatoes and garlic.  Parsley root and celery root add extra flavor.

Place roasted vegetables into a clean pot and fill with cold, filtered water.  Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced in volume by 1/3 or more, about 2 hours.  Add a teaspoon each of turmeric and paprika for color if you like. Strain and keep hot.

Tear wild yeast sourdough into irregular pieces and sauté in pastured butter until crisp and golden brown.  Place in the center of a deep dinner plate.

Add diced Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced scallions, Italian parsley and fresh basil.

Add shredded cheeses.  I’m using raw cheddar and Grana Padano.

Pour hot vegetable stock over the top and garnish with additional minced herbs.  Season with a little coarse seal salt and freshly-ground black pepper.


Horchata

/ Ren

Horchata is a traditional agua fresca commonly served in Spain, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.  Depending on the region, it may be made with sesame seeds, rice, tigernuts, barley, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar..

Horchata

Horchata

1/2 cup aged basmati
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 1/2 inches Ceylon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup fresh whole milk, more or less
non-refined sugar to taste

Pulverize dry rice in a blender or food processor and transfer to a glass bowl.  Add almonds and cinnamon then pour boiling water over the top.  Cover and allow to stand overnight.

Transfer soaked rice, almonds and cinnamon to a blender and blend for 3 minutes.  Strain mixture into a clean container, thin with milk and sweeten to taste.

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Thai-Spiced Roast Chicken, Ginger Jasmine Rice

/ Ren

Local, pastured chicken roasted with raw coconut oil, lemongrass, onion, garlic, coriander and fermented soy..

Thai-Spiced Roast Chicken, Ginger Jasmine Rice

Thai-Spiced Roast Chicken, Ginger Jasmine Rice

Rinse and pat dry a 3-pound pastured chicken.  Place in a large glass bowl.

Melt raw coconut oil over low heat.  Transfer to the bowl of a food processor with cumin, coriander, garlic, onion, lemongrass, fermented soy, turmeric, paprika and fresh lime juice.

Pour mixture over chicken, taking care to coat all sides.  Allow to sit 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Place chicken in a heavy skillet and roast in a 400 degree oven until the skin is crisp and brown and the juices run clear, about 50-60 minutes.

Pour the fat, oil and juices from the pan into a glass measuring cup and use that and some filtered water as the cooking liquid for the rice.

Add fresh ginger, minced lime leaves, cilantro and thinly sliced peppers to the rice during the last 5 minutes of cooking.



Smoked Beef Brisket

/ Ren

Hickory-smoked local, pastured beef brisket with chili BBQ sauce..

Smoked Beef Brisket

Smoked Beef Brisket

Trim a beef brisket of most fat and all connective tissue.  Rinse and pat dry.

Liberally coat all sides with your favorite dry rub (I use smoked chili powder), cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Place seasoned brisket in a hickory chip-impregnated smoker bag along with 1/4 cup of filtered water and some coarsely chopped celery, yellow onions and carrots.

Seal the bag and place in a 500 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue to cook until meat is tender, about 2 hours for a 3-pound brisket.

Remove brisket from bag and allow to rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the vegetables and juices from the bag into a blender and pulse until smooth.  Add tomato paste to thicken, a little molasses for sheen and chili base for flavor.

Carve brisket against the grain into 1/4 inch slices and serve with chili BBQ sauce.



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Chili Lime Delicata Fries, Avocado Mayonnaise

/ Ren

Wedges of oven-roasted delicata squash, seasoned with smoked chili powder and fresh lime, served with homemade avocado mayonnaise.

Makes a great side for Smoked Beef Brisket..

Chili Lime Delicata Fries, Avocado Mayonnaise

Chili Lime Delicata Fries, Avocado Mayonnaise

Split delicata squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Split halves into wedges, arrange skin-side down in a heavy skillet.  Season with fresh lime juice and smoked chili powder and roast in a 350 degree oven until tender/crisp and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

For the mayonnaise

1 pastured egg yolk at room temperature
1 teaspoon homemade mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 to 1 cup raw organic avocado oil
1/2 ripe avocado, mashed
generous pinch of sea salt

In your food processor, place egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and salt and process until well blended, about 30 seconds.  With the motor running, add oil in a very slow, thin stream.  The mayonnaise will thicken as it stands.




Salade Nicoise Americaine

/ Ren

While the term SAD very appropriately describes the unhealthy Standard American Diet of nutrient-depleted, heavily-processed foods (so-called), there is abundant goodness to be had for little extra effort or expense.

Here’s a primal, seasonal all-American version of the venerable French Salade Niçoise..

100_3150

Salade Niçoise Américaine

Prepare hard-cooked pastured eggs. Cool and set aside.

Take a thin slice off the North and South poles of a large, ripe heirloom tomato.  Scoop out a little of the flesh from the center and place the tomato in a heavy skillet.  Chop the remaining flesh, tops and bottoms and set aside.

Lightly drizzle the tomato with virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes to intensify the flavor.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine US Pacific pole-caught albacore tuna in a bowl with plenty of raw olive oil, organic pitted black olives, sliced scallions, diced roasted red peppers and flat-leaf parsley.  Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

Prepare a salad of mixed field greens and herbs and toss with a little white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

To assemble, place tomato in center of dinner plate and mound over with tuna mixture.  Arrange salad around the perimeter and garnish with quartered eggs and a variety of made-at-home sprouts.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

Eggs Toscana

/ Ren
Tuscan Fried Eggs

Eggs Toscana

Fresh local eggs fried in a bit of cultured butter with chorizo, Italian grilling peppers, red & green onions, flat-leaf parsley and roasted salsa.  Sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

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Huevos Rancheros, Salsa de Aji Mirasol Asado

/ Ren

If you’ve never made roasted salsa from scratch before, you owe it to yourself to try it – you just can’t buy anything this good in a store at any price.  This dish is easy and inexpensive enough to feed the whole gang.

Fresh, pastured eggs poached in roasted tomato salsa with fresh tortillas.  Garlic, cumin, Aji Mirasol (this Peruvian chile’s name means looking at the sun), onions and cilantro..

Huevos Rancheros, Salsa de Aji Mirasol Asado

Huevos Rancheros, Salsa de Aji Mirasol Asado

Coarsely chop tomatoes, tomatillos, red & green onions, garlic, jalapeño peppers, cumin and Aji Mirasol chiles.  Season lightly with sea salt and smoked pepper and roast in a 450 degree oven until blistered, about 15 minutes.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the roasted vegetables to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to a semi-coarse texture.

Pour the salsa into a skillet and simmer over moderate heat until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

With the back of a large spoon, form a well in the just-bubbling salsa then crack an egg into the well.  You can prepare as many as a dozen eggs at once, depending on the size of your pan and the quantity of salsa that you’ve made.

Cover the pan and cook eggs to your liking, about 3-4 minutes for runny yolks.

Meanwhile, heat fresh tortillas (corn tortillas are traditional for this dish) in a lightly greased comal or skillet.

To serve, nestle an egg inside a tortilla and spoon some of the salsa around the edges.  Dress with a squeeze of lime.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Pan-Seared Salmon, Fresh Peas and Mustard Beurre Blanc

/ Ren

Wild Alaskan sockeye with smoked pepper, fresh peas with pastured bacon and thyme and coarse mustard beurre blanc..

Pan-Seared Salmon, Fresh Peas and Mustard Beurre Blanc

Pan-Seared Salmon, Fresh Peas and Mustard Beurre Blanc

For the mustard beurre blanc

1/4 cup white vermouth
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 oz fresh cream
1 tablespoon homemade coarse-grain mustard
4 tablespoons pastured butter, cut into small pieces
sea salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste

Boil vermouth, vinegar, shallots and garlic until liquid is reduced by 1/2, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in fresh cream and homemade mustard, reduce heat and simmer another 5 minutes.

Strain mixture into a clean pan over low heat and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time.  Season with sea salt and cayenne and keep warm until ready to use.

Rinse fresh, wild Alaskan salmon fillets, pat dry and season with sea salt and smoked black pepper.  Set aside.

Blanch fresh peas in salted boiling water until not quite done. Drain and rinse under cold filtered water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

Fry pieces of fresh pork belly or uncured bacon until crisp.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat then add blanched peas and fresh thyme.   Cook until peas are fork-tender, perhaps 5 minutes.  Keep warm.

Meanwhile, sear salmon presentation-side down in a little clarified butter or unrefined coconut oil until brilliant orange and slightly crisp on the edges, about 2-3 minutes.

Turn salmon over and place pan in a 400 degree oven until the fish is medium-rare, about 3 minutes depending on thickness.

Spoon peas in a circle around perimeter of plate and spoon beurre blanc into the center of the plate.  Place salmon on top of sauce and dress with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival

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Grilled Mango Salad with Aji Mirasol Bacon Dressing

/ Ren

Fresh ripe mangoes, avocados and an aji mirasol-infused balsamic bacon dressing over watercress and field greens..

Grilled Mango Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

Grilled Mango Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

Wash and dry field greens, watercress and fresh herbs.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fry cubes of uncured, pastured bacon and chopped red onions until crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

Add white balsamic vinegar and 1 small aji mirasol pepper (mild chile and apricot-like flavor) and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.  Adjust sharpness with a spoonful of raw honey, but don’t make it particularly sweet.  Add the bacon and onions and keep warm.

Split and score a ripe mango.  Push up from the bottom so that the sections pull apart, dress with coconut oil (unctuous and high-heat stable) and season with sea salt and freshly-ground pepper.

Grill the mango halves flesh side down until caramelized, about 5 minutes depending on heat source.

Arrange warm grilled mango over crisp greens. Dress with hot bacon dressing and garnish with avocado slices and quartered grape tomatoes.



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Cabrito Chili-Stuffed Poblano

/ Ren

Mild, pastured Texas cabrito chili with onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes in a roasted poblano pepper..

Roasted Goat Chili-Stuffed Poblano

Roasted Goat Chili-Stuffed Poblano

Cut a lengthwise strip off one side of a large poblano pepper.  Remove and discard  seed cluster and ribs.

Roast the pepper in a heavy skillet in a 400 degree oven until the pepper begins to blister.  Set aside.

Dice the remaining raw strip of poblano and set aside.

Brown freshly-ground cabrito (young goat) in 2 tablespoons bacon fat or leaf lard. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.

Add peppers and onions and sauté until vegetables begin to brown.

Add tomatoes, garlic and 1 tablespoon homemade chili base and stir to combine.  Simmer 10 minutes.

Add green onions and cilantro and stir to combine.

Spoon chili mixture into the cavity of the roasted pepper, top with raw goat milk cheddar and roast until pepper is hot and cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.



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Roasted Banana Walnut Ice Cream

/ Ren

Ripe bananas roasted with raw brown sugar, walnut butter and a touch of fresh cream..

Roast Banana Walnut Ice Cream

Roasted Banana Walnut Ice Cream

Makes 2-3 servings, no ice cream machine needed

4 large ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch sections
2 heaping tablespoons walnut butter
2 tablespoons (more-or-less) unrefined high-molasses sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Slice bananas into 1/2 inch pieces, sprinkle with sugar and roast in a 400 degree oven until caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool, then freeze at least 4 hours or overnight.

Pulse frozen bananas with walnut butter, lemon juice and cream.  Place mixture in a seal-able container and freeze at least 2 hours (longer is better).




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Chocolate Mesquite Muffins

/ Ren

Sprouted wheat, mesquite flour, pastured butter and eggs, cacao nibs, sweet cinnamon..

Chocolate Mesquite Muffins

Chocolate Mesquite Muffins

Makes 10-12 muffins

5 oz sprouted wheat flour
1 1/2 oz pastry flour
1 1/2 oz mesquite flour
1 tablespoon cacao powder
2 oz non-refined sugar or other sweetener
1/2 cups grain-sweetened chocolate chips
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking soda

8 oz fresh whole milk
2 large pastured eggs
4 oz pastured butter, melted

1 teaspoon cacao nibs
1 teaspoon true cinnamon

Combine flours, cacao powder, sugar, salt and baking soda together in a bowl.

Whisk together milk, eggs and melted butter.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stir until just combined.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Place large spoonfuls of batter into buttered muffin pan.  Sprinkle tops with crushed true cinnamon and cacao nibs and bake until muffins pass the toothpick test, about 30 minutes.

Best served warm.



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Uptown Red Beans and Rice

/ Ren

Cajun spices, dried red beans, red velvet okra, celery, onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes and kale with soaked brown rice and Louisiana hot sauce..

Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice

Soak dried red beans and brown rice (separately) overnight in cool filtered water.

Rinse, drain and cook beans in filtered water with bits of celery, onions, carrots, bay leaf and fresh thyme.

Rinse, drain and cook rice in filtered water with butter, sea salt, smoked black pepper and dried minced jalapeños (optional).

Heat clarified butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add celery and onions and cook until slightly brown.

Add okra, peppers and kale and sauté 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes, garlic and beans.  Season with dried oregano, cayenne, caraway, dill, turmeric and marjoram.

Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often.

Serve beans and vegetables over rice, dress with hot sauce if desired.


Notable New Orleans Uptowners have included jazz musicians Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Harry Connick, Jr., Louis Prima, George Brunies, Percy Humphrey, Joe “King” Oliver, Leon Roppolo, singers the Boswell Sisters and Mahalia Jackson, author Anne Rice, inventor A. Baldwin Wood, ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, and professional football players Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees and rappers B.G., Birdman and Lil’ Wayne.

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Tunisian BBQ Meatloaf

/ Ren

Spicy ground lamb, harissa & mint BBQ sauce and artichoke couscous..

Tunisian BBQ Lamb Loaf

Tunisian BBQ Meatloaf

For a 1 pound loaf

1 pound pastured ground lamb
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 small carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 pastured eggs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon grains of paradise
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper

1/4 cup harissa
1/4 cup homemade ketchup
2 tablespoons filtered water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 cup couscous
1/2 can organic artichoke hearts
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon turmeric
sea salt
saffron threads

Sweat the celery, onion, carrots and garlic in a dry skillet until soft.  Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, simmer harissa, homemade ketchup, water and fresh mint in a small pan.

Crush the whole spices in a mortar.

Combine the lamb, spices, eggs, vegetables and parsley together in a bowl.  Fold in enough dry bread crumbs so that the mixture feels damp but not too wet.

Put lamb mixture into a greased loaf pan.  Set the loaf pan inside of a baking dish and pour enough water into the baking dish to come 1/2 way up the sides of the loaf pan.

Spread harissa mint sauce over the top of the meat loaf.

Place the nested pans in a 350 degree oven until cooked through, about 50-60 minutes.  Allow meatloaf to rest 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare couscous, adding quartered artichoke hearts, turmeric, parsley, cilantro, sea salt and saffron threads (optional).

To serve, place thick slices of meatloaf over couscous.  Dress with additional BBQ sauce if desired.



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Bacon, Kale and Caraway Cheddar Tartine

/ Ren

An open-faced sandwich of uncured bacon, Tuscan kale and local, raw milk caraway cheddar on toasted wild yeast sourdough..

100_2996Bacon, Kale and Caraway Cheddar Tartine

Fry bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat until done, but not overly crisp.  Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat and set the bacon on paper towels to drain.

Add a teaspoon a butter to pan, and lightly toast the bread on both sides.  Set aside with bacon.

Add minced fresh garlic and chiffonade of kale to the pan and sauté for 60 seconds.

Place kale and garlic on toasted bread and top with bacon.  Shred cheese and scatter over the top of the sandwich.

Season with cracked pepper and place the pan into a 400 degree oven until sandwich is crisp and cheese is melted.



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Giveaway: Real Food Must Reads

/ Ren

Congratulations!

The winner of the Real Food Must Reads Giveaway is juliebmorton.

Julie, please email me your shipping info and confirm which book you’d like and I’ll get it sent out right away

renATedibleariaDOTcom

Thank you for participating, everyone!

All the best,

Ren

Kristen the Food Renegade wants to empower people to choose wholesome, healthy, traditional foods.  Towards that end, she  has carefully compiled a list of almost two dozen must reads for the Real Food practitioner..

Screenshot

and a dozen more..

Are you ready to learn about preparing lacto-fermented sauerkraut, a fresh loaf of sprouted whole grain bread or a glass of kombucha.. to rebel against the dominant food culture and become a food renegade?

If so, simply  go spend some quality time looking around at http://www.foodrenegade.com (including the Must Reads section, of course) then come back here and tell me (using the comment section below) which one of these books you feel will most help you on your way towards  freedom from the Standard American Diet (SAD, for short).

Include a thoughtful reason or two for your selection so that I know your interest is sincere, OK?

I’ll choose one eligible entry at random, order the winner’s book of choice from The Food Renegade’s store and ship it to  any U.S. (only, sorry) address.

Contest ends September 4, 2009.


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Salmon Casserole en Croute

/ Ren

Salmon casserole has been a favorite in my family for some years now.  Here’s a simple, frugal version that doesn’t skimp on flavor..

Salmon Casserole en Croûte

Salmon Casserole en Croûte

For 2 servings

1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 oz dry white wine
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon Shichimi Togarashi (optional)
sea salt & freshly-ground pepper

1 can premium quality wild Alaskan salmon

1 cup spelt or quinoa pasta (optional)

1 sheet puff pastry dough
1 egg
1 teaspoon water

Prepare pasta, if using, leaving it very slightly underdone.  Drain and set aside.

To make roux, melt the butter in a non-reactive pan, whisk in flour and cook stirring continuously until the raw flour taste is gone, about 5 minutes.

Heat the cream in another pan until simmering, then whisk in the roux and cook until sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.

Reduce heat, add lemon juice, wine and the liquid from the salmon and simmer a few minutes more.

Add tarragon, parsley, salt and pepper and togarishi (if using).  Stir to combine, then remove from heat.

Combine pasta, salmon, celery, chives and cream sauce in a bowl, taking care not to mash up the salmon.

Spoon salmon mixture into a buttered casserole, loosely filling the dish almost to the top.  Pour a little more white sauce over the top of the salmon.

Roll out puff pastry dough to 1/4 inch thickness and 1 inch greater in diameter than the casserole itself.

Brush the outer inch of the dough with some egg beaten with water, then flip it up and over the casserole so that the egg mixture is on the inside, against the sides of the casserole.

Brush the rest of the egg & water over the top of the dough, then cut several vent holes with the tip of a knife.

Bake casserole in a 350 degree oven until the dough has risen and is golden brown in color, about 30 minutes.

Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

The post is part of the Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet


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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

So fire up some Tuesday music and have a look back..

1) Just a good old grilled cheese sandwich.  I usually manage to put away at least one of these a week

2) Roasted Fig Salad.  Over-orchestrated, but very good.

3) Smoked Chili Powder (hot, hot, hot).  I’ve been using this all week.

4) Frijoles Rojas.  Like I said, chili powder  🙂

5) Spanish Eggs.  Poached in boiling oil/butter.  Oh, Lord.

6) Black Pepper & Rosemary Sweet Potato Crisps.  Adding Parmesan next time.

7) Black Quinoa Pudding.  Seriously good.

8) Roasted Maitake Mushroom.  Très Zen.

9) Grilled Patty Pan Squash.  Anything with äioli is automatically good!

Now go see what else has been twisting..

Blue Cornbread

/ Ren

Organic, stone-ground blue cornmeal, fresh buttermilk, pastured eggs..

Blue Cornbread

Blue Cornbread

(adapted from a recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon)

1 1/2 cups organic stone-ground blue cornmeal
1/3 cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup roasted corn kernels
1/2 tablespoon dried jalapeño (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 pastured eggs
3/4 fresh buttermilk
1 cup fresh whole milk
2 tablespoons pastured butter

Cut corn from the cob and toast in a skillet with a little butter (and jalapeño, if using) until golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl

Whisk the eggs into the buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture.  Add corn and stir to combine, using as few strokes as possible.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Use a bunched-up paper towel to rub melted butter up the sides of then pan, then pour the remaining butter into the cornbread batter and stir to combine.

Pour the cornbread batter into the hot skillet and bake in a 350-degree oven until it passes the toothpick test, about 50-60 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve with raw honey butter.

Pickled Red Onions (probiotic)

/ Ren

Love the idea of making and eating healthy, pro-biotic, homemade sauerkraut or kimchi, but not too crazy about the flavor, or just want to try something different?  You might like this super-easy, not-too-tart recipe for pickled red onions..

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Pickled Red Onions

(adapted from recipes by David Lebovitz and Sally Fallon)

3/4 cup organic white vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons non-refined sugar
1 pinch of sea salt
1 bay leaf
5 whole allspice berries
5 whole cloves
1 dried chile pepper
1 large red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced into rings
2 tablespoons whey

Heat all ingredients except the onions and whey in a non-reactive pan until boiling.

Add the onions, reduce the heat to low and stir for 60 seconds.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Stir in 2 tablespoons whey, then transfer all to a glass jar, allowing at least 1 inch headroom.

Cover and let stand at room temperature for 48-72 hours before transferring to the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Serve as a condiment or side-dish- pickled red onions are particularly good with Mexican-style pork dishes.

Ready for more?  Try  10 Ways to Get More Probiotics (without Dairy)
at The Nourished Kitchen

Grilled Squash with Lemon Aioli

/ Ren

Grilled patty pan squash with lemon aïoli, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, sweet peppers and fresh oregano..

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Grilled Squash with Lemon Aïoli

For the aïoli

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small egg yolk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves
pinch sea salt
a few drops of water

Mince the garlic and macerate in the lemon juice for several minutes, then combine with egg yolk, salt and water in a large bowl.  Whisk in olive oil in a slow, steady stream.

Lightly oil 1/4 inch slices of patty pan squash, trimmed greened onions and sweet peppers with virgin olive oil (not extra virgin) and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Grill vegetables until tender and browned along the edges.  Keep warm.

Meanwhile, prepare saffron fettuccine according to package directions (or make your own). Use the hot pasta water to re-hydrate the sun-dried tomatoes. Toss the pasta in a spoonful of olive oil.

Arrange pasta in center of plate and surround with grilled vegetables.  Dress with aïoli, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and fresh oregano.

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Dancing Mushroom Shiromiso

/ Ren


Saveur

Known as the Hen of the Woods mushroom in North America, the Maitake (dancing mushroom) is revered for its anti-cancer properties and ability to regulate the body’s blood pressure and insulin levels.

Here’s a delicious way to load up on minerals, vitamins, protein and amino acids..

Maitake Miso

Dancing Mushroom Shiromiso

If not available locally, whole Maitake mushrooms can be ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs

Whole, dried organic Maitake (grifola frondosa)
Fresh scallions, sliced
White miso paste
Organic spinach powder
Homemade chicken bone broth, vegetable stock or filtered water
Low-sodium tamari
Dried organic celery root
Dried hijiki

Soak dried Maitake in filtered hot (not boiling) water for 20 minutes.  Set re-hydrated mushroom aside to drain.  Reserve soaking liquid.

Drizzle mushroom with clarified butter, sprinkle with pepper and spinach powder and roast in a 350 degree oven until golden brown (about 25 minutes).  The mushroom should be slightly crispy on the edges.

Meanwhile, bring reserved soaking liquid and chicken stock to a rapid boil and cook until reduced in volume by 1/3.

Reduce heat and add tamari (be sure to use traditionally-fermented tamari that doesn’t contain hydrolyzed protein) celery root, scallions and hijiki (a wild brown sea vegetable).  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove broth from heat and stir in white miso paste.

Ladle broth into a bowl or deep plate then place the roasted Maitake on top.


Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding

/ Ren

“Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’) is an ancient whole grain that has been cultivated in the Andes Mountains of South America for more than 5,000 years. Locally referred to as ‘chisaya mama’ or the ‘mother grain’, it kept the Incan armies strong and robust…”

Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding

Black Quinoa and Mango Pudding

1/2 cup black quinoa
6 oz fresh whole milk
2 oz fresh cream
2 pastured eggs
1/2 ripe mango, diced
1 modest pinch sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons non-refined sugar or raw honey
1 2-inch section vanilla bean, split and scraped

Rinse quinoa under filtered cold water to remove any debris.

Bring 6 oz fresh whole milk to a low boil.

Add vanilla bean and stir in quinoa and sugar, if using.

Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until almost all the milk has been absorbed, maybe 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk 2 eggs into 2 oz of cream, then slowly whisk the liquid into the quinoa.

Add the diced mango and return the quinoa to the burner over low heat and stir continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Quinoa pudding may be served warm or cold, as you prefer.


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Black Pepper and Rosemary Sweet Potato Crisps

/ Ren

Move over, junk food.. these healthy, real-food crisps taste great!

Black Pepper and Rosemary Sweet Potato Crisps

Black Pepper and Rosemary Sweet Potato Crisps

Fresh sweet potatoes or garnet yams, peeled, rinsed and patted dry
Fresh rosemary, minced
Cracked black pepper
Sea salt
Olive oil for misting

Don’t like rosemary or want something different?  Try homemade smoked chili powder!

Peel and slice sweet potatoes or garnet yams into 1/16 inch rounds.  Rinse briefly in cold filtered water and pat dry.

Arrange rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and lightly mist with virgin (not extra virgin) olive oil (an oil atomizer works best for this) and bake at 320 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove tray from oven, flip the potatoes over and lightly mist with oil once again.  Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and rosemary and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the edges just barely begin to brown.

The chips will crisp as they cool.

Serve with homemade fermented ketchup.

Frijoles Rojas, Chayote, Crema Fresca

/ Ren

(This is part 2 of a 2-part post- part 1 is here)

Dinner-on-the-cheap..  red beans, fried bacon, onions and tomatoes simmered in a homemade chili base, with shaved raw chayote squash, crèma fresca and fresh tortillas..

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Frijoles Rojas, Chayote, Crèma Fresca

click to enlarge; take a look at the pool of thick, mahogany-colored juices on the left side

Fry diced, uncured bacon in a heavy skillet until well browned.  Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat.

Add chopped onions and cook until browned.

Add tomatoes and cook until the water is released but not yet evaporated.

Add 1 tablespoon homemade chili base (more or less, depending on how spicy you like it) and stir to combine.

Add red beans (dried and cooked or from a BPA-free can) and some of the bean cooking liquid and a teaspoon of epazote, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with sea salt and cracked pepper if needed.

Garnish with a little salad of shaved raw chayote squash (crispy & tastes rather like a cucumber with no bitterness), chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice and dress with crèma fresca dusted with smoked chili powder.  Serve with Spanish rice or fresh tortillas.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

Smoked Chili Powder and Chili Paste

/ Ren

(This is part 1 of a 2-part post- part 2 is here. You might also like this post about achiote paste)

Made from 16 kinds of peppers, herbs and spices, here’s a homemade smoked chili powder unlike anything you’ll find in the store..

Smoked Chili Powder

Smoked Chili Powder

I strongly recommend that you wear a pair of disposable gloves while doing this..

Gather a selection of dried chiles with different flavor profiles (hot, mild, fruity and smoky).  I’m using Pasilla, Petines, Arbol, New Mexico, Chilhuacle negro, Mulatto, and both Dorado and Morita Chipotles.

Using a pair of scissors, snip the tips off the peppers then split lengthwise.  Spread apart and remove the stem and seed clusters.

Arrange peppers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast in a 350 degree oven until fragrant and crisp, about 15 minutes, or (even better) smoke the chiles outdoors over mesquite.  Allow the chiles to cool.

Meanwhile, lightly toast cumin, coriander, anatto and cinnamon in a dry skillet over medium heat.  Allow to cool.

Working in batches, process the chiles in a food processor with the toasted spices, dried onion, garlic, cilantro, Mexican oregano and sea salt.

Pour all into a bowl and stir to combine.  Store in an airtight container away from direct light up to 6 months.

To make a paste for use in soups, stews or bean dishes, add a tablespoon of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice (especially good with chicken or pork) to the chili powder and work into a thick paste.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months..

Fresh Chili Paste

Fresh Chili Paste

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter

Levant Summer Salad

/ Ren

Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, and Syria..  the Levant describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, while on the east it extends towards the Zagros Mountains.

Roasted figs, dates, homemade labneh, toasted nuts, field greens, herbs, peas shoots and caramelized onion balsamic..

 

Levant Summer Salad

Levant Summer Salad

 

Make labneh (yoghurt cheese) by draining the whey from cultured, whole milk yoghurt.  Roll into balls, coat with za’atar or other spices and submerge in olive oil and store in a cool, dark place up to several months.

Caramelize onions in a heavy skillet.  Add balsamic, reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.  Set aside

Split figs into quarters by cutting through the stem end, leaving connected at the base. Place a ball of seasoned labneh in the center and broil until the cheese is soft and the figs begin to caramelize.  Set aside.

Toast nuts (pistachios, almonds, etc.) in a dry skillet until golden brown.  Season with sea salt, break into pieces and set aside.

Split fresh dates into quarters, discarding the pits.

Rinse and dry such mixed field greens as are seasonally available.  I like to add arugula for its peppery bite and peas shoots for the added nutrition.

Lightly toss salad with cooled onion balsamic and mound on a dinner plate.  Top with broiled figs, date slices and nuts.

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival

Arab Orange Blossom and Sumac Pancakes

/ Ren

Sprouted spelt flour, cardamom pods, sumac berries and a light citrus syrup..

Arab Orange Blossom and Sumac Pancakes

Arab Orange Blossom and Sumac Pancakes

(adapted from a recipe by Michal Haines)

For the pancakes

2 1/2 tablespoons organic dry active yeast (about 1 pkg.)
1 1/2 cups warm filtered water
1 teaspoon non-refined sugar
1 1/3 cups sprouted spelt flour, sifted
2 teaspoons ground sumac berries
1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cardamom seeds

Combine the yeast with 3 oz of the warm water. Stir in the sugar and let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour, then add the remaining water, sumac and cardamom.  Whisk until combined.

Cover the bowl and allow to stand in a warm place for 1 hour.  The batter will be very thick and bubbly.

For the syrup

1/2 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange blossom water or 1/2 tablespoon dried orange peel
just enough honey or so that the syrup tastes neither particularly sweet nor tart

Bring the water to a boil, then add the lemon juice and sweetener and reduce to simmer and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the orange blossom water and remove from the heat.

To assemble

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Spoon in about 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides.  Cook long enough so that the pancakes rise, but take care not to let them burn.

Dip the pancakes in the syrup and serve with strained yoghurt.  Garnish with toasted pistachios.

A Summer’s Lunch

/ Ren

Aged cheddar, heirloom tomatoes, peppered bacon and arugula micro-greens on grilled sourdough with medjool dates and calimyrna figs..

