Entries tagged with “Meat”.
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Wed 21 Jul 2010
Sweet Peppers - Photo:Chad
I went to the Dane County Farmer’s Market this week, excited to get home and start the pickles I had been planning on doing since Wednesday. I knew it would be just me this week, and that our garden was starting to produce some good-looking produce, so I kept it rather light. I was excited to see the peppers and, knowing mine wouldn’t be ready for a few more weeks, decided to give them a try. It was also cool to see the Door County cherries and apricots in the stands. I thought I would continue the weeks intentions of “making the most of” summers bounty, by drying them for easy snacking.
Saturday afternoon was to be a whirlwind of prepping and preserving, so I took a quick jaunt down State St. for Maxwell St. days, and called it a day.
Here’s what I ended up with.
In the next post I’ll tell you about the pickling process and how that went.
Thu 15 Jul 2010
Pickling Cukes - Photo:Chad
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been watching a lot of Good Eats. A recent episode on traditional dill pickles really piqued my interest, as I fondly remember my grandma’s pickles, which were always the high heat, jarred with vinegar kind. Well in his method, Brown uses fermentation and an open air ceramic vessel to make some garlicky, kosher dills. Looking at the cucumbers starting to take shape in our garden gives me hope, but in that far off way (at least a few months).
That’s why when I saw pickles by the bucket next to oversized bunches of dill at the Nesity Garden stand at the Wednesday Dane Co. Farmer’s Market, I started getting excited. I picked up the ingredients and a few other goodies to make it through the week including some grillable meats from Pecatonica Valley and rushed home. In the end my list was short this week:
- Basil – Deerfield Family Farm
- Cukes and Dill – Nesity Garden
- Sweet Corn – Heck’s Market
- Shallots. Onions. Carrots. – Va Family Garden
- Beef, Chicken, and Pork – Pecatonica Valley Farm
When I got home, I immediately checked out Amazon.com and after searching extensively for a ceramic crock, settled on a nice glass one. It’ll be here Friday, and pickling should start Sat., after the Farmer’s Market. I’ll keep you posted.
Wed 7 Jul 2010
Raspberries - Photo:Chad
On Farmer’s Market mornings, the last thing I want is to wake up to a heavy rainstorm and, in such situations, putting it off until a nicer day or maybe just heading over to the grocery store would seem like a more sensible thing to do. My experience over the last few months, from buying most of my groceries from market vendors, has changed my outlook considerably.
I know that many of the farmers and merchants drive long distances to bring their produce and other goodies to all of us Madison foodies and, if they can be there rain or shine, so can I.
Even though the weather report called for rain all day, I was able to leave my umbrella in the car, and get my shopping at the Wednesday Hilldale Farmer’s Market without even a touch of rain.
The vendors I talked to were upbeat, and said that they were able to sit out most of the storm, and had to move very little of their product out of the rain (which could be considered a pre-wash). Some enterprising vendors made the best of the slightly lower than average turnout by having sales. The owner of Earthly Edibles was offering a couple bucks off her shitake mushrooms, so I picked up a ¼ lb. of mushrooms and will dry whatever I don’t use this week. I wasn’t even planning on getting any mushrooms, but who can turn down a sale?
As for what was actually there this week, I saw broccoli and cauliflower, squashes and zucchinis of all sizes, onions, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, radishes, some salad greens, lots of beans, and new (for me at least) raspberries.
Beans - Photo:Chad
Strawberry season is so short, painfully so, that having raspberries follow up right away softens the blow somewhat. I’m not sure if the berries I picked up will be made into a recipe or just eaten raw.
Here’s what I ended up with:
- Raspberries from Farmer Bob’s Produce
- Bacon from Bruman’s Natural Meats
- Broccoli from Nehmer’s Produce
- Potatoes and Zucchini from Saomas Garden
- Shitakes from Earthly Edibles
- Green Beans from Xay Lo Garden
- Radishes from Xong Garden
I also picked up a bottle of dressing from Sasha’s. These locally crafted “sweet” dressings are great for those days you don’t want to whip up a vinaigrette. Not only are they available at the Hilldale market, but also at Hy-Vee or through their website. Lindsay and I highly recommend the Sweet & Savory.
Sat 12 Jun 2010
Posted by Lindsay under Farmer's Markets
1 Comment
Garlic Scapes Photo:Lindsay
Westside Community Market. Today we went to the west side community market since we were on a bit of a time crunch. Chad and I got up later (since we got home a little late last night) and were out there around 10:30am. A lot of the vendors were starting to pack up, but we were able to snag the following:
We plan on making some pizza this week along with a latin dish with the beef. We’ll also give the chicken wings a try!
Thu 10 Jun 2010
Snap Peas Photo:Chad
The dramatic changes I saw at Wednesday’s Dane County farmer’s market really demonstrated how rapidly the food season changes around here. Where only a few weeks ago spinach, greens, and asparagus were covering most of the tables, this week it was all about the strawberries and snap peas.
