2010 February | Sequatchie Cove Farm

First Step- write a newsletter complaining about yellow prussiate of soda in salt.

Next Step- receive and email from the infamous Charlie Loomis (or famous, depending on what side of the email you’re on) telling you to make you own damn salt.  He will tell you about how a child can do it- in fact a child did do it, with him, Charlie Loomis, for a science project.  He will send you instructions on how to make salt your own dern self.  You will think it’s a great idea but somehow forget every time you go to the sea for a swim to also collect water.  Just when you have completely forgotten about the salt endeavor, Charlie will send you yet another email checking on your progress.  Eventually you will run to the sea with a jug, come back with the water and make you own damn salt.

Ingredients:
-One ocean

Tools:
-Sunshine
-Wind
-Shallow clay or glass containers (I used baking dishes and pie pans)

Pour a very teeny amount of water into the dishes and set then in a place where the wind blows hard and the sun shines bright.

The first time I tried this I put way too much water in, and then a volcano exploded on a neighboring island and covered everything in ash.  Second time I just barely covered the bottom of the containers and set them on the roof to dry.  It took two days for the water to evaporate and I was left with salt crystals.  I let the pans sit in a warm oven for thirty minutes or so to make sure it was completely dry and scraped the salt from the bottom of the pans.

Filed under: Local Food Letter on February 18th, 2010 | Comments Off

Curried Cider-Braised Pork Chops
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 thin boneless pork chops or 2 thick bone-in pork chops
2 cups chopped onions
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 1/2 cups apple cider

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to skillet and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer pork to plate. Add onions, celery and bay leaf to skillet. Sauté until onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Mix in curry powder. Add cider and boil until sauce is slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet. Simmer just until cooked through, about 3 minutes for boneless chops and 5 minutes for bone-in chops. Season with salt and pepper.

Filed under: Seasonal Food Recipes on February 11th, 2010 | Comments Off

Beef  Roast Braised in Red Wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 pound sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 (4- to 6-inch) sprigs fresh thyme
2 (6- to 8-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups Barolo or other full-bodied red wine such as Ripasso Valpolicella, Gigondas, or Côtes du Rhône
2 cups water

Special equipment: a 4- to 5-qt heavy ovenproof pot with lid

Accompaniment: creamy polenta

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Heat oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.

Meanwhile, pat meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Brown meat in hot oil on all sides, about 10 minutes total. (If bottom of pot begins to scorch, lower heat to moderate.) Transfer to a plate using a fork and tongs.

Add pancetta to oil in pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sauté, stirring, until garlic begins to soften and turn golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a simmer, then return meat along with any juices accumulated on plate to pot. Cover pot with lid and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer meat to a cutting board. Skim fat from surface of sauce and discard along with herb stems. Boil sauce until reduced by about one third, about 5 minutes, then season with salt. Cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices and return to sauce.

Cooks’ note:
• Beef improves in flavor if made 3 days ahead. Cool completely in sauce, uncovered, then chill in sauce, covered. Reheat, covered, in a preheated 350°F oven until hot, 25 to 30 minutes, then slice meat.

Filed under: Seasonal Food Recipes on February 11th, 2010 | Comments Off

Crisp Braised Pork Shoulder
1 (4 1/2-lb) solid piece boneless pork shoulder (not lean; from picnic side)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 onion, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Special equipment: a wide 5- to 6-qt heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pat pork dry and sprinkle all over with salt. Heat olive oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add carrots, celery, and onion to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Return pork to pot, along with bay leaves, spices, and water, and bring to a simmer. Cover pot with lid, then transfer to oven and braise, turning pork over once, until center is tender but not falling apart when pierced with a paring knife, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer pork to a cutting board and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Pour braising liquid through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Skim off fat and keep liquid warm, covered.

Cut meat across the grain into 6 slices (each slice may break into 2 or 3 smaller pieces, depending on part of shoulder you have; discard string if necessary). Heat vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sear pork slices in 2 batches, turning over once, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to plates as browned and spoon some braising liquid over pork. Serve with remaining braising liquid.