Sourdough Grilled Cheese

Sourdough Grilled Cheese

 

Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.  The hits, the misses, all is fair game in the Tuesday Twister..

1) Thanks to CHEESESLAVE and Homesick Texan, I’ve become a fearless tortilla maker.

2) Extracting your own coconut meat and water isn’t terribly easy, but its sure worth it.

3) Sprouted spelt brownies need no further explanation  🙂

4) “Humble Pie” of beef liver and root vegetables, in support of Jenny’s Clean Your Plate Challenge.  I had 3 fine meals from this.

5) Corn Fritters.  Pretty good, but mediocre photography doomed it as a blog post.

6) Japanese-style pepper steak with udon noodles.  Yawn.

7) Last-minute curry of leftover chicken.  Really delicious.

8) Making chicken bone broth, one of the most healthy things you can possibly have around.

9) Smoothie made with raspberries, blueberries, plain kefir and lavender honey.  One could practically live on such wonders.

 

Numbles, Umbles, Humble Pie

/ Ren

Originally a pie made of numbles, or umbles—i.e. the liver, kidneys, etc., of a deer, humble pie was made to be eaten by servants and huntsmen, while the lord of the manor and his guests dined on venison. “The keeper hath the skin, head, umbles, chine, and shoulders.”—Holinshed: Chrouicle, i. 204.

Samuel Pepys makes many references to such pies in his diary, writing on the 5th of July 1662 “I having some venison given me a day or two ago, and so I had a shoulder roasted, another baked, and the umbles baked in a pie, and all very well done”  and on the 8th of July the next year “Mrs Turner came in and did bring us an Umble-pie hot out of her oven, extraordinarily good.”

While this isn’t medieval Europe and I don’t have a freshly-killed deer on hand, I do have some very nice pastured beef liver and a fair selection of herbs and root vegetables..

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Humble Pie

Minimally-processed whole foods, in a manner recognizable by our ancestors

For the pie dough (adapted from a recipe by Michael Ruhlman)

6 oz (by weight) sprouted whole wheat flour
4 oz (1 stick) pastured butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1 oz filtered ice water
1 pinch sea salt

Combine the flour and butter in a glass bowl, rubbing the butter between your fingers until pea-sized.  Add the salt and ice water gradually and mix gently until just combined.  Don’t over-work the dough, or it will become tough.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the filling

Set 1 1/2 cups beef stock, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon coarse mustard and 2 oz red wine to simmer on the back burner.

Chop such root vegetables as you have available.  I’m using purple potatoes, leek, carrots, celery, garlic and a few just-dug field onions.

Mince fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, curly parsley and rosemary.

Dice a bit of pork belly or uncured bacon and put in a heavy skillet over medium heat and cook until browned.  Add the potatoes and brown quickly.

Add the carrots, leeks and celery and allow to brown.

Add the garlic, onions and herbs and stir to combine.  Remove from heat.

Cut partially-frozen beef liver into long strips, then cut the strips into bite-sized lengths.  Dredge lightly in sprouted wheat flour season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Melt pastured butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until slightly browned.  Add the liver and sear quickly until browned but still rare on the inside.

Add the liver to the cooked vegetables and stir to combine.

Make a small amount roux from equal part sprouted wheat flour and butter, cooking out until the raw flour taste is gone (about 5 minutes of constant stirring).

Thicken the now-reduced beef stock by whisking in the roux.  Allow to simmer a minute, then pour over the liver and vegetables.  Stir to combine.

Roll out the pie dough until large enough to just fit inside the 1st skillet, then place it on top of the liver mixture and lightly press into place.

Brush the dough with a an egg beaten with a little water, then cut some vent holes to allow the steam to escape.

Place the pie in a 350 degree oven and bake until golden brown, maybe 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

“Samuel Pepys, FRS (pronounced /ˈpiːps/ “peeps”; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for his diary. Although Pepys had no maritime experience, he rose by patronage, hard work and his talent for administration, to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles II and subsequently King James II. His influence and reforms at the Admiralty were important in the early professionalization of the Royal Navy.

The detailed private diary he kept during 1660–1669 was first published in the nineteenth century, and is one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period. It provides a combination of personal revelation and eyewitness accounts of great events, such as the Great Plague of London, the Second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London.” –Wikipedia

This post is part of the Clean Your Plate August: Liver! Recipe Challenge
at The Nourished Kitchen

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Hazelnut Fudge Brownies

/ Ren

I debated about whether to call these triple chocolate brownies or chocolate fudge brownies or something else, finally settling on simply Hazelnut Fudge Brownies.

Made with sprouted spelt, raw cacao and pastured butter, these brownies are insanely delicious by any name..

Hazelnut Fudge Brownies

Hazelnut Fudge Brownies

1 cup raw cacao beans
1/4 cup oz raw cacao powder
1/4 cup oz unsweetened chocolate chips
1/2 cup organic, raw hazelnuts
1/4 lb (1 stick) pastured butter, softened
1/2 cup rapadura or other non-refined sweetener
2 large pastured eggs
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
4 oz sprouted spelt flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 3-fingered pinch sea salt

Place the raw cacao and hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes.  Do not allow to burn.

When cool enough to handle, place the cacao beans in a clean kitchen towel and bash with a small skillet or meat mallet. Take the towel outside and allow the wind to blow away the papery skins.  You’ve just made your own cacao nibs.

Now do the same thing with the hazelnuts, but don’t worry too much about the skins.

Combine flour, cacao powder, salt and baking powder in a glass bowl.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously.

Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture, add the cacao nibs and stir to combine.

Spread the batter (it will be thick and paste-like) into a buttered 9×9 baking dish and sprinkle hazelnuts and chocolate chips over the top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until a knife blade inserted into the middle comes out almost, but not-quite clean, about 20-25 minutes.  Do not over-bake, or the brownies will be dry.

Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.

Serving with a glass of fresh milk if you like.

Did you know that raw cacao has 30 times the anti-oxidant power of green tea?


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A Better Breakfast Taco

/ Ren

Breakfast. “The word is a portmanteau of ‘break’ and ‘fast’, referencing the end of the fast of the previous night; it is widely referred to as the most important meal of the day.”  And for good reason..

Skipping breakfast can increase your body’s insulin response, leading to both increased fat storage and decreased physical activity, placing you at significantly higher risk for obesity and disease.

I skipped breakfast for years. And for years, I would find myself in the office break-room at 10:00, staring ravenously at the garbage in the vending machines. You know the drill..

Forget the drive-through. Here’s a faster, healthier take on breakfast tacos..

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A Better Breakfast Taco

Heat freshly-made tortillas in a lightly-greased comal or skillet (check out Homesick Texan or CHEESESLAVE for help making tortillas).  Keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat a teaspoon of pastured butter in a skillet until it just begins to brown, then crack pastured eggs into one side of the pan..  fried, scrambled, however you prefer..

Add bits of chorizo, green onion, tomato and jalapeño to the other side of the pan and sauté for just a minute or two.

Season all with sea salt and cracked pepper and a pinch of cumin and oregano.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve wrapped in warm tortillas.

Better, faster, cheaper.

¡A su salud!

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays


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“Rahodeb” Steps In It. Again.

/ Ren

“People shop at Whole Foods not just because it offers organic produce and natural foods, but because it claims to run its business in a way that demonstrates a genuine concern for the community, the environment, and the ‘whole planet,’ in the words of its motto. In reality, Whole Foods has gone on a corporate feeding frenzy in recent years, swallowing rival retailers across the country…. The expansion is driven by a simple and lucrative business strategy: high prices and low wages.” –Texas Observer, “Minding the Store” by Eric Bates

whole-foods

"We sell a bunch of junk"

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Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas

/ Ren

Because the fridge was nearly empty today, I took the opportunity to completely empty it out and give it a good cleaning.  While I was at it, I threw away the few remaining bottles and jars of processed stuff.  For now, at least, my fridge contains nothing but fresh whole foods and homemade stuff.

Because the fridge was nearly empty today, there wasn’t much on hand to make dinner with.  Half a head of cauliflower, a few inches of leek, a can of chickpeas and some spices was pretty much it.  Seems a perfect challenge for The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter..

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Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas

Wash, trim and separate fresh cauliflower into small, individual florets.

Drain and rinse 1 BPA-free can of chickpeas.

Combine cauliflower, chickpeas, melted ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil, some good curry powder, sea salt, black pepper, cumin and coriander seeds and a little lemon juice in a bowl.  Don’t spare the fat, and don’t spare the spices.

Spread the mixture single-layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast in a 375 degree oven (just shy of the fat’s smoking point) until caramelized and tender, about 45-60 minutes.  Toss 2 or 3 times to ensure even cooking, adding the sliced leeks about 1/2 hour into the cooking process.

Garnish with some sprouts for additional protein and visual appeal.

I only used 1/2 of the chickpeas, so I roasted the rest of them with a Moroccan blend of cumin, ginger, sea salt, pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, allspice and cloves.  This will make a healthy snack for later..

(from Kalyn’s Kitchen)

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas



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Simple Things

/ Ren

The more distance we put between ourselves and the profoundly broken industrial commercial food system the better.  The better for our health, for the local economy, the environment and our own pocketbooks.

Do what you can to become more self-reliant.  Turn off the TV, plant some herbs and vegetables, take a class about food preservation.  Learn to cook.  With practice, these things become second nature.

Consider today’s lunch..  homemade sauerkraut frittered in pastured butter, onions and peppers from the garden, locally made sausage, homemade fermented mustard..

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Real. Simple. Lunch.

What have you been eating for lunch all these years?  Is it time for a change?

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival


wget -m http://ginatrapani.googlepages.com

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Twist It!

/ Ren

Real-food blogger Wardeh is hosting her weekly Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, the purpose of which is to share through words and pictures what we’ve had going on, twisting, in our own kitchens this past week.

Here is my recap for this week; can’t wait to see what everyone else has been up to!

I just realized that almost everything I’ve made lately is primarily red in color.  I wonder what’s up with that?

1) Heirloom Salsa. Roasted heirloom tomatoes, garlic, sweet onions and peppers, raw tomatoes, cilantro and lime. All lacto-fermented into a pro-biotic riot of flavor.

2) Pulled Pork Posole.  Pastured pork simmered overnight with chilies and tomatoes then flavored with slaked nixtamal.

3) Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala.  Pastured eggs smothered in butter-fried onions, tomatoes and whole spices.  Definitely the highlight of the week.

4) Cherry Mountain Bread Experiment.  Ranier cherries, kefir, melted butter, soaked flour, cacao nibs, baking powder.  Crust was a little weird.  Promising, but needs more work.

5) Quesadillas.  Oh, yeah.

6) Crawfish Étoufée.  I’m walkin’ to New Orleans..


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Crawfish Etouffee

/ Ren

Étouffée is a Cajun/Creole dish of crawfish, crab or shrimp smothered in a roux-thickened sauce of celery, onions and bell peppers with garlic, spices and a little sherry.  In New Orleans, étouffée is commonly served with jasmine or basmati rice..

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Crawfish Étouffée

(recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse and others)

Serves 2

1/2 stick unsalted, pastured butter
1 tablespoon organic, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped yellow onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 cups shrimp stock* (shrimp shells, water, celery, onion, bay, thyme, lemon)
12 oz crawfish tails
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until it begins to brown.  Add flour and whisk to combine.  Continue to cook and stir continuously until the roux takes on a dark, brown-red color.

Add the celery, onions and bell peppers (called the holy trinity of Cajun cooking) and cook for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, green onions, tomatoes, Worcestershire, bay, thyme, cayenne and cracked pepper and stir to combine.

Add shrimp stock (or water), sherry and crawfish tails, bring to a boil then reduce to low heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Add fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley, taste for salt and adjust accordingly.

Serve over rice and garnish with lemon wedges and very finely minced green onion, bell pepper, celery and parsley.  Offer Louisiana hot sauce.


* Mineral-rich shrimp is high in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, Vitamin B12 and niacin.  Use some of the shrimp stock to cook the rice; it helps to make it more digestible.

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Quesadillas

/ Ren

While purists may argue about whether “real” quesadillas are made with masa or wheat tortillas, what ingredients belong inside, and even if they should be folded in half or simply sandwiched, everyone can decide for themselves what tastes good.  Homemade chili base, green onions and peppers seem a good way to start.  Toss a little Mexican oregano and cumin on there..

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making quesadillas

then add cheeses such as asadero, manchego and cotija, along with some chopped fresh cilantro..

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adding cheese and cilantro

place onto a lightly oiled comal and top it off with another tortilla, pressing the two sides together..

press the two sides together

press the two sides together

bake (or griddle) until the cheese is bubbling and serve with plenty of heirloom salsa..

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Quesadillas with Heirloom Salsa


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Turkish Roast Eggplant with Bulgur Pilaf

/ Ren

Posted in support of Meatless Monday..

Bulgur is an ancient cereal, usually made from durum wheat. Common in Turkish and Middle Eastern dishes, nutty-tasting whole grain bulgur is more nutritious than rice or couscous.  Overnight soaking helps to break down the phytic acid, making it more easily digested..

Roasted Eggplant and Bulgur Pilaf

Roasted Eggplant and Bulgur Pilaf

Soak medium-grain bulgur overnight in filtered water.

Split eggplant in half lengthwise through the stem and soak in cold, filtered salt water for at least 30 minutes to reduce the bitter taste.  Drain, scoop out and chop the insides and set aside.

Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over 1 cup soaked and drained bulgur. Let stand 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy pan over medium heat.

Sauté half a chopped onion until lightly browned, then add 1 teaspoon each tomato paste and red pepper paste and cook several minutes until the oil separates.

Add 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, the reserved chopped insides of the eggplant, 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon sumac, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint. Stir to combine.

Add bulgur and stir to combine.

Lightly coat eggplant halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Fill eggplant with bulgur mixture and roast at 350 degrees until eggplant is tender, about 25 minutes.

Garnish with diced raw tomatoes, mint and scallions.


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Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala

/ Ren

A delicious late-Sunday breakfast, this is one of my favorite ways to eat eggs.  The dish can be put together in about 20 minutes..

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Masaledar Ublay Unday (Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala)

To prepare hardboiled eggs, place eggs in a pan and cover with cold, filtered water.  Eggs should be 2 inches below the surface.  Bring the water to a fast boil, then immediately remove from heat, cover and let stand exactly 10 minutes.  Drain the water, roll the eggs around to crack the shells, then fill the pan with ice water and allow to stand another 5-10 minutes.

Masaledar Ublay Unday (Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala)

(adapted from a recipe by Madhur Jaffrey)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
4 green or 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
6 hard boiled eggs

Combine the cayenne, turmeric, ground coriander, salt, pepper, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl.  Mix and set aside.

Fry cumin seeds in ghee in a heavy skillet set over medium heat until brown and fragrant, about 20 seconds.

Add onions and ginger and fry until the onions are lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the spice paste and stir until combined.

Add the tomatoes, cover the pan and simmer 5 minutes.

Add halved eggs and chopped cilantro.  Cover the pan for 2 minutes to warm the eggs, then spoon into a serving dish.



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Crusted Green Curry Salmon

/ Ren

Planked and crusted wild Alaskan salmon with coconut milk, curry and cilantro..

Crusted Salmon with Green Curry

Crusted Salmon with Green Curry

Soak a cedar plank in clean water for at least 2 hours.

Combine 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, 1 teaspoon good curry powder and 1 teaspoon half-sharp paprika in a small bowl.  Coat the fish with this mixture, sprinkle with bread crumbs and set aside.

Pulse together 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, 1 small green chili (optional) and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice in a food processor.  Add to 1/2 cup coconut milk and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened, about 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Place salmon fillets on soaked plank and cook in a 500 degree oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Serve with a wedge of fresh lime.

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Pulled Pork Posole

/ Ren

(you might also like this recipe for Pozole Roja)

Simmered for 12 hours in a chili-tomato base, this traditional pork and corn stew has incredible depth of flavor..

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Pulled Pork Posole

Soak nixtamal (traditional, lime-slaked dried maize) overnight in cool, filtered water.

Brown pork (I’m using ribs, but you can use butt or shoulder) in a little annatto oil in heavy skillet over medium heat.

Transfer pork to a Dutch oven and submerge in homemade chicken stock and a bottle of tomato puree.  Add chopped onion, celery with tops, dried chilies, cumin, bay leaf and whole peppercorns.

Seal the pot with foil, cover and place in a 200 degree oven overnight.

Remove the pot from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

Transfer the ribs to a cutting board.

Strain the pot into a clean pan and boil gently until reduced in volume by about a third.  Periodically skim away any foam.

Drain the corn and add to the pot.

Pull the pork from the bones, shred and add to the pot.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the corn is tender, about 2 hours.

To serve, ladle stew into a bowl or dinner plate and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.  Serve fresh tortillas on the side.


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Tapped, the Movie

/ Ren

“With style, verve and righteous anger, the film exposes the bottled water industry’s role in suckering the public, harming our health, accelerating climate change, contributing to overall pollution, and increasing America’s dependence on fossil fuels. All while gouging consumers with exorbitant and indefensible prices.”  –Organic Consumers Association

By 2030 the United Nations estimates two-thirds of the world will lack access to clean drinking water.  Tapped will illustrate the impact of the global water crisis on America and what we can do as individuals to enact change sooner rather than later.

Tapped examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil..

The documentary also includes scenes shot in Corpus Christi, Texas, where filmmakers speak with people who live near an oil  refinery that makes paraxylene, the primary ingredient in the PET plastic used to make bottles.

“It takes 17 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic bottles used annually in the United States,” Soechtig (the films’ director)  said. “That’s not including refrigeration, or transport.”

Two million plastic beverage bottles are used in the US every five minutes (photo Chris Jordan)

Please visit the movie’s site to learn more about the issues and find out what you can do about them


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Roasted, Raw and Fermented: Heirloom Salsa

/ Ren

Ah, the bounty of a Texas summer!

Heirloom Salsa

Heirloom Salsa

This homemade salsa combines the dark smokiness of roasted heirloom tomatoes, garlic, sweet onions and peppers with the fresh taste of raw tomatoes, cilantro and lime.

As good as this is, it is even better if allowed to ferment into a pro-biotic riot of Southwest flavor..

(click to enlarge)

For 1 pint

1 large heirloom tomato, quartered
1 medium Texas 1015 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1-2 jalapeño peppers
1 mild red New Mexico pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 chile chipotle (Dorado or Morita), soaked, toasted and chopped
1 small lime
2 tablespoons whey
fresh cilantro

Roast 3/4 of the tomatoes, 1/2 the onions and all of the garlic and peppers (except the chipotle) on a comal in a 500 degree oven until slightly blackened.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, steep 1 dried chipotle in hot water until soft and pliable.

Split the re-hydrated chipotle open and discard the stem and seeds.  Toast the chipotle with cumin seeds until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Eat within a day or two, or add 2 tablespoons of whey and allow to stand on the counter for 24 hours before transferring to the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s excellent Fight Back Fridays

Torta di Maccheroni

/ Ren

Today’s goal was to use up some odds and ends to make a frugal, but tasty and nourishing dish.  The result was an Italian style baked macaroni and cheese, torta di maccheroni..

For 2 servings

1 1/2 cups grated cheeses
1 1/2 cups quinoa or spelt macaroni
2 small cipolline onions (substitute yellow onion), sliced
1/4 cup dried wild porcini mushrooms, re-hydrated and chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pastured egg yolk
1 cup fresh whole milk
1/2 cup fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 oz dry white wine
Italian parsley

1 or 2 small, ripe tomatoes, quartered
Fresh basil (optional)
Sprouted crackers, crushed (optional)
Pastured butter

Warm the milk and cream together in a small pan over medium low heat until it begins to form a skin over the top.  Do not let it boil.

Meanwhile, boil and drain macaroni according to package instructions.  Set aside.

Whisk cheese into hot milk a little at a time, until melted and smooth.  The resulting sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the garlic, onions, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, stir and turn off heat.

Once the cheese sauce has cooled a bit, whisk in 1 large egg yolk and a tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce, then put into a buttered dish.

Sprinkle a little more cheese over the top, drizzle with white wine and garnish with quartered tomatoes and crushed crackers, if using.

Bake in a 400 degree until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

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Jalapeno Cornbread

/ Ren

Do you remember the taste of real, honest-to-God yellow corn?  You know, back before the genetically modified junk that nowadays goes into producing HFCS, ethanol and batteries?

Yeah, that stuff..

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Jalapeño Cornbread

(adapted from a recipe by Michael Ruhlman)

Makes 1 loaf

1 cup organic, whole grain yellow corn meal
1/3 cup sprouted wheat flour
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 ounces real buttermilk
2 large pastured eggs
4 ounces melted pastured butter
2 or more fresh jalapeño peppers
1 cup fresh yellow corn

Toast corn and seeded and chopped jalapeño peppers in a dry skillet until corn is slightly browned.  Toasting brings out the corn’s natural sweetness, eliminating the need for added sugar, and makes the peppers slightly less hot and more complex in flavor.  Set aside.

Mix the corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter.

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined, then fold in the peppers and corn.

Put the batter into a buttered loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees until just barely dry in the middle, about 30 minutes.

Allow to cool several minutes before slicing and serving warm with pastured butter or raw wildflower honey.

For a real treat, fry slices of cornbread in butter or a bit of bacon fat.

Did you know that “44 percent of U.S. corn becomes domestic animal feed, and another 10 percent ends up in feed rations as the ethanol byproduct distillers grains? That means more than half of U.S. corn—our nation’s largest farm crop—ends up on feedlots”.

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival


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Tuesday Twister

/ Ren

Real-food blogger Wardeh is hosting a Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, the purpose of which is to share through words and pictures what we’ve had going on, twisting, in our own kitchens this past week.

Here is my recap; can’t wait to see what everyone else has been up to!

1) Sprouts. Expensive to buy, ridiculously inexpensive and easy to do at home.  This has been working well, so I bought a couple of half gallon-sized sprouting jars with screen lids and loaded up on radish, mung bean, alfalfa and red clover sprouting seeds.

2) Local bounty. Check out the fresh bay leaves!

3) These titles have been in heavy rotation lately.  I gave away my TV 3 years ago, so now I have lots of time to read.

4) Working on a killer dry-rub for local, grass-fed steak.  This is espresso powder, raw cacao and powdered Worcestershire.  A little bitter this time, but promising.

5) Fried sauerkraut.  Like potato latkes, but made with homemade, salt-fermented sauerkraut.  Also very promising.

6) Cornbread.  Real, honest-to-God organic, non-GMO coarse yellow corn, fresh corn kernels, buttermilk and homegrown peppers.  I wish you could have been here to smell it when it came out of the oven.

7) Wild Blueberry Bannock. Soaked flour, kefir, water, baking powder and fresh blueberries. Big success.

8) Moroccan albacore-stuffed yellow tomatoes.  Another big success.

9) Black quinoa and roasted red pepper purée.  Really good.


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Giveaway: The Urban Homestead

/ Ren

We have a winner!

Congratulations, Sonya @ hemmingshalfdozen.com! Please send your shipping info to “ren AT ediblearia DOT com” and UPS should be ringing your doorbell in a few days.

Thank you all for participating, and be sure to check back soon for details on the next giveaway!

ps  I’d love to hear any ideas you might have for the next giveaway.  Thanks, everyone!

How You Can Start a Farm in Heart of the City

By Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, Process Media

urban_homestead_250The Urban Homestead is the essential handbook for a fast-growing new movement: urbanites are becoming gardeners and farmers. By growing their own food and harnessing natural energy, they are planting seeds for the future of our cities.

If you would like to harvest your own vegetables, make homemade jam or bread, raise chickens or convert to solar energy, this practical, hands-on book is full of step-by-step projects that will get you started homesteading immediately, whether you live in an apartment or a house. It is also a guidebook to the larger movement and will point you to the best books and Internet resources on self-sufficiency topics.

Written by city dwellers for city dwellers, this illustrated, smartly designed, two-color instruction book proposes a paradigm shift that will enrich our lives, strengthen our communities, and helps save our planet.

Projects include:
• How to start seeds
• How to compost with worms
• How to grow food on a patio or balcony
• How to preserve food
• How to divert your grey water to your garden
• How to clean your house without toxins

OK, here’s the deal.  I really like this book, and I’m pretty sure you will too.  So much so, in fact, that I’m going to send one of you an autographed copy. But first, you have to go on a little scavenger hunt.  Nothing too involved, just enough to let me know that your interest is sincere (not if you’re only here for the freebie).  Cool?

To participate, go spend some quality time looking around at www.homegrownrevolution.org, then come back here and tell me (using the comment section below) about a project that you think this book might help you get started with.

I’ll choose one eligible entry at random, and ship the book to the winner at  any U.S. (only, sorry) address.  Contest ends in 1 week.

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Sprouted Black Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Purée and Salsa Cruda

/ Ren

Posted in support of Meatless Monday..

“Quinoa (KEEN-wah), the ancient grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years.

It was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans.

Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.”

With the addition of fresh, raw and roasted vegetables, this whole-food dish is a nutritionally complete, satisfying meal..

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Sprouted Black Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Purée and Salsa Cruda

For 2 servings

1/2 cup black quinoa* soaked overnight in 1/2 cup filtered water
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2-3 plum tomatoes
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
2 green chilies, seeded
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

*Black quinoa is available in Austin at Wheatsville Co-op

Thoroughly rinse the quinoa and gently boil in 1/2 cup filtered water (1 cup if un-soaked) until tender, about 15 minutes.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, split, seed and roast 1 large red bell pepper and 2 small green chilies (adjust quantity according to your taste).  Roasting introduces a mild smokiness and adds complexity to the flavor.  Set aside.

Chop scallions, garlic, chilies, parsley and 1/2 of the tomatoes (this is the salsa cruda) and toss with quinoa and olive oil.  Allow to stand 10 minutes to combine flavors, then season with coriander seeds, salt and pepper.

Puree the red peppers in a food processor with 1 peeled and seeded plum tomato and a tablespoon of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and strain if desired.

Ladle pepper puree on a plate with a mound of quinoa.  Serve with a field green salad if desired.

Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

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Sprouted Black Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Purée and Salsa Cruda

/ Ren

Posted in support of Meatless Monday..

“Quinoa (KEEN-wah), the ancient grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years.

It was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans.

Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.”

With the addition of fresh, raw and roasted vegetables, this whole-food dish is a nutritionally complete, satisfying meal..

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Sprouted Black Quinoa with Roasted Red Pepper Purée and Salsa Cruda

For 2 servings

1/2 cup black quinoa* soaked overnight in 1/2 cup filtered water
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2-3 plum tomatoes
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
2 green chilies, seeded
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

*Black quinoa is available in Austin at Wheatsville Co-op

Thoroughly rinse the quinoa and gently boil in 1/2 cup filtered water (1 cup if un-soaked) until tender, about 15 minutes.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, split, seed and roast 1 large red bell pepper and 2 small green chilies (adjust quantity according to your taste).  Roasting introduces a mild smokiness and adds complexity to the flavor.  Set aside.

Chop scallions, garlic, chilies, parsley and 1/2 of the tomatoes (this is the salsa cruda) and toss with quinoa and olive oil.  Allow to stand 10 minutes to combine flavors, then season with coriander seeds, salt and pepper.

Puree the red peppers in a food processor with 1 peeled and seeded plum tomato and a tablespoon of olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and strain if desired.

Ladle pepper puree on a plate with a mound of quinoa.  Serve with a field green salad if desired.

Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

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Wild Blueberry Bannock

/ Ren

Similar to scones, blueberry bannock is a traditional Scotch-Gaelic and Cree* leavened quick-bread of whole wheat flour, water and wild blueberries..

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Métis Wild Blueberry Bannock

 

3 cups sprouted wheat flour or 3 cups soaked organic all-purpose flour
1 tbl baking powder
1 1/2  tsp sea salt
1 cup plain kefir or raw whole milk (traditionally just water)
1/2  cup filtered water

1 cup fresh wild or farmers’ market blueberries

pastured butter or coconut oil
maple sugar (optional)
cinnamon (optional)

Sift the dry ingredients together in a glass bowl.  Add the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a cast iron skillet with pastured butter or coconut oil, then put the dough in the center of the pan and spread it out evenly.

Sprinkle the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon maple sugar, if using, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated cinnamon.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Do not over bake, or the bannock will be dry.

For a savory variation, omit maple sugar & cinnamon in favor of fresh rosemary and substitute beef tallow for butter/coconut oil.

* In Canada, the term Métis usually designates a constitutionally recognized individual born of an Aboriginal group, descended primarily from the marriages of Scottish and French men to Cree, Saulteaux, and Ojibwa women in southern Rupert’s Land starting in the late 17th century, and the marriages of French women to Ojibway men starting in Quebec in the middle 17th century. Anglo- as opposed to Franco-Métis in Canada were at one time distinguished by language, the Franco-Métis speaking French and the Anglo-Métis (then known as the Country-born) speaking Bungee, a pidgin language derived from Scotch-Gaelic and Cree. The use of Bungee has waned and Anglo-Métis increasingly identify simply as undifferentiated Métis or as undifferentiated anglophone Canadians with aboriginal antecedents. –Wikipedia

Murgh Jalfrezi Pilau

/ Ren

A simple, inexpensive, healing curried chicken with rice..

Murgh Jalfrezi Pilau

Murgh Jalfrezi Pilau

Pastured chicken thighs, peppers, onions, tomatoes, ginger, cardamom, coriander, lemon juice, cilantro, cumin, chili pepper, turmeric, sea salt, black pepper and saffron.

Toast whole spices in a dry skillet over medium-low until fragrant, perhaps 5 minutes.

Add ghee, pastured butter or coconut oil to the pan and sauté chicken until brown on both sides.  Add vegetables and a little filtered water or chicken stock and remaining spices, cover and simmer until fork-tender (about 30 minutes).  Brighten with fresh cilantro and a little lemon juice just before serving.

Meanwhile, cook basmati rice in filtered water and/or coconut water and/or chicken stock with curry leaves (optional) until most of the liquid is absorbed, add saffron threads (optional) and seedless raisins, cover two minutes until raisins are plump.

Serve garnished with a dollop of yoghurt or Crème fraîche for a cooling contrast to the spicy curry.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

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Fresh Fava, French Carrot and Arugula Salad, Mustard Crème fraîche

/ Ren

Lightly steamed fresh fava beans, French carrots and peppery arugula tossed in extra virgin olive oil and white balsamic vinegar and dressed with homemade mustard crème fraîche..

