Braised Pork Shoulder or Blade Roast for Carnitas

Beef Chuck roast can also be used with this recipe.

• 3-4 lb pork shoulder roast
• Sea salt & pepper
• 2 tsp toasted cumin seeds (crushed/ground)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 orange thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken or beef stock or water

Dry rub the roast with the salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. Pour water or broth in a cast iron dutch oven, place the roast in the pot and top with sliced oranges. 

Cook for about 4 - 5 hours at 300 degrees. Once cooked, discard the oranges and the bone.  Pull pork apart and place back in dutch oven with the drippings. 

Serve in tortillas, lettuce wraps or salad with desired toppings (avocado, cilantro, onion, jalapenos, peppers, tomatoes, sour cream).

Pea Soup with Smoked Hocks

Recipe can be halved

• 4 – 6 cups whole yellow peas
• 1-2 smoked hocks
• 2 large onions
• 3 large carrots
• 6 celery stocks (or celeriac)
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• Summer savory to taste

Rinse peas, place them in a pot or bowl and cover with cold water to soak overnight.

Braise hocks in the oven for 1-2 hours at 325.

Strain and rinse the peas.

In a large pot, place the hocks and it's juices, peas, chopped carrots, chopped onions, chopped celery, sea salt, pepper and savory. Cover with water (approximately 4-5 quarts). Simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

Take out hocks, pull off the meat, chop and re add it to the soup and continue simmering for a half hour. I like to use my hand blender (before re adding the meat and bones) to partially puree the soup.

Soup Bones: Homemade Beef Stock

This recipe can also be made with chicken carcasses/bones.

Many of you have inquired on how to make bone broth with our grass fed finished soup bones and marrow bones.  And I thought it may be a great idea to post this recipe.  

This is the short version of how to make bone stock, even though the bones should simmer for 12 to 72 hours.

Here  are what you will need is a 2-4 lb. of grass fed and finished bones (soup, marrow, knuckles, neck), a stockpot, a stove or a crockpot, vinegar and water.  The acid from the vinegar helps to break down the bones and release the minerals.  The simmering brew will look repulsive with the chunks of fat and gelatin and will have an almost revolting smell… but don’t worry once the bones are removed and the broth is strained it will be delicious. 

Here’s how I make bone broth:
2-4 lb. soup bones (marrowbones, knuckles)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2- 3 litres of water (the larger the pot the more water you can add
Parsley is added to the simmering broth for 10 minutes just before finishing 

Optional: 
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot cut in large chunks
1 celery cut in large chunks
3-4 sprigs oregano
3-4 sprigs thyme
1-2 cloves of garlic
10 peppercorns
2 tsp of Himalayan salt

The simplest way I found to make beef stock is to  
- Place the bones in a pot
- Roast bones in the oven, either on broil or at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for flavor and color
- Add a quartered onion, a carrot, cut in large chunks, and a celery stick ,cut in large chunks.  
- Add water to fill the pot 1 inch from the rim and cover the bones, 
- Bring to a boil and remove the "scum" from the top, and
- Simmer on low on the stovetop, at 200 to 220 degree Fahrenheit in an oven or in a crockpot for 12 to 72 hours, the longer the better.  

For more information on beef stock here are a few websites:
Winnipeg’s Richard Burr: Getting your Nutrients from Nutrient Dense Foods

Mark Sisson's: Cooking with Bones

Sarah Wilson has Sally Fallon’s beef stock recipe from Nourishing Traditions.  

Sausage Carbonara

SERVES 4

COOKS IN 15 MINUTES

• 250 g of Fettuccine (I used Lemon Basil Fettuccine Nests from Nature's Farm)
• 3 Mild Italian Sausages
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley 
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Remove casing from sausages and shape into balls (about 3/4" in diameter). Cook in pan with 1/2 tsp of oil until golden and cooked through.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to the instructions on package (or until al dente). Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water.

While pasta and meatballs are cooking, finely chop the parsley, stocks and all. Place parsley In a bowl, beat in the egg with a splash of past cooking water, then add about half the Parmesan and mix.

Remove the pan from the heat once the meatballs are cooked, toss in the drained pasta into the sausage pan, pour in the egg mixture and toss for about 1 minute off the heat. The eggs will gently cook in the residual heat. Add more of the reserved cooking water, season with salt and pepper and add the remaining Parmesan. 

