Stand Fast Farm Beef Heart Stuffed with Barley Pearls

During my interview with Stand Fast Farms, Tim heard how I loved barley stuffed hearts and included two in a bag of different cuts to sample. The package I used revealed a well cleaned and trimmed heart that unfurled, the excess strands within the chambers had been removed and made preparing the organ so much quicker.

I washed it gently, but thoroughly with salt water and patted it dry. It was then laid flat, chambers facing up, in an 11 x 9 pan.

In a large pan I cooked sliced leeks in 2 tbls bacon fat and crisps. Then in a medium sauce pot I added this to the bottom of the pot and pureed it smooth, adding a fist full of fresh dill as I smoothed it down. I then added 2 tbls of barley flour to thicken, and slowly beat in water to create a gravy.

In another pan I started 1 1/2 cups of barley pearls in three cups of water. Brought it to a boil and then turned it down low, covered and allowed to cook until all of the water was absorbed. I then blended the gravy in to the barley and poured it over the heart. It was then baked for 15 minutes at 400*.

I sliced it and served it with hearts of romaine and cucumbers with homemade ranch dressing made with herbs from our hanging garden.

Barley and Beef Stew

4lb roast from Stand Fast Farm
3 large potatoes
4 carrots
4 green onions
4 celery stocks

Everything is layered on top of the roast in a crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 1 cup of water or beef or vegetable broth. Set to medium heat and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over barley pearls.

Meatloaf with avocado sauce over sake steamed squash and mixed greens

1 pound each of ground bison and beef    1/2 cup bread crumbs    1/4 cup ketchup
1 small onion minced    2 tbls parsley chopped    1 tsp each salt and pepper    squash
1/2 cup sake    2 tbls miso    1 avocado   4 cloves garlic    1 tbls tahini
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream    mixed spring greens

Prep the squash, peeling it completely. Set in a steam basket with the miso and sake below it, steaming until you can pierce it easily with a fork. Leave it covered and remove it from the heat. 

Mix the ground meats, bread crumbs, ketchup, minced onion, parsley, salt, and pepper together forming a tight loaf. Cover with foil and bake at 400* for 35 minutes, uncovering during the last five minutes to brown the top.

In a blender, mix together the avocado, garlic, tahini, cream until smooth.

Layer the greens, then squash, then meatloaf, then drizzle the sauce on top. 

One of my favorite versions of meatloaf!

Stuffed Peppers

Cut off the tops and dispose of the core, seeds, and stem. Chop and sprinkle with salt.

Add to a pan along with 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 lb ground beef or bison, as featured here, 1 chopped onion, 5 chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tsps olive oil, 6 oz tomato paste, 7 cups water, 3 tbls oregano, 2 tbls basil, 1 cup red wine, 1 tsp cracked pepper. Parboil 1 1/2 cup of rice. Blend with meat sauce. Stuff into peppers and place them in a casserole dish, along with one cup of water. Cover with foil and bake at 350* for at least an hour, longer if the pepper or rice are still firm.

Traditional Scottish Shepherd's Pie

January 25 is traditionally the night Scottish literary and poetry lovers celebrate Burn's Supper. Robert Burn's grace, reportedly given at a supper hosted by the Earl of Selkirk, is usually what's spoken to open the dinner:

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

And sae let the Lord be thankit.

The supper starts with the soup course, such as Scotch beef broth (very salty and peppery), Potato soup (it's like an onion soup with slabs of potatoes floating in it) or Cock-a-Leekie (a chicken and leek broth based soup) is served.

Then guests stand as the haggis is sung in. Last supper I went to we sang "A Man's a Man for A' That" followed by a number of whiskey toasts. By your third sip, if you're not a whiskey drinker, your head gets good an' swimmie. Folk take turn to out do the others with recitations of Burns' work and a lot of liquor is thrown down. We Scots sure can drink (and talk) a leg off a chair! Another traditional dish you'll see at these suppers is a Shepherd's pie. Mine has diced potatoes rather than turnips. The night is finished off with toasts to the host and an oft sloppy round of Auld Lang Syne.

                         

Ground beef, cubed potatoes or turnips (any root vegetable will do), a cubed onion, salt, pepper, peas, a doubly liberal splash of Worcestershire sauce, and if you have it three fingers of dark peat whiskey.

The pie crust must be crisp and flaky. Use the cold lard and butter cut into the dry ingredients technique. Joy of Cooking's recipe is perfect. Do Not use a boxed pie crust!

Evenly spoon in the filling and do not crimp the crust.

Make whipped potatoes. I only use Bob's Red Mill potato flakes. They produce the lightest and fluffiest potatoes I've ever seen! Add pats of butter and sprinkle paprika over top.

Bake at 400* for 25 minutes. Set on a trivet to cool for 20 minutes and then slice with a pie server.













The pie is light and filling. You'll never have a lead belly with this dish!

