Grapefruit Rosemary Chicken Kabobs

We eat grilled meats fairly often around here. Because they are delicious. And because it allows me to delegate. Since moving onto the farm almost three years ago, my father, The Grampie, has has taken on 99% of all grilling responsibilities. It’s not the only reason I love having him here (I could fill pages upon pages with all the beautiful things both Clay’s mom and my dad bring into our lives.), but it is pretty high on the list.

My dad has always been a charcoal guy. We have two Webbers and a barrel smoker. With the twins eating, we have no fewer than eight meat eaters at every meal, so sometimes The Grampie fires up two cookers at a time. Nothing beats the smell of good meats sizzling over a charcoal fire.

Now that we have a freezer full of chicken cut ups I’ve been doing a lot more experimenting with recipes that involve breast meat. Chicken kabobs have quickly become a favorite. I like playing with different marinade flavor combos. The Grampie loves how quickly they cook up on the grill. They are easy to serve to a table full of hungry kiddos. AND the leftovers (always make enough for leftovers) are delicious served cold, on salads or as part of a picnic lunch.

I do the prep and then, two or three times a week, gladly hand over the cooking duties. If Clay or I were doing the grilling we’d have bought a gas grill by now. Way more convenient. So no judgement from me if that’s how you roll.

My current favorite marinade is Grapefruit and Rosemary. It’s a just a little sweet and a lot of yum. You can also replace the grapefruit with and a combination of tangerine/orange and lemon/lime. I like recipes that are a bit flexible.

Grapefruit Rosemary Marinade for Chicken Kabobs

1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (or some combination of tangerine/orange and lemon/lime)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 avocado oil

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1 tbsp good salt

2-3 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

Mix it all up and pour over chicken pieces. The chicken needs at least a couple hours to soak up all that goodness, but is the best after 12 or more. Skewer and grill!

Bowl of Goodness, A Soup For That Which Ails You

After a long hiatus, while on bed rest during my twin pregnancy, I’m enjoying a return to creating yummy dishes in our kitchen.  

Here’s one that became part of the weekly rotation at our house this winter. It’s a simple, almost porridge-like, chicken and rice soup that is full of all the healing things I want my kiddos to be getting into their bodies during flu season. The aromatics, spices, healthy fats, and bone-broth responsible for the deliciously comforting flavor of this one-pot meal are also anti-bacterial, anti-viral, AND anti-inflammatory agents. Good food is good for you. Especially when it’s made with love. 

Ingredients:

¼ coconut oil

1 medium onion (about 1 cup), minced

8 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup minced fresh ginger

4 teaspoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground tumeric

1 teaspoon unrefined salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 ½ cups medium-grain white rice

6 cups chicken bone-broth

6 cups water

3-4 chicken leg quarters (about 4 pounds)

cilantro and green onion, chopped (optional, but highly recommended garnish)

Instructions:

Step 1: Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil has melted, add onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.

Step 2: Add the rice and stir until coated with all the fragrant goodness.

Step 3: Add bone-broth and water. Bring to a boil. 

Step 4: Reduce heat to a simmer and add chicken. If the chicken is not fully submerged add a bit more water. You want to cook the chicken gently so that it does not get tough. This takes 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 5: Turn off the heat. Remove chicken from pot and put it on a plate or shallow bowl to cool slightly.

Step 6: When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and add it back to the cooked rice. 

Serve with cilantro and green onion on top.

Pork and Spinach Meatballs

Our unseasoned ground pork is the perfect base for bringing bright and zingy flavors to your table. These grain-free meatballs make a super simple supper that is packed with flavor and nutrition.

Ingredients:

2 lb ground pork

12 oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

1 cup chopped cilantro

Zest of one lemon

2 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp nutmeg

pinch of cinnamon

½ tsp crushed fennel seed

Directions:

1. Squeeze extra moisture from the spinach.

2. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes and up to a day to allow the flavors to meld.

3. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

4. Form pork mixture into 1” balls and place on sheet pan.

5. Bake meatballs for 15-20 minutes.

6. Finish meatballs under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

7. Serve with salad and/or rice and lemon wedges.

Duck Confit

I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries at the markets as to how to cook duck. My first suggestion is to cook the parts separately. Several weeks ago I shared my go-to recipe for pan-seared duck breast, which essentially treats the breast like a steak. If you were to do this to the legs, however, they would be quite tough. To truly appreciate the legs of a duck they need the low and slow treatment.

Duck legs ought to be confited. It is the answer to how to get perfectly seasoned and tender leg meat. Directly translated from the French, confit means preserved. The deliciousness that is Duck Confit is created by salting and then slowly cooking duck legs in their own fat. Traditionally the meat is then packed in the duck fat, sealing the meat from exposure to the air, and allowing it to be stored without refrigeration. In our house, it rarely lasts that long. But if I were to store it, I would still keep the fat covered duck meat in the fridge.

