Doing Good. Winter Recipes

Hello Friends and Happy 2018!  It has been lovely to have some extended time off over the holidays and beyond. That said, I have had lots of time to think and read and talk to folks so I am chock full of food, eating, homesteading practices, and sustainable living skills and ideas.

Allow me to share a few thoughts, from some of those conversations and learning, regarding a new year, new opportunities, and changes:

1. Don’t make “resolutions”.  Make decisions about your life, your time, and what is important to you. Consider also what is not a good use of your time, effort and resources.  
2. Give!  Make a commitment to it.  A commitment of your time, your goods, and your money.  Make an actual plan for yourself and follow through on it. Do as much as you can. Remember that none of us is the “center of the universe”, as my Gran would say.  Many of us live our days so wrapped up in ourselves - that’s a very dangerous way to live.  Start letting go of “you” and instead see where you can do something for others. Share and live the concept of “Taking Care of Each Other”.
3. And if you know me, you know I'm always going to urge you to  Eat Real Food - which really means to invest in and plan for your good health.
4. Ignore all of the hype at this time of year regarding “Fad” diets and ways of eating.  Most humans do not have food allergies if - and it’s a big if - they eat real, unprocessed food and wheat products, etc.  Omnivores are the healthiest humans.  The only thing you need to remember is, “All things in Moderation”.  Diets that instruct you to, “eat a whole lot of this, and eat nothing of that” are dangerous. Eat when you are hungry, and eat Real Food.
5.  Learn some new cooking techniques.  When you are learning, you should be having fun challenging yourself as you build confidence.  My suggestion to anyone who has not done it yet:  clean, season, and use a medium sized cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one buried in your cabinets somewhere, search flea markets and thrift shops.  You don’t need a new skillet.  Cast Iron can be brought back from the dead.  Trust me.   Learn to cook with it.  It’s a beautiful way to cook and you can do almost anything in a well seasoned cast iron skillet.  Once hooked, you will be looking for more sizes and styles.  Note:  two of the recipes below are best done in a  cast iron skillet.
6. Grow Something - even if it’s herbs on your windowsill. It is not only reinforcing, it is cost effective and a way to relax and get out of your head at the end of the day.
7. Live More Simply.  Let Love into Your Life.  Remember to Live Today/Not Just in an Imagined Future. Dabble in Hygge. The Danes are on to something.  We Americans should be listening.

With Real Food, we always need to be thinking about ingredients.  It’s not a healthy real food dish if you take fresh, seasonal ingredients and douse them with canola oil or crisco or margarine now is it?  

For the following two recipes - which are at their best in the cold weather,  you must use Lard.  Understand that everything that you have probably heard about lard is false and is a result of propaganda by the food factory business. So, let go of that “alternative” information. Secondly,  find your self a reliable source of good, pure lard.  Lard is often available at the Farmers’ markets but we’ve found the easiest, most readily accessible way to keep lard stocked is to order from Mangalitsa by Mosefund in Branchville, New Jersey or other online producers.  We buy meat and flavored lard spreads from Mosefund along with tubs of beautiful lard with no additives.  Lard also freezes really well. So a large tub can be divided up between the refrigerator and the freezer.  Keeping in mind, of course, that our grandmothers kept it in cans - like with  bacon fat - on the counter or under the sink!  Lard is one of the best things that you can bake with and fry with as well.  A pie crust made with good lard (look for leaf lard) - and not crisco - makes a delicious, flake crust.  Once you make your pie crusts this way, you will never go back to the bad stuff.  And fried chicken?  Use your imagination. 

Skillet Biscuits

Recipe:  Lard Biscuits (adapted from many old Pennsylvania recipes)

Ingredients

2 Cups of all purpose flour

4 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of good, all natural Lard

3/4 cup of real buttermilk (don’t buy buttermilk at a supermarket; look for it at Farmers Markets and speciality stores.  The supermarket stuff is not authentic buttermilk and it does make a difference).  If you can’t find it, use whole milk.

Technique

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Grease a baking sheet or - preferably - a greased 9 inch cast iron skillet

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.

Cut in the lard until the mixture is crumbly

Add the buttermilk all at once and mix until the flour mixture is completely wet

Knead the dough in the bowl by hand for about 15-20 seconds (use one hand to knead)

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll the dough until it is about 1/2 inch thick

Cut the dough into biscuits with a 2 inch biscuit cutter

Place the biscuits onto the greased skillet or baking sheet with edges just touching

Bake the biscuits for 12 - 15 minutes

Serve warm with butter

To reheat place biscuits on a warm skillet on the stove top

Enjoy!!

Skillet Cornbread

Recipe:  Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread - This really does need a cast iron skillet or something very close to one.  This recipe is adapted from The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook. It is also easy and very delicious.  A savory cornbread.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of good, all natural Lard

1 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten 

1 cup of real Buttermilk

Technique

Place 1 tablespoon of the lard in a small cast iron skillet (6 1/2 - 8 inches).  The smaller the skillet the thicker the corn bread will be.  Place the skillet in the oven while it preheats to 425 degree. 

Whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, the buttermilk, and the remaining one tablespoon of lard.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.

The mixture should look like pancake batter, if it is too thick add a little bit more buttermilk.

Remove the hot cast iron pan from the oven, pour the mixture into the skillet, return to the oven and bake until the crust is browned - about !5 - 20 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Stirring in Heavy Cream

Recipe:  Cream of Asparagus Soup.  This recipe is intended for those who froze local asparagus when it was in season.  Please don’t go buy the supermarket stuff as it lacks flavor and has a huge carbon foot print! This makes a wonderful winter soup!

Ingredients

1 medium onion diced

2 garlic cloves sliced thinly

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

One pound of local asparagus from your freezer, defrosted and chopped into pieces 

4 cups of unsalted vegetable stock, homemade preferably. If you don’t make your own, use chicken stock.  Commercial vegetable stock is generally without flavor

3/4 cup of heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Technique

In a large sauce pan or Dutch Oven, melt the butter

Over medium heat, sauté the onions until softened - 10 minutes

Add the garlic and stir into the onions to soften - 5 minutes

Add 1/4 teaspoon salt

Add the chopped asparagus and stir well into the onion and garlic mixture - 5 minutes

Add the vegetable stock

Stir occasionally over medium heat until the asparagus becomes very soft (don’t boil it)

Off of the heat, use an immersion blender, break down the soft, cooked asparagus pieces.

Add the 3/4 cup of heavy cream, stir well

Warm over medium heat

Add Sea Salt and coarsely ground fresh black pepper to taste.

Serve with toasted croutons.

Enjoy!

EAT REAL FOOD TOGETHER!