Fall CSA Week 7 - Tatsoi & Cabbage

Thanks for Jessica Morrison for writing our 2018 Fall CSA Recipes. This one features cabbage & tatsoi. Click on the bottom right to enlarge PDF!

Braising

Shakshuka (eggs poached in tomato & pepper sauce)

Shakshuka

Serves 4

Method: 
In a large pan, ideally cast-iron, dry-roast the cumin seeds on high heat for about 2 minutes. 

Add the oil and onions, and saute for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and herbs. Continue to cook on medium-high heat for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Add water if necessary to maintain sauce-like consistency. Personally, I like it thicker. Adjust seasoning to taste. 

Remove bay leaves and return pan to medium heat. Create small gaps in the mixture and carefully break an egg into each. Cover with a lid and cook on gentle heat for 7-11 minutes, until the eggs are just set. 

Sprinkle with cilantro, soft cheese, if you like, a hunk of crusty bread, and serve. 

Recipe adapted from Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
3/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, sliced
3-6 medium/sweet peppers, sliced
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of thyme; leaves picked & chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp saffron
pinch of cayenne
salt
black pepper
1 cup water
8 eggs

Optional Additions:
crusy bread
soft cheese

Osso Buco (Slow Cooker Beef Shanks) & Lemon Parsley

This is another simple, one pot slow cooker meal using the incredibly flavorful 'tough cuts' that are transformed with time.  Also, beef shanks are our cheapest cut - and there is often marrow in the bones!!! It's a affordable and delicious way to enjoy grass-fed beef. 

Ingredients

• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 dry bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• Beef Shanks (choose meaty ones!)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 fresh tomato (or tomato paste)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock (ANY stock - beef, chicken, veggie, or skip the stock and use water)
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Osso Bucco

• Soak shanks overnight in salt brine OR rub down with salt by hand
• Heat cooking fat in a pan and sear shanks on all sides in a hot pan until golden brown; remove shanks from pan
• In same pan, add onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt to draw out moisture. Cook until soft and translucent (8-10 min)
• Add tomato or tomato paste to pan and mix well
• Add wine and scrap the bottom to get all the yummy carmelized bits up (AKA: deglaze the pan). Return shanks to pan.
• Cook until liquid reduces by a bit (5-10 min)
• Place shanks into slow cooker, pour in liquid & veggies and place in herbs
• Add about 2 cups of stock, or enough so that the cooking liquid level is 3/4 of the way up the shank
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
• Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place on serving platter
• Pour juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks
• Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest

Learn more about our grass-fed beef and bulk order here. Or, come visit us in the farm store! 

Barbacoa (Slow Cooker Chuck Roast) & Chimichurri

I usually wing it with the actual quantities - but here is the gist. I make this in the morning before I leave for the farm, it's simple & done when I get home. Great on tacos with cabbage slaw. You can make a non-spicy version by reducing the number of cayenne peppers or leaving them out entirely. 

Chuck Roast

1. Brine chuck in salt water overnight (optional - you can also just rub salt onto the meat by hand before cooking)
2. Sear chuck on all sides in a hot skilled until carmel-brown colored
3. Place in slow cooker on low and pour barbacoa sauce (instructions below)on top
4. Add additional cooking liquid to about 1/2 height of roast (use whatever you've got: broth, apple cider, wine, hard cider, water, etc.)
5. Cook for 7+ hours & Shred

Barbacoa Sauce

Blend together the following: 

• 1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1-4 cayenne peppers (fresh or dried and dehydrated - remove seeds and stems; could also use cayenne powder or pepper flakes)
• 1-2 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs oregano
• 3-6 cloves garlic

Chimichurri

Blend Together

• Olive Oil
• Parsley
• Garlic Cloves
• Salt 

(You can also add cilantro and fresh oregano for a less parsley intense experience!)

Learn more about our grass-fed beef and bulk order here. Or, come visit us in the farm store! 

Fantastic Fennel (Summer CSA Week 5)

PDF Goes Here

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

Sweet Potato & Black Bean EnchiladaS

by Jen Albers

"Hello friends! Welcome to Week 3! I hope that January has been treating you all well! For me the past week has been full of mishaps. Not the huge, life-altering kind of problems, but the kind that make you shake your fist at the universe and shout, “REALLY!?” From a dead car battery in the grocery store parking lot (with kids and puppy in tow of course), to a ceiling leak and impromptu furniture rearrangement, to the dog eating the brand-new ski goggles… I’m ready for week of quiet and some comfort food too."