This recipe was inspired by: Jamie Oliver - 5 Ingredients, Quick and Easy Food

Chicken Chili with White Beans

·         2 tablespoons oil

·         2 medium onions chopped

·         1 red bell pepper, diced

·         6 medium garlic cloves, minced

·         2 pounds ground chicken

·         3 tablespoons chili powder

·         1 tablespoon ground cumin

·         2 teaspoons ground coriander

·         1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for milder chili)

·         1 teaspoon dried oregano

·         1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         2 teaspoons salt

·         2 cans (28 oz) chopped or diced tomatoes

·         2 cups chicken broth or water

·         1 teaspoon honey

·         1 (15 oz.) can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions

1.    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and red bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring to prevent garlic from burning, about two minutes more.

2.    Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the ground chicken, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne pepper, and salt. As the chicken cooks, use a wooden spoon to break the meat into very small clumps; cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

3.    Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered with lid ajar, for about one hour, stirring occasionally.

4.    Stir in the white beans and simmer, uncovered for about 50 minutes more, or until the meat is tender and the flavors are well combined. For a soupier chili, you can add additional water. For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered until desired consistency is reached. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Recipe by Jennifer Segal

Skillet-Roasted Lemon Chicken

 Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten / Barefoot Contessa

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup good olive oil
• 1 lemon, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied (I used thighs and drums)
• ½ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
• Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground. Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.

Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top. Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!), and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture.

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the chicken into quarters or eighths, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.

Marrow bones

Directions:

1. Place the bones in a bowl of ice water with 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt per 1 cup water and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, changing the water every 4 hours and replacing the salt each time. Drain and refrigerate until you are ready to cook the marrow. This removes the blood from the marrow. Be sure to use it within 24 hours or freeze the drained bones for up to 3 months.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
3. Drain the bones and pat them dry. Place them in a roasting pan. If the bones are cut crosswise, place them standing up; if the bones are cut lengthwise, place them cut side up. Roast for 15 to 25 minutes, until the marrow has puffed slightly and is warm in the center. To test for doneness, insert a metal skewer into the center of the bone, then touch it to your wrist to gauge the marrow’s temperature; the roasted bone marrow should be very hot. There should be no resistance when the skewer is inserted and some of the marrow will have started to leak from the bones. Serve the roasted bone marrow immediately with spoons.

Notes: 
Author Jennifer McLagan loves roasted bone marrow. And she finds it, in her words, “encouraging to know that this odd bit once consigned to the soup pot, tossed to the dog, or thrown in the garbage is now finally being appreciated as a dish in its own right.” Ain’t that the truth. Now that good fat is back on the table (though for some of us it was never off the table), marrow is seemingly everywhere. McLagan reminds us that “Many people avoid roasted bone marrow because it’s fat, but it should be remembered that marrow is 69 percent unsaturated fat. It’s also a very nutritious food, containing iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, and trace amounts of thiamin and niacin. There’s even more good news for marrow lovers: science has shown that the fat of ruminants contains substances that boost and maintain our body’s immune system. So the Victorians were right—it is a health food and definitely way too good for the dog.” Amen to all that. This recipe has been updated. Originally published January 17, 2013.–Renee Schettler Rossi

Source: http://leitesculinaria.com/78928/recipes-roasted-bone-marrow.html
 

Jalapeño Chimichurri (Kevin's recipe)

Sauces

Prep 15 minutes ∙ Cook 25 minutes ∙ Makes serves 4 ∙ Source Seriouseats.com

Ingredients

• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 cups cilantro leaves and sprigs, finely chopped
• 1 cups parsley leaves and sprigs, finely chopped
• 1 handful of oregano leaves
• 1 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
• 3 tablespoons juice lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds skirt steak, flank steak or NY steak

Directions

Remove stem and seeds and slice jalapeños.

In a small food processor or blender, combine the jalapeños, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lime juice, red wine, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse (or blend) until the mixture is a coarse puree. Taste and adjust for salt and blend again.

If a grill is not already prepared, heat a grill pan over high heat. Rub the steaks with olive oil and season very generously with salt and pepper. Grill until medium rare, 2 to 4 minutes per side depending on thickness (center of steaks should register 125°F on an instant read thermometer). Remove to a plate and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Slice the steak across the grain with the knife at a 45 degree angle. Arrange on a serving plate and spoon some chimichurri over the steak. Serve with the extra sauce.