It sounds fancy, but it’s really quite simple. And once you venture down this road, you’ll never want to eat the legs of a duck any other way.

Steps to Confit Duck Legs:

After three hours in the oven

• Generously salt duck legs. I use 1 TBSP kosher salt for two legs. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 days.

• Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.

• Put duck legs, skin-side up, in a baking dish just big enough to hold them. You don’t want them squished but you also don’t want them to have too much room.

• If you have extra duck fat put that in the dish with the legs. If not, that’s okay.

• Put the legs in the oven, uncovered, and cook for about three hours, or until nearly all the fat has rendered out from under the skin.

• Remove dish from oven. Cool legs in the dish and then put the entire dish into the fridge for at least a day, but up to three.

• Remove legs from the hardened fat and put them in a pan with a half cup of water or broth. Smear a bit of the fat on the skin. Cover the pan and slowly reheat on the stovetop.

• Uncover the pan and put the legs under the broiler for about 3 minutes to crisp up the skin.

• Serve!

5 Reasons Why We Love Raising Turkeys

1. They are fun.

Turkeys have so much character. They strut and gobble and poof out their chests. In the evenings we watch them from our back porch as they scrunch together on top of their shelter. We put roosts inside the coop, but they seem to prefer the roof. And turkeys LOVE water. Seeing them hop around under a rain shower or the spray of a hose is like watching the wonderfully awkward and enthusiastic performance of a preschool dance class.

2. Turkeys work the pasture like only a twenty pound bird can.

One of our goals at Grass Fat Farm is to build soil fertility and improve our pastures without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers or herbicides. All of the poultry play a vital role in this system. They scratch the earth to loosen the seedbed, allowing for more desirable pasture plants to germinate. And they drop their poop, providing some of the best natural fertilizer so that those plants can thrive. Turkeys have big claws, big beaks, and poop A LOT.

3. We love to eat something truly special on holidays.

Thanksgiving would just not be the same without a pasture-raised turkey (or two!) on the table. We are blessed with an amazing community of neighbors who value delicious healthful food. Every year when we sit down to eat the turkey that we carefully raised and they beautifully smoked, you can truly taste the love that went into making that food.

4. Turkey wings.

Wings are my absolute favorite part of a chicken. I like them crispy and coated with Frank’s and butter and garlic. No sides and no utensils needed. Pile them high. But turkey wings- Oh. My. Goodness. So much goodness. They take just a tiny bit longer to cook, but otherwise I treat them exactly like a chicken wing. The flavor is better. The skin is crispier. And just one or two will fill you right up.

5. Home-cured, home-smoked turkey.

We don’t buy much deli meat. It’s really hard to find sandwich meat that is made from well-raised animals. So the first year that we raised turkeys I decided to try making my own. It’s becoming a tradition. We cut the breasts and legs from the turkeys that are not destined for Thanksgiving tables. Brine them, smoke them. The breasts are sliced for incredible flavorful sandwiches. Legs are saved to be used as you would a ham hock. I throw them in the instant pot with split peas, beans, or lentils. They fall apart into tender pieces of deliciousness, while simultaneously infusing the beans with all that smokey turkey goodness.

Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Chanterelles and Blueberry Chutney

As far as my family is concerned, pasture-raised duck is the gold standard by which all other poultry is compared. Ducks are a bit harder to raise and much more difficult to process than chickens. Otherwise, we would gladly eat duck every day.

If you’ve never cooked duck at home, I highly recommend starting out with just the breasts. Pan-seared duck breast is quick, easy, and hugely satisfying. Think of it as the ribeye of poultry, the perfect balance of red meat and luscious fat. Seared in a cast-iron pan, the skin gets perfectly crisp without over-cooking the decedent breast meat.

The duck is excellent all on its own, but if you are in the mood to dress it up a bit, duck pairs well with fruity and/or earthy accompaniments. This season, we’ve done a quick blueberry chutney on top with duck fat sautéed chanterelles on the side.

Pan-seared Duck Breast with Chanterelles

• Score the skin of the duck breasts in a cross-hatch pattern. Be careful not to cut into the meat.

• Generously salt both sides of the breasts. Add pepper too if you like.

• Leave salted breasts on the counter for about an hour. You want them to come close to room temp before cooking.

• Put the breasts, skin side down, on a cold cast iron pan. Then, put the pan over medium-high heat.

• Watch for most of the fat to render and the skin to crisp up. On my stovetop this takes about eight minutes.

• Once the skin is a deep golden brown flip the breasts and cook another four minutes.

• Remove breasts from pan and allow to rest for five minutes before slicing. The meat should look like a medium rare steak.

• While the duck rests, turn the stove down to medium-low and saute sliced chanterelles in the rendered fat left in your pan. Add crushed garlic if you desire. Salt to taste.