Click for PDF Recipe

Braised Short Ribs

My recent exploration into short rib dry roast / open braise experimentation. Yum!

We love braises. In fact, the farm team is definitively biased towards the 'tough' cuts - rich in healthy sinew and fats, explosions of tenderness and flavor best unlocked with low temps and patience. The below 'recipe' is a simple braise (and for a more thorough walk through - read Brandon's Recipe for Carnitas Garnie, below)

Notes: 

• Salt - Either, soak your short ribs in a salt brine overnight or lovingly rub salt into the fibers and pockets of your short ribs before braising. We find Celtic Gray Sea Salt to be the best choice health wise. 
• Set meat out for a few hours before you plan to cook so that it can come to room temperature. You can skip this step, but the closer to room temp the meat is before starting, the more evenly it will cook. 
• Love the fat - The fat insulates the meat during cooking; as it renders, it bastes the meat from the inside, keeping the cut juicy and creating tenderness. Our beef is 100% grass-fed and finished, and the resulting fat is a source of nourishment for us as eaters. 

Steps:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 F
2. Sear Meat - Heat a cast iron with your preferred cooking fat and sear each side of the short ribs. Minimize how much you move the short ribs between rotations. The goal is a deep golden brown (this is called a maillard reaction, which transforms sugars and amino acids on the surface of the meat yielding deeper flavor). 
3. Cook Aromatic Vegetables - Remove the meat and deglaze the pan (add a few tablespoons of acid - wine or cooking vinegar while scraping the carmelized bits from the bottom). Turn the heat down to medium and add onions, garlic, and any other aromatics you enjoy. Gently cook these down for 5-10 minutes. 
4. Add liquid - Nestle the browned short ribs in the aromatic vegetables and add a cooking liquid - broth, cider, wine - whatever you enjoy, you can be creative here. Usually I'm foraging for forgotten kitchen fluids at this point. 
5. Simmer & Add Herbs - Bring the liquid to a simmer, add herbs (rosemary, thyme, peppercorns, etc.) cover and move to the oven. 
5. Cook low and slow in the over for 2-3 hours. The lower your oven temperature, the longer you can cook the meat and the more flavor and tenderness you will unlock. 
6. Braised meat is finished when it can be pulled apart easily, but does not totally fall apart. Since this process is so slow, you can check it along the way to get a sense of the ideal cook time. 
7. Rest for 15 - 20 minutes or more and then serve! 

Feel free to experiment with cooking liquids and seasonings. Use your favorite spice rubs, bbq sauce, whatever - the basic braise is incredibly adaptable and forgiving! I cooked short ribs recently (pictured above, lidless, another experiment) and enjoyed them with a spinach salad and sour cream mixed with horseradish. 

Love learning how to cook new cuts? Check out our meat shares!

Enjoy!

Beef Cut Sheet (Prices & Preparation)

Bread & Butter Farm 100% Grass Fed Beef Cut Sheet

Our Rotokawa Devon cattle are born and raised here on the farm where they live in complete family herds. They are 100% grass-fed, using adaptive mob-grazing practices that mimic their natural foraging and migration patterns. We supplement their diet with minerals, kelp, and biochar to encourage nutritional balance and to support their gut health.  Their meat is the byproduct of an ecological relationship that builds soil and restores diverse ecosystems. We know that you will enjoy our delicious and nourishing beef!

STEAKS, GRILL AND STIR FRY CUTS:

Ground Beef ……………………………………………………………………………$8.50/lbs
Great for burgers, chili, meatballs, tacos, you name it.  Versatile, delicious, and easy to use!
 

Tenderloin Steak …………………………………………………………………………$26/lbs
Seriously tender and delicate for special occasions.  Sear and keep medium rare.

Ribeye, Porterhouse, T-Bone ……………………………………………………………….$20/lbs
High end steak from the tenderloin section. Bone-in, tender, marbled, and delicious. Great on the grill.

Sirloin Steak ………………………………………………………………………$12/lbs
Affordable, typically larger steaks, great to marinate and cook on the grill or use for kabobs.

Skirt Steak………………………………………………..………$14/lbs
Perfect for a quick stir fry – works with a variety of seasoning and best if seared right at the end.

Flap Meat………………………………………………………………………..$14/lbs
Marinate and cut along the grain, or cut into slivers and use in stir fry.  