Scallop Potatoes and Roast Beef, Leek, and Celery Soup

In the morning, start in a crockpot a large roast, surrounded by two large well-rinsed leeks and a whole celery along with it's leaves that have been thinly sliced. Add in two cups of beef or vegetable stock and two cups of water. Leave to cook on the highest setting for no less than six hours.


Pre-heat the oven to 400*. Sliver five to six large. well-scrubbed potatoes. Layer into a pan, drizzling olive oil and adding a bit of salt and pepper between each layer.

In a sauce pan, make a brown butter/flour roux. Add in one tablespoon of Grind a Salt from Simply Organics, one cup of milk, and 1/2  to one cup of mild farmer's cheese (depends on how cheesy you like your scallop).

Blend till smooth and then pour the sauce onto the potatoes. Tent tin foil over the top to prevent over browning. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, pull the roast out and cut in half. Shred one half and cut the other half into 1x1x5 inch pieces. Place the meat back into the soupy broth and stir gently.

When the scalloped potatoes are finished, scoop some into the bottom of a bowl. These French Onion bowls are perfect for this.

Layer some of the shredded meat and vegetables on top and then add in one cup of broth.

Store the larger cuts of meat in a little bit of broth to keep juicy. They make really great sandwiches with spicy brown mustard slathered on top and layered in thick hearty rolls.

Broken Bones and Chimichangas with Salsa Verde Cream Sauce and Curried Quinoa Crisps

So my name is Anne. Anne means 'Graceful One'. Generally I can walk in a straight line and not bump into anything. Unfortunately, the other morning with my hair all frumpy and sleep still in my eyes I stumbled down the stairs in the most lovely of vaulting pirouettes and slid down a number of steps, breaking two toes in the process.

Now I figured, meh, I just bruised the hell out of my foot. I'll just walk it off, ice it a bit when I'm done doing whatever has to get done. But as the morning progressed and my foot turned from blue to purple to black I thought maybe I did something more than bruise it. Went to Immediate Care and they babied and pampered me, which was both shocking and delightful. If you've ever been to an ER or one of those 'gouge the injured' pit stops you know the wait time alone could kill you and when you are seen you sit in a cubicle forever and then get bunted out the door before the last stitch is put in.

I was in and out in under 45 minutes and that was with x-rays (which I got copies of on a cd!), so they've got my official "You're Awesome" stamp of approval!

So I hobbled about all that first day in my mountain hiking ortho-shoe. Over doing it. Cause frankly, I wouldn't be Annie if I weren't killing myself trying entertain my kids, make dinner, finish laundry, and blog at the exact same time. So day two rolls around and I'm feeling the hurt! I put out the APB to all my friends that I'm gonna lose it and two of them step up and bring us some delicious eats so I don't have to stress over what to make. Jeanenne of West Side Stories and Sarah of B. Ferrante's sent over all sorts of good food. Thank you ladies! Below are recipes for some of what was sent over.

Curry Quinoa Crisps:

1/2 cup raw quinoa
1 cup water
1 tbls extra-virgin coconut oil
2 tsp fennel seed and minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 tbls curry and chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp turmeric and ground coriander
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 flax egg – 1 tbsp freshly ground flax mixed with 2 tbsp warm water and allowed to sit for 5 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.

Combine quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Cover and cook on high heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 12 minutes. Once complete, remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the next 6 ingredients in a medium frying pan and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until onion is translucent.

Add all ingredients – cooked quinoa, sauteed onions, and remaining ingredients to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse 4-6 times until everything is combined and broken down slightly.

Shape mixture into small patties and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes so the patties hold together nicely.

Salsa Verde (This one I already had at home.):

Roasted tomatillos, onion, hot peppers of your choice, lime juice and pulp, cilantro, salt, olive oil, sugar, garlic, and cane juice. Roast tomatillos and peppers. Cool and chop. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend to desired consistency.  

Chimichangas:

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained (or 2 cups chicken, diced)
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onions, chopped
Salsa
Unbaked tortillas

Spoon about 1/3 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Top each with about 2 tablespoon cheese. Fold in the 2 sides envelope fashion. Roll up each tortilla, starting from one of the short sides. Lay side by side in a casserole dish. Add a thin layer of shredded cheese. Add layer of Salsa Verde mixed with sour cream. Add crisps on top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Peppercorn Beef Tenderloin with Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad

The organic tenderloin marinated in cracked peppercorns, powdered onion, celery salt, soy sauce and malt vinegar.

Grilled with large moist portobello mushrooms, this tenderloin reached 145 degrees very quickly. It sliced beautifully and was juicy and tender.

Served with olive tapenade and olive goat cheese, and an onion, tomato and cucumber  salad.

Monster Robot Meatloaf

 My family is crazy for my monster meatloaf. It's a blend of three of the following: pork, bison, beef, elk and lamb. Then ketchup and bread crumbs and dried oregano is added. It's all mixed well. Usually it's pressed into an 8x8 pan and baked, but Leto begged in her best robot voice for a Monster Robot Meatloaf. This was my first attempt. Will try variations on the theme in future loafs.