Cooks’ notes:
•Pork can be braised (but not seared) 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled (in pot with braising liquid), covered. Remove solidified fat, then reheat, covered, over moderately low heat, about 30 minutes before searing. Searing the pork gives the tender meat a crisp outer edge, but if you’re short on time, feel free to omit this step—the pork will still be delicious. •If you are unable to get a solid piece of pork shoulder, your pork will have loose flaps; in that case, tie the meat together with kitchen string.

Filed under: Seasonal Food Recipes on February 11th, 2010 | Comments Off

Grass Fed Beef with Herbs
3 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs oregano
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound beef top round, eye of round, or sirloin tip
Coarse salt

Blend all ingredients except beef and coarse salt in a food processor. Rub on meat; marinate 2 hours at room temperatureor overnight in the refrigerator, turning meat once or twice. Heat oven to 400°F. Heat a medium cast-iron pan over medium heat. Sear meat on all sides until it has a brown crust. Transfer pan to oven; roast meat until internal temperature is 120°F, 15 to 25 minutes. Remove; let meat rest 20 minutes (internal temperature will rise to 130°F). Slice, sprinkle with coarse salt and serve with your favorite seasonal vegetables.

Filed under: Seasonal Food Recipes on February 11th, 2010 | Comments Off

 I actually stole this off Epicurus.com where it was posted by chef Art Smith from Art and Soul from Washington, D.C.from Bon Apetite or something…  If you want to see it in it’s true internet form go here.  I really just stole the idea, which I guess is how most people cook anyway- that’s what cookbooks are for, stealing from.   Everything can be made in one day but the sauce is probably better made ahead, the chicken can be cooked ahead, and the slaw made earlier in the day.  The hoecakes must wait til the last minute.

Hoecakes, ‘Barbecue’ Chicken, and Tropical Slaw

The Chicken: (our chicken and eggs come from Angela, the social security collector for this region of the island.  She rolls around all day with her paperwork and flats of eggs and frozen chickens.  Not only is this a wonderful way to buy chicken, but they are also very good- bright yolks and yellow fat, the true sign of a free range hen)
                      
Take a medium sized chicken and cut it up.  If you can get real chicken cut into pieces already then good for you.  If not, take the legs to use for this recipe, set the wings and breasts aside for something else and throw the carcass in a pot with some herbs, ready to boil for stock.  

Since I couldn’t barbecue I rubbed the legs, skin on, down with some smoked paprika and salt, making sure to get under the skin.  Bake them at 375 for about thirty minutes (or til they are good and done, you should be able to pull the meat off the bone). Shred the chicken and set aside.

The Sauce:

The recipe is for a coffee- brown sugar sauce.  I thought that was a good idea so this is what I did…

Roast the mustard and cumin seeds in a dry pan til they brown and pop.  Remove them, add a touch of oil, and saute the garlic, onions, and hot pepper til the onions are good and soft.  Add the seeds, paprika (if you have chile powder use some of it- at home I make my own but down here I have to live off of the few spices I brought- excluding nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves), and nutmeg and cook for a few seconds.  Then add the coffee and sugar and stir til the sugar is dissolved.  (this would be a good time to add sorghum if I were in Tennessee).  Throw in the tomatoes and cook til they break down.  If you think you need more liquid add some beer, broth, or water.  After about 10-15 minutes taste for salt and seasoning.  Add whatever you think it needs.  Press through a food mill or blend it up and cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring often.

The Slaw:

-1 large head bok choi, or other chineese cabbage, thinly sliced
-2 small red sweet peppers, thinly sliced
-1/2 small green papaya, grated or sliced thin
-1/2 christophine (chayote), grated or sliced thin
-1 clove garlic, minced
-Juice of 1 lime
-Drizzle of local honey
-Salt (more than you think you need)

Mix everything together and let marinate at least thirty minutes, the longer the better.

The Hoecakes:

I followed the recipe exactly on this:
Hoecakes:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted, plus additional for griddle
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Mix that all together and fry about 1/4 batter in a lightely buttered skillet on both sides til brown- like pancakes kinda.  Keep them warm in a 300 degree oven as you cook them all.

To Finish:

Warm the chicken in enough sauce to make it nice and moist.  Put a dollop of chicken on each cake and some slaw on top of that.     Serve right away.

Filed under: Local Food Letter on February 10th, 2010 | Comments Off