ROASTS AND BRAISING/SLOW COOKED CUTS:

Chuck Roast ………………………………….……………………..$10/lbs
Seriously versatile. Delicious braised (or slow cooked in a crock-pot) for stew or chili of all flavors. Affordable and highly nutritious with all the connective tissue!

Brisket……………………………………………………………………………$10/lbs
Fattier than chuck with similar uses. Absolutely delicious, often used in traditional BBQ after slow cooking.

Shoulder Roast……………………………………………………………..…$10/lbs
Similar to chuck and used in the same ways. The leanest slow cooked cut.

Short Ribs…………………………………………………………………….…$10/lbs
One of Corie’s favorite cuts – very rich and delicious, can be slow cooked in its own juices!

Sirloin Tip Roast………...…………………………………$10/lbs
Dry roasted cut. Can be marinated or roasted simply. Great for dinner or sliced for sandwiches.

Top Round Roast………………………………………….…………$10/lbs
Another dry roasted cut. Bekah and Erik are using this cut for beef jerky on the Pacific Crest Trail! Very versatile.

SOUP BONES AND OFFALS:

Soup Bones………………………………………$5.50/lbs
Use to make nourishing bone broth for drinking or as the basis of soups and braises.

Shanks with meat…………………………………………………$7.50/lbs
Traditionally used in Osso Bucco - delicious and easy! Also makes incredible bone broth.

Liver………………………………………………………………………………………………$5/lbs
One of the most nourishing pieces. Combine with pork belly for Pâté! 

Tongue……………………………………………………………………………..…$8/lbs
Braise and shred for incredible tacos.

Check out our Beef Shares!!

Carnitas Garnie

Carnitas Garnie Recipe

Or

"Pretty Much how Brandon (our Animal Manager) Cooks all Low-Temp Meats"

MISE EN PLACE

• Get some amazing pork butt/picnic roast/shoulder. It's just as easy to make 2lbs or 8lbs of this dish as long as the cook pot is big enough. I prefer bone-in because you'll effectively create a bone broth as you cook this dish which makes it that much more delicious and nutritious.
• Get or make some nice sauerkraut (or really any kind of fermented veg). I mix it up sometimes and use non-german style krauts like curtido. If it's a type of kraut you haven't had, I suggest shaking the jar and tasting the liquid for saltiness.
• Get some aromatics. Traditional Choucroute herbs include black pappercorns, cloves, garlic, juniper berries, caraway seeds, bay leaves.  I always use minced garlic and sometimes juniper berries, but none of the rest. I mince the garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes to maximize medicinal benefits. I've also used rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, and savory. It's all good.
• Get or make some tasty liquid.  White wine, cider, non-red meat stock/broth, or some other creative lighter flavored/colored but delicious liquid. You'll need somewhere between a cup and a quart of liquid depending on how much you're making and how tight fitting of a lid you use.
• Get some high-temp fat. Lard, tallow, ghee, etc. Olive oil works but may smoke. Don't use butter because it will burn and smoke too heavily.
• Make sure you have real unrefined sea salt - e.g. gray Celtic salt. Not necessary but essential.

HEAT

Heat oven to 200 - 350 degrees.  Higher temp = faster.  Lower temp = more developed flavor. If you have 6-8 hours go for 200.  If you only have 3-5 hours go for higher temp. I sometimes will cook it in the oven over night at 200, take it out when it's done, remove the meat from the kraut and liquid, let it cool, and then finish an hour before dinner time.  This is also a great leftovers dish, so you can always make it whenever and then just reheat.

In a dutch oven or a heavy oven-proof pot with a good lid heat high-temp fat to cover bottom of pot about 1/4 inch on medium-high to a temp just below smoking point (hot!).

CHUNK MEAT

Depending on how long you have to cook it and the shape of the pot versus meat, either leave the pork whole or cut into equal size chunks no less than 2 inches.  The smaller the pieces the faster it will cook. The larger the pieces the more developed the flavor.

SALT MEAT

Rub some salt all over the meat.  Get it into the nooks and crannies and fibers.  This is a great opportunity to get intimate with the fat marbling, the meat fiber quality and texture and color, the connective tissues. (I also tell the pork it's beautiful which seems to make it taste better.)

How much salt depends on the kraut you're using and whether or not you're including the kraut liquid or if you wash the kraut.  Less kraut liquid, and less salty kraut means you can use more salt on the raw meat. If you choose to wash your kraut (not recommended), then salt about as much as you normally would. While just the amount of saltiness is part of what gives this dish it's amazingness, I recommend erring on the side of less salt so you don't salt poison the eaters.

