any sausage kale soup

This works with literally any sausage but the smokier it is the better it turns out. Homemade chicken broth also does wonders.

1 tablespoon olive oil 

4-5 sausage links

1 sweet onion

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3-4 sweet potatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1 glug of red wine

1 bunch of kale

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Slice sausage into bite sized pieces and add to oil in the pan (or crumble sausage into oil if uncooked). Cook until browned.

Chop onions and add to the sausage. Cook until softened. Add tomato paste and cook until color deepens about 1 to 2 minutes.

Chop sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces. Add to the pan and cook for a minute or 2.

Add chicken broth and red wine and bring to a boil.

Add kale, cover pan and turn heat to low.

Once kale has wilted, stir into broth, cover and cook over medium-low heat until sweet potato has softened.

Let cool and serve.

lamb shoulder braise two-ways

Lamb shoulder is a tough cut – and it keeps showing up in my farm share. Fortunately a low and slow cook does wonders.

Red Wine Braised Lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lamb shoulder chops, or more to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 small yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
half a bag of baby carrots
2 medium potatoes
2 sprigs of oregano
1.5 cups beef broth
1.5 cups red wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a dutch over over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper lamb chops. Sear lamb in hot oil until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove chops to a plate to drain, reserving drippings in the skillet.

Saute onion and garlic in reserved drippings until tender, about 4 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes and saute another few minutes.

Add lamb chops and drippings to the dutch oven. Add oregano sprigs on top of lamb. Pour beef broth and red wine over the lamb. Cover dish.

Bake for 3 hours.

Remove lamb to a serving platter.

Did not have enough liquid the first time to do this part: Carefully drain liquid from baking dish into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Beat cornstarch and water together in a bowl using a whisk to assure no lumps remain; stir into the liquid in the saucepan. Add Worcestershire sauce and cook until the liquid thickens into a gravy, about 5 minutes.

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Saba Braised Lamb

4 lamb shanks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 large onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup saba
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place lamb shanks into a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and rosemary. Toss the lamb shanks to spread oil and seasonings over the meat.

Spread onion slices and garlic cloves into the bottom of a heavy 9x12-inch baking dish. Lay lamb shanks over onions and garlic.

Bake lamb in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.

Combine chicken broth and saba in a bowl. Pour mixture over the lamb shanks. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and place baking dish on a baking sheet.

Bake lamb in the oven until a knife pierces the meat easily, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat will be tender but not falling off the bone. Use tongs to turn the shanks over in the pan sauce. Increase temperature to 350 degrees.

Return shanks to oven and bake, uncovered, until meat is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn shanks over in the sauce after 10 minutes and check for tenderness; if still not tender enough, return to oven for 10 to 15 more minutes and test again.

Transfer lamb shanks to a bowl and keep warm. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Skim any excess grease from top of sauce. Taste and season with salt; stir in fresh rosemary. Serve sauce drizzled over lamb shanks.

From AllRecipes.com

rainbow lentils

This had both the taste and color of the rainbow: beautiful oranges, greens and yellows and tasted like the Caribbean, India, Africa, and Asia all rolled into one. We get a ton of mustard greens from our CSA every week, so this is a great way to use a bunch up.

1 bunch mustard greens
1 cup red lentils
1 large sweet potato
4 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp dried ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Jamaican curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt and white pepper to taste
1 squeeze fresh lime juice

Wash greens and remove stems. Chop onion and mince garlic and ginger. Chop sweet potato into 1 inch pieces.

Heat olive oil over medium low heat. Saute onions, garlic, and ginger until onion is softened and translucent. Add dry spices, mix, then add water or stock, stirring to get any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add lentils and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Stir in greens, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lime juice.

Adapted from Early Morning Farm

crispy chicken and sauce

We've made this a few times already and the chicken comes out moist and the skin comes out perfectly crispy every time. We've tried a couple different flavor combinations and the only thing we need to watch is how much acid gets added, avoid adding too much. we also use chicken breasts instead of the original thighs and it's only way I've found that makes the breasts nearly as juicy as chicken thighs.

3-4 skin-on chicken beasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oil
8 ounces bacon, cut into lardons
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bag of baby carrots
3 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350°F. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving it until well browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Flip chicken and brown lightly on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add bacon to pan and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add chicken stock, lemon juice, sugar, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and bring to a simmer.

Nestle chicken back into sauté pan, leaving the skin above the liquid but submerging most of the meat. Transfer pan to oven and cook, uncovered, about 45 minutes (do not cook longer even for larger pieces of chicken).

Remove from oven and transfer chicken and pieces of onion, carrot and bacon to a serving platter. Stir butter into sauté pan, reduce sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Serious Eats

dreams of new orleans

As I recently discovered, don't skimp on the 45 minute cooking time. Giving the flavors time to blend is important.