Blueberry Chutney

1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Put all ingredients into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 minutes. The chutney can be made several days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Making Meredith's Blueberry Pie

This beauty is actually blueberry, strawberry, AND peach.

We are pie people. And Meredith is, among many other things, our pie maker. Our family doesn’t do dessert on a daily basis, but special occasions call for a special treat. For such celebrations we look to our dear friend for that delicious balance of flaky pastry and perfectly sweetened fruit.

Independence Day is just around the corner and my kids are counting down the days until blueberry pie hits their lips. Seriously- they LOVE their pie. So much so that our oldest has been calling Thanksgiving “Pie Day” since she was two.

I asked Meredith if she would be willing to share her pie crust recipe with y’all. And she has so awesomely provided not just her recipe for blueberry pie, but a video tutorial of her technique for making the perfect flaky pie crust.

Do what she says. Really. Just do it. And then eat all the perfect pie. Or share it with the ones you love this weekend. Or make two. Yeah, you probably should just go ahead and make two pies.

How to Make Meredith’s Perfect Flaky Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter

6 Tbsp lard

1/2 cup ice water

Steps:

1. Cut up the butter and lard into smallish pieces. Put them in the freezer for at least an hour.

2. Put flour, salt, COLD Butter and Lard in the food processor.  Pulse until the mixture looks like corn meal.

3. Add 4-6 tbsp of COLD water. Pulse until a dough forms along the sides of the processor.  It’s ok if it’s crumbly. 

4. Dump the dough onto a floured surface.  

5. Gather dough and crumbs into a ball. Spilt the ball into 2 balls. 

6. Use the palm of your hand to smoosh the dough out and then gather it back into a ball. Do this a few times. This allows you to spread the butter/lard evenly. 

7. Flatten each ball into a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic and put them in fridge for at least an hour. 

To Make A Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:

2 discs of Perfect Flaky Pie Dough

5-6 cups blueberries 
2/3-3/4 cup sugar
1/2 of lemon juiced
1/4 cup tapioca starch or cornstarch

Steps:

1. Combine berries, sugar, lemon juice and let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Let one disc of dough sit on the counter to warm slightly before rolling it out. Carefully place the rolled out dough in the pie pan.

3. Drain off juice from berry mixture. Add starch to mixture and combine thoroughly.

4. Add filling to the pie pan.

5. Allow the second disc of dough to warm slightly before rolling it out. Lay the whole circle of rolled out dough onto the berry mixture (OR slice the second rolled out dough into strips and create a lattice). Crimp the edges of the crust together to seal the pie.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Moving Day For Pigs

Like all of our animals, the pigs on our farm are part of a rotational grazing system. They are contained by two lines of electrified wire. Every two weeks the pigs move to a new section of the woods where they do a good bit of rooting around. Pigs love to root. Digging their snouts into the earth, eating their fill of roots, bugs, and fallen nuts, they grow fat on the rich diet put forth by the woods. In turn, the pigs provide a service. Their short stay in each paddock allows the pigs to work the ground just enough. They fertilize and aerate the soil, reactivating the seedbed and creating the ideal surface for us to seed more grasses and herbs. Later, sheep and chickens move through those areas to munch on the plants that we are able to grow after the pigs leave. It’s a beautiful thing.

In this video, you see Clay on moving day. He is enticing the pigs with a bucket of fermented non-GMO local feed. They are hesitant at first because they remember the electrified wire that divides their current paddock from the new one. Once they realize that the wire has been removed, the pigs eagerly follow him into their new home and start chowing down on their breakfast. It’s good the be a Grass Fat Farm Pig.

Three Chicken Leg Marinades

The grilling season is upon us! Here are three of my favorite marinades for chicken legs. I tend to do my marinating in a glass bowl with a lid, but a gallon ziplock bag will do in a pinch. Either way, put your chicken legs in a container, pour on your marinade of choice, and refrigerate for 6-48 hours. Each of these recipes is good for 4-8 leg quarters. This is a great way to do a small amount of prep ahead of time for a delicious stress-free cook out later. Happy grilling!

Mediterranean

Serve with a Greek potato salad and grilled summer veggies.

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 Tbsp salt

• 1 Tbsp honey

• 2 cups plain yogurt (OR 2 cups milk + juice of half a lemon)

Combine all ingredients.

south of the border

Serve with grilled corn and Mexican slaw.

• 4 oz dried ancho chilies

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 Tbsp cumin

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1 Tbsp honey

Use scissors to remove stems on the chilies. Shake out seeds. Cut chilies into ½ inch strips. Put the chili strips in a bowl and cover with boiling water. After 30 minutes, put rehydrated strips, one cup soaking liquid, and everything else in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Ginger and Soy

Serve with steamed rice and a saute of bok choy.

• ½ cup soy sauce (or ½ cup coconut aminos + 1 tsp salt)

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients.

