Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Zappa Family Spaghetti Sauce

We made this sauce on my birthday.

Noey was down for the weekend and Amy & Sara came over for dinner as well.



That day Sara & Amy had a rummage sale. They hadn't met Noey before, so she went over there unannounced and bought a couple of things.

When The Girls came over, Noey showed them her purchases from earlier that day.

A good laugh was had by all.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Braised Cod in Romaine Leaves

I got this recipe from Mark Bittman. See how to do it here.

It took longer than expected to blanche the lettuce and I did have to remove the lower part of the stalk.

I haven't tried frozen cod in years and figured I'd give it a shot. It's convenient and readily available. Unfortunately, it's also tasteless. Still, this dish was good, easy, and pretty fun to make.

Next time I'll go with better fish.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Roast Chicken

Roast chicken is one of my favorite things to cook. Not only does it taste great, but it looks great as well.

This is one of the chickens that we got from our farm. It's the first time I cooked one, so I did not brine it. As expected of a free-range chicken, it was more toothsum than a caged bird and would have benefited from brining. It would also be good in some longer, slow-cooking dish.

Rub the chicken with butter and season generously with salt & pepper. Cut up some celery, carrots, and onions and stuff some into the body cavity and the rest in a roasting pan with a little water.

Lay the bird on its side in a roasting rack and roast at 350 for 20 minutes. Turn to the other side and repeat for another 20. Turn the chicken breast side up and roast for 20 minutes more until done.




Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

First Delivery


We got our first delivery from our CSA, Springdale Farm, this week.

Through another farmer they offered pork, chickens, and beef. We ordered a quarter hog and five chickens.

We got pork chops, hams, pork roasts, brats, pork sausage, pork steaks, and bacon – lots and lots of bacon. It was a total of 41 lbs of organic pork for $190.

The chickens average 6 lbs (at $2.50/lb) apiece and are free range.

Our freezer is pretty full right now. I can’t wait to start cooking this stuff

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb shanks are delicious and a lot of fun to make. Like any braised meat, it takes a while to cook.
Brown the shanks in a little oil in a Dutch oven. Remove shanks and drain out most of the fat, Saute carrots, celery, and onion in the same pot, scraping up the fond from the bottom of the pan.
Return the shanks and add a couple of cups of red wine and a couple of cups of chicken stock to the pot. The meat should be nearly, but not quite covered.
Cover pot and braise at 350F for 90 minutes.
Uncover and turn shanks over. Cook uncovered for another 30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Pork Chop & Pasta


Normally I brine pork chops that are this thick, but I didn't have time this time. But, that reinforced that it is important to.

Laurie made the pasta for dinner the night before, using a couple of Italian saussages that we had. Quite delicious!