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Fava, French Carrot and Arugula Salad

String and split fava bean pods and remove the beans. Split small round French carrots.

Steam the beans and carrots together in a bamboo or wire steamer until just barely done, perhaps 2 minutes.  Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process; we want the vegetables to be tender, yet cooked as little as possible to preserve the color and nutrients.

Meanwhile, make a simple vinaigrette of high quality extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and slivered shallot.

Drain the vegetables and toss with arugula micro-greens and vinaigrette.  Season with black salt and coarsely ground pepper and dress with a teaspoon of homemade lacto-fermented mustard combined with a tablespoon of homemade crème fraîche (Crème fraîche is similar to sour cream, but thicker and slightly more sweet than sour.  Mix together 3 parts fresh heavy cream and 1 part buttermilk or plain yoghurt. Cover and allow to stand on the counter overnight before refrigerating).

Serve with toasted crusty bread if you like..

The Dinner Garden

/ Ren

Tip of the hat to Kristen @ Food Renegade for suggesting this story

“For several years, Holly Hirshberg’s family had grown fruit and vegetables in a home garden during the summer months. She had enjoyed fresh tomato sandwiches, vine ripened cucumbers, red and yellow bell peppers, fresh herbs, like basil, thyme, and rosemary, potatoes, and watermelon. The fresh produce was a nice summer treat each year. Then in 2008, in the midst of a crumbling economy, the idea struck her that she could easily expand her garden to grow more produce, which she could donate to the food bank. That idea quickly grew into a plan where families and communities could weather the tough times and reduce or eliminate their reliance on food banks by growing produce themselves. Much like the Victory Gardens of the First and Second World Wars, these gardens would allow people to stretch their food budgets and enhance their nutritional intake. Individuals and families could have greater food security and take a direct part in that effort…”

field

San Antonio's Dinner Garden is committed to ending hunger

The Dinner Garden provides seeds, gardening supplies, and gardening advice free of charge to all people in the United States of America. The intent is to assist those in need in establishing food security for their families. The long term goal is that people will plant home, neighborhood, and container gardens and use the vegetables they grow for food and income.

The Dinner Garden
P.O. Box 700686
San Antonio, TX 78270-0686
info@dinnergarden.org
www.dinnergarden.org

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival

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Southwest Grilled Pork Ribeye with Fried Nixtamal

/ Ren

Tender, pastured pork rib-eyes marinated in annatto oil, garlic and mild Adobo seasoning served with nixtamal fried in butter with green onions, yellow tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and fresh jalapeños..

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Soak nixtamal (traditional, lime-slaked dried maize) overnight in cool, filtered water.  Boil slowly in a heavy pot of fresh water until just tender, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, marinate pork in annatto oil, fresh garlic, Mexican oregano and adobo-style seasoning for at least 2 hours.

Fry nixtamal, whole cumin and pumpkin seeds in pastured butter until browned.  Add green onions, peppers, tomatoes, sea salt, cracked pepper and just a pinch of coarse, non-refined sugar and sauté quickly until the tomatoes give up most of their liquid, perhaps 5 minutes.  Toss with chopped cilantro just before serving.

Meanwhile, grill the pork rib-eyes until medium-done and nicely marked, but still plump and juicy.  Hit everything with a modest squeeze of fresh lime and serve hot from the pan.

To make annatto oil, toast achiote seeds in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add good olive oil and infuse over low heat for about 20 minutes. Strain the resulting annatto oil and store indefinitely in a cool, dark place.

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Punjabi Gobi with Onion and Garlic Naan

/ Ren

Gobi is a dry curry of cauliflower, tomatoes, ginger, onions and toasted spices.  Naan is an  oven-baked flatbread commonly served in South Asia..

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Punjabi Gobi with Onion and Garlic Naan

For the naan (adapted from Anjum Anand)

3 oz organic all-purpose flour
1 oz organic whole wheat flour
1 tsp non-refined sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
2 oz organic plain yoghurt
2 oz filtered water
3 cloves garlic
2 green onions

Sift the dry ingredients together in a glass bowl.  Combine with yoghurt and water and let stand in a cool place for 2 hours to break down some of the phytic acid.

Roll dough into a ball, set in an oiled bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled, about 1-2 hours.

Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes, adding very small quantities of flour or water as may be needed to achieve a soft, flexible dough.

Roll the dough out into 1/4 inch thick ovals and cook on a pizza stone in a 450 degree oven until brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.

For the Gobi

Core, trim and wash cauliflower (1/2 head per 2 servings) and split into individual florets.  Steam until partially cooked, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.

Chop 1 plum tomato, 1 small yellow tomato, 1/2 yellow onion, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 or 2 green chilies and a handful of fresh cilantro.

Gather 1 tablespoon each turmeric and chopped curry leaves, 1 teaspoon each of cumin seed, methi and paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon each of black pepper, nigella, ajwain and sea salt.  These spices are commonly available in Indian food markets or by mail order.  Don’t worry about it if you don’t have this exact combination.

Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, onions and peppers and cook until just softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients (except cilantro) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

Add cilantro and 1 tablespoon ghee.  Toss to combine and serve with hot naan.


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Meatless Monday: Summer Squash Quiche

/ Ren

Edible Aria has been reviewed by Meatless Monday

Yellow and green zucchini, bell peppers and scallions in an egg and cream custard with mace and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a whole wheat shell..

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Summer Squash Quiche with Black Grapes and Beemster Garlic Cheese

For the pie dough (adapted from Michael Ruhlman)

6 oz whole wheat flour
4 oz (1 stick) pastured butter
1 oz filtered ice water
1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine the flour and butter in a mixing bowl and rub the butter into small beads.  Add the ice water and salt and mix gently until just combined.  Refrigerate 15 minutes until ready to roll out.  Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness and place inside of a buttered glass or ceramic pie tin.  Use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust to allow the steam to escape, then bake blind at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

For the filling

Lightly sauté sliced green and golden zucchini, scallions and bell peppers in a little olive oil until just softened. Seat aside to drain.

Mix together 4 pastured eggs, 1 cup fresh milk, 1 cup fresh cream, 1/2 teaspoon mace, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

To assemble

Spread the drained vegetables evenly on the bottom of the crust.  Fill the shell with the custard mixture and bake at 325 degrees for about 75 minutes or until set in the middle.  Don’t overcook.

Allow to cool, then refrigerate overnight.  Serve cold with a wedge of cheese and some fruit or reheat slices in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.


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Sunday Chicken

/ Ren

You might also like this recipe for Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad

Roast chicken and vegetables is a densely nutritional, healing meal. Here’s a really tasty all-in-one-pan recipe using olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs..

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Herb Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Partially peel and par-boil a few potatoes in salted water.  Drain, bash and set aside.

Wash a fresh, pastured chicken inside and out with plenty of kosher salt and cold, filtered water. Pat dry.

Stuff the cavity of the bird with fresh rosemary, sage and thyme and set in a large heavy skillet.

Surround the bird with potatoes and coarsely chopped garlic, leeks, purple carrots, beets or whatever root vegetables you have on hand.

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the contents of the pan.  Add fresh herbs and drizzle everything with olive oil and season with sea salt and cracked pepper.

Roast at 400 degrees until juices run clear, about 1 hour.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before carving and serving with pan juices.

Save the bones for soup stock.

Belgian Chocolate Bread with Crème fraîche

/ Ren

A not-too-sweet quick bread of whole wheat pastry flour, Belgian chocolate, plain kefir, pastured eggs and butter..

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Belgian Chocolate Bread with Crème fraîche and Blueberries

For the bread (measure flour by weight, liquid by volume)

6 oz organic pastry flour
2 oz organic whole wheat flour
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbl baking powder
2 oz non-refined sugar
4 oz natural cacao powder
4 oz Belgian chocolate chips
4 oz filtered water
4 oz plain kefir or yoghurt
2 lg eggs
4 oz melted butter

Chart from The Prepared Pantry

Chart from The Prepared Pantry

Mix the dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, kefir and butter.

Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.  Don’t over-mix.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a buttered 4×8 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees until just set, approximately 45 minutes. Don’t overbake.

Allow loaf to cool on a rack for 15 minutes.

For the Crème fraîche

Crème fraîche is similar to sour cream, but thicker and slightly more sweet than sour.

Mix together 3 parts fresh heavy cream and 1 part buttermilk or plain yoghurt. Cover and allow to stand on the counter overnight before refrigerating.


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Cocoa Lanka

/ Ren

Raw milk, cacao beans, star anise, Ceylon cinnamon, raw almonds, hemp seed and vanilla bean.  Hot cocoa for grownups..

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Simmer raw milk, split vanilla bean and fresh stevia leaves over medium-low heat.  Do not allow to boil.

Meanwhile, toast raw cacao beans, anise, cinnamon, almonds and shelled hemp seed in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 5-10 minutes.

Crush toasted spices in a mortar, add to the milk and simmer another 15 minutes.

Strain into a coffee mug, swirl in a little fresh cream and garnish with cinnamon and stevia leaves.

Sleep tight, friends..

Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the king Ravana in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and is the ancient name for present day Sri Lanka. The fortress itself was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the Trikuta Mountains Trincomalee.

Rama preparing for war against Ravana

Rama preparing for war against Ravana

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays


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(not your average) Liver and Onions

/ Ren

Sometimes described as metallic or overly strong tasting, mushy or tough or simply uninteresting, beef liver has gotten a bad rap over the years.  It doesn’t have to be that way..

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Liver and Onions with Bacon and Sage

click to enlarge

Pastured beef liver fried with bacon, just-dug onions, brown mushrooms and fresh sage leaves brings this inexpensive, nutritional powerhouse back to the dinner table.  Even the kids will dig it.

Select only the freshest, pastured beef liver, never the frozen feed-lot stuff from the supermarket.  Cut into 1/2 strips and lightly dredge in sprouted flour seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper.  Set aside.

Fry uncured, pastured bacon until crisp and all the fat has rendered out.

Add sliced onions and continue to cook until well browned.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon grease and reserve for another use.

Add 2 tablespoons pastured butter to the hot pan and swirl to combine with the remaining bacon fat.

Add sliced brown mushrooms (I like the dark, earthy-flavored varieties) and sauté until they begin to crisp on the edges.

Make sure that the skillet is still good and hot, then add strips of floured liver and coarsely chopped fresh sage and flat-leaf parsley.  Cook until well browned, turn and brown on the other side.

Arrange on a plate, drizzle with pan juices and enjoy.

Pan-fried beef liver is a good source of Iron and Zinc, and a very good source of Protein (approx. 22g per 4oz), Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium.

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Sour Cherry Scones with Vanilla Cream

/ Ren

A scone is a leavened quick-bread of Scottish origin.

Organic soaked wheat and malted barley flour, pastured butter, cacao nibs, dried cherries and raw cream..

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Soak 1 /1/2 cups of organic whole wheat flour in 1/3 cup filtered water and homemade whey overnight. Soaked flour is easier to digest, thereby increasing the bioavailability of the nutrients.

Pour fresh raw cream into a stainless steel or enameled pan.  Add a split and scraped vanilla bean and heat the cream very slowly until the surface begins to wrinkle, and then continue to heat until thickened, about 1 hour over low heat (do not let it boil, or you’ll have to start over).  Allow to cool to room temperature; this is the vanilla cream.

Stir 1/2 cup of malted barley flour into the soaked wheat flour and pour into a glass mixing bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt and then cut in 4 tablespoons pastured butter.  Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add 3/4 cup raw milk, 1/2 cup of raw cacao nibs and a cup of coarsely chopped, dried tart cherries.

Work by hand into a soft, slightly wet dough.  Mixture will be quite thick and a little sticky.

Drop heaping tablespoonful of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with rapadura and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Serve warm with additional cacao nibs and vanilla cream.

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival


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Truth in Labeling: What’s in Your Milk?

/ Ren

Eli Lilly wants you to get less information from your food label—and Ohio is defending that view in court!

Some dairy farmers choose to use an artificial growth hormone (recombinant bovine growth hormone or rbGH), produced and sold by Eli Lilly, to make cows produce more milk.

Unfortunately, rBGH has numerous harmful side effects for cows, and has been linked to a wide range of health problems for consumers.

But many retailers, as well as all organic dairies, sell milk products from cows that are not injected with synthetic growth hormones. They tell you that on the label, so you can choose the “no artificial growth hormones” or “rbGH-free” if you prefer it.

no.rBGH

Last year, Ohio issued a rule that will make this distinction more difficult for Ohio shoppers to find, and the state is defending the rule in an expensive court proceeding..

Subject: Fax Gov. Strickland: Stop Muzzling Ohio’s Organic Dairy Farmers

Dear Friend,

Ever since last year, Ohio dairy producers have been threatened by an onerous “emergency” regulation that muzzles their ability to communicate with their customers.

Specifically, the milk labeling rule, issued in May 2008, prohibits dairies from labeling their milk as “rbGH-free” and adds other unnecessary bureaucratic requirements that are getting in the way of dairy companies that want to tell you that their milk is produced without synthetic growth hormones.

Fortunately, Governor Strickland has the power to rescind this order unilaterally — and end the costly litigation brought by organic farmers challenging this unconstitutional infringement on their free speech rights.

I just sent Governor Strickland a fax asking him to act within his authority and immediately rescind his executive order. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/ohio_milk/?r_by=-2078349-G2A5xBx&rc=paste

Frequently Asked Questions About rBGH from Food Democracy Now!

What is rBST or rBGH?

Bovine somatotropin (BST) is a protein hormone naturally produced in the pituitary glands of cattle. Monsanto developed a recombinant version, rBST, by using a genetically engineered E. coli bacteria. Sold under the brand name “Posilac,” it is injected into cows to boost milk output in the short term. This practice is coming under increasing scrutiny. rBST is also known as rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone).

How does rBST affect the animals that receive this drug?

Posilac packaging lists many possible side effects of the drug, including reduced pregnancy rates, visibly abnormal milk, hoof disorders and a need for more drug treatments for health problems. Cows treated with rBST face a nearly 25% increase in the risk of clinical mastitis, a 40% reduction in fertility, and 55% increase risk of lameness. (The Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research, 2003)

Why is increased chance of infections like mastitis a problem?

In addition to the needless suffering of the animal, increased incidence of infections could lead to increased use of antibiotics and an increased risk of antimicrobial residues in milk and to antibiotic resistant bacteria. (“Report on Public Health Aspects of the Use of Bovine Somatotropin,” issued March 15-16, 1999, p.16, and available from The European Commission—Food Safety.)

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that “Decreasing unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic use, in humans and animals, will decrease the resistance pressure on the treated organisms. Ongoing efforts. . .are needed. . .so that the efficacy of antibiotics is preserved as long as possible.”

Is rBST allowed for use in other countries?

The product is already prohibited in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and in the 27 countries of the European Union.

How does rBST affect milk production?

rBST is known to increase the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in cows, which can lead to increased IGF-1 in milk. (“Report on Public Health Aspects of the Use of Bovine Somatotropin,” issued March 15-16, 1999, and available from The European Commission—Food Safety.)

What are the concerns about IGF-1 in milk?

Many studies have noted some links associated between IGF-1 levels and increased risk of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancer. (Holmes, Pollak, et. al. “Dietary Correlates of Plasma Insulin-like Growth Factor I and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 Concentrations” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, Sept. 2002, p. 852-861; Chan, Stampfer, et. al.“Plasma Insulin-like Growth Factor-I and Prostate Cancer Risk: A Prospective Study,” Science, January, 1998, p 563-566; Yu, Jin, et. al, Insulin-like Growth Factors and Breast Cancer Risk in Chinese Women, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, August 2002, p. 705-712.)

What other potential problems have come up?

Studies of animals exposed to rBST raise concerns about potential changes in milk protein that could lead to allergies. (“Report on Public Health Aspects of the Use of Bovine Somatotropin,” issued March 15-16, 1999, p. 17, and available from The European Commission—Food Safety.)

What do milk and milk product labels need to say about not using rBST?

Labels must be truthful and not misleading. To avoid misleading consumers, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance from February 1994 suggests a label statement such as: “from cows not treated with rbST” or other truthful description.

As recently as August 2007, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and FDA rejected a request for new restrictions on rBST marketing claims at the federal level. The FTC stated “food companies may inform consumers in advertising, as in labeling, that they do not use rBST.”

How does this issue compare with other types of truthful labeling statements?

Even if there is not currently any laboratory test that can distinguish between milk produced with rBST, and milk produced without rBST, other food labels regularly include truthful statements that are not verified by laboratories. Examples include: state or country of origin, type of water, such as spring or well, specific names of wines, such as Riesling, that must have at least 90% Riesling grapes, and statements about the age of products such as cheese or whiskey. It’s not right to single out dairy as requiring a lab test for truthful statements about production practices.

You can find more information at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility – Campaign for Safe Food.

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Wild Alaskan Halibut Chowder

/ Ren

Spectacular flaky white halibut, Kennebec potatoes, celery, onions, streaky bacon and fresh cream..

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Cut uncured bacon into 1/4 inch dice and cook in a heavy skillet until crisp and all fat has been rendered.

Meanwhile, dice and blanch 2 Kennebec potatoes in salted boiling water.  Cook until not quite tender, drain and set aside.  Place a thick halibut fillet in a small, heavy skillet, drizzle with olive oil and season with Old Bay.  Cook in a 400 degree oven until it flakes easily but is not quite done, perhaps 10 minutes.  Set aside.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat, lower heat to medium low and add 1 tablespoon pastured butter.  Add minced garlic, sliced green onions and diced celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup clam juice and potatoes, simmer 5 minutes.  Add halibut and fresh cream and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Season to taste with sea salt and cracked pepper and ladle into a bowl or onto a deep dinner plate.  Garnish with fresh parsley and chives.

High in protein and Omega-3, long-line caught wild Alaskan halibut is a sustainable best-choice

Tuscan White Bean Soup

/ Ren

How to turn a can of beans into a healthy, hearty meal..

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Recipe serves two

1 BPA-free can of organic cannelloni beans, drained, liquid reserved
1/4 head organic green cabbage, cut into large dice
3 large cloves organic garlic, coarsely chopped
2 inches mid-section organic leeks, sliced
2 stalks organic celery, leaves included, sliced
1 organic carrot, diced
3 inches Spanish chorizo, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh sage

olive oil
pastured butter
chicken stock
marjoram, parsley, sea salt and cracked pepper

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon pastured butter, carrots and celery and sauté 2 minutes.

Add garlic, chorizo and leeks and sauté 2 minutes more.

Add beans and enough chicken stock and reserved liquid to almost cover.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, fry slices of crusty bread in pastured butter with marjoram and parsley.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and bits of roasted red pepper, serve with warm croûtons.


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Triple Chocolate Espresso Coconut Cookies

/ Ren

Thanks to my free-range, pastured daughter, I have had cookies on the brain all day.  OK, I give.

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Triple Chocolate Espresso Coconut Cookies

Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson

Triple Chocolate Espresso Coconut Cookies
makes about 1 1/2 dozen

1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon freshly ground espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1/4 cup raw organic cacao powder

1/2 cup unsalted pastured butter, softened
2/3 cup non-refined sugar*
1 tablespoon molasses

1 large pastured egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup fair-trade semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup raw unsweetened organic coconut flakes

Whisk together the flour, espresso, baking soda & powder, salt and cacao.  Beat the butter until fluffy, then beat in the sugar, egg and vanilla.

Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture, stirring until just combined.  Fold in chocolate chips and coconut flakes.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, pulling them out while still moist and soft.

Allow to cool 5 minutes, serve warm.

*I’m using less sugar than in the original recipe.  You may modify to use alternative sweeteners such as brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup as you see fit.

Raw Cheese Queso and Fried Tortilla Chips

/ Ren

All local ingredients, including goat milk, raw cheddar, fresh jalapeños, herbs, vine-ripened tomatoes and toasted spices..

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Gather jalapeños, tomatoes, green onions, garlic and cilantro from your backyard (or CSA, farmers’ market or co-op), grab some fresh cream-top goat milk and raw milk cheddar from the fridge and whole cumin, coriander, sea salt, pepper, chili powder and Mexican oregano from the pantry.

Toast the seeds in a dry pan over moderate heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add oregano, garlic, chili powder and milk and simmer for a few minutes.

Stirring briskly, add peppers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lots of shredded cheese.  Continue to stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened, perhaps 5 minutes (do not let the mixture boil, or you will lose valuable nutritional value and risk curdling the sauce).  Add a little more milk if too thick, a little more cheese if too thin.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat a scant amount of rendered pork fat in a comal or skillet over medium heat.  Fry freshly made tortillas for about 2 minutes, flip and fry 1 minute more.  Allow to drain briefly on paper towels before cutting into triangles; they should turn out flaky-crisp, not greasy.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays


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Sardine Salad Sandwich

/ Ren

If you’re one of the millions who’ve given up eating canned tuna because of health and environmental concerns, I have a tip for you.  Substitute sardines.  Wild-caught, boneless, skinless sardines are sustainable, have virtually undetectable levels of mercury/PCBs, are loaded with healthy omega-3s, calcium and B vitamins and taste very much like tuna in things like tuna salad or casserole.  Did I mention inexpensive?

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Sardine Salad Sandwich

 

Sardine Salad Sandwich

Adapted from Simply Recipes

1 tin of Pacific wild-caught sardines, partially drained
2 Tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise
1/4 purple onion, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped finely
1 Tablespoon of capers
Juice of half of a lemon
Pinch or two of dill
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of homemade mustard

Lightly toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  Season with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.  Serve on sprouted toast with field greens and fresh tomatoes..

This post is part of the Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Don’t Let Chipotle Fool You

/ Ren

Update: September 10, 2009

I am very pleased to be able to report that East Coast Growers and Packers has entered into an agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers whereby the workers will get better pay and better working conditions.  Chipotle Mexican Grill has in turn contracted with ECGP to buy the tomatoes picked by the CIW workers.

Great progress!

Posted by Peter Rothberg

“I hope that all our customers see this film (Food, Inc.),” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. “The more they know about where their food comes from, the more they will appreciate what we do.”

Or not..

Sacrificing farmworkers on the altar of health reform?

Sacrificing farmworkers on the altar of health reform? (photo CIW)

Sustainable food leaders’ letter
to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells

June 15, 2009

Mr. Steve Ells, CEO
Chipotle Mexican Grill
1404 Wynkoop St., Ste. 500
Denver, CO 80202-1729

Dear Mr. Ells,

We write with admiration for your efforts to create a socially just and environmentally responsible restaurant chain. We applaud your goal of sourcing “food with integrity,” food that’s “unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal.” Chipotle points the way to a new business model for national-scale restaurant chains: rather than scouring the globe for the cheapest commodities, restaurants should source in a region-appropriate way – bolstering and not undercutting regional food production networks.

Yet for us, naturally raised meat – important as it is – does not trump decently treated human beings. We are outraged by the working and living conditions we have seen in the Immokalee area of Florida, source of some 90 percent of the winter tomatoes consumed in the United States. Many of us have visited Immokalee, and see it as a stark example of the vast power discrepancies in our food system. In the winter-tomato market, a small number of very large buyers dictate terms to the seven or eight entities that control land in tomato country; those growers, in turn, squeeze the workers in brutal fashion. Real wages have fallen dramatically in Immokalee over the decades and now hover well below poverty level; housing conditions would not be out of place in apartheid-era South Africa. These are the normal conditions, experienced by thousands of workers in south Florida. No one can be surprised that in some extreme cases, right now, some of the people who pick our tomatoes are living in what can only be called modern-day slavery: held against their will and forced to harvest tomatoes without pay. In this context, Chipotle cannot claim the same integrity for the tomatoes it serves as it does for its meat, much less guarantee its customers that the tomatoes in its burritos were not picked by slaves.

We realize that Chipotle has announced that it’s paying an extra penny per pound for tomatoes, but we have to ask: What has Chipotle done since that announcement to identify and cultivate growers who are willing to raise their labor standards and pass the penny along to their workers? Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with – and incubating – meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry – together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change.

We view the CIW’s struggle for dignity as a non-negotiable part of the struggle for a sustainable food system. Therefore, we strongly urge you to enter into an agreement with this worker-led organization that has been fighting tirelessly to improve conditions in tomato country since 1993. As you know, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange has acted to block the penny-per-pound raise agreed to by McDonald’s, Yum Brands, Burger King and others, by threatening to fine any grower who cooperates with the buyers and the CIW. The extra penny paid out by these companies now sits in an escrow account, and workers in the fields continue making the same dismal wage. The growers clearly fear the power tomato pickers have galvanized through the efforts of the CIW and Chipotle’s refusal to sign an agreement with the CIW only bolsters the growers’ intransigence.

Last month, another national-scale food company with a social mission, Bon Appetit, signed a far-reaching deal with CIW that goes well beyond the penny per pound raise. We urge you to study the CIW-Bamco agreement and step up your efforts to identify growers – big or small – who will work with you to make “food with integrity” truly “fair food.”

If Chipotle is sincere in its wishes to reform its supply chain, the time has come to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as a true partner in the protection of farmworkers rights.

Respectfully,

* Eric Schlosser, Author, Fast Food Nation, Co-Producer “Food, Inc.”
* Robert Kenner, Director, “Food, Inc.”
* Raj Patel, Author, Stuffed and Starved
* Frances Moore Lappé, Author, Diet for a Small Planet
* Curt Ellis, Co-Producer, “King Corn”
* Will Allen, Founder & CEO, Growing Power, Inc.
* Erika Allen, Chicago Projects Manager, Growing Power, Inc.
* Winona LaDuke, Executive Director, Honor the Earth
* Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA
* Ben Burkett, President, National Family Farm Coalition
* Kenny Ausubel, CEO and Founder, Bioneers
* Jim Cochran, Founder and President, Swanton Berry Farm
* John Peck, Executive Director, Family Farm Defenders
* Clayton Brascoupe, Program Director, Traditional Native American Farmers Association
* Ronnie Cummins, National Director, Organic Consumers Association
* Rob Everts, Executive Director, Equal Exchange
* Bill Ayres, Executive Director, WHY (World Hunger Year)
* Andy Fisher, Executive Director, Community Food Security Coalition
* Kathryn Gilje, Executive Director, Pesticide Action Network North America
* Eric Holt Gimenez, Executive Director, Food First/Institute for Development Policy
* Tom Philpott, Food Editor, Grist.org; Co-Founder, Maverick Farms
* Anna Lappé, Co-Founder, Small Planet Fund and Small Planet Institute
* LaDonna Redmond, President, Institute for Community Resource Development
* Brahm Amahdi, Co-Founder and Executive Director, People’s Grocery
* Margaret Williams, Executive Director, The Food Project
* Jacquie Berger, Executive Director, Just Food
* Jim Goodman, Kellogg/IATP Food & Society Policy Fellow; Organic Dairy Farmer
* Sean Sellers, IATP Food & Society Policy Fellow
* Michael O’Gorman, Director, Just Farms Consulting
* Stephen Bartlett, Coordinator, Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville (SAL)
* South Central Farmers (LA)
* The Real Food Challenge
* Just Harvest USA


(photo CIW)

The CIW is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida.

We strive to build our strength as a community on a basis of reflection and analysis, constant attention to coalition-building across ethnic divisions, and an ongoing investment in leadership development to help our members continually develop their skills in community education and organization.

learn more


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Keep it Simple

/ Ren

Books, movies, TV, the Internet..  its easy to be overwhelmed by the ton of health and diet information that’s out there, some of it good, some not so much.  How do you tell the difference?

What it really all comes down to is that we must stop eating those mass-produced things that contribute to diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity and get back to eating fresh, whole, minimally processed foods.  You know, the stuff that our great grandparents ate and would still recognize today.

Throw away the processed sugar and flour, the pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives and synthetic vitamins and eat the way nature intended.  Eat as if your life depends on it.

Here’s a simple, healthy and nutritious summer lunch of hard-cooked pastured eggs, homemade mayonnaise & mustard and just-gathered tomatoes, herbs and wild greens.  Totally delicious.  I’m heading back to work feeling good today..

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For egg salad, place pastured eggs in a deep pan and cover with cold filtered water; the eggs should be 2 inches below the surface.  Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.  Immediately cover the pan, remove from heat and allow to sit 10 minutes.

Drain the water, roll the eggs around to crack the shells, and cover the eggs with ice water.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before handling.

Peel the shells and dice the eggs into a bowl.  Add approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of coarse, homemade mustard for every 4 eggs, along with a squeeze of fresh lemon and good bit of sea salt and cracked pepper.  I’m adding fresh chives and tarragon, just because that’s what looks good in my container garden today.

To serve, dress field greens with oil & vinegar, mound egg salad on top and garnish with tomatoes and black olives.

(Mother Earth News) Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture.

Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene


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This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival


Chopped Liver

/ Ren

If you like country paté, liverwurst or braunschweiger, chances are you’ll enjoy this deliciously rich, easy-to-make spread..

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Sauté a chopped onion in a bit of rendered duck or chicken fat until browned.  Add a pound of fresh, clean chicken liver and cook until firm and browned, but still very slightly pink on the inside.  Set aside to cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, prepare hard-boiled pastured eggs.  Cool, remove shells and chop.

Transfer liver to food processor and pulse with marjoram, allspice, sea salt and cracked pepper to taste.  Add a teaspoon of cognac or vermouth if you like.

Spread toasted pumpernickel or dark sprouted rye with a very thin layer of duck or chicken fat (in place of butter), then spread liver over the top.

Dress with chopped eggs and chives.

Chicken liver is a good source of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium.


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Meatless Monday: Mother-in-Law’s Tongue Pasta

/ Ren

Fennel, Italian peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic and green onions all grilled together with olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, Italian parsley, lemon and fresh oregano.  Served over mother-in-law’s tongue pasta and topped with shaved Grana Padano cheese.

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Let’s Get Well

/ Ren

ad5 “Daisie Adelle Davis (25 February 1904 – 31 May 1974), popularly known as Adelle Davis, was an American pioneer in the fledgling field of nutrition during the mid-20th century. She advocated whole unprocessed foods, criticized food additives, and claimed that dietary supplements and other nutrients play a dominant role maintaining health, preventing disease, and restoring health after the onset of disease:

Research shows that diseases of almost every variety can be produced by an under-supply of various combinations of nutrients… [and] can be corrected when all nutrients are supplied, provided irreparable damage has not been done; and, still better, that these diseases can be prevented.