Spatchcock and Dry-Brine Your Chicken

I roast a chicken or two every week. In a pinch, I will do nothing more than rub the bird with salt and stick it in a hot oven. In just over an hour of hands-off cooking I’ll have dinner on the table.

But with the tiniest bit of forethought, I can make an even more delicious roast chicken. Spatchcocking, or removing the backbone and flattening the bird, improves the roast chicken experience in three ways. 1. It allows the bird to cook more evenly in less time. 2. It gives you more of that beautiful crispy skin. 3. It makes carving a serving a breeze.

I try to do my spatchcocking the day before I plan on cooking the chicken. And then I like to rub A LOT of kosher salt all over the bird. This is called a dry brine. It makes for an even more moist chicken and incredible skin. I’m talking potato chip addiction deliciousness here.

Below is a short video of me spatchcocking and then dry brining one of our pasture-raised chickens. Some folks recommend using a pair of kitchen shears to remove the backbone. I use a sharp knife, mostly because I’ve never met a pair of kitchen shears that were good for much more than opening packages and snipping herbs. But you do you. If you have shears than can get the job done I definitely want the link to those super scissors.

1. Remove backbone. (Save for making bone broth!)

2. Cut the breastbone and flatten chicken.

3. Apply much salt.

4. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 6-48 hours.

5. Roast in 450 degree oven for 30-60 minutes or until thickest part of breast reaches 165 degrees.

Wild Weedy Pesto

Sometime last week, Evangeline came inside with a fistful of plantain and said to me, “Ya know Mom, when parents don’t feel like making snacks, kids should just go eat weeds.” She got out a bowl and went back outside to continue foraging for a salad.

I had a little laugh, but you know what- she’s right! We should all be eating our weeds. Even if your yard consists of a small patch of grass next to the street, you likely have access to some of the most nutrient-dense greens that exist.

What better time time to start foraging? Grocery shelves are looking a bit sparse. And as long as you can be certain that your yard has not been sprayed, your weeds are certainly safer and better for you than what can be found in the stores.

Our kids have been eating wild edibles since they were toddlers and will eagerly nibble on the leaves of plantain, chickweed, dead nettle, as well as the flowers of wild violet and redbud. We sometimes add them to salads or cook them up for dinner. This year I’ve been experimenting with a Wild Weedy Pesto!

I’m passing along my recipe because I’m thinking you might also be up for a little outdoor culinary adventure right now. Perhaps it’s just what we all need.

Try it out. And then put it on everything! Sourdough toast. Noodles. Pizza. Chicken. The other night I panfried pieces of chicken breast, roasted a bunch of veggies, cooked up a pot of rice pasta, and then threw it all together with a generous helping of the pesto. It was a forkful of spring!

Have fun with this! Oh how we cannot forget fun.

Step One: Get familiar with your weeds! My recipe uses chickweed and purple deadnettle, as seen in the picture below. If you need more help identifying there are lots of resources on the internet, but here is a particularly clear description of these two weeds.

Step Two: Gather!

From the yard- 1 cup purple deadnettle and 3 cups chickweed.

From the larder- 1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup parmesan

1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Step Three: Bring it all together! Use a food processor to blend nuts, parmesan and garlic into a coarse paste. Use a knife to coarsely chop your greens, then add the greens, lemon juice, salt, and half the olive oil to the processor. Blend, adding the rest of the olive oil as you go. You may decide to use a little less or a little more oil, depending on preferred consistency.

That’s it! Pesto keeps in the fridge for about three days. It also freezes fairly well.

Cooking with Evangeline: Potato chicken soup

When there is so much out of our control, I find comfort in the simple act of feeding the ones I love. I am remembering to put down my phone, turn off the news, step away from social media, and just be present with my family. Together, we are tending to the animals, watering seeds, and cooking meals.

What and how we eat is always important, but, perhaps, in moments like these it matters just a bit more. Cooking and eating delicious, nutritious, comforting meals together is part of how we strengthen our bodies and our hearts. It is good medicine.

I had planned on bringing my favorite potato chicken soup to the market on Saturday so that we could all enjoy that experience of nourishment together. That’s not happening, BUT…

Evangeline and I decided to make the soup anyway. Because it is SO GOOD. Because our bodies and our hearts need the nourishment.

And because we still wanted to share that experience with you, we decided to make a video!

This is Evangeline’s first cooking tutorial!! She’s very excited to share it with you. So please excuse my cinematography (why did I keep cutting off the top of her beautiful head?!) and join Evangeline while she makes a big batch of Potato Chicken Soup!

A New Emma and A Big E

This has been our first full lambing season. Last year we bought two ewes, or female sheep. One mama with her new twin ewe lambs and one very pregnant ewe. The pregnant one gave birth her first night on our farm. It was not quite the same as seeing the process through from beginning to end. For one thing, there was much less waiting.