Of course, you could still find a vendor selling greens, asparagus, and spinach – you just had to really look. Which was exactly what I did. You see, I was on a mission to find and preserve some asparagus, since the season is coming to an end.
I found the process for raw pack canning this low-acid vegetable in the Bell Blue Book. I’ve learned that because of its low acidity, it needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 240 degrees, which a traditional boil cannot accomplish. This means I get to play with a borrowed pressure cooker.
As for other things market related, I saw my first beets of the season, and seeing as I’ve always disliked them, I forced myself to buy some. By doing this, I have to make something I’ll enjoy, and hopefully in the process can change my opinion about these bright red roots.
Here’s a list of what I ended up with:
As an interesting side note, Summit Credit Union was doing a community service / marketing effort during the market giving people $10 if they promised to “Pay it Forward”. A few friends and I took them up on their offer. Stay tuned to find out what we did.
Mon 7 Jun 2010
Asian Beef Salad Photo:Lindsay
On Thursday night, having just had the beef roast the night before, we wanted to try to use some of it up, so we made an Asian salad with roast beef, cherry tomatoes from Canopy Farm, Australe lettuce from Snug Haven, salad mix from Black Earth Valley, and spicy Asian radishes and sugar snap peas from Roots Down Farm. We made an Asian-style sesame dressing which accompanied it, but since the dressing wasn’t very good, we’re not going to share it with the masses. We’ll have to come up with a better sesame dressing for next time.
Beef and Dill Potato Pasty Photo:Lindsay
Then, on Saturday, we decided to use up the rest of the beef by making and freezing some individually sized Cornish pasties. We wanted to use the dill we had gotten at last week’s farmer’s market since it was going a bit limp in our refrigerator, so we started scouring the internet to find a recipe that would include the beef, potatoes, and our quickly diminishing dill. There really wasn’t a recipe that satisfied him, so we kind-of mashed a bunch of them together to make these Dill Potato and Leftover Beef Roast Pasties.
If you’re not familiar with pasties, they’re traditionally a little dry, so you’ll want to eat them with some sort of sauce. Lindsay prefers ketchup, but Chad likes his with Sriracha sauce. Also, if you’re in the mood for a history lesson, the origins of the Cornish pasty are also quite interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty.
Our pasties came out crispy, but firm enough you could eat with just your hands, like you’re supposed to. The dill was subtle, but present, and the beef stayed tender, even through it’s second cooking. We’ve already reheated a few of these and will look forward to pulling them out of the freezer for a quick meal.
Mon 7 Jun 2010
Posted by Chad under Recipes
1 Comment
Beef and Dill Potato Pasty Photo:Lindsay
Recipe: Dill Potato and Beef Roast Pasties
Summary: This was the solution for what to do with about two pounds of leftover roast beef. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of leftover beef roast, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces.
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 1/2 lb. potatoes peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- 3 Packages of refrigerated 9″ pastry crust (2 rolls per package)
- Flour for dusting
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven melt butter over low heat.
- Add potatoes, salt, and pepper. Gently mix to coast. Cover.
- After 5 minutes, when potatoes start to steam, add onions and mix to thoroughly incorporate. Cover.
- Cook for additional 15-20 minutes, mixing occasionally, till potatoes are fork tender when tested.
- When they’re ready, remove from heat and spoon potato mixture in a large metal mixing bowl, mix in the chopped dill, and allow to cool while you prepare the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
- Lay a sheet of dough on a cutting board (flour cutting board if necessary) and place a 6″ circular object (upside down bowl, pan lid, etc.) on, so that the edge of the object touches one of the edges of the dough. Using the object as a guide cut a circle using a knife. If you can repeat this process with one sheet, do so. Otherwise, roll the dough into a ball and roll it out to the same thickness as the first piece. Repeat this process, adding any dough from one sheet that cannot be made into a cut piece with the leftover from the next sheet you cut. When all is said and done, you should have approximately 24 six inch rounds.
- Sprinkle flour on a large baking sheet
- Mix the cut-up beef with the, now cooler, dill potato mixture.
- Spoon approximately 1/4 cup portions of meat and potato mixture onto one side of each dough circle. Fold the other half over and using your fingers, seal the edges. (You can follow this seal with a fork-tip crimp for a nicer look)
- Cut three 1/2 slashes on the top of each pasty to serve as a vent.
- Place the pasties on the baking sheet so that no two touch. You will likely have to do at least 2 batches.
- Bake for 55 min or so, till the top of the pasties is lightly browned.