Davis is best known as the author of a series of books published in the United States between 1947 and 1965. One of her books, Let’s Have Healthy Children states that Davis prepared individual diets for more than 20,000 people who came to her or were referred to her by physicians during her years as a consultant. She was also well known for her scathing criticism of the food industry in the United States. In the early 1970s, she addressed the ninth annual convention of the “International Association of Cancer Victims and Friends” at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. After citing U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics about tens of millions of people in the United States suffering from afflictions such as arthritis, allergies, heart disease, and cancer, she stated, This is what’s happening to us, to America, because there is a $125 billion food industry who cares nothing about health.”  -wiki

Adelle Davis Foundation


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Savory Lamb Wraps

/ Ren

Local pastured lamb, green onions, vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic, fresh oregano, fresh mint, Greek yogurt, sea salt, cracked pepper.

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Sauté freshly-ground lamb in a small amount of ghee, coconut or olive oil until browned.  Add slivered green onions, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper, stirring to combine.

Spread yoghurt on the inside of pita or other flat bread and spoon lamb filling over the top.  Dress with fresh chopped tomatoes and a squeeze of fresh lemon garnish with fresh mint.


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Shop this recipe at Wheatsville

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Co-op's - questioning authority since 1844

Let the fire of liberty be lit

/ Ren

Via Hartke is Online

USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program

By David E. Gumpert & William Pentland
The Nation

“NAIS, ostensibly intended to contain disease outbreaks among livestock, has sparked the most severe political backlash rural America has seen in decades. The controversy stems primarily from the backhanded way the government has imposed a deeply unpopular policy. By introducing NAIS as regulatory changes, the USDA has short-circuited the democratic processes designed to protect the public from government overreaching. Congress has never debated NAIS, and few elected officials have been held accountable for its consequences. The USDA has backed off the original plan to make NAIS mandatory and fully operational by 2009 and now describes the program as “voluntary.” While it may be voluntary on the federal level, the USDA has pushed states to make NAIS mandatory for their local farmers.

“Farmers like us, we don’t want handouts or disaster payments or loans,” said Kim Alexander, who raises livestock in central Texas. “We just want to be left alone to raise clean and healthy food for people who will pay a premium because they know it’s clean, healthy and local and not contaminated with a bunch of poisons.”

A handful of industry stakeholders have cast their shadow over nearly every component of NAIS–past, present and future. A consortium of industry leaders–Cargill Meat Solutions, Monsanto and Schering-Plough, among others–pushed for NAIS for more than a decade and finally won the USDA’s approval shortly after George W. Bush took office in 2001. The consortium, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA), designed NAIS for the USDA.

Critics contend NAIS will be the death knell for small farmers, some religious minorities and organic agriculture generally in America. Although the program will amplify American agriculture’s influence in global markets, it will give commercial agriculture an unprecedented monopoly on the future of food–a brave new era of synthetic agriculture and genetically engineered animals.

This era is not beyond some remote horizon. It has already begun. On December 19, the leading cloned livestock producers announced a program designed to monitor meat and milk products from cloned animals as they moved through the food chain. NAIS is the “tracking system” the industry will use to commercialize cloned livestock on a mass scale.

NoNAISpiglaugh200

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

Alexander Family Farm

All-natural, grass-finished, and pasture-raised beef, turkeys, chickens, lamb, and eggs. Eggs are available at the farm, Fresh Plus markets, Wheatsville Co-op, and Farm to Market Grocery.

3700 Victorine Ln., Del Valle, Texas, 512/247-4455. www.localharvest.org

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URGENT! Need for CLEAN Water for the Homeless in Austin, Texas

/ Ren

From Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Inc.

July 06, 2009

30 People Delivering Water to #Homeless In ATX From Their Cars. Can You Help?

We have a small army of folks delivering water from their own vehicles to the people who find themselves living on the streets of Austin, Texas.  Empowering people to serve in this way can really avert a disaster.  Dehydration can lead to some pretty devastating health issues.  The heat index in Austin is consistently 105 degrees and higher and puts all of us at high risk to dehydration particularly the homeless.  Here is how you can become a part of this growing army:

  • We have an unlimited supply of water and ice at our commissary in West Lake Hills (www.mlfnow.org/directions).  If you come tonight (July 6) at 6:30 PM you can be trained on how to access those supplies at your convenience.  All you need is an ice chest and your own vehicle.  If this time does not work for you let us know and we will accommodate your schedule, or
  • You can simply go purchase your own water to hand out.  I have seen case prices at around $3.77 per case.  Even if the water is not iced down it makes a big difference.  Water is water regardless of the temperature and provides fluid to our internal cooling system.  So just load up your car and hand water out to anyone who you see along the way that is in need.



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Caramelized Leeks, Carrots & Wild Mushrooms in an Oregano Vermouth Cream Sauce

/ Ren

Caramelized purple heirloom carrots, leeks, wild mushrooms and garlic over a fresh oregano vermouth cream sauce with red pepper flakes, cracked peppercorns and finishing salt.  Topped with Grana Padano cheese.

This one’s going on the menu..

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click to enlarge

Bring chicken stock and dry white vermouth to a boil then add a variety of clean, dried wild mushrooms such as morel and chanterelle. Turn off heat and allow mushrooms to reconstitute for about 20 minutes.  Remove mushrooms, squeeze dry and set aside.

Return chicken stock/mushroom liquor to a gentle boil and reduce in half by volume.  Whisk in fresh cream and chopped fresh oregano and continue to simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with S&P.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet.  Add sliced carrots and cook until they begin to brown.  Add pastured butter and leeks and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Add mushrooms and chopped garlic and cook another 5 minutes.  Stir in a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley and red pepper flakes and toss to combine.

Spoon or ladle cream sauce onto a dinner plate then mound vegetables on top.  Season with finishing salt, cracked peppercorns and shaved cheese.

This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Carnival


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Giveaway: Nourishing Traditions, Wild Fermentation

/ Ren

We have a winner!

Congratulations, Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship! Please send your shipping info to “ren AT ediblearia DOT com” and UPS should be ringing your doorbell in a couple of days.

Thank you all for participating, and be sure to check back soon for details on the next giveaway!

ps  I’d love to hear any ideas you might have for the next giveaway.  Thanks, everyone!

“Unfortunately, fermented foods have largely disappeared from the western diet, much to the detriment of our health and economy. For fermented foods are a powerful aid to digestion and a protection against disease; and because fermentation is, by nature, an artisanal process, the disappearance of fermented foods has hastened the centralization and industrialization of our food supply, to the detriment of small farms and local economies.“

So wrote Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions in the forward to Sandor Katz’ Wild Fermentation.

Fallon concludes by saying “Wild Fermentation represents not only an effort to bring back from oblivion these treasured processes, but also a road map to a better world, a world of healthy people and equitable economies, a world that especially values those iconoclastic, free-thinking individuals—so often labeled misfits—uniquely qualified to perform the alchemy of fermented foods.”

Fallon and Katz have both had a huge impact on the way that I  eat.  Indeed, it is their/your/our good old ways and modern science that underlay much of what I try to share here from day to day.  I know, some days are better than others, right?

OK, here’s the deal.  I feel strongly enough about the healing and nourishing power of traditional foods (that which Michael Pollan describes as food that our great grandmothers would recognize) that I’m going to send a copy of either Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions or Katz’ Wild Fermentation to one of you.  But first, you have to go on a little scavenger hunt.  Nothing too involved, but enough to let me know that your interest is sincere.  Cool?

To participate, just go spend some time looking around at either http://www.westonaprice.org/ or http://www.wildfermentation.com/, then come back here and tell me (using the comment section below) something that you want everyone to know about fermentation.  Dig around- there’s a lot of information out there!

I’ll choose one eligible entry at random, and ship the book to the winner at  any U.S. (only, sorry) address.  Contest ends in 1 week.

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival

Thai Green Curry Halibut

/ Ren

Wild Alaskan Halibut simmered in coconut milk with nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and cloves and fiery homemade green curry paste, cilantro, basil and toasted coconut..

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Separate 1 large BPA-free can of heavy coconut into milk and cream and set aside.

Cut fresh or fresh-frozen wild Alaskan halibut into 1 inch cubes and refrigerate. You’ll need about 6 ounces per person.

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse soy sauce, fish sauce, dried shrimp, fresh garlic, green chilies, galangal, lime leaves, lemon grass, coriander and cumin seeds with just enough coconut milk to keep the blade from seizing up.  The result should be a thick but soft paste.  Set aside.

Prepare Thai red rice according to package directions.  Keep hot.

Meanwhile, poach the halibut in the remaining coconut milk with nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and cloves.  We want it a little underdone for now.

Fry the curry paste in hot oil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.  Reduce heat to low and add the poaching liquid.  Whisk in reserved coconut cream then add the halibut and simmer until the fish is snow white and flakes easily when pressed with a fork.

Make a ring of rice in the center of the plate, then spoon halibut and curry into the middle.  Garnish with toasted coconut flakes, fresh basil and chili oil.

This post is part of the Clean Your Plate Challenge at The Nourished Kitchen


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Orange Ginger Pancakes

/ Ren

All organic, not too sweet..

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(Adapted from Magnolia Café)

this recipe will yield about 10 5-inch pancakes.

3 pastured eggs
1 or 2 oranges, sectioned, chopped, seeds & pith removed
2 tablespoons soft, minced crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons dried orange peel
1 teaspoon molasses (optional)
1/4 cup brewed coffee
2 cups whole wheat flour +  1/2 cup all-purpose flour soaked
overnight in 1 cup water + 1/2 cup thin yoghurt or kefir
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1/2 stick pastured butter

Combine the flours and soak overnight in water and yoghurt/kefir.

Cook orange pieces in a little water in a stainless steel skillet until it begins to break down.  Add minced ginger, orange peel and butter and cook until the consistency of melted jam.  Set aside.

Mix together flour, baking powder, soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add eggs, yoghurt or kefir, molasses and coffee and stir well.  Thin with a little filtered water if too thick.

Oil a comal or griddle with 1 tablespoon walnut oil and heat to 375 degrees.  Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto hot surface and cook for 2 minutes on the 1st side and 1 minute on the 2nd side.  Transfer to oven to keep warm until the last pancake is ready.

Serve topped with pastured butter and reserved orange-ginger topping.


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Cowboy Steak & Mexican Corn

/ Ren

1 1/4 inch thick grass-fed bone-in ribeye from Betsy Ross in nearby Granger, Texas.  Mopped in homemade BBQ sauce (lacto-fermented ketchup, organic molasses, vinegar, chili powder) and grilled over cured mesquite.  Served with roasted corn, green onions, red peppers, adobo seasoning, cilantro, cotija cheese and lime.

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meat and vegetables delivered by http://awesome.greenling.com


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Will Allen, Urban Farmer

/ Ren
Nigel Parry for The New York Times

Photo by Nigel Parry for The New York Times

“Will Allen is an urban farmer who is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to under-served, urban populations. In 1995, while assisting neighborhood children with a gardening project, Allen began developing the farming methods and educational programs that are now the hallmark of the non-profit organization Growing Power, which he directs and co-founded. Guiding all is his efforts is the recognition that the unhealthy diets of low-income, urban populations, and such related health problems as obesity and diabetes, largely are attributable to limited access to safe and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. Rather than embracing the “back to the land” approach promoted by many within the sustainable agriculture movement, Allen’s holistic farming model incorporates both cultivating foodstuffs and designing food distribution networks in an urban setting.”  —The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation


“Like others in the so-called good-food movement, Allen, who is 60, asserts that our industrial food system is depleting soil, poisoning water, gobbling fossil fuels and stuffing us with bad calories. Like others, he advocates eating locally grown food. But to Allen, local doesn’t mean a rolling pasture or even a suburban garden: it means 14 greenhouses crammed onto two acres in a working-class neighborhood on Milwaukee’s northwest side, less than half a mile from the city’s largest public-housing project.

And this is why Allen is so fond of his worms. When you’re producing a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of food in such a small space, soil fertility is everything. Without microbe- and nutrient-rich worm castings (poop, that is), Allen’s Growing Power farm couldn’t provide healthful food to 10,000 urbanites — through his on-farm retail store, in schools and restaurants, at farmers’ markets and in low-cost market baskets delivered to neighborhood pickup points. He couldn’t employ scores of people, some from the nearby housing project; continually train farmers in intensive polyculture; or convert millions of pounds of food waste into a version of black gold.”  –Street Farmer, NY Times


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Grilled Watermelon

/ Ren

On a plate, mix together guajillo honey, adobo seasoning, fresh lime juice and a pinch of sea salt.  Coat thick slices of watermelon on both sides, then grill over hot coals for a minute or two.  Happy almost 4th of July, everyone!

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“Guajillo honey looms large in the history, culture and economy of southwestern Texas, particularly in the development of Uvalde County, located about 165 miles southwest of the state capital, Austin. During the 1870’s when settlers were establishing farms and ranches in Uvalde County, they discovered caves and hollow trees full of bees and honey – a “bee paradise.” The land was nicknamed “brush country” because of the cat claw, kinnikinnick, white brush and Guajillo bushes. Guajillo was the main honey plant and the bees that fed on the Guajillo blooms produced a mild, light colored delicious honey”   -Slow Food USA

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Giveaway: Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert

/ Ren

We have a winner!

Congratulations, emilyolivemama! Please send your shipping info to “ren AT ediblearia DOT com” and UPS should be ringing your doorbell in a couple of days.

Thank you all for participating, and be sure to check back soon for details on the next giveaway!

ps  I’d love to hear any ideas you might have for the next giveaway.  Thanks, everyone!

Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert, Norteño Cooking of South Texas is one of my favorite everyday cookbooks, but it really is so much more than that.

Melissa Guerra grew up in the fierce beauty of the Wild Horse Desert of Texas (the rugged desert area from the Nueces River south to the Rio Grande), where her family has lived (and cooked) since 1791.  Working to preserve 8 generations of food traditions and techniques, Guerra offers the original versions of Texican standards such as Chile con Carne, Enchiladas and Chiles Rellenos, along with unique dishes such as Pumpkin Seed Brittle, Pineapple Wine and Point Isabel Stuffed Crab and  another 100+ authentic recipes.

Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert

Full of stories, family anecdotes and evocative sepia-tone photography, this book will have you cleaning cactus and grinding cornmeal in no time.  You may even find yourself preparing Lomito de Venado con Jalapeño one day.

So, here’s the deal.  I’m going to giveaway a copy of Dishes from the Wild Horse Desert to one of you, but first you have to go on a little scavenger hunt.  Nothing too involved, just enough to let me know that your interest is sincere.  Cool?

To participate, just go spend a little time looking around at melissaguerra.com, then come back here and tell me (using the comment section below) something, anything about what you found there.  Dig around a little- there’s more there than appears at 1st glance.

I’ll choose one eligible entry at random, and ship the book to the winner at  any U.S. (only, sorry) address.

If you have a blog, you can earn a second chance by mentioning this article and linking back to it at  http://ediblearia.com/2009/07/02/dishes-from-the-wild-horse-desert

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays


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Show Me The Whey pt. 2

/ Ren

In an earlier post, I took at look a using yoghurt as a source of liquid whey, which in turn can be used to make all sorts of great stuff like lacto-fermented ketchup or raisin chutney.  I also touched on some of the ways to use the solids that are left after the whey is removed.

In Show Me The Whey part 2, I take a closer look at some of the ways to use those solids, including a fresh cream cheese replacement and the traditional Middle-eastern labneh and oil-preserved, spice-coated dried labneh balls, all of which may be made at a cost of less than $5.

Once separated from its liquid whey, the solid labneh is ready for use as a replacement for cream cheese, including everything from a sweet or savory spread to crab & cream cheese wontons to cheesecake.  In this form, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to about a week, a little longer if salted.

Here, I’ve spread labneh on some thin pumpernickel (made from whole-grain sprouted rye) and topped with lingonberries & rosemary, fresh chives & black sea salt flakes and homemade orange-ginger jam with red pepper.  It would work just as nicely on a sprouted bagel with smoked salmon..

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Labneh on Pumpernickel with Assorted Toppings

Another good use for labneh is as labneh balls, which are made by rolling the labneh into balls, removing the remaining water by air-drying on absorbent paper for a day or so, rolling in spices such as dried mint or za’atar (sumac, thyme, sesame seeds and salt) and then preserving in olive oil.  Made this way, the labneh will last indefinitely on the counter (no refrigeration needed), or at least until it gets eaten..

This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday

Clean Your Plate Challenge

/ Ren
Love real food and have a recipe to share?  Join The Nourished Kitchen’s monthly Clean Your Plate Recipe Challenge and help celebrate good wholesome foods!
cyp150x150

Click to see this month's special ingredient

Vote for your favorite Farmers’ Market, America!

/ Ren

No Farms No Food

The message is simple and couldn’t be more clear—America’s farms and ranches provide an unparalleled abundance of fresh, healthy and local food, but they are rapidly disappearing.

Eighty-six percent of America’s fruits and vegetables are grown near metro regions, where they are in the path of development. And every hour we lose 125 acres of farm and ranch land. That’s why supporting local food and farms is more important than ever!

Take action to support healthy farms, healthy farmland, and healthy communities

American Farmland Trust

Charro Beans with Roasted Chayote and Red Chili Corn Pone

/ Ren

A traditional Mexican dish named for her charros (cowboys), charro beans (frijoles charros, cowboy beans) are pinto beans simmered with onions, garlic, chilies and tomatoes.  I’m adding black beans, epazote and Mexican oregano and serving it a roasted, scooped-out chayote (Aztec chayotli) squash with red chili corn pone on the side..

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Soak dried beans overnight, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water until not quite done, about 1-1 1/2 hours.  Set aside.

For the corn pone, mix together 1 cup of white or yellow stone-ground cornmeal with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of coarse chili powder.  Add 1 teaspoon lard or bacon grease, then carefully stir in 1 cup of boiling water (filtered). Allow to stand long enough to soften and cool, then form into 1/2 inch cakes about 3 inches in diameter.  Cover with a damp towel and set aside. (this corn pone is based on a recipe by author Crescent Dragonwagon)

Meanwhile, split and seed 1 or more chayote, drizzle lightly with oil, season with S&P and roast in a 375 degree oven until charred and tender, about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Toast whole cumin seed in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add 1 teaspoon lard or bacon grease, minced garlic, chopped onion and diced jalapeño and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and oregano, beans and the scooped out, chopped flesh of the roasted chayote along with enough of the bean liquor to just cover.

Simmer until beans are tender but intact, perhaps 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, reheat chayote in the oven or under the broiler and fry the pones in a small amount of butter until golden brown and crispy on the edges.

Spoon bean mixture into chayote shells and serve with hot corn pones and a roasted jalapeño.

Chayote is a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at cheeseslave.com


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Nestlé Unit Denied FDA Requests

/ Ren

(@marionnestle)

The Wall Street Journal reports that since 2006, Nestlé has consistently refused to allow FDA investigators to look at their safety records.  The company doesn’t have to.  All those pesky regulatory requirements are voluntary.

(The potential for) Death By Chocolate takes on a whole new meaning

Nestlé Unit Denied FDA Requests

By JANE ZHANG

The Nestlé USA plant at the center of a federal probe into an E. coli outbreak involving cookie dough refused to give inspectors access to pest-control records, environmental-testing programs and other information, according to newly released inspection reports covering the past five years.

In a September 2006 visit, for example, managers at the Danville, Va., plant refused to allow a Food and Drug Administration inspector to review consumer complaints or inspect its program designed to prevent food contamination. The inspector found dirty equipment and “three live ant-like insects” on a ledge but nothing severe enough to give the plant a failing grade.

A year earlier, officials at the Nestlé plant presented another FDA inspector with a list of things it wouldn’t do. “Among these are the refusal to review the firm’s consumer complaint file, refusal to permit photography, refusal to sign affidavits or receipts and refusal to provide specific information on interstate commerce,” the inspector wrote.

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Getty Images

Cookie-dough production at a Nestlé USA plant was suspended last week.

Healing Tomato Curry

/ Ren

Tomato curry is one of the most delicious and nutritionally powerful healing dishes around.  Start with homegrown tomatoes, just-dug onions, coriander leaves, garlic and red chili pepper..

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Peel, seed and chop just-picked tomatoes and set aside.

Koeh-199

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Cook jasmine, aged basmati, or long-grain brown rice in bone broth, vegetable stock or filtered water with a spoonful of turmeric and another of black pepper.  The piperine in the pepper increases the bioavailability of the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties of the turmeric.

Toast whole cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, mustard and coriander seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 5-10 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of raw, organic coconut oil to the pan and sauté the chopped garlic, slivered raw almonds, raisins, chopped curry leaves and chili pepper until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add reserved tomatoes, ginger, slivered onions and chopped coriander leaves and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Spoon tomato mixture over rice and garnish with yoghurt sprinkled with curry powder.

421,000 pounds of E. coli Contaminated Beef Recalled. Again.

/ Ren

SAO PAULO, June 16 (Reuters) – The world’s biggest beef processor JBS (JBSS3.SA) is under investigation by Brazil’s federal prosecutor’s office in a widespread corruption case that has targeted several companies in the beef industry.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer and exporter of beef, and its cattle industry has come under increasing criticism from environmentalists at home and abroad for its role in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

The beef recalls are FSIS Class I, meaning that “use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

Colorado Firm Expands Recall of Beef Products Due To Possible E. coli O157:H7 Contamination
Recall Release CLASS I RECALL
FSIS-RC-034-2009  HEALTH RISK: HIGH

Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Bryn Burkard

Editors Note: This recall release is being reissued to expand the June 24 recall to include approximately 380,000 pounds of assorted beef primal products.

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2009 – JBS Swift Beef Company, a Greeley, Colo., establishment is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include approximately 380,000 pounds of assorted beef primal products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today…

Less Than 20% Of Consumers Trust Food They Buy Is Safe and Healthy

/ Ren

Spotlights Consumer Attitudes on Food Products in Light of Outbreaks and Recalls

Armonk, NY — – 24 Jun 2009: A new IBM (NYSE: IBM) study reveals that less than 20 percent of consumers trust food companies to develop and sell food products that are safe and healthy for themselves and their families. The study also shows that 60 percent of consumers are concerned about the safety of food they purchase, and 63 percent are knowledgeable about the content of the food they buy.

The survey of 1,000 consumers in the 10 largest cities nationwide shows that consumers are increasingly wary of the safety of food purchased at grocery stores, and their confidence in – and trust of – food retailers, manufacturers and grocers is declining.

usda_sm“clean, safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled”

learn more

Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce

/ Ren

You might also like this post

Is there anything better (or easier) than tomato sauce made from the freshest ingredients?  Not only delicious, fresh cooked tomatoes are are loaded with lycopene and vitamins A and C.

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Start by peeling and seeding the tomatoes; bring a pot of filtered water to a boil, then turn it off and carefully blanch the tomatoes until the skins peel away, about 10-20 seconds.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes into a bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Cut tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out the seeds.  Diced the tomatoes and set aside.  The skins and seeds can be saved for the stockpot.

Dice onions and sauté in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.  Moisten the onions with a few drops of balsamic vinegar and/or an ounce or 2 of red wine.

Add garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 20-30 minutes.

Add chopped fresh basil and oregano and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Use immediately, or allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to refrigerator or freezer.

Click on the closeup of the basil in the picture below and see if you can spot the perfectly camouflaged critter hiding in the leaves..

This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays


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A Deadly Ingredient in a Chicken Dinner

/ Ren

By Douglas Gansler

Friday, June 26, 2009

“Most people don’t know that the chicken they eat is laced with arsenic. The ice water or coffee they enjoy with their chicken may also be infused with arsenic. If they live on or near a farm, the air they breathe may be infected with arsenic dust as well.

Why do our chicken, our water and our air contain arsenic? Because in the United States, most major poultry producers add an arsenic compound known as roxarsone to their chicken feed. Inorganic arsenic is a Class A carcinogen that has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and declines in brain function. Recent scientific findings show that most Americans are routinely exposed to between three and 11 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended safety limit.

The poultry industry has been using the feed additive roxarsone — purportedly to fight parasites and increase growth in chickens — since the Food and Drug Administration approved it in 1944. Turns out that the arsenic additive promotes the growth of blood vessels in chicken, which makes the meat appear pinker and more attractive in its plastic wrap at the grocery store, but does little else. The arsenic additive does the same in human cells, fueling a growth process known as angiogenesis, a critical first step in many human diseases such as cancer…”

Arsenic, Chinese Wheat Gluten, Antibiotics. What's in your chicken?

GM Corn, Arsenic, Contaminated Chinese Wheat Gluten, Antibiotics. What's in your chicken?

Three Sisters Succotash

/ Ren
Uh'Be'Ka'Yad'Un'Na', Alex Seowtewa

Uh'Be'Ka'Yad'Un'Na'

The Three Sisters (squash, maize, and beans) are the three main agricultural crops of some Native American groups in North America.

The Tewa and other Southwest tribes often included a “fourth sister” known as “Rocky Mountain bee plant”, which attracts bees to help pollinate the beans and squash.

Succotash (from Narragansett msíckquatash, “boiled corn kernels”) is a food dish consisting primarily of corn and Lima beans or other shell beans. Other ingredients may be added, including tomatoes, green and sweet red peppers, and possibly including pieces of cured meat or fish.

Using local ingredients and flavors of the Southwest, my variation attempts to honor the spirit of these important food traditions..

Roast white and yellow corn and carrots in a heavy skillet with some good animal fat such as bison or bear if you can get it, or beef marrow or pork belly if you can’t.  Cook until browned, about 10 minutes.

Add Lima or other beans, wild onions or leeks and summer squash, filtered water or bone broth and a fresh chili if you like, and simmer partially covered until beans are tender, perhaps 20 minutes.

Season with salt and smoked pepper and garnish with fried squash blossoms and toasted pumpkin seeds.

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This post is part of Kelly The Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesdays


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Orange Ginger Salmon

/ Ren

Orange ginger salmon with black bean garlic udon..

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Marinate wild Alaskan salmon in ponzu shōyu (citrus-based soy sauce) with slices of soft crystallized ginger and fresh orange pieces and juice for no more than 1 hour.

Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, blanch, shock, drain and set aside fresh udon noodles.

In a second skillet, sauté sliced scallion and slivers of red bell pepper in a tablespoon of peanut oil.  Add julienned orange peel, sesame seeds and coriander.  A 2 tablespoons of black bean garlic sauce and stir to combine.

Lightly oil then sear the salmon skin side up until rare, then turn and spoon marinade over the top and allow to bubble until medium rare, about 2-3 minutes.

Toss reserved noodles in black bean sauce and use as a bed to place the salmon on.  Dust with shichimi tōgarashi (ground red chili pepper with nori and hemp).

The “People’s Department”

/ Ren

President Abraham Lincoln formed the Department of Agriculture in 1862.  Now known as the USDA, the agency is charged, in part, with

  • assuring food safety
  • protecting natural resources
  • fostering rural communities
  • ending hunger in the United States and abroad

The current administration is giving itself high marks – what do you think?

Are you optimistic that things are improving or is it big business as usual?  How much measurable progress has been made in the last 10, 20, 50 or 100 years?  Let us know in the comments..

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/127078/markofwh1964%5B1%5D.avi

“clean, safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled”

usda_sm

Unser täglich Brot

/ Ren

Before Food, Inc., Fresh The Movie and Food Matters came a film called Unser täglich Brot (Our Daily Bread), a behind the scenes look at industrial food production and high-tech farming. 

Alternately beautiful and frightening and shot entirely without dialogue, the film leads us through a lucid dream-like look at the immense systems that produce our food.  The crops, the animals, the people and the spaces..

I don’t think I moved an inch in my chair the whole time I was watching it, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.  Stunning!

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/127078/brot_t4_hi%5B1%5D.mov

Additional trailers and information:

http://www.ourdailybread.at/

http://homevideo.icarusfilms.com/new2006/odb.shtml

UNSER TÄGLICH BROT Hauptmotiv 2

Pindi Chana

/ Ren

Spicy chickpea curry simmered in a tomato base with whole spices, potatoes and onions..

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Canned garbanzo beans work well here- try to use an organic brand that comes in a glass jar or a non-BPA lined can.

Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch dice and sauté in ghee over medium-low heat until softened, about 10 minutes.  Increase heat to medium and add diced onion, whole cardamom, cloves, slit red chilies, bay leaf, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, curry leaves and cinnamon.  Sauté until spices are fragrant and onions are golden brown, about 7 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, garbanzos, turmeric, paprika and ginger and 1/2 cup of filtered water. Cover and simmer over low heat until beans are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Serve topped with minced onion and accompanied with grilled flat bread.



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Chocolate Cherry Scones with Clotted Cream

/ Ren

Organic soaked wheat and malted barley flour, pastured butter, cacao nibs, fresh cherries and raw cream..

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Pour fresh raw cream into a pan and let stand overnight. Heat the milk very slowly until the surface begins to wrinkle, and then continue to heat 1 hour over low heat.  Do not let it boil, or you’ll have to start over.

Transfer the pan to a cool spot and allow to sit overnight.  In the morning, skim the clotted cream from the surface and refrigerate until ready to use.

Soak 1 /12 cups of organic whole wheat flour in filtered water and homemade whey overnight.  Just before preparing, stir in 1/2 of malted barley flour and pour into a glass mixing bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt and then cut in 4 tablespoons pastured butter.  Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add 3/4 cup whole milk, a cup of chocolate cups and a cup of coarsely chopped, fresh pitted cherries.

Work by hand into a soft, slightly wet dough.  Drop heaping tablesponsful of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Serve warm with clotted cream.

Sprouted Wheat Salad

/ Ren

An all organic, raw, living salad of sprouted wheat berries, heirloom tomatoes, green onions, Anaheim peppers and garlic dressed with coarse salt and pepper, olive oil and basil hydrosol, with herbs and field greens..

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Raw foods have profoundly higher nutritional value and are full of the life-sustaining enzymes that are lost when foods are cooked.

“Sprouts are a tremendous source of (plant) digestive enzymes. Enzymes act as biological catalysts needed for the complete digestion of protein, carbohydrates & fats. The physiology of vitamins, minerals and trace elements is also dependent on enzyme activity.”

“Being eaten whilst extremely young, “alive” and rapidly developing, sprouts have been acclaimed as the “most enzyme-rich food on the planet”.

Its really easy to sprout wheat..

Use 1 part organic wheat berries to 3 parts filtered water.  Soak berries overnight, then drain thoroughly, rinse and drain again.  Set on counter, away from direct light.  I use a glass jar with a screen lid, but you could just as easily use cheesecloth and a rubber band.