Last fall we brought a ram to the farm for a month, which gave us a month long window for Lamb Watch this year. So much anticipation. Every morning brings the hope of adorable fuzzy new life. And with every lambing (this is the term used for sheep birth), I am filled with a full rush of endorphins. So far, I have been alone every time I discover a new set of lambs. But I quickly return to the house to tell our five year old, E, who loves ALL THE BABIES maybe more than I do. She is a natural doula. Attentive and respectful, E helps me weigh the new lambs and take notes on our observations. She speaks southing words to the mama while crouching to see if the babies are getting the hang of nursing. We talk about the importance of colostrum and how amazing it is that mammals make placentas.

When the first set of twin girl lambs were born, E was eager to name one of them Emma. Emma is the name that two-year-old E gave to our dear friend Meredith. It stuck and for years now our family has referred to Meredith as Emma. Only recently, the kids have started calling her Meredith.

I stood there, watching E coo at this little white sheep with a tan spot around her eye. “Hi Emma. Cute little Emma.”

“But… we already have an Emma. Won’t that be confusing?” I said, wanting to nip this name overlap in the bud.

“What are you talking about Mom?” Her attention still on the lamb.

“Meredith!”

“Oh Mom. Her name’s not actually Emma.”

And that was it. My eyes welled up. It was one of those moments. You know those Mama Moments. When you realize you’ve crossed some bridge. I know that these things are actually happening gradually, in tiny steps, but sometimes it can truly feel like it happens in an instant. That your first baby is suddenly so… not a baby. She’d all but forgotten the name that her tiny self had chosen for her first friend. She’s a big kid.

So Emma Sheep it is. And Emma’s twin sister? Well, E is both a big kid and a thoughtful one, so she insisted we let her brother name the other lamb. He knew as soon as he saw her, the brown and black one would be called Bess. Don’t even think about calling her Bessy. Lucky’s babies are Emma and Bess.

Lucky with Emma and Bess

Uma is greeting her brand new sisters.

My Big Girl

24 Hours Old. Bess has some pretty neat markings.

Lucky is a really good mama.

They smell SO good. (My sister knitted this soft wool hat. I love all things wool.)

This is Ash and her new lambies. Ash is the ewe who came to us pregnant last year. She’s also a super mama.

Ash has spent most of her life as a dairy ewe, so she’s very friendly. Her lambs sense her comfort with us and are the least skittish.

This is Ursa and her one enormous ewe lamb. This one still needs a name!

Ursa’s big babe taking a nap in a pile of hay.

What do you think we should name Ursa’s lamb?! Leave a suggestion in the comments!

Lentil Sausage Stew

I like to cook a very large pot of some kind of soup every week. It’s the easiest way to have a well-rounded homemade meal on hand. I make a double batch which, in my house, takes care of two dinners and a kids’ lunch. I try and spread the soup days out so that no one loses interest. Most one-pot dishes taste even better after a day or two in the fridge, but if i’m going to serve the second batch much later I will freeze it. Almost all soups freeze beautifully.

This Lentil Sausage Stew is a staple in my rotation of soups. It’s a hearty nutrient-dense meal that comes together in under 60 minutes. And most of that is hands-off simmering time. If I get the veggies all chopped up first, it’s a great dish to make with the kids. Our three-year-old Little Big Strong Guy will brown the sausage, dump ingredients into the pot, and stir the simmering pot ‘o goodness. Bellies and hearts are warmed when he calls everyone to the table to eat his soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb Grass Fat Farm bulk sausage

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

1 lb brown lentils, rinsed

1 16oz can diced tomatoes

2 quarts bone broth

½ green cabbage, chopped large

Salt and pepper

Steps:

In a large heavy-bottomed pot (I almost always use a cast iron dutch oven), brown sausage over medium-high heat.

Once the sausage has browned, turn heat down to medium, add onions, and cook until translucent.

Add garlic, celery, and carrots. Stir until you can smell the garlic, about two minutes.

Add lentils, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Stir in cabbage, cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until lentils and cabbage are cooked to your liking.

Season with salt and pepper.

If our Little Big Strong Guy has his way with dinner, the stew (and all meals) is served with rice a generous dollop of sour cream or thick plain yogurt. I think it’s perfect on its own.

How to Render Lard

We love cooking with our lard. It’s nutrient dense, rather neutral in flavor, and has a high smoke point, making it perfect for frying, sautéing, and roasting. It’s also delicious in pie crust.

Last fall we traded several quarts of our lard with another farming family in exchange for some of the beautiful soaps they make. They are using that lard to make more soap! I love that. But it also means that our larder is low on lard (hehe).

It’s time to pull all that pork fat out of our freezer and render. Evangeline and I got our first batch done this morning. It’s currently cooling on the kitchen table, solidifying into jars of beautiful white goodness.