This guy was baked at 400 degrees until he reached 170 to 175 degrees and was served with salad and mushroom medley.

Green Chilies Enchiladas

Fry very skinny strips of chicken, beef, fish or vegetables in a bit of salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil until slightly browned.









Boil 1 lb of tomatillos in 4 cups of water until soft, about 5 min. allow to cool then add cooked tomatillos and 2 cups of the cooking liquid to a blender. Then add 4 cloves of garlic, ½ bunch of cilantro, ½ a large yellow onion, ½ of a jalapeno (no seeds or veins, more or less can be added) 1 tsp each of salt and sugar. Blend on high until smooth. Heat a large frying pan with 2 tbls of sunflower seed oil, add the sauce to the frying pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Shred cheese and set aside. This is Monterey Jack.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the tortilla and layer in your filling and cheese and roll very tightly.

Once they are all rolled and laid tight against one another, pour the green chilies sauce on top. Use your fingers to spread the sauce over every tortilla evenly. Then sprinkle a little bit of cheese over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

 While the enchiladas are baking make refried beans. I love cannelloni. These are pan fried in a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Serve with salad and the beans and enjoy!

Surf & Turf Date Night

 I am addicted to this blend of Simply Organic's Grind to a Salt. Sea salt, organic mustard, organic celery seed, organic garlic, organic onion, organic chili peppers, organic black pepper. This is tasty on rice, quinoa and popcorn. Especially popcorn!

I had picked up these two organic petite tenderloin tips and organic shrimp from Wegmans just for a night like this. An unexpected kid free evening gave me just the impetus for a surf & turf dinner.

The foil tray was seasoned with two pats of butter, a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of Grind to a Salt. A drizzle of oil and seasoning on top of the sliced tips and shrimp and then broiled until just golden.

This salad mix is scrumptious with sweet peppers, kumatos, a bit of balsamic vinaigrette and pistachios.

Asiago cheese bread from Lexington Co-op.

 Served with Rainbow Quinoa...

...and Magic Hat's Elder Betty.

Irish Supper - Colcannon, Glazed Baked Brisket, and Ginger Carrots

"Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake

Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?"

"Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I. 

And the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry.

Oh, wasn't it the happy days when troubles we had not,

And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot."

Colcannon -

4 russet potatoes (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut
Salt
5-6 Tbsp unsalted butter (with more butter for serving)
3 lightly packed cups of chopped kale, cabbage, chard, or other leafy green (I made it with purple cabbage for it's stunning color, go with white when making a traditional Colcannon.)
3 green onions (including the green onion greens), minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup milk or cream

Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain in a colander.

Return the pot to the stove and set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and once it's hot, add the greens. Cook the greens for 3-4 minutes, or until they are wilted and have given off some of their water. Add the green onions and cook 1 minute more.

Pour in the milk or cream, mix well, and add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium. Use a fork or potato masher and mash the potatoes, mixing them up with the greens. Add salt to taste and serve hot, with a knob of butter in the center.

Ginger carrots are thinly sliced and seasoned with slivered ginger, molasses, and pale brown sugar then baked in a tightly lidded dish at 350 degrees for one hour.

The glazed baked brisket recipe originally came from the Lexington Co-op, but I tweaked the recipe to lessen the sweetness. I marinated the beef for three hours in the glaze and then baked it in a tightly lidded container for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder









We had this with a loaf of hot cheese bread, a large salad and McSorley's Irish Black Lager.

Sláinte mhaith!

Grinch Dip Roast

Yet another delicious crock pot recipe! This one is an eleven hour low heat roast with vegetables. The Grinch dip melted in from above and the vegetable juices soaked in from below. 

The Grinch dip is a blend of cottage cheese, plain yogurt, garlic, scallions, parsley, spinach, parmesan cheese, romano cheese, sweet bell peppers, salt and pepper. Layered thickly on top of a three pound roast which is surrounded by 1/2 cup minced portobello mushrooms, 4 stalks diced celery, and 4 thinly sliced carrots, and 1 1/2 cup vegetable stock. Serve this with Lundberg Wild Blend rice and Coleman's Mustard! 

Ridiculously delicious!

Beef Stew and Biscuits

2 lbs stew beef, 4 carrots, 4 large potatoes, 1 large onion, seasonings of your choice (this had paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper and vinegar)

2 cups water cooked on high in a crock-pot for 4 to 6 hours. Cool over night. This will thicken the stew and bring out the flavor.

Put in a deep pie dish and layer biscuit dough on top. 2 cups flour, 1 tbls baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbls sugar, 1/3 cup shortening or refined lard, and 1 cup of milk.

Cut the fat into the dry ingredients well using two table knives and then blend in the milk without stirring to much. Bake at 380 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes to allow stew to jell slightly before serving.