Continue to rinse and drain 3 times a day for 2-3 days or until the sprouted reach 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length.  Keep sprouts refrigerated and use within 2 days.

Ham and Eggs Redux

/ Ren

Poached pastured duck egg on a thick slice of uncured, local ham with chili con queso and a grilled pepper..

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Duck eggs have something like three times the vitamin B12 and twice the vitamin B6 and vitamin A of chicken eggs and are somewhat richer in taste as well.  Skip the drive-through, poach an egg, grab a pepper from your garden and grill that with some real ham & see just how good you feel today!

“USDA’s proposed program could be compared to afinely crafted blueprint for a concrete blimp.”


This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays

Pickled Watermelon Radishes

/ Ren

There is some evidence that pickled vegetables help promote digestive health and lower cholesterol.  Health benefits aside, pickling is a really easy and delicious way of preserving the season’s bounty for months to come..

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The basic ratio (Ruhlman) for a pickling brine is 20:1, that is, 20 ounces of water (filtered) to 1 ounce of kosher salt.  To this you may add antimicrobial spices such as garlic, cloves or mustard and (optionally) a little non-refined sugar.

Bring the brine to a boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Mix in a few ounces of the liquid from a previous batch (if available) to intensify the flavor and color.

Pack the radishes into a clean jar and weight down (I’m using a bag of dried beans), then cover with brine and seal.

Keep at room temperature for about 1 week (or 3 days if you add whey) before transferring to the refrigerator.

While you don’t have to go through all the meticulous sterilizing that canning requires, it is important to use clean utensils and to use at least a 20:1 brine ratio.  Properly pickled, your radishes will have a ph of around 4.6 and will keep for several months.

Breakfast Burritos

/ Ren

“A chicken that in addition to grain has access to pasture and a natural diet of grasses, forbs, and insects produces eggs that are higher in nutrients. Pastured eggs have been found to contain less fat, less cholesterol, twice as much vitamin E, 40-62% more vitamin A and up to four times as much omega-3 fatty acids compared to the standard values reported by the USDA for commercial eggs. Pastured eggs also typically contain higher levels of carotenoids such as lutein and zexanthin.

The other great thing about pastured eggs is the taste! As soon as you crack one open you can tell-that deeply colored yolk carries with it an enhanced nutritional value, and a better, richer flavor.”  LocalHarvest

Pastured eggs, chorizo, fresh peppers, onions and cilantro wrapped up in an organic paprika/cayenne tortilla..

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"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates.

Dice Spanish chorizo, red bell and pickled jalapeno peppers, slice green onions.  Sauté in pastured butter with a little Mexican oregano over medium-low heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat fresh tortillas on a dry comal or skillet.

Crack eggs directly into pan with vegetables- rather than sticking, they should float over the thinnest of layers of butter and fat rendered from the sausage.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the eggs onto themselves several times, allowing them to spread back out in between times until set, about 4 minutes.

Arrange mixture in the center of a tortilla (I’ve spread a little chili con queso on mine), fold the edges inward then roll up like a fat cigar.  Pico de gallo makes a great side.


This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays

USDA: Candy Bars and French Fries Are Not Junk Food

/ Ren

Which of the following is considered a junk food according to national school nutrition standards?

A. Hi-C Blast – vitamin fortified sugar water
B. Poland Springs seltzer water – water with bubbles
C. French fries
D. Candy Bars

If you guessed A, C or D you’d be wrong.  Believe it or not, seltzer water is the only item on this list banned as a junk food because it doesn’t contain any vitamins or minerals. Yup, french fries, candy bars, and Hi-C aren’t officially considered junk food.  That’s just crazy when you consider that children ages 6-11 are four times more likely to be obese than children were a generation ago.1 Four times!  Today nearly one-third of all children are overweight or obese, placing them at heightened risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and many other serious diseases.2

momsrising

Time for an update! Sign our petition today — it will be hand delivered to Members of Congress June 24th:

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/1878/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1925

The petition says: “Please update outdated nutrition standards immediately to ensure our schools provide healthy food for our children!”

In what universe are candy bars NOT junk food?  The USDA’s school nutrition standards were developed in the 1970’s and are no longer consistent with nutrition science or current concerns regarding childhood health. For example, USDA does not consider candy bars, snack cakes, or french fries to be junk foods in schools.  USDA standards don’t even address calories, saturated, and trans fats or sodium.

Right now Congress is discussing ways to reduce health care costs in America. Improving nutrition in schools is one no-brainer answer.

Sign on our petition and we’ll get it delivered to the U.S. Capitol next week.  June 24th is Capitol Hill Advocacy Day for our friends at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  They’ve offered to deliver our petition along with your comments to our leaders in D.C. In fact, they have already arranged breakfast, lunch and meetings in-between with members of Congress on the Hill.  Let’s make sure they have a huge number of names signed onto the petition along with comments from us to deliver!  Our voices are key to letting Congress know that mothers and fathers care deeply about making sure our children can eat healthy food at school.

Sign the petition today!

http://momsrising.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/t/1878/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1925

*Can you also forward this email to five of your friends so they can sign too? The more signatures, we have, the more Congress will get the message that our children deserve healthy food.

Thank you for speaking up for all our kids,

— Joan, Kristin Mary, Donna, Sarah and the whole MomsRising.org team

P.S. Want to go help present these petitions on June 24th? http://fs2.formsite.com/OliviaH/FoodInc/index.html Or learn more about the Child Nutrition Promotion and school food? http://www.schoolfoods.org/resources.html

1,2 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Statement Regarding Release of Estimates of Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Children and Teens, http://www.rwjf.org/childhoodobesity/product.jsp?id=31611, Beyond Health Care – New Directions to a Healthier America, Robert Wood Johnson Commission to Build a Healthier America, p. 7. http://www.commissiononhealth.org/Report.aspx?Publication=64498

“We believe that federally funded nutrition programs should provide all children with the healthy food they deserve. This includes low fat and safe dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Schools should be soda and junk-food-free zones and serve food that complements and furthers parents’ efforts to feed their children healthfully.”

Action Alert

/ Ren

Grist Magazine, June 10, 2009

“As the Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill moves forward in the House, Big Ag interest groups are circling their plows and sharpening their pitchforks. Some of the largest corporations in the agribusiness sector-including the GMO-and-herbicide giant Monsanto-are pushing to control how agriculture would fit into the bill’s cap-and-trade scheme.

The main agent for their will is House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), who has launched a veritable jihad to make sure the historic climate legislation hews to the interests of “production” (i.e., industrial) agriculture. Via Farm Policy blog, here’s an MP3 clip of Peterson’s latest harumphing on Waxman-Markey, in an interview with a radio program called Agritalk, which is sponsored by Monsanto, Syngenta, and Archer Daniels Midland.”

Is this the change that you voted for?

Don’t Let Big Agribusiness Ruin Food Safety Reform

Take Action

June 16th, 2009

Dear Supporter,

Here’s the good news: after countless recalls, including the disastrous peanut butter-related Salmonella outbreak this winter, Congress is finally considering Congressman Waxman’s food safety bill — the bill goes to the House Energy and Commerce Committee this week.  The bad news?  You guessed it, big ag is pulling out all the stops to weaken the bill.  Can your tell your Member of Congress you want a strong food safety bill?

Big ag will always have more money to fight these battles than we do, but we have something they don’t — thousands of activists who will contact Congress.  Congress needs to hear from all of us if they are going to stand up to big ag.

Here’s what your Member of Congress needs to hear about the food safety bill:

1) The bill must include frequent inspections of food processing plants. The Peanut Corporation of America debacle showed that industry self-regulation just doesn’t cut it.

2) It must set strong standards for imports that are equal to the standards that apply to domestically produced food.

3) It must include sensible regulations that work for farmers of all sizes – that include flexibility, not one-size-fits-all rules geared toward the largest operations.

We won’t get many chances to fix our broken food safety system, so it’s critical that we stand up now and stop big ag from weakening Congressman Waxman’s food safety bill.  Can you contact your Member of Congress today?

http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/t/741/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1122

Thanks for taking action,

Alex, Sarah, Noelle and the Food Team
Food & Water Watch
goodfood(at)fwwatch.org

‘Food, Inc.’: Attention Must Be Paid To Food Supply

/ Ren

listen_icon Listen to the NPR Interview with Robert Kenner and Michael Pollan

The new documentary Food Inc. takes aim at corporate giants behind the U.S. food supply. As director Robert Kenner and food advocate and author Michael Pollan tell Steve Inskeep, they made the film in order to raise Americans’ awareness about where their food really comes from.

Pollan says he wanted to address “the pastoral illusion we’re spinning in the way we market food… You would think it comes from farms and that ranches with big hats are producing the meat.”

Cows are ruminants; they are designed to eat grass, not GM, pesticide-laden corn from giant industrial silos..

See more at www.cagefreefamily.com

See more at www.cagefreefamily.com

In fact, say Pollan and Kenner, America’s food comes primarily from enormous assembly lines, where animals and workers are being abused.

learn more

Rabbit Fricassée

/ Ren

Local, pastured rabbit in a sauce of game stock, shallots, mushrooms, thyme and fresh cream..

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Rabbit Fricassée

Break down a fresh rabbit by removing and splitting the leg quarters and removing the saddle, backbone and ribs and splitting the loin into 2 boneless halves.  Be sure to examine the liver- it should look and smell perfectly fresh and clean.  Clean kidneys and reserve with liver for another use (if you like liver, try frying rabbit liver & kidneys in butter and seasoning with plenty of salt and pepper- the taste is absolutely revelatory).

Lay the loins out on a cutting board.  Use a piece of wax paper and the flat side of a meat mallet to pound the loin into an even thickness.  Spread the loins with raw honey (heather, Tupelo or Guajillo work nicely) and season with fresh thyme, a little salt and black pepper.

Roll the loin up in lean, uncured bacon and secure with toothpicks about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Cut between the toothpicks to form little loin fillets.  Refrigerate.

Make a stock of the bones and trimmings, cold filtered water, celery, onions, carrots and garlic.  Bring to a boil, skim the scum, reduce heat and simmer 3-4 hours.

Poach the leg quarters in the stock until tender, about 1 hour.  Remove from stock and set aside.

Sauté the loin pieces in a little olive oil with minced shallots, mushrooms and garlic until browned, about 6 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with white vermouth and reduce.

Add stock and reduce.

Add fresh cream, thyme and homemade coarse mustard.  Add reserved loin and leg pieces and gently simmer until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper and serve.

This post is part of the Nourished Kitchen’s Clean Your Plate Recipe Challenge

Related Articles

Schmaltz, Gribenes and Chopped Liver

/ Ren

Its hard to take a pretty picture of chopped liver, but this nutritional power food is one of my favorites.

Schmaltz is a Yiddish term for rendered chicken fat.  Gribenes are the cracklings, a byproduct of schmaltz.  Both are used in making this traditional chopped liver spread..

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Remove the skin and trim the fat from a few joints of chicken and place into a heavy skillet over low heat.  Cover and cook 15 minutes, then remove cover and continue to cook until all the fat has melted and the skin is opaque, about 15 minutes more.  Pour off the rendered fat (this is the schmaltz) into a clean container and set aside.  Transfer cooked skin to cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle.

Chop onions and mince reserved chicken skin.  Cook in the same pan over medium-low heat, stirring often until well  browned, about 15 minutes (these are the gribenes);  add fresh thyme if desired.  Using a slotted spoon, remove to a cutting board and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, hard boil and cool and peel a couple of pastured eggs.

Add reserved schmaltz to the pan, increase the heat to medium and add the rinsed and cleaned chicken livers.  Fry until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Remove to the cutting board until cool enough to handle.

It is important to use only fresh, pastured chicken livers; what you find in the supermarket is generally full of chemicals and antibiotics.

Chicken livers are a good source of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium.

Mound together the eggs, livers and gribenes and chop through as if you were chopping parsley.

To serve, pile chopped liver on top of toasted rye or sourdough, season with lots of kosher salt and black pepper and dress with chopped eggs and parsley accompanied by a selection of tidbits such as gherkins, olives and yellow tomatoes.

Blueberry Bliss

/ Ren

One of my favorite summertime treats as a little kid was a bowl of wild blueberries with brown sugar and sour cream.  So good.

Here’s a riff on that happy memory, with fresh Texas blueberries, crèma Mexicana, shaved piloncillo, toasted coconut flakes, melted raw cocoa butter and a sprig of fresh mint..

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Rainbow Trout

/ Ren

A densely nutritious, healing meal of panko and almond-crusted fresh Idaho rainbow trout, sautéed in coconut oil with scallions, coconut flakes and wild dulse, with gingered forbidden rice and bunapi mushrooms..

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Prepare forbidden rice using a ratio of about 1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cup filtered water and/or vegetable stock.  Add a teaspoon of raw coconut butter and another of fresh minced ginger at the end.  Cover and keep warm.

Rinse, trim and pat dry fresh rainbow trout fillets.  Coat in a mixture of crushed almonds, parsley and panko crumbs and sauté in  coconut oil over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, sauté bunapi-shimeji mushrooms, coconut flakes, scallions and rinsed dulse until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.  Season to taste with black sea salt and Szechuan pepper.

Dulse is high in protein and contains all of the trace elements needed by humans.

To serve, dress salmon with vegetables and sriracha accompanied with rice and mushrooms.

Food, Inc. Opening Today!

/ Ren

Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner uses reports by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore’s Dilemma author Michael Pollan as a springboard to exploring where the food we purchase at the grocery store really comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations.

“Food, Inc.,” an informative, often infuriating activist documentary about the big business of feeding or, more to the political point, force-feeding, Americans all the junk that multinational corporate money can buy. You’ll shudder, shake and just possibly lose your genetically modified lunch. — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Learn more

Cherry, Oh Baby

/ Ren

From organic cherries..

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to cherry Kombucha!

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Kombucha is a probiotic culture of beneficial microorganisms, made by culturing organic black tea, sugar and (optionally) fruit juice. In use for more than 2,000 years, most kombucha drinkers report experiencing a general sense of well-being following consumption.

This particular batch has been made using the easy methods described at The Nourished Kitchen, and enhanced with the juice of fresh cherries.

This post is part of Food Renegade’s  Fight Back Fridays

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Smoked Knuckle Bean Soup

/ Ren

Dried beans are a great source of fiber, protein, B vitamins including folic acid and essential minerals.  Rounded out with fresh vegetables and a smoked pork knuckle in a healing bone broth, it becomes transcendent..

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Rinse, pick over and soak dried heirloom beans in filtered water overnight.  If sprouting your beans first, allow 3 days for the beans to produce 1/4″ sprouts.

Bring chicken bone broth, water, knuckle and beans to a boil, then skim and discard the scum.  Lower the heat to medium and let cook until a second layer of foam forms, then skim and discard it.

Add chopped onions, celery, mustard seeds, bay leaf and black pepper.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are tender, about 4 hours.

Remove the knuckle and allow to cool enough to handle.  Trim away the excess fat, then dice the remaining meat and crisp in a pan as you would bacon.  Add the meat, chopped tomatoes and tender lima beans to the soup and simmer another 20 minutes before serving.

Posted as part of Real Food Wednesdays

Roasted Asparagus with Capicola and Balsamic Grilled Peppers

/ Ren

Fresh pan-roasted asparagus wrapped in balsamic grilled peppers and capicola, with basil leaves, pecorino Romano and black olives..

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Wash and trim fresh asparagus, then steam until barely tender, about 4 minutes.  Immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process and retain color and nutrients.  Pat dry.

Lay out thin slices of capicola on a flat surface and place olive oil and balsamic marinated grilled peppers on top.  Add whole basil leaves and asparagus and roll up jellyroll fashion.  Secure with toothpicks.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat with just enough olive oil to prevent sticking.  Pan-roast until the edges of the meat begin to crisp and the asparagus starts to brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Drain briefly on paper towels, then transfer to a plate and dress with pecorino Romano, black olives and freshly ground pepper.

Pattypan Squash

/ Ren

Here’s a fast and tasty dish of seasonal patty-pan squash, heirloom baby San Marzano tomatoes, elephant garlic, red & green spring onions, fresh oregano, basil, Celtic sea salt and cracked black pepper.  Sautéed in a little olive oil with pastured butter and brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon..

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Bisphenol A is in You

/ Ren

Chemical Fallout

A Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report

Warning: Chemicals in the packaging, surfaces or contents of many products may cause long-term health effects, including cancers of the breast, brain and testicles; lowered sperm counts, early puberty and other reproductive system defects; diabetes; attention deficit disorder, asthma and autism. A decade ago, the government promised to test these chemicals. It still hasn’t.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently published the results of their investigation into the emerging BPA scandal.  Highlights include:

  • FDA relied heavily on BPA lobby
  • BPA leaches from ‘microwave safe’ products
  • EPA veils hazardous substances
  • Plastics industry behind FDA research, study finds
  • Donation raises questions for head of FDA’s bisphenol A panel
  • EPA fails to collect chemical safety data
  • Hazardous flame retardant found in household objects
  • EPA drops ball on danger of chemicals to children
  • Warning: Bisphenol A is in you
  • Are your products safe? You can’t tell

Learn More

Support the Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009

Coconut Curry Chicken

/ Ren

Yoghurt-marinated coconut curry chicken with jasmine rice, toasted cashews, raisins and creamed spinach..

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Remove the skin and bone from fresh, pastured chicken (I prefer thigh pieces for this) and cut into large pieces.  Marinate 4 hours or overnight in a combination of plain, whole milk yoghurt, coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder and black pepper.

To prepare, heat ghee in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and cracked green cardamom pods, coriander, cloves, black pepper, shards of Ceylon cinnamon and a whole red or green chili that has been slit open with the tip of a knife. Sauté, stirring continuously until brown.

Add chicken pieces and all of the yoghurt marinade to the pot, and stir to comine with the onions.  Thin with a little filtered water or chicken stock, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash and rinse a bunch of fresh spinach, cilantro and parsley.  Blanch in boiling water for several seconds, then purée with an immersion blender or food processor.  Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Meanwhile, prepare jasmine rice according to package directions.  Remove from heat, add raisins and cover until raisins are plump and all the water has been absorbed.

To serve, ladle spinach onto the center of the plate, top with rice and spoon curried chicken over the top.  Dress with toasted cashews and chopped parsley or cilantro.

Compound Tomato Sauce (lacto-fermented ketchup)

/ Ren

Also see updated recipe here

Adapted from a recipe in The First African-American Cookbook from 1881 using a method described by Sally Fallon, this is a rich, thick  fermented (rather than cooked) ketchup.  I left out the high fructose corn syrup, in case you feel like calling the food police..

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1 1/2 cups organic tomato paste (or make your own)
1/8 cup whey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (optional)
1/8 cup fermented fish sauce OR 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Grind dry ingredients together in a spice grinder or mortar.  Add to the rest of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and stir well to combine.

Add filtered water, if necessary, to achieve the thickness that you prefer.

Transfer ketchup to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and allow to sit at room temperature for 48-72 hours before transferring to refrigerator for long-term storage.



Thai Red Curry Cod with Mango Sticky Rice

/ Ren

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Sauté Thai red curry paste (chilies, shallots, galangal, fish sauce, herbs and spices) in oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk, fresh kaffir lime leaves, basil, scallions and red bell peppers and reduce to a simmer.

Add Alaskan cod filet and poach (turning once) until opaque, about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness.

Meanwhile, prepare jasmine rice with lemon grass and mango purée.

To serve, ladle curry onto plate or shallow bowl, add rice and place cod on top.  Garnish with a dollop of coconut cream, lime leaves, basil and red pepper.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

“Politics of the Plate”

/ Ren

As it was last year, the commercial salmon fishery south of the Canadian border will be closed in 2009. The cause is not over-fishing, but the failure of young salmon to survive long enough to leave their natal streams and enter the ocean.

Barry Estabrook, Gourmet Magazine

Sarah Palin and Alaskan salmon

“At the very least, there was something fishy about Alaska Governor (and Vice Presidential hopeful) Sarah Palin’s decision to speak out publicly against the state’s Clean Water Initiative late last month. There may also be something blatantly illegal about her advocacy for defeating the ballot initiative, which ultimately failed to pass when 57 percent of Alaskans voted against it.

A bit of background. The Clean Water Initiative (aka Ballot Measure 4) was put in place to restrict the amount of arsenic and other toxic pollutants that new, large-scale mines could dump into the state’s waterways. Its stated goal was to protect human health and safeguard salmon that use the rivers and streams to spawn. More specifically, it was aimed at a massive gold and copper operation called Pebble Mine located directly upstream of Bristol Bay, site of one of the world’s largest and most sustainable wild salmon fisheries, which produced 31 million pounds of king, sockeye, and chum salmon in 2007.

read more

White Bean Soup w/Caramelized Leeks, Fennel & Venison Sausage

/ Ren

Soak dry white beans overnight or use drained canned white beans if that’s what you have.

Cook diced pork belly and venison sausage until the meat is brown and all the fat has rendered.  Drain well, reserving 1 tablespoon of fat.

Add meat to simmering stock with cracked pepper, fresh thyme and marjoram.

Caramelize leeks and fennel in reserved fat, about 15 minutes.

Deglaze pan with white wine and add garlic, roasted red bell pepper and green chilies.  Add to the stock and simmer 20 minutes.  Skim away any accumulated grease.

Add beans and cooked orzo. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add 1 leaf softened gelatin.

Add a few squeezes of fresh lemon to brighten, and taste for salt.

Serve with smoked paprika and additional fresh herbs.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Moroccan Lamb with Grilled Tomatoes

/ Ren

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Crush together coriander, cayenne, cumin, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, allspice and sea salt and add ginger, bruised garlic, lemons and olive oil.  Marinate locally raised lamb loins in this mixture for at least 4 hours.

2 hours before dinner put together flat bread dough from flour, water, yeast, ghee, salt, yoghurt and Za’atar with sumac.  Let it rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  Roll or stretch by hand and bake in a lightly oiled pan at 400 degrees until brown on both sides (flip once), about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the lamb from the marinade and cut into 1 inch thick medallions.  Sauté in a little of the marinade with garlic over medium-high heat until cooked rare.  Transfer to side to keep warm (it will continue to cook off-heat).  Sauté fresh spinach and tomato wedges in same pan, season as you like.

To serve, alternate lamb medallions and tomato wedges on top of spinach, with flat bread, harissa and yoghurt on the side.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Obama’s New Chef Skewers School Lunches

/ Ren

Somebody certainly ought to.

“…During weekly Tuesday gatherings at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum in Chicago, Mr. Kass hosted “Rethinking Soup,” which he described as “a communal event where we will eat delicious, healthy soup and have fresh, organic conversation about many of the urgent social, cultural, economic and environmental food issues that we should be addressing.”

Sam Kass

Sam Kass

In May, over a meal of locally-produced beef and barley soup, Mr. Kass lamented the sorry state of the National School Lunch Program, which provides low-cost or free lunches to schoolchildren. He noted that what gets served up to kids is influenced by government agricultural subsidies. As a result, he says, meals served to students are low in vegetables and disproportionately high in fat, additives, preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup…”

[Full story]

So, Secretary Vilsack,  please do let us know what you intend to do about this, and when.

The Organic Consumers Fund, Organic Consumers Association’s partner for legislative and electoral advocacy, has a new graduate student intern, Chantal Wei-Ying Clement, who is working on our Appetite for a Change campaign, lobbying Congress for healthy local and organic food to be included in the Child Nutrition Act. Read Chantal’s first report reviewing the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations for updating the school lunch and breakfast programs. What changes would you make to school food? Write to Congress.

By the way, how many children of US senators and representatives do you think participate in the public school lunch program?

Duck Leg Demi-Confit, Wild Rice, Root Vegetables and Grand Marnier Demi-Glace (favorite)

/ Ren

Traditional French confit (kahn-FEE) of duck takes up to 8 weeks to make; its flavor is unparalleled.  This recipe uses similar techniques, approximating the flavor of traditional confit in just 24 hours (hence duck leg demi-confit).  Served with Grand Marnier demi-glace, root vegetables and wild rice..

The day before, rinse duck legs and pat dry.  Place on top of a 1/8 inch bed of kosher salt in a non-reactive dish.  Add a dozen bruised garlic cloves to the dish.  Season duck with ground bay leaf, thyme, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, corriander and cumin.  Cover duck completely with kosher salt, cover dish and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

2 hours before dinner, remove the duck and garlic from the refrigerater and brush away all of the salt.

Brown the duck legs in rendered duck fat, remove to a side dish and pour off (and reserve) all but 2 tablespoons of fat.  Sauté celery, leeks, carrots, thyme and garlic in same pan until browned, about 10 minutes.

Return duck to pan and add enough homemade chicken stock to cover all but the tops of the duck.  The goal is to braise the duck until tender, but still have a crispy skin.  Season liberally with fresh cracked pepper and place in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven to 300 degrees and remove pan.  Add wild rice and more stock if neccessary.  Baste duck with reserved fat and return to oven for 1 hour.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the duck and vegetables to a side dish and keep warm.  Degalze pan with Grand Marnier, add chicken stock and reduce quickly.  Finish with demi-glace.

To serve, arrange duck on top of vegetable rice mixture, dress with demi-glace and garnish with slivered scallions and orange pieces.

Tagliatelle with Chicken Ragù

/ Ren

Fresh tomatoes and savory chicken thighs, redolent of fresh herbs..

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In a Dutch oven, brown chicken leg quarters in olive oil.  Add celery, onions, carrots and garlic and continue to cook until vegetables are browned.

Add cold water with bay leaf and peppercorns to cover.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 hours.

Remove chicken with skin to cutting board to cool.  Strain chicken stock and reserve for another purpose.

Sauté red & green bell peppers, garlic, shallots, carrots, celery.  Add white wine, tomatoes and pulled chicken and simmer until most of the water is evaporated, about 30 minutes.

As for Jewish gribenes, crisp reserved chicken skin with a bit of onion, julienne and set aside.

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain and add chopped parsley.

Add fresh herbs such as basil, oregano and marjoram to the sauce.  Add sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

To serve, ladle ragù over pasta and top with parmesan, romano, asiago fresco and strips of crisped chicken skin.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Seafood Bisque

/ Ren

My Cagefree Family called from the Georgia coast this afternoon to ask if the shrimp coming in off the local boats is safe for babies and mamas (it is), which of course made me think about dinner.  I didn’t have any fresh shrimp, but I did have a bit of Alaskan salmon, cod and crab..

Make a stock of filtered water, celery, onions, bay leaf, white peppercorns, lemon slices, thyme and white wine.

Put filets of salmon and cod (or whatever sort of fish you have) into a wire basket and place that in the simmering stock to poach until just barely done.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, strain and reduce the poaching liquid until flavorful, about 30 minutes.

Finely chop fennel bulb, celery, leeks, carrots, tomatoes and garlic.  Sauté in whole butter until softened, about 3 minutes.

Mince the cooled fish, reserving some larger pieces for garnish.

Whisk tomato paste and cream into stock.  Thicken with a little roux.  Add cooked vegetables and poached fish and simmer 15 minutes.  Add sherry, saffron, paprika, S&P and dill.   You may purée the soup with an immersion blender or leave it coarse according to your preference.

At this point, I’m sure you’re asking yourself where’s the HFCS?  It’s just not a meal without the natural goodness of High Fructose Corn Syrup! Resist, I tell you.

To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, drizzle with sherry and hot sauce (optional) and garnish with reserved fish, seasoned croutons and fennel.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Rarebit Fiend

/ Ren

Each December when we were little, the family would drive the 25-or-so miles into downtown Chicago to see the displays on Michigan Ave,  Marshall Field’s 3-story Christmas tree and, of course, der Santa.  For me though, the biggest treat was always the late lunch in the main dining room at the Chicago Athletic Association, where I sat up straight (napkin properly in lap) and announced  to the (Saint-patient) waiter,  “I’ll have the Welsh Rabbit, please”.   Every single year.   Sweet, simple times, those.

Add a couple of poached eggs and some balsamic broiled tomatoes and call it dinner..

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

Make a tiny bit of blond roux from flour and whole butter.  Whisk in worcestershire and stone-ground mustard.  Add beer (good ale or porter) and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in heavy cream and season with salt, pepper, cayenne and paprika. Fold in shredded sharp cheddar cheese and cook over low heat for several minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve cheese sauce over toasted ciabatta, foccacia or thick sandwich bread and top with poached eggs.

Dream of a Rarebit Fiend, ca. 1906

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Grilled Lamb w/Roast Tomato Tapenade, Feta & Spicy Hummus (favorite)

/ Ren

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2 hours before dinner, marinate center-cut lamb steak in olive oil, garlic, lemon slices, pepper, sea salt fresh Greek oregano, spearmint and marjoram, turning occasionally.  Reserve additional marinade to dress cooked lamb.

Meanwhile, make a tapenade by roasting quartered Roma tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with S&P.  Allow to cool, then chop with Kalamata olives, capers and red onions. Moisten with balsamic vinegar and adjust seasoning.  Refrigerate.

For the hummus, mash chickpeas with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, S&P, cumin, paprika and red pepper.

Remove lamb from marinade and grill (indoors or out) until rare to medium rare.  Transfer to cutting board to rest 10 minutes, then arrange on a platter with roast tomato tapenade, hummus and crumbled feta.  Drizzle reserved marinade over lamb and serve.

Figs and dates make a nice treat afterwords.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Swedish Pot Roast – Läcker!

/ Ren

With buttered egg noodles and gooseberry chutney, this recipe is something of a mad cross between Heather’s Swedish meatballs and my own pot roast.

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Salt the chuck steak liberally on both sides and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, reduce 1/2 bottle of red wine with a cup of unsalted or low-salt beef broth until volume is reduced by half.

Chop bacon, shallot and garlic and sauté in a Dutch oven over medium heat until well colored, about 10 minutes.  Transfer cooked ingredients to a side dish, and pour off all but 1-2 tablespoons of the rendered fat.

Pat the salted meat dry and brown well in the Dutch oven with the reserved fat, about 5 minutes per side.  Give silent thanks to Louis Camille Maillard for the beautiful color.

Return the bacon, shallots and garlic to the pot along with fresh thyme, bay, pepper and the wine & stock reduction.  Ensure that there is sufficient liquid to cover the browned meat.

Seal the pot with foil, and place in a 350 degree oven until fork tender (about 1 hour in the case of my rather thin chuck).  Remove to cutting board and cover with the foil to keep warm.

Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pan, and quickly reduce in volume by half.  Thicken slightly with roux and allow to cook slowly for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles, drain, toss with butter and parsley, cover and set aside.

Slowly whisk whole milk into the thickened gravy. Add freshly grated nutmeg and adjust seasoning, being glad that you haven’t used any salt up to this point.  Add sautéed mushrooms if you like.

Slice the meat across the grain, and arrange over noodles.  Dress with gooseberry chutney (thanks, Sandhill Farm!) and enjoy!

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Herb & Nut Roasted Pork Tenderloin w/Bourbon Cream

/ Ren

Served with maple butter glazed sweet potatoes and sautéed haricots verts with shiitake mushrooms..

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Trimmed pork tenderloin dredged in seasoned flour, dipped in egg wash with a little sweet sorghum syrup and cider vinegar then rolled in chopped pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds and fresh sage, rosemary and thyme.

Sorghum cooking at Sandhill Farm

Seal tightly, pressing nuts into the pork. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

To cook, unwrap pork and place in a 350 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees (mine took about 25 minutes).  Transfer meat to cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, deglaze the skillet with a little bourbon then add some stock and quickly reduce in volume by half.  Add heavy cream and continue to reduce until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Whisk in a spoonful of coarse mustard and finish with a knob of whole butter.

Arrange sliced pork tenderloin on a platter and dress with the bourbon sauce.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Slow-cooked Salmon

/ Ren

“Low and slow is the ticket to the most tender, succulent and true-to-flavor food”  –Jaden Hair

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“Fish is the most frequently faked food Americans buy. In the business, it’s called “species adulteration” — selling a cheaper fish such as pen-raised Atlantic salmon as wild Alaska salmon.  When Consumer Reports tested 23 supposedly wild-caught salmon fillets bought nationwide in 2005-2006, only 10 were wild salmon. The rest were farmed.”

Melt-in-your-mouth good, worth using the last of that REAL wild Alaskan sockeye you’ve been saving..

Make a bed of vegetables- I’m using napa cabbage and leeks seasoned with S&P and sesame seeds.  Let some of the vegetables peek out from under the fish so that you get a crunchy/soft textural contrast.

Place skinless salmon on top and season according to taste.  I brined mine for 1/2 hour beforehand to help keep it moist, and then seasoned it with red chilies, black pepper, garlic and onions.  Spritz with a little olive oil and put into a 250 degree oven for 25 minutes (depending on thickness).  Notice how little the salmon’s appearance has changed after slow-cooking!  I’ve garnished with lemon and lavender, but almost any citrus/herb combo would work.

Those are Parisienne potatoes sautéed in rendered duck fat with sage and garlic, by the way.  Worthy of their own post one of these days.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Spicy Asian Noodle Salad (cold)

/ Ren

This quick, light dish of udon noodles, crunchy Napa cabbage and red chili packs a punch..

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Cook, rinse, drain and chill udon noodles.  Meanwhile, make a dressing of sesame oil, tamari, chili sauce, peanut butter, mint, ginger, garlic, cilantro and spices such as cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil, cardamom and cloves.

Toss noodles with shaved daikon, slivered red bell pepper, scallions and cabbage (all raw).  Dress with the tamari mixture and serve chilled.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Gravlax

/ Ren

Gravlax is a Scandinavian dish consisting of raw salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill.

During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which means literally “grave” or “hole in the ground”, and lax (or laks), which means “salmon”, thus gravlax is “salmon dug into the ground”.

If smoked salmon is more to your liking, we cover that here.

Make a mixture of sea salt, non-refined sugar, dill and pepper (optional).  I use a salt to sugar ratio of about 3:1, but you can adjust this to your taste (don’t worry, there will be very little salt or sugar in the finished product).

Thoroughly pack salmon filets with the salt mixture and either bury it in the salt bowl or double bag it as I have done here. Refrigerate for at least 2 days, checking occasionally to see if additional salt mixture is needed.

Once cured, rinse the salmon in lots of cold fresh water, pat dry and slice very thin.  Serve as an appetizer garnished with crème fraîche and caviar, or in scrambled eggs.

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Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Mom’s Pumpkin Cookies

/ Ren

“I sent pictures of some cookies I made today for a cookie exchange.  I know the ingredients aren’t the ‘good’ stuff but due to budget constraints, I have to use what’s in the cupboard before getting the other.  Anyway, the cookies are okay.  Not as much pumpkin flavor as I would have liked but I added some pumpkin pie spice to the last batch and that helped.”

Way to go, Mom!

Frugal Friday

/ Ren

Roasted chicken with vermicelli and fresh vegetables & herbs..

Leeks, celery, carrots, garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary, some dried tomatoes that I put up at the end of the summer, tumeric, roasted red pepper, freshly ground caraway and brown mustard seed, S&P, vermicelli,  stock/broth and chicken pieces (I’m using inexpensive thighs).

Season the chicken well with S&P and half sharp paprika and brown in a Dutch oven with a little olive oil.  Transfer chicken pieces to another skillet and finish in a 400 degree oven (about 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, sauté the vermicelli, mustard/caraway and vegetables in the same Dutch oven until the vegetables soften and the pasta is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, herbs, red peppers, turmeric and just enough stock or broth to cover the vegetables.  Cook until the vermicelli is just done, about 8 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, make a nest of pasta on the plate and dress with raw sprouts and microgreens. Place the chicken on top of the pasta and drizzle with a little of the stock and drippings from the chicken pan. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Spotted Dog

/ Ren

Also called railway cake, this recipe starts out as Irish soda bread..

Adapted from numerous recipes found on the internet

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oat flour
2 teaspoons non-refined sugar or other sweetener
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg

Sift the dry ingredients together then add the caraway, raisins and milk.  The dough will be soft, damp and a little tacky.  Turn out into a standard loaf pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the loaf passes the toothpick test.

Try it toasted with jam for breakfast.

Tastes best the 1st day, but will last 2 if sealed in an airtight container.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Home ec classes are hot again

/ Ren

by Katherine Miller, The Oregonian
Tuesday January 13, 2009, 12:01 AM

IN THE MIX

It’s funny how things go in and out of fashion. Take home economics: For many generations it was an accepted part of a woman’s education; but for the “liberated” generation it was part of a woman’s oppression. Now the pendulum has swung again and classes in canning and preserving are one way cooks of both genders can live up to the mantra of the moment: Eat locally, seasonally and sustainably.

(Actually) Crispy Sweet Potato Fries. Mostly.

/ Ren

You might also like these Rosemary & Black Pepper Sweet Potato Fries..

“There’s probably no vegetable with a higher beta carotene content than the sweet potato.  This is the beta carotene that protects us against cancer, colds, infections and other diseases… But remember that our bodies can only convert carotene to vitamin A in the presence of bile salts… Butter stimulates the secretion of bile and helps the body to convert carotenes to all-important vitamin A…”   Sally Fallon

Trouble is, butter has a low smoke point of about 350 degrees.  Clarified butter (or ghee) on the other hand, has a very high smoke point of up to 485 degrees.

No mushy oven fries here, gang..

Adapted from a recipe by Mollie Katzen

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/4″ sticks and arrange on a parchment paper lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon melted ghee or clarified butter.  Just put the butter on the pan- don’t coat the potatoes with it.

Place into a preheated 385 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Turn potatoes over and cook another 10 minutes.

Turn oven off and let stand 20 minutes to dry.  Season with sea salt and serve with homemade ketchup and enjoy all the iron, potassium, niacin, magnesium and vitamins C and B6.  And fiber.  Lots of fiber.

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Natural Resource Defense Council Awards

/ Ren

From: “Michael Pollan Inquiries” <inquiries@michaelpollan.com>
To: <events@lists.michaelpollan.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 7:01 PM
Subject: [Pollan Events] Sustainable food awards; Nominations requested by Feb 6

Friends: I’m helping the Natural Resource Defense Council give an
award to farmers and others doing exemplary work in sustainable food
production. If you have ideas for people who deserve this recognition
I hope you’ll nominate them. The criteria and nominations forms appear
below. Thanks for your help. Best, Michael

Announcement.pdf Application.pdf

Steak Sandwiches, Austin Style

/ Ren

Grass-fed skirt steak from Bastrop Cattle Company and fresh cilantro tortillas from Paqui Tortillas along with other local ingredients, all delivered by Greenling Organic Delivery.  Get your locavore on!

Adapted from a recipe by Whole Foods

The day before, coat the meat with coarsely ground peppercorns, cumin seed, corriander, granulated garlic, onion powder, cumin, sea salt and non-refined sugar (optional).  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Tomato, cilantro,  tomatillo and garlic for the pice de gallo (I’ve eliminated the usual jalapenos because the meat is highly spiced).  Onion, bell and poblano pepper for the steak.

Moisten the steak with a little olive oil and liquid aminos with a few drops of mesquite liquid smoke. This will give it a healthy, smokey soy flavor.

Grill the steak to rare in hot skillet, about a minute per side.  Transfer to cutting board and allow to rest while you julienne the vegetables.  Slice the steak very thin and sauté over high heat with vegetables.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a comal or iron skillet.

Pile steak and vegetables into the tortillas and top with pico, queso quesadilla and a squeeze of lime.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Granulated Garlic

/ Ren

I needed granulated garlic for a dry rub recipe, but the cupboard was nekkid.  I always have lots of fresh garlic on hand though, so what the hey..

1 whole head of garlic passed through a garlic press onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper.  3 hours in a 150 degree oven, 3 seconds in a spice grinder.

Yep, that works.

White Chicken Chili

/ Ren

Say, isn’t that a lot of peppers? you might ask.  Yes, I’d say.  Yes, it is.  But this is about flavor, you see, not about sending a heat-seeking missile into your nasal cavity.  We’ll do that some other day.  I promise.

Adapted from a recipe by Cooks Illustrated

Onion, cilantro, chicken broth, chicken, white beans, scallions, garlic, cumin seed, corriander, Mexican oregano, guajillo (medium), jalapeno (medium), chile de arbol (hot) and ancho (mild) peppers.

Brown the chicken (in a little olive oil) in a Dutch oven. Set aside.

Soak the dried chilies in hot water, prep the vegetables.

Toast the cumin and corriander in a dry skillet then coarsley grind.

Mince the rehydrated chilies.

Sauté the onions, peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin and corriander.  Add diced chicken and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the beans and broth. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.  Adjust seasoning.

Serve garnished with scallions and cilantro.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Slowing Down; Slow Food Austin

/ Ren

“Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”

“Slow food aims to be everything fast food is not”

Lacto-fermented, Sprouted Quinoa w/Maple Butter & Cream

/ Ren

Talk about an easy, healthy, hearty breakfast for a cold morning!

“Quinoa (KEEN-wah), the ancient grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years.

It was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans.

Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA’s Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.

Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous.”

The night before, soak quinoa in an equal volume of milk (i.e., 1 cup of milk to one cup of quinoa) with a dollop of whey or active yoghurt (I leave it out on the counter, covered with a piece of cheesecloth or a thin cotton kitchen towel). Raw milk products are preferred, but you can certainly substitute non-homogenized, low-heat pasteurized products if that’s what you have.

In the morning, boil filtered water equal in volume to the milk. Notice that the grains have sprouted!  Stir in the quinoa and its liquid. Reduce heat to a gentle boil, cover and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Serve with milk or cream and a spoonful of maple butter.

Mesquite Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Ren

“When the word “mesquite” appears in an article about food, the mind jumps immediately to the smoky flavors of the grill. But mesquite flour, made from the seedpods of the mesquite tree, tastes nothing like smoke. Unexpectedly, ground mesquite seedpods taste like an aromatic blend of cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee…

Mesquite flour was a staple food of Native Americans from Texas to California, partly because mesquite trees thrive in arid climates where other crops wither. Mesquite pods were one of the major (if not one of the most important) foods of the desert Apache, Pima, Cahuilla, Maricopa, Yuma, Mohave, and Hopi tribes. Like many other desert plants, the mesquite tree superconcentrates nutrients in its seeds to compensate for the harsh environment. Consequently, it is so nutritious that many consider it a “superfood.” Mesquite flour is very high in magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, fiber, and digestible proteins (including lysine).  It also acts as an antioxidant, and its glycemic index is low in spite of its sweet taste.  It can be used as either a gluten-free flour or a seasoning...”  Austin Chronicle

Adapted from a recipe by Heidi Swanson

1/2 cup organic mesquite flour
1/2 cup organic oat flour
1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 tablespoon non-GMO cornstarch
1/4 heaping teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup organic non-refined sugar
2 medium organic pastured eggs
1/2 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup organic chopped hazelnuts
1 cup organic chocolate chips

paraphrasing Heidi’s instructions..

Preheat the oven to 375°F, position the racks in the upper half of the oven, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar until of a consistency like thick frosting. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next and scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in 3 increments, stirring between each addition. At this point, you should have a moist, uniformly brown dough. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips by hand, mixing only until evenly distributed.

Drop 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden on both top and bottom. Don’t over-bake these; if anything, underbake them. Cool on wire racks.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Gulf Crab Cakes w/Orange Habanero Mayonnaise

/ Ren

Although some restaurants in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland and Virginia may not disclose it, most whole blue crabs sold there are shipped in from North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida and Texas.  Lucky me!

Cilantro, fresh lump crab, bell pepper, saltines, seasoning blend containing sea salt, mustard seed, celery seed, garlic, onion, chili pepper and black pepper, mayonnaise (or make your own), scallions, celery and an egg.

Lightly sauté celery, scallions and bell pepper and set aside to cool.

Toss together crab, cooled vegetables, herbs and seasonings, mayonnaise, a beaten egg and crushed saltines. Mixture should be moist but hold together when shaped.

Form mixture into patties about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick then place in freezer for 15 minutes to firm. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1/4 inch of peanut oil in the bottom of a small, heavy skillet.

Lightly coat the crab cakes with additional crushed saltines then sauté until light golden brown on bottom. Turn cakes over and finish in oven (about 8-10 minutes).

Finely mince 1/2 of a seeded and ribbed habanero and combine with 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of orange juice.  Add a few drops of honey if its too hot for you.

Serve crab cakes with a salad of broccoli microgreens, slivered radishes and orange sections.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Calf’s Liver w/Mushroom and Onions, Sauce Poivrade

/ Ren

A mild, tender, rich and savory dish prepared in a classical French meets modern shortcuts manner.

Start with very fresh slices of peeled and deveined calves’ liver obtained from a healthy animal of known origin.  True calves’ liver is paler in color and milder in taste than the much redder baby beef liver typically found in US supermarkets.  If using the latter, it often helps to soak the slices in fresh, whole milk for up to 2 hours to lessen the strong flavor.

“Calf’s liver is less likely to have the accumulations of toxins such as pesticides, hormones and antibiotics found in the liver of older animals. Selecting organic calf’s liver provides the greatest assurance that the liver is free of these toxins. Calf’s liver also is more tender and has better flavor than beef liver (including baby beef liver).”

For the sauce, gather mushrooms, green peppercorns, vinegar, tomato paste, onion, celery, carrot, parsley, butter, lemon, stock and (optionally) demi-glace.

Sauté the mirepoix in butter until well colored, about 10 minutes.  Add a good spoonful of tomato paste and continue to cook until all moisture is evaporated and the tomato begins to brown.  Moisten with a splash of vinegar and a little sherry and stir to combine.

Add stock and a mashed clove of garlic.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until reduced in volume by half, about 45 minutes.  Strain into a clean saucepan and add demi-glace. Simmer until thickened and shiny, about 20 minutes.

Sauté thinly sliced mushrooms and onions in very hot butter until brown and slightly crisp.  Add to the pan with the brown sauce.

Pat the liver dry and lightly dredge in unbleached flour.  Sauté quickly in a generous amount very hot butter, turning only once.  Add chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor before saucing.

A big thanks to my son-in-law Jeff, whose amazingly delicious liver & onions revived my interest in this classic dish!

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Ren

I don’t bake at all, and I always mostly limit the amount of sugar in my diet.  So, of course I felt utterly compelled to make a batch of scratch cookies for the first time in my 117-odd years in the kitchen.  And not just any cookies, mind you..

Adapted from a recipe by Garrett McCord

1 stick unsalted butter
3 medium-sized over-ripe bananas as may be lurking in your freezer
3/4 cup non-refined sugar or other sweetener
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbl coconut oil
1/2 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp soda
1 fresh egg
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp unsulphered molasses (optional; I’ll likely leave it out next time)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add 1 egg and beat with a fork until aerated.

Mash together bananas, soda, peanut butter, molasses and coconut oil.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture.

Sift the dry ingredients into the butter/banana mixture and stir until barely combined.

Put the lime in the coconut.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop spoonsful of batter onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper, flatten slightly and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Allow to cool before eating.  Yeah, right.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Seared Ahi w/Sushi yo Shoga, Lemon Wasabi and Sweet Rice

/ Ren

Few things in life are as simple and delicious as seared ahi. One of my all-time favorites.

Marinate fresh ahi tuna in a mixture of ginger, soy with citrus, shiro miso, sesame oil and garlic for one hour in the refrigerator.  Because we will be serving this nearly raw, it is important that you choose only the finest, freshest (sashimi grade) tuna.  Due to sustainability concerns, please source your tuna from somewhere other than the Mediterranean Sea.

Remove tuna from refrigerator and coat the perimeter with a combination of black and white sesame seeds, loose toasted tea and cracked pepper.  Set aside.

Prepare sweet rice according to package directions.

Heat stir-fry or another high-heat oil in a heavy skillet until very hot.  Sear tuna 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, then transfer to cutting board to rest for a few moments.

Add thinly-sliced scallions and a little mirin to rice; fluff with a fork.

Serve 1/4 inch slices of tuna over sweet rice accompanied by sushi yo shoga (sliced pickled ginger) and lemon wasabi.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Roast Caribou w/Port Wine Reduction, Cranberries and Gingerbread Muffins

/ Ren

Informed by a recipe from Stein Eriksen Lodge

Butter, bay, coriander, cardamom, juniper berries, non-refined sugar, pepper, paprika, salt and a caribou loin or roast.

Grind spices in a coffee grinder.  Add enough unbleached flour to double the volume and thoroughly dredge the roast.  Brown the roast on all sides in butter in a Dutch oven set over medium heat.  Add port and cook uncovered in 350-degree oven until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees.

Prepare salt & pepper gingerbread muffins and put in oven with roast.

After the roast has been cooking about 20 minutes, slice a potato and season with rosemary, sage, thyme and S&P.  Season green beans with cracked mustard seed and S&P.  Top with raw pine nuts.  Drizzle a little olive oil and melted butter over all, and put pan in oven with roast.

Remove muffins from tin and sprinkle with spiced sugar.

Cook cranberries in the juice and zest of 1 orange and a little sugar until moisture is evaporated.

Remove roast from oven and set on cutting board to rest.

Saute minced shallot, celery, carrot and garlic in butter until soft.  Add sliced mushrooms and cook until moisture is evaporated.  Transfer vegetables to the pot that the caribou was roasted in.  Add additional port wine and stock.  Cook over medium-high heat until reduced in volume by half.

Serve slices of roast with pan gravy and cranberries accompanied by roast potatoes and green beans.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

J.R.’s Receipt for Egg-Nog

/ Ren

From Sara Delano Roosevelt’s Household Book

Put a little powdered sugar into a tumbler
A teaspoonful or more of brandy
The yolk of a pastured egg
1/2 a tumblerful (3/4 cup more-or-less) of fresh, cream-top milk,

then fill up with cracked ice not too fine & shake well together in a shaker (a big tin tumbler & a strong glass tumbler).

Strain it into a clean tumbler & put on top a suspicion of freshly-grated nutmeg.

-James Roosevelt with son Franklin Delano

मेमने Lamb Rogan Josh

/ Ren

Yoghurt and spice-marinated lamb shoulder in a thick red-colored curry.

Curry powder, ajwain seed, rogan josh blend, charnushka, plain yoghurt with live acidopholus, onion, tomatoes, lamb, fresh ginger, garlic, paprika, cilantro and ghee.

Stir the spices into the yoghurt, add the lamb and refrigerate 2-4 hours.

Sautee the onions, ginger and garlic in ghee in a heavy pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until soft, about 3 minutes.  Take care not to burn the garlic.

Add the lamb and its marinade and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add enough lamb, beef or vegetable stock to barely cover the meat.

Reduce heat, cover (offset) and simmer until the sauce is thick and the meat is tender, about 1 hour.

Add wedges of tomato and cilantro and cook uncovered another 5 minutes.

Serve topped with yoghurt and cashew butter with saffron basmati.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Carne de Venado Incrustada de Cacao y Cafe con Crèma de Comino Tostado

/ Ren

Cocoa & Coffee Crusted Venison w/Toasted Cumin Crèma

Make a dry rub of annatto seeds, cumin, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, cocoa, corriander and cinnamon. For best flavor, use whole spices toasted in a dry skillet before grinding.  Coat the venison with the spice rub and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Gather the rest of the ingredients: pumpkins seeds, fresh thyme, sesame seeds, cloves, reserved dry rub, tomato puree, achiote paste, deied peppers, jalapeno, dark chocolate, onion and tomatoes.

Split the dried peppers and steep in hot water for a few minutes to soften.

Sautee the onion, jalapeno and rehydrated peppers in a little oil until softened.

Add chopped tomatoes, crushed toasted pumpkin seeds, achiote paste and a spoonful of the dry rub mix. Cook until tomatoes release all their liquid, about 10 minutes.

Add tomato puree, orange juice, fresh thyme and chocolate and simmer for 10 minutes.

Sweeten with enough agave or honey to provide a nice balance with the heat of the peppers.

Sear the venison in olive oil as you would a pan-fried steak.  Deer that was properly field dressed, chilled and processed is generally as tender and flavorful as pastured beef.

Thicken the sauce with toasted bread cubes.  Place thick-sliced venison over sauce and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and Mexican crema flavored with toasted cumin and S&P.  Polenta fried in butter with cilantro makes a nice side.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Tell Supermarkets, No More Fishy Business!

/ Ren

You can help save the oceans every time you go grocery shopping. Consumers buy half their seafood at supermarkets, yet most supermarkets don’t consider where the seafood they sell comes from or how it was caught. Destructive fishing practices and overfishing are two of the gravest threats facing our oceans, and experts predict if current trends continue, global fisheries will collapse in 50 40 years.

Take action – Flex your power as a consumer. Tell the largest U.S. supermarket retailers to adopt sustainable seafood policies, stop selling destructively fished seafood, and provide informative labeling so customers, like us, can choose the most sustainable seafood and avoid the most imperiled fish. Don’t delay, ocean protection starts with all of us.

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Short’nin’ Bread

/ Ren

All-purpose, graham or whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, buttermilk, butter, molasses, egg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour a 10-inch iron skillet.

Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk.

Lightly beat an egg.

Grate cinnamon & nutmeg into flour.

Bring butter and molasses to a boil, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and allow to cool several minutes.

Stir molasses mixture into flour and combine well.

Stir buttermilk into flour and combine well.

Stir egg into flour and combine well.

Turn batter into perpared skillet and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Cool and serve.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Fotch dat dough fum the kitchin-shed—
Rake de coals out hot an’ red—
Putt on de oven an’ putt on de led,—
Mammy’s gwineter cook som short’nin’ bread

“A Short’nin’ Bread Song—Pieced Out”
James Whitcomb Riley, 1849-1916

Adobo de Achiote (Achiote Paste)

/ Ren

Originally a Mayan mixture, achiote paste is responsible for the distinctive red hue of Puerco Pibil  and other foods common to the cuisine of the Yucatán Peninsula.

Achiote seeds, whole allspice, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cider vinegar, garlic and Celtic sea salt.

Finely grind the achiote and place into a bowl.  Grind the allspice, pepper and oregano and add to the achiote.  Add a little cider vinegar to form a damp powder.

Mince garlic then mash with salt.  Work the mashed garlic back into the achiote and moisten with orange juice to form a thick paste.

Refrigerate and store up to about 4 months.

A bow-hunting co-worker brought me some South Texas venison yesterday, so I’m thinking of making something along the lines of a Venado en Pipián Rojo (venison with pumpkin seeds and achiote).

Pan Seared Pork Medallions with Port, Wild Mushrooms and Fried Sage (favorite)

/ Ren

Wild mushrooms, stock, sharp feta or goat cheese, fresh sage, pork tenderloin filets, garlic, shallot, S&P and port.  Assorted vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, fennel and beans.

Toss the vegetables with S&P and a little bit of olive oil.  Roast in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning once.

Saute mushrooms, garlic and shallots in butter until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Season filets with S&P and saute in olive oil until well browned and internal temperature reaches 140 degrees, about 8 minutes per side.  Set aside.

Deglaze the pan with port, scraping up all the brown bits.  Add stock and bring to boil.  Reduce volume by half.

Meanwhile, fry the sage by making a thin batter of 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup water and S&P.  Holding the stem between your thumb and forefinger, dip the leaves into the batter and then into hot olive oil.  Fry for a minute or so then transfer to a plate to drain.

Add the filets and mushrooms back to the pan with the port and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Serve topped with crumbled goat or feta cheese and fried sage.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Coconut Chicken Curry

/ Ren

Moisten unsweetened organic coconut with maple syrup- just enough to give it a pale tan color, then place into a 250 degree oven until dry and deep golden brown in color, about 30 minutes.

Poach skinless bone-in chicken in stock with celery, onion, carrot and peppercorns until just cooked.  Transfer chicken to a cutting board to cool. Reserve the stock.

Gather cardamom, corriander, cloves, turmeric, cayenne and cumin. Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they pop, then grind and combine with the other ground spices.

Saute onions and spices in ghee until onions are soft.

Add reserved poaching stock and the juice of 1 lemon to the pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Add torn, poached chicken, raisins and coconut milk and continue to simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Add garbanzo beans, stir and simmer another 5 minutes.  Adjust seasoning.

Serve with basmati rice and top with scallions, chopped peanuts and toasted coconut

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Carne Guisada

/ Ren

Stew meat, stock, fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion, peppers and spices.

Simple.  Delicious.

Brown about 1 pound of local grass-fed beef in a spoonful of annatto oil.

Add in about 4 chopped tomatoes, one or two chopped chipotles en adobo and a cup of good beef stock and simmer, stirring occasionally until meat is tender, about 90 minutes.

Add fresh jalapeno, cumin, Mexican oregano, parsley and cilantro and simmer 5 minutes.

A dollop of crema Mexicana or a spoonful of agave nectar will cool it down if its too spicy for you.

Serve with tortilla chips, rice, beans or whatever suits your fancy tonight.

Lacto-fermented Buckwheat Pancakes with Orange Honey Butter

/ Ren

Fermentation allows carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to break down into probiotics containing beneficial bacteria, promoting digestive health and a strong immune system.

Kefir (substitute plain yoghurt or buttermilk), egg, butter, Celtic sea salt, baking soda, soft spring wheat berries (r) and hulled buckwheat (l).

Grind the grains into a medium-fine flour and place into a non-reactive bowl.  Cover with an equal amount by volume of kefir, add a spoonful of whey and cover with a plate and allow to sit at room temperature (68-75 degrees) for 12 to 24 hours.  You can see bubbles break the surface as the fermentation process begins.

When ready to prepare, add the egg, melted butter, salt and baking soda.  Thin the batter with filtered water if necessary.

Ladle batter into a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat- turn when edges are just getting brown.

Serve with orange honey butter (blood orange juice shown reducing above; honey and butter added at the end) or maple syrup, basted eggs and spicy tempeh strips.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

/ Ren

Cooked chicken, andouille sausage, onions, jalapeno, parsley, Cajun spices, scallions, celery, garlic, bell pepper, oil, flour, chicken stock, S&P, cayenne and bay.

Begin by browning sausage in a tablespoon of oil.  Remove sausage to drain, reserving rendered fat.

Brown chicken in reserved fat with dry herbs and spices.  Remove chicken to drain, reserving fat.

Add enough butter to approximately double the amount of fat in the ban and allow to brown slightly. Add flour in batches, cooking and stirring continuously until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Continue stirring and cooking until the roux has the color of chocolate, about 20 mintes.

Add the vegetables (except scallions and parsley) to the roux and cook 5 minutes.

Add chicken stock and the reserved chicken and sausage.  Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 hours.  Adjust seasoning.

Put a mound of cooked rice in a soup bowl and top with scallions and parsley.  Ladle hot gumbo over the top and serve with lots of hot sauce.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Tuna Salad

/ Ren

Chopped egg, cucumber, scallions, pickled ginger, shaved fennel, black and white sesame seeds, spinach, lemon wasabi, sashimi-grade ahi, sesame oil and shoyu.

Toss the salad ingredients together and moisten with a little brown rice vinegar.  Season lightly with salt and pepper. Briefly marinate the tuna in shoyu with a little sesame oil while the skillet heats.

Sear the tuna over medium-high heat for two minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes.

Plate the salad and top with sliced tuna. Dress with wasabi and a scant amount of the marinade.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Thanksgiving, part two

/ Ren

For the bird: fresh sage, dry rub, garlic, butter, honey, stock, bourbon. remove the bird from the brine and rinse it thoroughly inside and out. Pat dry. Cream together softened butter, snipped sage and minced garlic.  Use your fingers to carefully seperate the skin from the flesh, creating a pocket on either side of the breast.  Put the butter mixture into these pockets, pressing with your fingers to distribute as far as possible.  See how the whole breast area looks yellow now?  Thats the herb butter.  Dress the outside of the bird with melted butter, honey, bourbon and dry rub mixture.  Put into a preheated 500 degree oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

For the garlic mashed potatoes: diced red potatoes with some skin left on, garlic, onion chives, milk, truffle butter and S&P.

For the dressing: dried herbs, celery, onion, parsley, baguette, stock, butter and S&P.

After 30 minutes, baste the bird with honey and bourbon and return to the oven.

For the bean dish: haricot vert, half & half, mustard seed, mushrooms, onion, buckwheat flour (I made this by grinding hulled buckwheat in a spice grinder), olive oil, nutritional yeast and S&P.

Toast the bread for the dressing. Saute the celery, onion, herbs and spices.  Moisten with stock, then put the pan in the oven with the bird.

Remove the bird when the internal temperature reaches 155-160 degrees – it will continue to cook a little while on the counter.

Boil the potatoes.  Drop the bundle of beans in the same pot for 3 minutes, then remove to a bowl of ice water.

Dredge thinly sliced onions in seasoned buckwheat flour and fry in olive oil until golden brown.  Set aside to drain.