In case you are in need of a good rainy day activity (or perhaps you are just wondering what the heck you are supposed to do with all that back fat in your freezer) I thought I’d share my methodology with you.

When you render pork fat into lard you are slowly melting the solid chunks of fat into a liquid. There are lots of ways to do this. After several years of experimentation I’ve found the following to be the method that works best for me.

You will need:

• Grass Fat Farm Pork Fat

• A sharp knife and/or a meat grinder (Definitely don’t go out and buy a meat grinder for this project, but if you have one you might try using it.)

• A slow cooker

• A wooden or metal mixing spoon

• A ladle

• Glass jars with lids

• A canning funnel

• A metal mesh sieve that fits over your funnel

• Cheesecloth

Step One:

First you will want to cut your large chunks of pork fat into smaller pieces. The smaller the pieces of fat, the more evenly the fat will render. This means more lard overall and a more neutral tasting final product.

I like to use the meat grinder for this. We have a meat grinder attachment for our kitchen aid that gets the job done. I have also rendered a lot of lard by simply dicing the fat and that works well.

Pro tip: Fat that is very cold or even slightly frozen is easier to cut/grind.

She calls them “Fat Noodles.”

Step Two:

Put your cut up or ground fat into your slow cooker and set it to low. Sir the fat every ten minutes or so. Here, you are encouraging the fat to melt evenly, while preventing the small bits of meat and skin from cooking too much. Scorched meat will not ruin the lard, but it will give it a slightly porky flavor, making it less desirable for things like pie crust.

I’ve learned that the temperature settings on slow cookers can vary greatly. My cooker’s “Low” and your cooker’s “Low” are likely not the same. So there’s really no way for me to tell you exactly how long it will take for a certain quantity of fat to render. This will also depend on how small your pieces are. When I fill my large slow cooker with five pounds of ground fat it takes just about an hour to render. The same fat, in the same cooker, diced, takes about three hours. Using a friend’s cooker the diced fat takes more like two hours. Just keep an eye on it. You will know how often you need to stir.

Step Three:

Once the majority of your fat has melted you will need to strain it to remove any bits of meat and skin.

Turn off the slow cooker.

Place a canning funnel into a glass jar. Place a sieve on the funnel. And then put three layers of cheesecloth on the sieve.

(I have done this without the sieve and it is do-able, but also a little tricky to keep the cheesecloth from falling into the funnel. A rubber band is helpful if you do not use a sieve.)

Ladle the fat out of the slow cooker and into the jar, filtering through the cheesecloth, sieve, and funnel set up.

Put a lid on your jar.

That’s it! As your lard cools it will solidify and whiten.

Beautiful, no?

A Note on Storage: Pure lard is shelf stable. Mold and bacteria do not grow on fat. They will, however, grow on any bits of meat that may have made it into your jars. Just to be safe you may want to store your lard in the fridge.

Cutting Up A Whole Chicken

Almost every week I cut up two whole chickens for my family. This allows me to prep several dishes at once and add more variety to our menu.

Most often I throw wings, thighs, and drumsticks into a marinade to be grilled or baked later. The breast meat usually gets cut into chunks for something deliciously saucy like Butter Chicken. The carcass goes in my electric pressure cooker (If you do not yet own an Instant Pot, I highly suggest you invest in one today.). I pick the meat off the cooked carcass to use for soup or chicken salad. And then the bones get put back in the pressure cooker with some aromatics and a gallon of water to make a nutrient dense bone-broth.

I know that cutting up a whole chicken can feel a bit intimidating. But I promise, with a sharp knife and a little courage, you can do it! And if you do it every week, you’ll be a pro in no time.

I have to admit, it took a bit of courage for me to get on camera and show you how I do my cut-ups. But I did it! And it is my hope that you watch this video and feel empowered to get brave in your own kitchen!

Butter Chicken

I don’t know about you, but our family loves a good sauce on our chicken. Some of my favorite sauces come from of Indian cuisine. I love it all, but butter chicken is almost a comfort food. Creamy and rich. The spice profile is delicious but not overpowering. You can kick up the heat with chili peppers if you like that extra kick, but we choose to omit them in our house. I use breast meat (save those legs for the grill and don’t forget to make bone broth with the backs!), but any part of the chicken will do!

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs Grass Fat Farm chicken (about two breasts), cut in 1” chunks

¾ cup yogurt

1 ½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp garam masala

4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

1 onion, diced small

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

1 ½ tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp black pepper

1 Serrano chili pepper, diced small (optional)

6 oz tomato paste

1 ¼ cup chicken broth or water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

handful of cilantro, chopped

basmati or jasmine rice

Steps:

Mix ingredients for marinade (yogurt, salt, and garam masala). Add chicken pieces to marinade and let sit in fridge for at least two hours or as long as overnight.