(Wait...That's a lot of salt!?)

You might be wondering, "why are we using so much salt - isn't salt bad for us??". Well, it depends! There is a difference between real, unrefined sea salt versus mined and processed, refined salt.  The latter is a great way to disrupt vascular osmosis and contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular issues.  But real seal salt aligns with human blood biochemistry helping not only to deliver sodium and electrolytes (and help your capillaries, nervous system and heart!) but also offers magnesium and other sea-derived essential minerals - effectively making it a nutrient-dense food. Know your salt!

BROWN MEAT

Brown meat on all sides in the hot fat - about 2 minutes per side if fat is hot enough.  You don't want to steam the meat just brown it. Do this in batches so meat chunks don't touch each other and leave the lid off.  It might sputter hot fat/moisutre that burns and gets everything greasy so you might need to use a metal mesh cover or if needed partially cover the pot with the lid. As pieces are browned on all sides, set aside until all meat is done browning.  

Add more fat as needed - you should always have a thin sheet of fat on the bottom of the pan. Make sure added fat gets back to temp before continuing to brown meat. Remember, we're using good quality fats here!

NESTLE MEAT

• Remove all the meat from the pot.  
• Pour in the kraut - I include the liquid. Stir in aromatics except garlic.
• Nestle the meat chunks in the kraut.  
• Pour in the tasty liquid to about 1/3 depth of pork - don't completely submerge the pork.
• Broadcast garlic on top of the meat.  This gives a roasted garlic flavor.

COOK MEAT

• Put the lid on the pot and place in oven on middle rack.
• Check in a couple few hours depending on size of meat chunks and temperature. 
• Liquid should always be a minimum of 1/2-1 inch deep.  Add more tasty liquid as needed.
• Use a fork to pick at the meat.  if the fibers shred with just a bit of resistance, it's perfectly done. If the fibers don't shred against the fork, then it needs more time.  if the fibers fall apart when you fork it, it's overdone.

REST & SHRED MEAT

Once done, remove the meat from the pot to a separate dish that won't spill liquids as they drain out of the meat.  Rest for at least 10 minutes.

While meat is resting, put pot on stove at medium heat to cook off any moisture from the liquid.  You're going for as close to pure fat as you have time to reduce the liquid to.  

Once meat is rested and moisture is evaporated, using 2 forks shred the meat to whatever size you want to eat it.  The smaller the more crispy, the larger the more moist.  I like crispy outside and tender inside so I go for little finger size chunks.  

POACH MEAT

This isn't exactly frying, so I call it poaching. Before combining, taste the liquid and meat separately. Make sure it's not too salty. If it is, you might want to skip poaching and use the cheat method below.

You should have about 1/2-1 inches deep of fatty liquid in the pot now.  If it's less, just be careful not to burn the kraut or meat.  If it's a lot more, you may want to reduce the liquid even more, or follow the cheat.

Make sure fatty liquid is hot but not smoking or boiling. Poach the meat in the fatty liquid until meat browns.  Keep meat in a single layer and poach in batches as needed. If you have the right amount of liquid, this should simultaneously poach the kraut. Again, be careful not to burn the kraut or meat.

(Cheat: you'll be missing the carnitas aspect here but it could come in handy. Skip the poaching step, and instead put the pork chunks/shreds under the broiler on high heat for a 2-5 minutes and turn/stir to crisp on all sides. Then use the reduced liquid+kraut as a gravy by ladling enough of the fatty liquid over the meat to taste.)

SERVE MEAT

This is a super rich version of a rich traditional recipe.  Couple the meat dish with lighter, lightly cooked, and/or high fiber dishes. I like to throw some fresh herbs on top - parsley, chives, sage, and pair with little dipping sides of sour cream, mustard, and horseradish. Or go another direction and try cilantro and salsas.

I like to serve the meat on a bed of lightly steamed brassica leaves or some fresh tender winter greens like spinach.  Sometimes the fat drips out of the meat dish on the plate which can be a turn off for those who don't obsessively love fat (like Brandon does). The veg bed catches the fat drippings and makes the veg extra good.

To drink, I like dry cider with this dish.  Traditionally folks drink this with either Riesling or other lighter and sometimes sweeter white wines.

Leftovers make excellent breakfast with poached eggs (actually water poached not more fatty liquid), or tacos with the addition of cilantro and salsa picante.

Enjoy with good company!