Quick Notes
Once removed from the oven, these can be served immediately or stored in the fridge or freezer. Heating up is a snap: Microwave pasty for approximately 1 min (fridge) or 2 min (freezer) till warmed through, then place in a toaster oven for a few minutes @350 to re-crisp the outside. Remove from heat if they start to darken much more.
Cooking time (duration): 2 Hours 45 Min.
Number of servings (yield): About 20 Pasties
Meal type: lunch
Microformatting by hRecipe.
Wed 2 Jun 2010
Carnitas Photo:Lindsay
Carnitas are usually found on the weekend menu at places that serve authentic tacos. You know, the kind that come with onion, cilantro, and a wedge of lime. Carnitas meat is a slow cooked pork that in another meal would be shredded, but in this incarnation is coarsely chunked and broiled at the last minute to get a crispy crunch on the outside. My new-found faith in all things Cook’s Illustrated was reaffirmed, when I found a simple recipe to make these delicious Pork Carnitas at home.
We used the pork butt I had picked up from Jordandal Farms at the Westside Community Market. Lindsay did most of the work for this one, slow roasting the meat while I worked a rare Sunday shift. I came home to a delicious smell very reminiscent to those weekend tacoreia visits. After they were done braising, we separated the pork into small chunks and tossed it with the reduced braising liquids.
The pieces were spread out over a cooling rack used for baking. We placed the rack on a baking sheet 8” under the broiler, and used the few minutes while the meat browned to chop up radishes from Thor Farm, cilantro from Lem Park Farm, and onion to garnish the tacos.
I also like pre-heating my tortillas on a dry electric griddle to make sure they are pliable.
As expected the Cook’s recipe didn’t disappoint, with rich flavor, and a satisfying crunch in every meaty bite. The radishes chopped with the onions and cilantro lent a nice flavor too.
The recipe calls for sour cream as a garnish, and after biting into the first taco I understood why. While very flavorful, the broiling does seem to dry the meat considerably, and with low moisture onions and radishes as garnishes, the tacos by themselves tend to be a bit dry. I didn’t have sour cream on hand so I served these with some extra salsa, which worked perfectly adding the needed moisture.
All in all, these made for a great Sunday recipe, and one I’m sure would impress some taco-loving friends.
Wed 2 Jun 2010
Posted by Chad under Recipes
1 Comment
Pork Carnitas Photo:Lindsay
Ingredients
- Meat
- 1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 small onion, peeled and halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime
- 2 cups water
- 1 medium orange, halved Tortillas and Garnishes
- Corn tortillas, warmed
- Lime wedges
- Minced white or red onion
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
- Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heatsafe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
- Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm tortillas and garnishes.
Cooking time (duration): 2 Hours 45 Min.
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: Mexican
My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★
Microformatting by hRecipe.
Wed 2 Jun 2010
Chicken with Leek and Mushroom Stuffing Photo:Lindsay
After our success with the Drunken (Beer Can) Chicken, we felt confident taking on another whole bird. This time around, we decided to cook it in the oven using a method called butterflying.
We started the meal the day before by creating a good high-temperature brine and soaking the thawed bird in it overnight.
When it was done brining, I went about removing the giblets and rinsing out the inside cavity. The butterflying process is straight forward, but perhaps for some, a bit gruesome. Using a sharp set of kitchen sheers, you cut up both sides of the spine, removing the strip from the bird, then flipping it over onto a cutting board so the cavity is facing down and the breastbone up, you apply pressure with your palm until the bone cracks and you’re left with a flattened bird.
Now that the bird was butterflied, we needed to finish prepping. Cook’s Illustrated recommended drying out brined chicken to ensure a more crispy skin, so I put a baking rack over a large mixing bowl, and let the cleaned and butterflied chicken dry over the next few hours.
During this time, I began prepping the chicken’s accompaniment, a Leek and Mushroom Stuffing recipe modified from Cook’s. This was my first opportunity to use the dried morels, and after just four hours soaking the morels had plumped back to their original shape and texture, and I was left with a little more than half a cup of morel infused water to make my chicken stock with.
I placed the prepared stuffing in a “bowl” made out of two sheets of foil with the sides turned up, and when laid cavity side down, the smaller chicken (only about 1 3/4 lb.) barely covered the mound. The chicken was rubbed down with olive oil and cooked at 450 for just under an hour, rotating once. Near the end of the cooking time I sautéed some asparagus with garlic and butter.
The timing worked well, with the chicken and stuffing finishing at the same time as the sauteed asparagus. With stuffing, roasted bird, and grilled veggies the house smelled a lot like the holidays, and what could be better than a little holiday in May!
It was great putting together a meal like this knowing that most of the ingredients came from local vendors. We used the whole chicken from Pecatonica farms, leeks from Happy Valley Farm, dried morels from our trip to Muscoda, asparagus from Priske Farm, and an Egg from Hammerand Farms. My next chicken challenge: picnic style fried chicken. Stay tuned!