To make sauce, melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture just starts to brown, about 8-12 minutes. Add spices and chili pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about three more minutes. Add tomato paste and broth/water. Whisk until tomato paste is no-longer clumpy. Add the sugar and salt, bring sauce to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in heavy cream. Blend sauce until smooth. I use an immersion blender, but you can also ladle the sauce into a standard blender and then return it to the saucepan. Bring the sauce back to a simmer over medium-low heat and then add the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Stir until the butter melts. Cover and remove from heat. The sauce can be made up to two days ahead of time and then gently reheated when you are ready to cook the chicken.

Position rack under broiler and turn it on. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers and put loaded skewers onto a sheet pan. Place sheet pan on the oven rack under the broiler and cook for 6-8 minutes. Turn skewers and broil the other side of your chicken pieces for another 6-8 minutes. You want to see a bit of char on the outside of the chicken and the inside should register at 165 degrees. *

Pull chicken off of skewers and put it into the saucepan of warm deliciousness.

Serve the chicken and sauce over rice and garnish with cilantro.

*Alternatively, you can definitely cook the chicken on the grill.

Bold Sizzling Pork Tacos

I love the simplicity of cooking a large piece of meat. A whole chicken- seasoned and roasted. A leg of venison or lamb- cooked medium rare. A pork roast- thrown in the pressure cooker with nothing but garlic and salt. These are some of my go-to’s when I’m not feeling like cooking. And to be honest, in this particular place in my life, there are a lot of days like that.

But one of my favorite things about the holidays is the opportunity to slow down and be more intentional about my meal choices. When I make the time for it, when I don’t feel rushed, or overwhelmed by the needs of my small children, when I remember that the world won’t collapse if the four loads of laundry sit in a pile for another day- I also remember how much pleasure can be attained from creating a meal that requires a bit more attention.

When Meredith and I sat down to plan our Christmas menu, we decided we’d design one dinner around a hunk of our yummy pork. I pulled a 5lb pork shoulder out of the freezer. I make a lot of pork shoulder into pulled pork or sliceable roast. They’re delicious and easy.

We considered slow cooked pork tacos. But I wanted something different. Something bold and crispy. This called, not for a different cut of meat, but a different method. We would do tacos, but first we would cut up the roast.

When you take the extra bit of time to cut up a piece of meat before cooking it, you are taking advantage of the opportunity to transform that food into a whole new experience- both in flavor and texture.

I took the roast and cut most of the fat cap off. That layer of fat is essential when slow cooking, but a bit much when pan frying. After which, I cut the meat off the bone and sliced it into small strips, about a ½ inch wide and 1-2 inches long. This gave us so much more surface area to attack with spices. The pork was bathed in garlic, chili, salt, pepper, and cumin for 36 hours before it was thrown into sizzling hot pans that had been coated in Grass Fat Farm lard.

The results were just what I had hoped for. We served the pork alongside a very large bowl of guacamole, sour cream, a Mexican-inspired slaw of marinated cabbage, carrots, radishes, and red onion, roasted red peppers from the summer garden, a wonderfully crumbly goat cheese, and our own fermented jalapeno hot sauce and green tomato salsa. Meredith and Matthew helped the littlest farmers make fresh corn tortillas for those of us who eat grains.

It was a bit more work than pulled-pork would have been. But not a lot. And it was worth it. Not just for the delicious meal we had on Christmas Eve, but also because it reminded me of the satisfaction I experience when I take the time to make something I really want to eat. As we move into 2019, it is my intention to do more of that.

How about you? Do your new year’s resolutions include feeding yourself well? Will you join me in focusing, not just on nutrition, but on giving yourself the time you need to connect your body, soul, and palate to that which nourishes you?

Bold Sizzling Pork Tacos

Inspired by a recipe from New York Times Cooking

(Enough to feed 6-10 people very well)

Ingredients:

5lb Grass Fat Farm pork shoulder roast (Boston butt or picnic)

3-5 dried ancho chilies

2 teaspoons whole cumin

1 tablespoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

6-8 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

4-8 tablespoons lard

Directions:

1. Remove most, but not all, of the fat cap from your roast. I left about ¼ inch.

2. Cut the meat off of the bone. I use a sharp narrow blade. Don’t worry about doing this well. The pork is going to be cut into small pieces so it’s okay if you cut it off the bone in several pieces.Without the bone and the fat cap, you should be left with about four pounds of pork.

3. Cut the pork into small strips, ½ inch by ½ inch by 1-2 inches. Include all the intramuscular fat in these pieces. It’s good for you and it’s part of what makes this dish delicious. Put pork pieces in a large bowl.

4. Toast the cumin. To do this, heat a small pan over medium-high heat, put the seeds on the pan, and then stir them around for 30-60 seconds. When the cumin becomes fragrant, remove it from the pan.

5. Blitz the toasted cumin in a food processor or blender. Or, you can grind them a bit with a mortar and pestle. Either way, the goal is a coarse grind. Add the cumin to the pork.