Red Beans and Rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage or Kielbasa, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14 1/2- to 16-ounce cans kidney beans
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
3 cups cooked rice

Heat olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic and sauté until onion is brown, about 15 minutes.

Mix in kidney beans with their juices, broth and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until flavors are blended and mixture is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Divide cooked rice among large shallow soup bowls. Spoon bean mixture over rice and serve.

Adapted from Epicurious.com

crockpot delights

We've tried this both on the stove-top and in the crockpot and while the depth of flavor is a little more complex when cooked on the stove, the crockpot version is so easy and just as delicious that it's worth the time and effort saved to be able to make it on a weeknight.

Sweet Potato Soup with Rum Cream

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1 3/4 to 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground red pepper
Rum Cream or caramelized onions

Stove-top directions:
Melt butter in pot over medium-high heat; add onion, and saute until tender. Stir in chicken broth and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until potato is tender. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. Cool slightly.

Use an immersion blender to process until smooth in the pot. Stir in whipping cream and next 4 ingredients. Serve with Rum Cream or caramelized onions.

Crockpot directions:
Add butter and onions to the crockpot. Stir in chicken broth and next 4 ingredients. Cook in crockpot for 10 hours on low. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. Cool slightly.

Use an immersion blender to process until smooth in the crockpot. Stir in whipping cream and next 4 ingredients. Serve with Rum Cream or caramelized onions.

Rum Cream

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum

Directions:
Beat all ingredients at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

The above recipes are adapted (barely) from Southern Living

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
5 lb bag of white onions or vidalia onions - sliced
1/2 half stick of butter
2 tbsp of olive oil

Throw all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 10 hours.

Result: The onions weren't as browned as I expected, though they tasted wonderful, if not as sweet as we would have liked. We used regular spanish onions, so next time I will add some sugar to help with the sweetness, or use vidalias. I will also aim to cook them for closer to 12 hours and see how much more that browns them and breaks them down.

super simple squash soup

1 butternut squash
1 buttercup squash
2 32 oz cartons of chicken broth
1 cup half and half
sour cream
fresh basil
salt and pepper
finishing salt (Hawaiian Black Lava Salt)

Cut both squashes into inch sized chunks. Place chunks in stockpot and fill pot with chicken broth to cover squash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Boil until squash is very soft. Remove from heat. Add half and half. Use hand-blender to puree until completely smooth. Chiffonade basil. Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon sour cream into soup. Sprinkle with basil and finishing salt.

soup du jour

Nothing sounds better when snowed in than soup - so everything we saw on Mark Bittman's soup and sandwich episode looks amazing. We haven't tried any of these yet, but wanted to pull them all together so that their easy for us to find.

Wintertime Tomato Soup

1 28- or 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, optional
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart (4 cups) stock or water
1/4 cup chopped parsley.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drain tomatoes and reserve liquid. Halve them and put in a roasting pan; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oil and the thyme, if using. Roast, turning once or twice, until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Use wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from pan, adding a little liquid if necessary.

2. Put remaining olive oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add garlic and cook just until it begins to color, a minute or so. Add carrot and onion and cook, sprinkling with salt and pepper and stirring, for about 5 minutes. Stir in stock or water, along with contents of roasting pan and reserved tomato juice.

3. Turn heat to high and bring soup to a boil, then lower heat so it bubbles gently. Cover and cook until vegetables are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

From The New York Times

Zucchini-Pear Soup

3 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil, or a combination of both
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 medium potato, preferably high-starch ("russet" or "baking"), peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or a pinch of dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium zucchini, trimmed and diced
2 medium ripe (but still firm) pears, peeled, cored and diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or use water
Mint leaves for garnish, optional

Put butter, oil or combination in a large skillet over medium heat; when butter melts or oil is hot, cook carrot, onion, potato and thyme with a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper. Stir occasionally, adjusting heat so vegetables do not brown. When onion is softened, about 5 minutes, add zucchini and continue to cook until everything is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add pear and cook until it has softened, about 5 minutes more. Add liquid and bring to a boil; taste and adjust seasoning. Cool mixture, then puree. Serve cold or reheat and serve hot, garnished with mint, if desired.

From Cooking Channel

Escarole Soup with Rice

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil
3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely minced, plus 4 or 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onions
4 cups coarsely chopped escarole (about one head)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
1/4 cup short-grain white rice, like arborio
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Parmesan rind, optional

Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 more minutes. Add escarole and cook, tossing gently, until it begins to wilt, about another 3 minutes.

Add stock and rice to the pan, bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Meanwhile, put remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet. When oil is hot, add sliced garlic and cook over medium-low heat until it turns golden brown and begins to crisp. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside.

When rice is cooked through, season soup with salt and pepper, top with a grating of Parmesan and garnish with garlic slivers.