Saute the beans and mushrooms.  Add half & half and cracked mustard seed and reduce over medium-low heat until thickened.  Season with S&P.

Mash the potatoes with milk, onion chives, garlic and truffle butter. Season with S&P.

Assemble the plate: thick slices of honey bourbon roasted fowl, bread dressing, green beans with mushrooms and fried onions, garlic mashed potatoes with pan gravy and cranberry rhubarb chutney with sliced persimmon.  Serve with a glass of chilled hibiscus mead.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Thanksgiving, part one

/ Ren

Brining solution: kosher salt with peppercorns, herbs and garlic, honey, bourbon and fresh sage. Bring a small pot of water to the boil and add the salt and bourbon, stirring until the salt is dissolved.  Turn off the heat and add snipped sage and honey.  Allow to cool to room temperature before pouring over the bird with sufficient additional water to submerge the bird.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mead: Add simmered hibiscus calyses to traditional mead.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Cranberry rhubarb chutney: cloves, ginger, coarse mustard, onion, rhubarb, cranberries, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, non-refined sugar, raisins and apple cider vinegar.  Cook rhubarb, cranberries, onions and sugar together until the cranberries pop and the juices that are released dissolve the sugar, about 15-20 minutes.  Add raisins, mustard, ginger, vinegar and spices and cook over low heat until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.  Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Turkey stock: celery, carrot, thyme, bay, peppercorns, parsley, onion and turkey necks.  Brown the necks in a little until well colored, about 15 minutes. Add vegetables and cook until glazed, about 5 minutes.  Cover necks and vegetables with cold water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and skim away any foam.  Add herbs and simmer 4 hours.  Strain into a clean container and allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Brussels Sprouts Gratinoise

/ Ren

Mustard seeds, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, Brussels sprouts, S&P, pancetta, multi-grain bread.

Grind the mustard seeds and set aside.

Dice the pancetta, garlic and shallot.  Cook the pancetta in a heavy pan over medium heat until golden brown. Add the garlic and shallot and sautee until garlic begins to melt, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the blanched, trimmed and split Brussels sprouts, and cook until browned.  Add the mustard seed, salt & pepper and croutons.  Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice just before serving.

A bit of pot roast and some hibiscus tea go nicely..

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Agua de Jamaica

/ Ren

Also known as hibiscus tea, agua de Jamaica (unlike the country, it is pronounced ha-MIKE-uh in Spanish) is an infusion of the calyces of the hibiscus sabdariffa flower, native to Latin America and popular throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Agua de Jamaica is high in vitamin C and is considered to have anti-hypertensive properties.  It is thought that the antioxidant flavonoids, polyphenolics and anthocyanins contained in the flower play a role in preventing the oxidation of low density lipoproteins, the so-called “bad cholesterol”.

Oh, and it tastes great!

Traditionally made using only the hibiscus calyces, water and sugar, I’m using hibiscus calyces (flor de Jamaica in Mexico), water, ginger root and agave nectar.

Rinse the calyces in cold water to remove any debris, then place in a pot of boiling water (approximately 1 cup calyces to 2 cups water) with a length of bruised ginger. Cover, remove from heat and steep for at least 10 minutes.

Add a tray of ice cubes and allow to cool. Strain through fine-mesh strainer, gently pressing the leaves to release their juice.  Sweeten to taste.

Middle Eastern Lamb Chops with Curried Kuskus

/ Ren

Lamb chops in spicy Tunisian harissa and Mediterranean curried kuskus with peas and carrots.

Curry blend with dried vegetables, harissa, cumin, cinnamon, mint, savory, chicken stock, tomato puree, kuskus, kosher salt, lemon juice, lamb chops, tomato, carrot, celery, green onion, garlic and peas.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle kosher salt on lamb chops and set aside at room temperature.

Peel, seed and crush 2 tomatoes, setting 1 aside.  Cook the other tomato over medium-low heat with garlic, tomato puree, cumin, cinnamon, mint, savory and harissa to taste until thickened, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to lowest setting.

Arrange the lamb chops in an iron skillet with enough port wine to just cover the bottom of the pan.  Spoon spicy tomato sauce over each chop, coating well.  Place in oven and cook 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, flip the chops, cover with more sauce and add more port if the pan is dry. Cook another 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 125 degree for medium-rare.  Remove pan from oven and allow chops to rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the coussous.  Saute the carrots, celery and green onions in a little oil until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the curry mix and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the kuskus and peas, reduce heat to low cover, and cook until done, about 8 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

Add reserved chopped tomato to the sauce and heat through.

Serve the chops with additional sauce over the top.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

I got yer Brussels sprouts right here.

/ Ren

(Wikipedia) Fore-runners to modern Brussels sprouts were likely cultivated in ancient Rome. Brussels sprouts as we now know them were grown possibly as early as the 1200s in what is now Belgium.[1] The first written reference dates to 1587.[1] During the sixteenth century they enjoyed a popularity in the southern Netherlands that eventually spread throughout the cooler parts of Northern Europe.[2]

Brussels sprouts grow in temperature ranges of 7 to 24°C (45 to 75°F), with highest yields at 15 to 18°C (60 to 65°F).[2] Plants grow from seeds in seed beds or greenhouses, and are transplanted to growing fields.[2]. Fields are ready for harvest 90-180 days after planting.[1] The edible sprouts grow like buds in a spiral array on the side of long thick stalks of approximately 2-4 feet in height, maturing over several weeks from the lower to the upper part of the stalk. Sprouts may be picked by hand into baskets, in which case several harvests are made of 5-15 sprouts at a time, by cutting the entire stalk at once for processing, or by mechanical harvester, depending on variety.[1] Each stalk can produce 1.1 to 1.4 kg (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), although the commercial yield is approximately 0.9kg (2 pounds) per stalk.[2].

Brussels sprouts are among the same family that includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. They contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. Moreover, they are believed to protect against colon cancer, due to their containing sinigrin. Brussels sprouts are cruciferous.

Steak night

/ Ren

Sirloin steak, red pepper, garlic, shallot, jalapeno, sweet corn, thyme, onion chives, black truffle butter, russet potato, pasture butter, kosher salt, olive oil and black pepper.

With a stiff brush, scrub the potato under cold running water.  Remove any bad spots with the tip of a sharp knife.  Pat the potato dry, then rub lightly with olive oil and sprinkle all over with kosher salt.  Poke with a fork, then roast in a 400 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 210 degrees, about 45-60 minutes.

Lightly sprinkle the steak with kosher salt then set it aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.  This will help to ensure that we get the all-important Maillard reaction later.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables as shown.  I’ve decided to add chili powder and cilantro for the corn.

15 minutes before the potato is ready, pat the steak dry and put it into a hot iron grill pan. Sear it for 5 minutes without moving it.  Flip the steak over and smear it all over with butter containing minced shallot, garlic and thyme.

Saute the corn with the peppers until light golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add cilantro and chili powder.

Remove steak to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes to redistribute the juices.  Meanwhile, deglaze the steak pan with a little red wine.

Plate the steak and top it with pan juices and a little of the garlic butter.  Serve with the corn and baked potato topped with truffle butter and onion chives.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Watermelon Syrup

/ Ren

“Wherever you are, we must do the best we can. It is so far to travel, and we have nothing here to travel, except watermelon sugar.  I hope this works out…”

Skin and gut a fine watermelon or three.  Liquefy them by whatever means necessary, then pour the mass into a fine-mesh strainer set over a heavy-duty saucepan. Press the mass with a ladle or the back of a spoon to extract all the juice.  Try not to waste a drop.

Bring the juice to a quick boil, then skim off the foam.  Using a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer, adjust the cooking temperature to around 220 degrees.  Its OK if you don’t get it exactly right.

Using a vented glass lid has the benefit of allowing you to see what’s going on as well as to wash down the sides of the pan so that you don’t have to.  Regardless, things are going to get a little sticky around here as the goal is to reduce the liquid to about 25-30% of its former volume.  The more you reduce it, the thicker and sweeter and darker it gets.  This is a good, good, very good thing.

Use your own taste buds to declare the moment of attainment of the ambrosial state, then remove the pan from the heat and allow to completely cool (still covered) before transferring to a glass container for keeps.

OK, so how many for buckwheat pancakes w/watermelon syrup, scrambled eggs & smoky tempeh strips?

Beef Stock

/ Ren

No sodium, hydrolyzed yeast extract, butylated hydroxyanisole, sugar or artificial anything here.

Nothing you can buy in the store costs less or tastes anywhere near as good as homemade beef stock.  It could not be any easier.

Roast meaty beef bones at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning once.  Add about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and coarsely chopped celery, onions, carrots and garlic to the pan and roast another 30 minutes.

Transfer the browned bones to a Dutch oven, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.  Skim off the foam then transfer the vegetables to the pot with the bones. Discard the rendered fat or set aside for another purpose if that’s your want- just don’t let it near the stock pot.

Deglaze the roasting pan with red wine, scraping up all the brown bits.  Add this to the pot with parsley, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf and a couple of whole cloves.

Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 4 or 5 hours, occasionally skimming away any accumulated foam.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer and allow to cool completely.  Refrigerate and use within 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Pasta with Sea Conch and White Clam Sauce

/ Ren

A variation of the classic Linguine with White Clam Sauce.  Tasted much better than it looks in the pictures, by the way; seems I need to acquire some camera skills along with a decent camera.  Ah, well..

Sea conch, Pacific clams, S&P, white wine, my home-dried Italian herb blend, red chili flakes, red bell pepper, scallions, garlic, celery, butter, half & half and long pasta.

Drain the conch and clams over a sauce pan and set aside.  Add white wine, S&P and half & half to the liquor and and bring to simmer.  Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced by half, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, mince the seafood and chop the vegetables.

Cook the vegetables and seafood in a little butter and olive oil until “relaxed” in texture but not colored, about 10 minutes. Add herbs and pepper flakes.

Add the white sauce and simmer gently until thick, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and combine with other ingredients.

Serve with bruschetta and a spinach salad, if you like.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Steak Udon

/ Ren

Good stir-fry demands a proper, seasoned wok.  Properly cared for, this $15 wood-handled carbon steel model will last for years.

Cilantro, white miso, ginger, chili pepper, chives, scallions, red bell pepper, garlic, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, fresh udon noodles, sirloin steak, plum vinegar, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar and soy sauce.

While preparing the vegetables, marinate the steak in a non-reactive container with soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegars for about 20 minutes.

Heat the oil (I’m using a high-heat tea oil made for this purpose) until it shimmers.  Test its readiness by dropping a small piece of beef onto the sloped side- it should sizzle and brown immediately.

Add the meat to the hot oil, drawing it up the sides and around the perimeter of the wok.  Let sizzle undisturbed until the pan recovers all its heat.  Add the vegetables to the center of the pan and stir to combine.

Continue to cook by drawing the meat and vegetables up the side of the pan.  Add a few tablespoons of the marinade to the pan and quickly heat the tofu, udon noodles, miso and cilantro.  Stir to combine.

Serve with additional soy sauce, hot chili sauce and sake, if desired.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Chicken & Biscuits

/ Ren

A one-skillet dinner, adapted from a recipe at the always-tasty What Geeks Eat

Fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, celery, onion, potato, carrots, milk, baking powder, S&P, roasted chicken stock concentrate, all-purpose flour, white wine, butter and bone-in chicken thighs.

Prep the vegetables.  Cook the potatoes to about half done in a little olive oil and butter.  Add the rest of the vegetables and continue to cook until colored but slightly underdone (the flavor of root vegetables is enhanced by browning).  Set the vegetables aside.

Add a little more butter & olive oil to the pan and brown the chicken well on all sides.  Continue to cook the chicken until slightly underdone.  Set the chicken aside.

Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add herbs, liquid chicken stock and a spoonful of the concentrate to pan and reduce over high heat until reduced by half.  Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add the chicken and vegetables back to the pan and simmer over low heat while preparing the biscuits.

Make a basic biscuit dough from flour, salt, baking powder, milk and cold butter.  Roll the dough into a cylinder then cut into 1 inch thick biscuits.  Place biscuits on top of chicken then put the skillet into a 400 degree oven until the chicken is cooked through and the biscuits are golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve 2 thighs and biscuits per adult.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Arroz con Habichuelas y Nopalitos

/ Ren

Red Beans and Rice with Prickly Pear Cactus

Dried red beans and rice, hot sauce, dried herbs and spices with bell peppers, S&P, Mexican oregano, tomato, red onion, olive oil, garlic, jalapeno and a cactus paddle.

Prepare the rice and beans according to package directions or even better, make your own.

Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. 10 minutes before the rice is done, saute all but the cactus until tender, about 4 minutes.

Grill the cleaned cactus paddle for 2-3 minutes per side until fork-tender.  Take care not to overcook.

Fold all the vegetables into the bean and rice mixture and cook another 2 minutes to distribute flavors.

Serve topped with a squeeze of lime, queso bola and hot sauce.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Adobado Turkey with Pomegranate Molasses and Cornbread Dressing

/ Ren

Turkey breast tenderloin, brining mixture, dried chili blend, cornmeal, non-refined sugar, butter, pomegranate, cilantro and lemon juice.

Dissolve brine mix in cold water, add chili blend and pour over turkey.  Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.

Gather the rest of your ingredients.

Prepare the turkey by coating in melted butter then rolling in a mixture of coarse corn meal cut with a little flour, cilantro and chili blend.  Place into a 350 degree oven and cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, about 1 hour.

Prep the ingredients for the cornbread dressing.  Butter, pomegranate seeds, leftover cornbread cut into cubes, onion, celery, jalapeno and poultry seasoning.

Bring 2 cups pomegranate juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/4 cup non-refined sugar to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 hour or until the consistency is that of a thick syrup.

Drizzle the pomegranate molasses oven the turkey and return to the oven until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Saute celery, onion and jalapeno in buter until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add cornbread and cook until it begins to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Moisten with chicken stock and stir in the pomegranate seeds.

Slice the turkey on a bias and top with pan drippings and a little reserved molasses.

Crispy, tender, juicy, sweet/tart and spicy.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Beeff in a Faire Possenet

/ Ren

Beef Pot Roast, adapted from 16th century recipes using techniques suggested by Cooks Illustrated.

“Take faire ffresh beef, and (if thou wilt) roste hit til hit be nygh ynowe; theñ put hit in a faire possenet”

Beef chuck, garlic, thyme, bay, bacon, horseradish root, gelatin leaves, celery root, onion, wine, S&P, stock, parsley, carrots and turnips (I decided not to use the potatoes after the picture was taken).  Not shown: barley, barley malt, mushrooms and flour.

Following the natural seam, pull/cut the roast in two. Trim away thickest fat, but leave some thin layers intact.

Sprinkle roasts on all sides with kosher salt and place on a rack to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.  After about 15 minutes, you will begin to see moisture (containing sugars and proteins) forming on the surfaces of the meat.  The osmotic effect will begin to reverse after about 30 minutes as the salt partially dissolves and the liquids are reabsorbed.  Salting the meat helps to ensure a proper Maillard reaction which is critical to the success of this recipe.

While the meat is resting, cut the bacon into 1/2 inch dice and cook over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven until all the fat is rendered, about 10 minutes.  Set cooked bacon aside and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the melted fat.

Meanwhile, reduce an entire bottle of decent red wine (more fruity than dry) until the volume is halved.

Blot any remaining moisture from meat, pepper it on all sides and brown well on all sides in the bacon fat. Remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, cook the onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cooked bacon and about 1 tablespoon of flour and cook another minute.

Add reduced wine and broth to the pan with the onions, scraping the sides and bottom to release the fond.

Put the browned meat and its juices into the pot. Seal the pot with foil, cover and place into a 300 degree oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the pot from the oven and turn the meat over. Replace foil and lid and put back into the oven for another hour.

Prep the rest of the ingredients- celery leaves, stalks, celery root, carrots, barley, mushrooms and turnips.

After 2 hours of cooking, remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the meat to a rack and cover with the foil to keep warm.

Turn up the heat on the cooking liquid and reduce its volume by half.

Meanwhile, saute the celery root and turnips in butter until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add this to the pot of cooking liquid.

Saute carrots and celery stalks in butter until browned, about 5 minutes.  Glaze with a spoonful of barley malt before transferring to the pot with the turnips.

Salt the mushrooms and saute in butter until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms to the pot with the rest of the vegetables.

Add the cold-water softened gelatin to the pot and stir until dissolved.

Cut meat into thick slices and ladle gravy and vegetables over the top.  Garnish with chopped celery leaves and grated horseradish and serve accompanied with a glass of wine and a dish of hot, roasted chestnuts.

By far the best pot roast and one of the most satisfying meals in recent memory.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Winter Stores

/ Ren

img_1489

I’ve been busy putting by goods against the uncertainty of the coming months- a little bit each week.

Shown here are Roma tomatoes, garlic packed in oil and coarse salt, chilies, mushrooms, smoked and dried jalapenos, savory and lemon grass.

Headed for the dryer tonight are epazote, great piles of purple basil and marjoram. Come February I hope to still be enjoying the local bounty and not buying goods of dubious circumstance, flown in from distant hemispheres.

Chili

/ Ren

“…During the 1880s, brightly-dressed Hispanic women known as “Chili Queens” began to operate around Military Plaza and other public gathering places in downtown San Antonio. They would appear at dusk, building charcoal or wood fires to reheat cauldrons of pre-cooked chili, selling it by the bowl to passers-by. The aroma was a potent sales pitch…” (Wikipedia)  Visit npr.org for more information about The Chili Queens of San Antonio.

Chili con carne, Texas-style chili, Pedernales River chili, white chili, Cincinnati-style chili, Louisville style chili, chile verde.  All very different. All very good.

This unique chile selectively borrows from many of these traditions.  It would, of course be immediately disqualified from any self-respecting Texas chili cook-off.

Tomatillos, cilantro, masa flour, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, 3-bean chili beans, onion, queso Oaxaca bola (string cheese), Mexican oregano (related to lemon verbena, Mexican oregano is stronger than the Greek and Italian varieties), celery, Mexican dark beer, annatto oil, chipotles en adobo, 90% lean coarse-ground chili meat, dried ancho with cumin, pepper and cloves, red Frisco peppers, garlic, dark chocolate with cocoa nibs, cinnamon and chipotle and sweet white corn. Not shown: beef stock

In a Dutch oven, brown the meat in a little annatto oil. Drain any excess fat.

Chop the peppers, celery, onion, tomatillos and garlic and add to the meat.  Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft.

Add tomatoes, crushed ancho blend and chipotles en adobo. Allow the chili to come to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer.

Add beer and beef stock. Chili should be thin (lots of liquid) at this point. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut the corn from the cob and toast in a skillet to intensify color, flavor and sweetness (this makes a nice contrast to the heat of the peppers).

Add the corn, cilantro, chocolate, drained beans and oregano to the pot, stirring until the chocolate is incorporated, about 5 minutes.

Add masa and tomato paste to thicken, simmer another 5 -10 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Korean-style BBQ

/ Ren

This is my take on a Korean-style BBQ, inspired by the more traditional bulgogi and galbi.

“English-cut” short ribs, garlic, ginger, scallions, brown rice vinegar, oil, soy sauce with citrus and non-refined cane sugar.

Remove the cap and excess fat and cut the meat from the bone. Cut the remaining meat on a bias about 3/8 of an inch thick, and place into a non-reactive container.

Add minced garlic, ginger and scallions and about 1 tablespoon each of oil, vinegar and sugar to a quantity of soy sauce sufficient to cover the meat. For extra hot BBQ, add 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

At meal time, cook sweet rice according to package directions, and steam choy sum until tender, about 3 minutes.  Transfer steamed leaves to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and preserve the color and nutrients.

Meanwhile, sear the beef in a hot skillet until medium rare, about 5-7 minutes.

Lay the choy sum out on a flat surface.

Top with a spoonful of rice.

Then a piece of meat.

Add some odoriferous kimchi.

And some hot sauce.

Fold the leaves over and eat like Korean tacos, or serve open-face.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Aztec Drinking Chocolate

/ Ren

“The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayan peoples around 2000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then. Today, hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations including the very thick cioccolata densa served in Italy, and the thinner hot cocoa that is typically consumed in the United States.”

Melt about 1 1/2 oz of the darkest*, unsweetened chocolate that you can get in a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water.

Add about 1 tablespoon each non-refined cane sugar and hot water, stirring constantly until smooth.

Add cream and vanilla and heat through.

The mixture will be thick, silky and not sweet so much as just not bitter.

Put 1/4 cup boiling water in a heavy mug and pour chocolate mixture over the top.  Top with grated cinnamon and a pinch of chili or chipotle powder.

* I’m no mathematician, but I’m guessing that this 100% cacao is about as dark as it can get

Pease Porridge

/ Ren

“Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; it is mentioned in Aristophanes’ The Birds, and according to one source ‘the Greeks and Romans were cultivating this legume about 500 to 400 BC. During that era, vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup.‘”

Split yellow and green peas, chicken stock, kosher salt, pepper, country bacon, celery, onion, carrots and garlic.

Pick over peas and rinse. Add to heavy pot with chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Rinse and dry thick slices of country bacon, then fry over medium heat, turning often, until fat is mostly rendered. Pour off fat and add the bacon the pot with the peas.

Cook the vegetables in the bacon pan, stirring frequently until soft, about 3-5 minutes.  Try not to let the vegetables brown.

Add the vegetables and pepper to the pot with the peas and bacon and continue to simmer, covered, until the peas are tender and begin to lose their shape, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the bacon to a cutting board.

Puree the soup in place using an immersion blender, taking care not to splash hot liquid.

Mince the bacon and stir it back into the soup.  Adjust the seasoning with pepper and kosher salt if needed.

Serve with crema and stoneground mustard and slices of hearty bread.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches

/ Ren

Red onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, curry powder, eggs, celery and cilantro.

Place eggs into pan and cover with cold water.  Turn heat on high.  As soon as the water begins to boil, cover the pan and remove from the heat.  Allow to sit precisely 10 minutes (f you want to see a perfect soft-boiled egg, pull one out at 6 minutes. Top it and season with S & P).

Pour off the hot water and transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water. Allow to sit until thoroughly cooled, at least 10 minutes.  Tap egg on counter and roll back-and-forth.  Beginning from the large end, peel the shell away in a near-continuous strip.  Yeah, right.

Dice eggs and add the rest of the ingredients and toss with a fork until just combined.  Adjust seasoning with S & P if needed.

Serve with field greens on toasted pumpernickel.  The egg salad isn’t actually green, by the way- that’s just a photo/lighting anomaly.

Because I’m weird, though, I eat my egg salad sandwiches with lots of Mexican hot sauce.

Pan Seared Duck in Port Reduction with Agave Mustard Glazed Carrots

/ Ren

Garlic, shallot, caraway, butter, agave nectar, double strength lemon juice, baby carrots, port wine, peppercorns, duck glacé, sea salt and duck breasts

Cut a criss-cross pattern into the fat on the back of the duck breasts.  Try not to cut into the meat.

Place breasts into heavy skillet over medium heat and cook until the fat stops rendering and the skin is crisp, about 20 minutes. Pour the fat off 3-4 times during this process.

Begin cooking the carrots and caraway in butter and a scant amount of water.

Season the duck with salt and pepper and turn breast side down.  Continue to saute until medium rare*, about 5-7 minutes.

Add shallots and garlic, saute 1 minute.  Deglaze pan with port wine.  Swirl the duck in the wine for a few moments, then transfer to a cutting board.

Add agave, mustard, chopped greens and S & P to the carrots, and cook over medium heat until glazed, about 3 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Add glacé to pan with port and whisk over medium high heat until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Use to dress the thinly sliced duck.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

* This is against USDA guidelines which say that poultry must be cooked to 165 degrees.

Salmon Croûte, Brussels Sprouts in Cream and Wild Rice with Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil

/ Ren

Dried oyster, trumpet and morchella mushrooms, shallot, wild rice, (real) white truffle oil, Brussels sprouts, heavy cream, butter, whole nutmeg, black sea salt, white peppercorns, wild Alaskan salmon and a blend of dried onion, garlic, carrot, red pepper, tomato, orange peel, parsley, bay, thyme, basil, celery, lemon peel, oregano, savory, mustard seed, cumin, marjoram, coriander, cayenne and rosemary.

Rinse and begin cooking the wild rice according to package directions.

Moisten a salmon filet with olive oil and season with the spice blend, sea salt and white pepper. Place fish onto an oiled skillet, wrap in a sheet of water-soaked red cedar paper and tie with kitchen string.

About 20 minutes before the rice is done, brown the trimmed and split Brussels sprouts in a little butter until browned.  Add heavy cream and simmer partially covered until almost tender, about 10 minutes.

While the vegetables are simmering, saute minced shallot and sliced mushrooms in butter and truffle oil, stirring frequently until just done, about 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.

Place the salmon in a 350 degree oven and cook about 10-12 minutes.

Uncover the vegetables and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Add the mushrooms and shallots to the rice and fluff with a fork.

Assemble the plate, topping the Brussels sprouts with seasoned, toasted bread crumbs.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Chicken Soup with Basil Pesto Pasta

/ Ren

Made from ingredients that were on hand rather than from a recipe.

Dried pasta filled with basil pesto, celery, onions and carrots, olive oil, home made chicken stock (see previous post), rapini, Italian herbs with red and black pepper, some of our previously put by dried tomatoes, garlic and 1/2 roast chicken.  Mise en place.

Pull the meat and skin from the bones. Toss the bones into the cannister along with the onion and celery ends and freeze as stock-starter for next time.

Cut the meat into spoon sized pieces.  I prefer to use both white and dark meat in chicken soup.

Bring the stock to a slow boil and skim away any scum with the edge of a ladle.

Add the chopped, dried tomatoes first, as they need a full 30 minutes to reclaim their previously toothsome goodness.

After about 10 minutes, add the pasta which needs an additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the vegetables and herbs in olive oil until just underdone.  Cooking the vegetables first ensures that they will stay suspended in the stock rather than all floating to the top. Transfer the vegetables to the soup pot and simmer until done, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the chicken and rapini and simmer until chicken is heated throughout and rapini is tender, about 5 more minutes.

Serve topped with a little Italian cheese if you like.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Chicken Stock

/ Ren

The carcass of yesterday’s roast chicken, celery, onion, carrot, parsley, thyme, bay, peppercorns and garlic.

Begin by cooking the chicken and vegetables in a Dutch oven until it begins to brown a little.  This will help to give the stock a rich color.

Add the herbs, peppercorns and enough cold water to cover. Cook over high heat until it just begins to boil, then turn the heat down and let simmer for 1 hour, skimming the scum about once every 15 minutes.

Simmer an additional 8 hours, skimming occasionally and adding a little hot water as needed to keep the ingredients submerged.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container and immediately cool that in a sink full of ice water. The goal is to cool the stock below the bacterial level of 38 degrees as quickly as possible.

Done correctly, the stock will safely keep in the refrigerator for at least three days or in the freezer for 3-4 months.

‘Putting by’

/ Ren

Buying “fresh” produce from halfway around the world in the dead of winter (or any time of year for that matter) is problematic for a number of reasons.  Our great grandparents understood that certain foods were simply not not available out-of-season.

“Putting food by” or preserving, can be accomplished by several methods, including root cellaring, salting, canning, pickling, curing and drying.

1 dozen large fresh jalapenos, cored, split and seeded.

Into the stove-top smoker over medium heat; close the lid just as the wood chips begin to smoke. Do you see the wisps of smoke coming from both ends of the pan?

Don’t want to cook them too much, just long enough that they begin to brown around the edges.

Straight into a pre-heated dehydrator.  Those are tomatoes drying on the rack below.

Here are the smoked, dried peppers after about 24 hours. You can store them just like this in an airtight container, or pulverize and store in a spice jar.

In either case, watch the jars closely for a couple of days to make sure there isn’t any moisture present.  At the first sign of condensation, you must immediately re-dry the goods or risk spoilage.  If everything looks good after a few days, the peppers will keep indefinitely.

Lots of things are suitable for drying, including tomatoes and herbs.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Red Pepper Rapini

/ Ren

The goal- a savory, moist and tender bird with really crispy skin. The key to success here is to brine the bird overnight, then dry-pack it the next morning.

For the brine, kosher salt (about 1 cup per gallon of water), herbs, peppercorns and garlic. Boil all ingredients together for 5 minutes to dissolve the salt and allow the herbs to release some oil.

Add enough ice water to cool the brine and increase the volume according to the amount of salt you used.  When cool, pour the brine over the chicken and add a little olive oil.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, discard the brine and thoroughly rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat it dry, then make a dozen or so slits into the legs, thighs, breast and back of the bird.

Combine 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper and fresh chopped herbs such as savory, sage rosemary and time.

Moisten the chicken with olive oil (a mister works great for this), then rub all of the salt mixture onto the bird, thinly covering as much surface area as you can. Refrigerate for the rest of the day.

Prepare the rapini by washing it and removing 3/4 of the stem end. Chop the rest into 2-inch pieces. Plunge into rapidly boiling water for 1 minute, drain and transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain again and set aside.

Roast the chicken breast side down for 25 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Turn the chicken breast side up, add seasoned potato wedges and continue to roast until an instant thermometer reads 135 degrees in the deepest area of the breast, about 20 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and continue to roast until skin is crisp and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 20 minutes.  Set aside to rest.

Meanwhile, make pan gravy by pouring off the grease from the roasting pan, leaving the fond behind.  Loosen the brown bits by adding a little white wine and scraping with a wooden spoon. Add this to a pot with chicken stock, and quickly reduce over high heat. Thicken with a little rice flour if necessary.

Saute scallions and garlic in olive oil.  Add the drained rapini and red pepper flakes.  Sautee all together until tender, about 5 minutes.

Carve, plate and serve.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

How to make a really great grilled cheese sandwich

/ Ren

Use a generous amount of butter (not oil or margarine) and cook over low heat.

Use good, fresh bread. I’m using a seeded multi-grain bread made from whole wheat, rye, oats and barley.

Use a flavorful cheese with good melting properties. I’m using sharp white cheddar and asiago.

To enhance the flavor, sprinkle a little sea salt on the cheese before placing the other slice of bread on top.

Here’s the trick- weight the sandwich with a bacon press or something similar. You want enough weight to press the sandwich down without totally flattening it. Flip and repeat.

Crispy, melty goodness.