6. Remove the stems from the chilies and pulverize them into a powder in a blender or food processor. Add the chili powder to the pork.

7. Add the salt, pepper, and garlic to the pork. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the spices and the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

8. Heat a heavy cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons lard. Once the lard has melted you can begin frying the pork. Do this in batches, as overcrowding the meat will cause it to steam and steamed pork will not achieve the desired texture. Turn/stir the pork every two minutes or so. Each batch should take about 6 minutes to cook. After you cook each batch, transfer the meat to a covered dish to keep warm.

9. Serve with warm tortillas, pickles, sour cream, cabbage, salsa, limes, cilantro, hot sauce, cheese, or guacamole. Or eat it by itself. It’s that good.

Grillers and Greens in a Skillet

This year we’ve been getting quite a bit of our pork turned into sausage links. BEST. IDEA. EVER. I am in love with these links. They are delicious, filling, and the perfect dinner on nights when I’ve failed to think ahead. They defrost quickly and deliver a punch of flavor with little effort on my part.

In the summer months I would throw them on the grill or into the smoker. Sometimes a dozen at a time- a few for dinner and the rest to be used throughout the week. Once cooked they are excellent on homemade pizza, in omelets, or sliced and fried for a quick lunch. My kids will gladly eat them cold with a bit of ketchup.

But I think my favorite way to cook these “grilling sausages” is actually indoors, in a big cast iron skillet. I brown them and then gently steam them. The trick is not to overcook the sausages. When I first started using this method I would test the sausages with an instant read thermometer, aiming to pull them from the pan when they achieved an internal temp of 140 degrees. I am now able to asses their doneness by poking them with my finger. They should be firm, but still springy.

To keep the dishes to a minimum, I like to cook a big pile of greens in the same pan I used to cook the sausages. The sausages flavor that steaming liquid, which in turn flavors the greens. A bit of garlic and fresh lemon add depth and balance. We usually round out the meal with rice or sweet potatoes “baked” in the instant pot. Brown mustard makes a good accompaniment.

Photo credit: Ingrid Laubach

What You’ll Need

• Package (or two) of Grass Fat Farm Italian or Andouille Links

• 1 cup bone broth or water

• 1-2 bunches of greens (whatever you like- collards, kale, bok choi, chard)

• 2-4 cloves of garlic

• lemon

• heavy pan (we use cast iron) with lid

• An instant read thermometer is handy, but not necessary

Steps to Delicious Easy Sausage Supper:

• Heat cast iron pan over medium high heat.

• Put sausages in pan and turn every minute or so to brown on all sides. About 8 minutes.

• After sausages have been browned (about five minutes), add broth or water, put a lid on, and turn heat down to low.

• While sausages cook, chop greens and mince garlic.

• Cook sausages for 8-12 minutes. When they are done they will be firm, but still retain a bit of spring when you poke them with your finger. Internal temp should be 140 degrees.

• Remove sausages from pan and tent with foil or an upturned bowl.

• Add greens and garlic to the liquid in the skillet, cover, increase heat to medium, and cook for about ten minutes or until greens are done to your liking.

• Squeeze half a lemon onto the cooked greens.

Interested in getting your hands on some Grass Fat Farm Grillers? Our Fifth Shares of pork come with 4 packages of andouille, italian, or chorizo links! Email me at grassfatfarm@gmail.com for more information.

7 Steps to Deliciously Simple Pan Seared Pork Chops

I used to feel pretty indifferent to pork chops. I found them dry, somewhat flavorless, and finicky to cook. But that was before. Pre-Grass Fat Farm, when every pork chop I’d ever eaten was pale and lean. Our chops are different. Darker, juicy, and full of flavor. They are one of my favorite things to cook and to eat.

1. The first and most important step is to start with chops from pigs that were raised on the bounty of the land.

2. Use a heavy cast iron pan on medium-high heat.

3. Pat the pork chops dry. This will help you get a good sear.

4. Make a slit in the fat cap, along the length of the chop. This will help keep the meat flat on the pan so that it cooks evenly.

5. Simple seasoning. Salt and pepper are all you need. Remember- this is NOT the other white meat. This pork is delicious on it’s own- fattened on the flavors of our woods, it doesn’t’ need marinades or sauces to make it edible.

6. Do not overcook. Exact times are going to vary depending on your stovetop, but I never cook a ¾ inch chop for more than three minutes on each side. Aim for an internal temp of 140 F. Slightly pink is okay!

7. Rest. After removing the chops from the pan, let them sit for five minutes before cutting into them. This is the hard part. You are going to want to eat them right away, but hold off. The moment of rest keeps the juices from seeping out onto your plate, keeping each bite perfectly moist.

Do you have a favorite way to cook your Grass Fat Farm Chops? I love hearing what our customers do with our pork. Share your tips in the comments!