From Cooking Channel

And the sandwich to go with all those soups:

Pork-Fennel Burger

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into large chunks
3 to 4 cloves garlic
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, with some of the fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
Peeled orange slices, chopped olives, chopped parsley, chopped roasted red pepper and fennel slices, to serve, optional

If grilling or broiling, heat should be medium-high and rack about 4 inches from fire. Put fennel and garlic into a food processor and pulse until just chopped; remove to a large bowl. Put pork fat in processor and grind until just chopped; add to bowl. Working in batches, process meat with fennel seeds, caraway, if using and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, until meat is just chopped (be careful not to over-process). Add to bowl and mix well. Shape mixture into 8 patties.

To broil or grill, cook about 5 minutes on each side, turning once after 4 or 5 minutes and again as necessary, 8 to 10 minutes total. For stovetop, heat a large skillet over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add patties; cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes, then rotate them so they brown evenly. When browned, turn. Total cooking time is about 10 minutes. (They can remain ever-so-slightly pink in the center.)

Garnish with peeled orange slices, chopped olives, chopped parsley, chopped roasted red pepper and fennel slices, to taste.

From Cooking Channel

primal meal deal

This came together perfectly and it just happened to use up a bunch of leftover odds and ends that were sitting in the fridge. Skirt steak pairs well with just about anything and these sides were no exception. I make roasted brussel sprouts regularly, but these turned out so perfectly I had to make sure I captured the recipe.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Quarter brussel sprouts. Coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on cookie sheet. Check after 15 minutes, and cook no more than 20 minutes.


Turnip Risotto

3 turnips
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
fresh herbs

In one pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Peel and grate the turnips (either by hand or in a food processor). In a second pot, melt the butter. Add the grated turnips to the butter and stir. Add the boiling chicken stock. Leave the turnips on a high boil for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. For added creaminess, add butter or cream to turnips before serving (though this isn't necessary).

Heat oil on medium-high in a separate pan (you can use the same pot you used for the chicken stock). Add the sliced shallots and heat until browned but not burned. Remove from the oil.

Plate the turnips and top with fresh herbs and crispy shallots.


Broiled Skirt Steak

Pre-heat the broiler. Season the skirt steak on both sides. Place the skirt steak on the cookie sheet the brussel sprouts were roasted on, and broil for 3 minutes on each side. Let rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.

Altogether a filling, healthy meal that can use up all the bits and pieces in your fridge.

grits without the grit

My lovely fiance has been eating primally for nearly two years, and I have been reluctant to join him, even though I know that he feels better on it than he did off it. As a celiac it's been hard to think about giving up anything else since I've already given up so much. But the truth of the matter is that for the most part I eat dinner primally almost every night, and don't notice the loss during those meals. The times that are harder for me are breakfast and lunch. Especially breakfast. I couldn't eat eggs every day if I tried and I love the ease and simplicity of a bowl of cold cereal after a hot cup of coffee. Lunch is easier to manage as long as I make enough leftovers from dinner the night before (but that's a whole different struggle).

I reached the tipping point towards giving it a whole-hearted try in the last few days. I had eaten pretty primally over the course of a few days as a matter of happenstance and would have been entirely two days in without even trying except for the 4 pieces of toast I'd just consumed. Knowing I was so close was all I really needed to make the decision to actually give it a try and see if I really did feel better the primal way. The next few posts will explore the new recipes we've found as we start down this path together.

A trip to New Orleans last year introduced my fiance to grits and he hasn't been able to get enough of them since. But with the primal diet, grits are a no-go, so he went in search of an alternative. We adjust this Celery Root Grits recipe each time we make it since it's such a great base, and can take on lots of other flavors (hot sauce, different cheeses). Makes a great side for all types of pork dishes.

Celery Root Grits

1-2 large sized celery roots
1 medium onion (diced)
2 ½ cups of chicken or vegetable stock
shredded cheese
3 tbsp butter
olive oil
salt and pepper

Using a medium stockpot, sauté diced onion in olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter on medium high heat for 3–4 minutes. Peel and dice the celery root. Add the diced celery root to the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add enough stock to the celery root and onion to cover the mixture. Increase the heat to high and boil the mixture uncovered for 18-20 minutes until the celery root is fully cooked and a significant amount of stock has reduced. (If mixture burns, add a bit more stock and continue. Still turns out delicious and smoky. If this happens, there is no need to add cheese.) When the celery root has been completely cooked and the stock has reduced by half, remove to a bowl. Using a stick blender, purée the mixture. Add more stock if needed. Add 2 Tbsp of butter and shredded cheese (cheese is optional). Mix well.

Adapted from Paleodad

a tribute to parson's table blue hubbard squash soup

1 blue hubbard squash
32 oz package of chicken broth
half a container of heavy cream
nutmeg for garnish

Cut the squash into pieces and roast at 375 degrees for 90 minutes. Bring chicken broth to a near boil and add the roasted squash. Use a hand blender to blend the squash and broth in the pot. Once it's almost fully blended, add the heavy cream and blend until combined.

Sprinkle with nutmeg.