Thai Curry Shrimp with Ginger Jasmine Rice

/ Ren

Fresh ginger, shallot, garlic, peppers, cilantro, lemon grass, coconut milk, Thai spices*, coconut oil, jasmine rice, fresh jumbo shrimp and unsweetened flaked coconut.  Not shown; red curry paste**

Substitute coconut milk for 1/2 of the water called for in the instructions for the rice.  In that mixture, steep freshly grated ginger, lemon grass and spices for 15 minutes.

Saute the shallot and garlic in coconut oil until colored. Add peeled & deveined shrimp, spices and peppers and continue to saute until shrimp is just under done.  Add curry paste, coconut milk and cilantro. Stir to combine, then simmer on low until thickenend, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in the coconut milk and water mixture until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Serve topped with toasted coconut and additional cilantro.

* corriander, red pepper, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, black pepper, basil, cardamom and cloves

** dried red chili, garlic, lemon grass, salt, galangal, shrimp paste, kaffir lime peel and pepper

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Organic farming ‘could feed Africa’

/ Ren

Traditional practices increase yield by 128 per cent in east Africa, says UN

By Daniel Howden in Nairobi
Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Organic farming offers Africa the best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition it has been locked in for decades, according to a major study from the United Nations to be presented today.

New evidence suggests that organic practices - derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad - are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africas small farmers

New evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa’s small farmers who remain among the poorest people on earth. The head of the UN’s Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, said the report “indicates that the potential contribution of organic farming to feeding the world maybe far higher than many had supposed”.

Food & Water Watch

/ Ren

Take Action Food & Water Watch

Tell Congress to Break Up Milk Monopolies

Over two years ago, the Department of Justice started an investigation into anti-trust violations by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), the company that picks up over a third of the milk from U.S. farms. The DOJ has never released the findings of their investigation and we need Congress to shine some light on what is going on in the dairy industry.

Tell the House and Senate Judiciary Committees it’s time for them to conduct hearings into anti-competitive behavior by dairy giants like DFA.

Food Security

/ Ren

Pollan a Must-Read « Sustainable Food Center

Pollan a Must-Read

Sunday’s New York Times Magazine entitled The Food Issue is rife with dialogue on the failures of the Western food system and what each of us can do about it. I worked in a glatt-kosher restaurant in NYC for two years and was thrilled to read the article on how different members of the movement are creating change in hopes of bringing humanely raised animals into the equation of mindful and spiritual eating.

Michael Pollan’s long-anticipated open letter to our next Farmer in Chief makes the strongest case yet for a shift away from a global, industrial food system. Pollan weaves the seemingly disparate issues of energy, healthcare and food sovereignty together beautifully – and most importantly, in a way that everyday people (even politicians!) can understand.

Full article

Pozole Roja with Cornsticks

/ Ren

Pozole Roja is a traditional pre-Colombian stew, adopted as the local cuisine of Guerrero, Mexico. In the US state of New Mexico, pozole (from Spanish pozole, from Nahuatl potzolli) is traditionally served on Christmas Eve to celebrate life’s blessings.

While it looks a little complicated, it really isn’t hard.  As long as you have “mise en place” (everything in place) before starting, you’ll get through this fine, and be justly rewarded in the end.

Pork shoulder, dried ancho and guajillo chiles, garlic, achiote seeds, dark chocolate with chipotle, cinnamon and cocoa nibs, crema (think of Mexican crème fraîche), fresh cilantro, fresh mint, key limes, Spanish onion, Mexican oregano, olive oil, peppercorns and nixtamal (white corn/hominy).

Start by toasting the achiote seeds in a hot, dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add good olive oil and infuse over low heat for about 20 minutes. Strain the resulting annatto oil through a coffee filter placed inside a funnel.  Stored in a cool, dark place, annatto oil will keep indefinitely.

Trim the excess fat from the pork, but leave a little intact. In a Dutch oven, sear the pork in a little of the annatto oil.  Add onions, garlic and oregano and cook another 5 minutes.

Add water (or stock, if you prefer) to cover, cilantro and mint (I’ve stuffed the herbs into a cheesecloth bag for easy removal) and S&P. Simmer until pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Split the chilies and remove the stems and seeds. Place on a flat skillet and weight for about 20 seconds. Flip and repeat.

Transfer the toasted chilies to a bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand until soft, about 1/2 hour.

Gather up the ingredients for cornbread.  Coarse-ground yellow cornmeal, all-purpose flour, milk, baking powder, butter, egg, chiles and salt.

Lightly toast the cornmeal on a dry skillet to bring out the flavor, then add it to the bowl with the other ingredients (I’ve added a little shredded cheddar cheese). Mix until just combined, about 1 minute.  Do not over mix.

Blend the re-hydrated chiles with 1/2 of its soaking water until smooth. Transfer to pan and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the hominy and simmer another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the cornbread mix into a pre-heated iron cornstick pan (or muffin tins or 8×8 glass baking dish) and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Serve in a bowl garnished with crema, chopped mint and cilantro, and shaved chocolate.

Weeknight Meatloaf

/ Ren

This just seems right on a cool fall evening.

Fresh beef and pork, about 3/4lb of each, onion, garlic, hot pepper paste (optional), unsulphered blackstrap molasses, Worcestershire,  strained tomatoes, milk, thyme, S & P, egg, apple cider vinegar and a large sandwich roll.

Start by coarsely grinding the well-chilled meat into a glass bowl. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, S & P, Worcestershire and egg. Mix by hand until ingredients are dispersed, but take care not to over-mix.

Moisten the lightly toasted, shredded bread with a little milk and fold into the meat mixture.

If you are unsure of the seasoning, just fry a little sample to taste and adjust as you see fit.

Make the glaze by cooking the tomatoes, molasses, Worcestershire, vinegar and pepper paste together until thick and deep mahogany colored, about 5 minutes.

Put the meat mixture into a perforated loaf pan and cover with the glaze (I’m also going to roast a yellow potato and some greens beans). Cook in a 350 degree oven until the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees (about 1 hour and 20 minutes).  Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Chipotle Black Bean Chicken Chili (favorite)

/ Ren

Crushed tomatoes, black beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, roasted peppers, chicken, corn, chipotle powder, smoked sweet paprika, sea salt and cheddar cheese.

Brine* the chicken for 1 hour before starting the recipe. Brining makes the chicken much more tender and juicy.

In a Dutch oven, saute the onions, jalapeno, garlic and chipotle until tender, about 7 minutes.

Add tomatoes and peppers, simmer 10 minutes.

Brown the corn with cilantro.  Browning releases the sugars and intensifies the corn flavor.

Add the corn, drained black beans and a large spoonful of nutritional yeast flakes.  Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Cook the (rinsed and patted dry) chicken in hot oil with smoked paprika until almost done, about 5 minutes per side.

Cut the chicken into bite size cubes, add to the chili and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Serve topped with shredded cheese and slivered scallions.

* “The brining process forces water into the muscle tissues of the meat by a process known as diffusion and osmosis. This additional moisture causes the muscle tissues to swell and hold more water. The resulting water in the muscle tissues will make the meat more moist and tender. Any spices herbs or other flavorings you add to the brine solution will get taken deep into the meat with the water.”

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Local Food

/ Ren

From Wikipedia

Local food (also regional food or food patriotism) or the local food movement is a “collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies – one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place” and is considered to be a part of the broader sustainability movement. It is part of the concept of local purchasing and local economies, a preference to buy locally produced goods and services. Those who prefer to eat locally grown/produced food sometimes call themselves “localvores” or locavores.

5-Minute Chocolate Cake

/ Ren

I’m straying from more than one of my nutritional boundaries here, but I do so strictly in the interest of science. And, because its chocolate cake.  In 5 minutes.

Adapted from a recipe found at Dizzy Dee

  • 3 Tablespoons organic graham flour*
  • 4 Tablespoons non-refined cane sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 Egg
  • 3 Tablespoons milk
  • 3 Tablespoons walnut or coconut oil
  • 1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
  • A little vanilla
  • Pinch salt

Oil the inside of a large mug.  Thoroughly combine all ingredients in the mug and microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Let cool for a couple of minutes and serve warm with sweetened cream.

* (from about.com) Graham flour is a form of whole wheat flour, named for Sylvester Graham (1795-1851), a forerunner of the health food movement and the inventor (1829) of Graham Crackers. Graham developed this form of flour in the 1830s in hopes of diverting people away from the less healthy refined white flour. His Graham hotels promoted vegetarian meals and unseasoned foods.

To make graham flour, the endosperm of winter wheat is finely ground. The bran and germ layers are returned and mixed in, resulting in a coarse, brown flour with a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. Today, some commercial granaries remove much of the wheat germ to prolong the shelf life of the flour. The germ contains oil that accelerates rancidity. Graham flour is unrefined and unbleached.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Arañitas

/ Ren

Arañitas (little spiders) are fritters made from shredded plantains.  Use a mostly green plantain or, like mine, your little spiders won’t have any legs.  Still delicious, though!

Grate the peeled plantain into long strips. This one is over-ripe for this recipe, so its more mushy than it should be.  So, do as I say, not as I did.

Form the shreds into a little patty, roughly the size and shape of a silver dollar.  Carefully drop them into hot oil (I’m using peanut oil, taking care to keep it below the smoking point), turning them once with a slotted spoon.

Transfer to a paper napkin-lined plate to drain.  Immediately season with lots of s&p and serve hot as an accompaniment to your favorite Cuban dish.

These can be made a day or 2 ahead and reheated in a 350 degree oven if needed, but they are best eaten shortly after frying.

See How to Select a Plantain for a quick description of what to do with plantains at varying stages of ripeness

Roasted Orange Cauliflower Soup

/ Ren

Orange cauliflower, garlic, carrots, cardamom pods, nutritional yeast flakes*, milk, onion, s&p and broth

Trim away the leaves, then split the head of cauliflower into 8 wedges, leaving the core intact. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, mist with olive oil and season with s&p. Put pan on lowest rack of a 475 degree oven.  Roast 10 minutes, turn wedges over and roast another 10 minutes.

Toast the cardamom pods until brown and fragrant.  When cool, pulverize in a spice blender, mortar & pestle or whatever you have handy.

Saute the carrots, onion and garlic until colored & tender.

Remove the califlower from the oven and transfer to the pot, breaking away the florets from the core as you go. Add enough broth to just cover the vegetables. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to a gentle boil and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 20-30 minutes.

Turn off the heat.  Carefully puree hot soup with an immersion blender. Add milk, cardamom to taste, s&p and yeast flakes. Simmer 5 minutes longer.

Garnish with whatever you find appealing.  I’m using a chopped floret, slivers of radish and some of yesterday’s fennel feathers.  Serve hot with a section of toasted baguette.

*The nutritional yeast is what makes this recipe stand out. It tastes something like parmesan or white cheddar cheese, with a slight nutiness.  Great on popcorn!

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Tomato Sausage Strata with Baby Fennel

/ Ren

Home made sausage, purple basil, Italian cheeses, Roma tomatoes, baby fennel, whole milk, stale bread, brown eggs.

Trim, split, core and chop the fennel bulb.

Saute the sausage with garlic, onions and fennel. I’ve added smoked paprika and red chili flakes for color and kick.

When the sausage is done, turn off the heat and set aside.

Prepare the quiche-like filling by mixing milk, eggs, salt & pepper and dried herbs.

Line a buttered dish with rounds of stale bread.

Add the cooked sausage.

Add the tomatoes and chopped fennel feathers.

Add the cheese.

Some more bread.

Milk/egg mixture and dried basil.

More cheese and fennel. Decorate with the tomato ends if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees until eggs are set and top is crisp and brown.

Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Fresh-made Sausage

/ Ren

All I wanted was a little fresh Italian sausage, so I went to the market to take a number to stand in line to pay an outrageous sum of $4 a pound.

Hold on. Did I just see sugar in the list of ingredients? And sodium nitrite?!

While this chemical will prevent the growth of bacteria, it can be toxic for mammals. (LD50 in rats is 180 mg/kg.) For this reason, sodium nitrite sold as a food additive is dyed bright pink to avoid mistaking it for something else. Cooks and makers of charcuterie often simply refer to sodium nitrite as “pink salt”.

Various dangers of using this as a food additive have been suggested and researched by scientists. A principal concern is the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines by the reaction of sodium nitrite with amino acids in the presence of heat in an acidic environment. Its usage is carefully regulated in the production of cured products; in the United States, the concentration in finished products is limited to 200 ppm, and is usually lower. In about 1970, it was found that the addition of ascorbic acid inhibited nitrosamine production. U.S. manufacturing of cured meats now requires the addition of 500 ppm of ascorbic acid or erythorbic acid, a cheaper isomer. Sodium nitrite has also been linked to triggering migraines.

Time to make my own sausage, the way I like it, with lots of Not Sugar and extra No Preservatives!

Talk to your butcher. Ask her for some nice, fresh, boneless pork. Trim any excess fat and membrane, and push the cold pork through your grinder. Add seasoning if you wish, but do grind it a second time.

Leftover sausage deteriorates quickly, so if you’re not going to use it within 2 days, store it frozen, pressed flat in a zipper bag.

Homemade Seitan

/ Ren

Seitan [SAY-tahn] or “wheat meat” is a long-popular vegetarian meat substitute, known for its ability to look, feel and taste like the ingredient that it is replacing.

I am not a vegetarian pour le moment, but I do recognize healthy (if you’re not gluten-restricted, that is), tasty protein when it crosses my plate. Unfortunately, the cost of store-bought seitan is increasing as fast as the economy is tanking.  Let’s see if we can make our own with a little lot of help from Isa Moskowitz over at the Post Punk Kitchen.

Vital wheat gluten flour, nutritional yeast flakes (not active dry yeast), garlic, ponzu, soy or tamari, tomato paste, vegetable broth and lemon zest.

Combine the flour and yeast in a large bowl and the rest of the ingredients in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, combine then knead by hand 3-5 minutes. Dough will be spongy, but not very sticky.

Roll the dough out into a log, then cut into equal sections roughly 1/2 inch thick. Put the pieces into the still-cold broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

Let cool in the pot another hour before using. Stored in its broth, the recipe-ready seitan will keep in the fridge for 5 days or so.  Stay tuned for more tasty things made with our own seitan (why, here’s one example already, and hey, its darn good!).

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Salmon Casserole (favorite)

/ Ren

High quality, wild pink salmon, whole milk, butter, french roll, lemon, salt & pepper, asiago cheese, celery, roasted red peppers, pasta, fresh dill and white wine.

Cook pasta according to package instructions, leaving slightly under done. Rinse, drain and set aside. Simmer milk well seasoned with salt, pepper and white wine until reduced to the consistency of cream.  Add dill and remove from heat.

Drain and flake the salmon and add the vegetables, lemon zest with a little juice, 2/3 of the bread crumbs and cheese and fold in the white sauce.

Turn mixture into a buttered casserole, top with the remaining bread crumbs, cheese and a little smoked paprika and bake at 350 until the sides are bubbly and the topping is nicely browned, about 30 minutes.  Allow to stand 5 minutes before serving.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ –

Seared Halibut, Grilled Green Beans and Fried Mushrooms

/ Ren

Fresh Alaskan Halibut, organic green beans and dried exotic mushrooms

Marinate the beans in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Make bread crumbs to top the fish.  I’m using a leftover wheat bun pulsed with a little dried parsley.

Rehydrate the mushrooms in hot water with a tablespoon or so of soy sauce. Prepare two plates of seasoned rice flour, beat the egg with a little water.

Dress the fish with olive oil, fresh ginger, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Sear the fish in a heavy skillet until nicely colored on both sides, top with bread crumbs and put the pan into a hot oven to finish.

While the fish is cooking, start the mushrooms.  Dust in flour, dip into egg wash and then back into the flour.  Drop into hot oil.  Get those beans going- they should cook until they begin to brown and shrivel a bit.

Drain the mushrooms on a brown paper bag then assemble the plate.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Seitan Shiromiso

/ Ren

Chicken style seitan in broth, basil, spinach, roma tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, chili paste, ginger, white miso and udon noodles.

Saute the seitan with onions, garlic, ginger and a little loose green tea.  Add the broth and cilantro, simmer about 20 minutes.

Add the noodles and tomatoes, simmer another 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning, add the spinach and basil and enjoy!

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Kickas* Burger

/ Ren

Ever go to that fancy restaurant and have one of those $12 burgers, only to go home dissatisfied?  Well, I have.  Lets see what we can do at home for less than 1/2 the cost.

Pretty hard to make a great burger from anything less than a great steak.  This is a dry-aged top sirloin, about 7oz. That’s a wedge of Lancashire Blacksticks Blue cheese, tomato on-the-vine, red onion, Yukon gold potatoes, fresh rosemary, sweet corn, a wheat Kaiser roll, some of the peppers that we put up last week, thyme, pepper, sea salt and worcestershire without anchovies.

Grind the well-chilled meat and add thyme, pepper, sea salt and a little worcestershire. Form the burger and set aside.

Get the potatoes going with rosemary and garlic. Add the corn and peppers, season with chile powder and cilantro.  Meanwhile, check you burger for your desired degree of doneness.  Assemble, plate and feast.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Cannellini Soup with Grilled Ficelle (favorite)

/ Ren

Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained. Chicken stock, olive oil, cream, cipolline onions, garlic, pepper, sea salt, Italian herbs, rubbed sage and mult-grain ficelle.

Saute the onions and garlic until they begin to brown, then add the sage and cook another minute.

Add the beans and chicken stock, reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender, then add the cream, salt and pepper and a little butter. I’ve added a chiffonade of red chard for color.

Grill the bread with olive oil and Italian herbs, whisk the soup and enjoy!

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Green Tea-Crusted Cod with Buckwheat Tabouli

/ Ren

Green Tea-Crusted Cod with buckwheat tabouli

Rinse hulled buckwheat and cook according to package directions. Allow to chill in refrigerator for an hour, then combine with olive oil, garlic, mint, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, lemon juice, toasted hemp seed nuts and sea salt.

Lightly coat cod with rice flour seasoned with toasted green tea, sea salt and pepper. Pan fry over medium heat in a little oil and butter, turning once (approximately 4 min/side depending on thickness).

Remove fish from pan and deglaze with white wine. Add lemon juice and parsley and reduce for a minute or so. Finish with pat of cold butter and spoon over the fish.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Curried Lamb with Peas and Lentils

/ Ren

Trim any excess fat and cut leftover roast lamb into bite sized pieces. Toast cardamom, coriander, mustard seeds and bay in coconut oil until the seeds begin to pop out of the pan.  Add the cubed lamb and continue to cook until meat is nicely browned.

Transfer the lamb to a dutch oven, adding enough stock and tomato puree to cover the meat. Cover and simmer about 1 and 1/2 hours. Add black gram lentils, peas, tomatoes, ginger, chili powder, curry powder and cilantro, and simmer another 1/2 hour.

Heat a naan on a skillet and serve with lamb and yoghurt or sour cream.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +

Roast Leg of Lamb

/ Ren

Roast leg of lamb with root vegetables and pan gravy

This is a boneless leg of lamb that I’ve marinated overnight in red wine, olive oil, garlic and peppercorns. To the pan, add 1 cup chicken stock and a variety of seasonal root vegetables  (I’m using potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots and garlic). The lamb is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and a little dried spearmint.

Place the roast into pre-heated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and let cook until a meat thermometer registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, about an hour and twenty minutes for a 3lb. roast.

Remove the lamb and vegetables to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with red wine, scraping all the fond from the sides and bottom. Thicken with rice flour or a little arrowroot disolved in water.

Remove the netting from the lamb, slice and serve with the vegetables and gravy.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Panko and Hemp Crusted Cod

/ Ren

Alaskan Cod with skin and bones removed, wild rice, exotic mushrooms, mustard seed, caraway seed, green beans and panko crumbs with black sesame seeds, hemp seeds, basil, chili powder, cilantro, and coriander.

Rinse rice and cook according to package instructions. About 15 minutes before the rice is ready, put the fish into a 400 degree oven, then sautee the mushrooms and add to the rice, cover and set aside.

Cook the beans in the same skillet, adding some butter and the just-ground mustard and caraway seeds. When slightly browned and tender, de-glaze the pan with a little lemon or orange juice.

Early Fall Peppers

/ Ren

Wednesday evening means Farmer’s Market in Austin, and September means peppers!  Hot peppers, sweet peppers, short ones, long ones, round ones and everything in between.  Here’s a small sample that includes jalapeños, hot cherry, Russian heirloom and assorted sweets.

Since this is way more than I can eat in the next week, I’m going to use use two methods to set some aside. Start by halving, seeding, rinsing and chopping your peppers (size and shape are up to you).

The 1st batch is left as is and double-bagged for the freezer.  The second batch is sealed in an airtight glass container with olive oil, salt and vinegar. Recipe-ready, it will live in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Roast turkey with agave and chipotle

/ Ren

Turkey breast tenderloin, agave nectar, ground chipotle, smoked paprika, cilantro, pepper, sea salt and BBQ sauce.

Into a dish with a wedge of pumpkin seasoned with grated cinnamon and nutmeg, thence into a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour.

Fava beans, sunburst squash, bacon and golden pearl onions.

Shortly before the turkey comes out of the oven, sautee the bacon and onions until they begin to caramelize, then add the blanched beans and squash.

Slice the turkey, scoop the pumpkin with a spoon, plate and serve.

Una bella fetta

/ Ren

Fresh Italian sausage, basil, “ugly ripes”, black gerignola olives, hot cherry pepper and garlic.

Wet mozzarella, insalata panino and grana padano stravecchio.

Chop the tomatoes, squeeze out the water then add them to the pan with the garlic, peppers and dried Italian herbs. Cook until soft, not more than 10 minutes. Drain any excess juice.

Assemble the pie.  I’m using a prepared crust, but you can use whatever you like.  Focaccia and flatbread both work well.  Tomato sauce on the bottom, a little grated cheese, sausage, mozzarella, insalata and fresh basil.

Into a 500 degree oven (don’t forget to preheat your stone) until it looks the way you like it.

Slice, plate and enjoy with a salad of field greens with artichokes and lemon garlic dressing.

Whole Paycheck

/ Ren

Austin’s Whole Foods Market – wholesome, healthy for the wholesome, wealthy ?

“What passes for organic farming today has strayed far from what the shaggy utopians who got the movement going back in the ’60s and ’70s had in mind. But if these pioneers dreamed of revolutionizing the nation’s food supply, they surely didn’t intend for organic to become a luxury item, a high-end lifestyle choice.”  – Field Maloney, writing in Slate

Red Rice Riot (favorite)

/ Ren

Every now and then I go a little crazy in the kitchen, having some notion of my direction of travel but without a particular destination. Sometimes this works well, sometimes not.

Tonight, I was thinking Thai-ish & vegetarian. I’m not sure where I wound up, but man, was it good!

Starting clockwise from the bottom left- split peanuts, cilantro, purple basil, red Thai rice, coconut milk, peanut satay sauce with lemongrass, fennel, corriander and kafir lime, Madagascar vanilla and roasted chili powder.  On the plate, clockwise from the bottom- scallions, galangal root, Fresno pepper, ginger root, orange, medjool dates and turmeric rhizome, and a large clove of garlic in the center.

Start by bruising the roots and adding them to the pot with the coconut milk, chili powder, vanilla and cilantro. Simmer this over low heat for about 30 minutes until the flavors develop and it takes on its beautiful yellow color. Scoop out the pulp, then add the rice and a little water so that the liquid volume is sufficient for the amount of rice. Still on low heat, cover the pot and walk away for another half hour.

Uncover the rice and stir in the chopped dates, orange pieces and basil. Sautee the peanuts, onions and peppers and add to the pot.

Serve topped with additional chili paste and satay sauce.

Update: Good Flow Honey & Juice Co

/ Ren

The Daily Texan – Austin juicery meets legal battle on pasteurization

The Daily Texan
Austin juicery meets legal battle on pasteurization

Mohini Madgavkar

Daily Texan Staff

Published: Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Updated: Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Austin-based juicery Good Flow Honey & Juice Co. has halted production after an order from the Food and Drug Administration shut down the company’s East Austin manufacturing center Friday.

Good Flow Honey & Juice Co. got its start more than 25 years ago, selling hand-squeezed juice and honey harvested from its own bees. The Crofut family, which started the business, made a name for itself with unorthodox flavors such as Spirulina and Pineapple-Beet and its claim for making “homemade juice.”

Unlike most commercial juicers, Good Flow does not use pasteurization, a process that uses heat to kill microorganisms in juice and other beverages, in production.

Good Flow co-founder Judy Crofut said the company asked the FDA for an exemption from pasteurization mandates placed upon commercial juice producers because the company produces and distributes locally and delivers its product within 24 hours. “We have all our own processes in place to ensure that it’s good, safe juice,” Crofut said. “Pasteurization kills everything, all the enzymes that allow you to digest your food, so that was a big interest of ours.”

Crofut said that in 2006, the FDA retracted the exemption that allowed Good Flow to operate as a juice bar that sells directly to its customers and therefore, avoid pasteurization.

After a lengthy legal battle that threatened to shut down Good Flow several times in the past two years, Crofut said a court order Friday has forced them to suspend juice production until the company can comply with FDA pasteurization standards.

Some businesses throughout Austin that carry Good Flow’s products, including Wheatsville Food Co-op, Whole Foods Market and the UT pharmacy, as well as restaurants such as Kerbey Lane Cafe, said the convenience of direct delivery from a local juice bar will be difficult to replace. The drinks are particularly popular with students, said Caffé Medici manager Patrick Pierce.

“Once school started up, we started blowing through Good Flow,” Pierce said. “We do about 30 [bottles] twice a week, so about 60 a week.”

Kerbey Lane Cafe employee Phillip Bachus said Good Flow’s processes appeal to Austinites.

“I think people really like that it’s local,” Bachus said. “It supports your community, and it’s a lot better to have a gallon of orange juice from two miles away than from five states.” But Bachus said he recognized that problems could be associated with unpasteurized juice.

“There’s never been one single issue ever with Good Flow with any kind of medical thing, but I know that we’ve never served it to kids,” Bachus said. Crofut said Good Flow will continue to sell honey until it can reopen the juice business. “We’re going to call the City of Austin and see what we have to do to open this place as a retail outlet,” Crofut said, adding that the company hopes to reopen on a larger scale in compliance with FDA regulations.

GoodFlow gone?

/ Ren

Terror in the Heartland » Stanching the GoodFlow

Terror in the Heartland
September 6, 2008
Staunching the GoodFlow

Earlier this afternoon, I paid a visit to Monkeywrench, and one of the collective members told me that The Man has shut down Goodflow Juice Co. The gossip is that some federal agency gave the company a deadline for pasteurizing its juice, and it was unable to shift production to a new facility before the deadline. I have not been able to find any corroboration about this from mainstream media sources, which is a bit disappointing, since it’s a local business loved by many Austinites. The plus side for me, however, was that Monkeywrench was the beneficiary of a large lot of unsalable juice, and I was treated to a delicious ginger lemonade.

I hope the Chronicle or The Austin Real-Estatesman will get on this story and sort it all out.
Tags: Austin ,food ,public safety ,regulation
Austin — McChris @ 1:57 pm

Lamb chops with bean salad

/ Ren

A pair of inch and 1/2 thick lamb chops from a pasture near Austin. Fresh herbs, garlic, peppercorns, sea salt and a soft red wine. Into a glass bowl thence to the fridge overnight.

Giant white beans, onion chives, carrot, fava beans and goat cheese will comprise a mostly raw salad.

Unzip the favas and blanch them for 30 seconds to loosen the shell, then chill under cold water to stop the cooking. Slit the shells with the point of a knife to set them free.

Onto a hot skillet for 2-3 minutes per side, then into a 400 degree oven for ~10 minutes for medium-rare. I have a leftover potato latke, so I’ll stick that into the oven with the chops.

Enjoy!

Fresh herbs

/ Ren

I don’t currently have a garden, but I just can’t do without fresh herbs.  At $1 a bunch, these locally grown organic herbs are a real bargain.  As they begin to lose their freshness, I simply tie the bundles with twine and hang them upside down to dry.  No more paying $6 a bottle at the grocery store for years old, flavorless oregano, basil, rosemary, mint or parsley.

Home smoked salmon (favorite)

/ Ren

For dry cured salmon, see our discussion on gravlax

I love smoked salmon.  I don’t love paying $20 per pound for it.  What say we try smoking our own?

This is a stove top smoker. I have lined the bottom with aluminum foil, upon which I have spread out a mixture of alder and cherry wood chips.

Next comes the drip pan, rack and the object of our affection, a beautiful piece of wild Alaskan sockeye with a pinch of Old Bay Seasoning.

Turn the burner to medium and slide the cover most of the way shut. As soon as you see the first wisp of smoke, close the lid all the way.

About 10 minutes later, the salmon is ready.  I wish you were here to smell this!

Tagliatelle with sausage marinara

/ Ren

This ain’t your mama’s spaghetti. Not unless your mama is Mario Batali, who learned this at the hand of my Uncle Gary, that is.

Fresh, uncured Italian pork sausage, heirloom tomatoes, elephant garlic, sweet hatch onion, fresh egg tagliatelle, hot pepper paste, fresh and dried herbs.

Heat a little olive oil and European butter in a skillet and saute the onions and dried basil and oregano until it begins to caramelize.  Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds.  Don’t burn the garlic, or you’ll have to start over.

Pulse half the tomatoes in a food processor (or chop by hand if you prefer) and add to the pan.  Let cook until nearly dry, then add the wine.  An un-oaked, soft Italian is best. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the fond from the bottom of the pan so that it adds a slight roasted flavor to the sauce.  If you’re using a non-stick pan you will not have any fond, and your sauce will not be as good.

This would be a good time to start the pasta.  I’ve added turmeric for its color and medicinal properties.

Add the other half of the tomatoes, freshly ground pepper and hot pepper paste. Our sauce now contains both smoky and fresh tasting tomatoes.

Toss in the pasta and fresh herbs. I’m using opal basil, oregano and flat leaf parsley.

Top with some Grana Padano Stravecchio and serve with a multigrain ficelle with olive oil and balsamic.

Somebody get me a stretcher!

Smoked salmon, English muffin & Neufchatel

/ Ren

Its the middle of the week in a still-too-hot Texas September. I really don’t feel like cooking tonight, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to eat!

Here’s a lighter interpretation of a brunch classic ..

Toasted English muffin spread with neufchatel and topped with slivered onions, piles of applewood smoked salmon and fresh tomatoes, seasoned with sea salt, freshly gound pepper and a pinch of herbs de provence.

All the flavor of a bagel-and-a-shmear from the deli, at half the cost (and half the calories). Yum.