Lamb Potato Sausage with Braised Cabbage

This is a classic winter combination. For this meal I drew inspiration from "Chefs on the Farm" by Shannon Borg and Lora Lea Misterly. This is a great book and is full of great seasonal recipes. I have made the sausage once before but I bought the already ground meat at the market. This time I ground my own meat. I chose lamb neck for the lamb meat and some pork shoulder for some good fat content. It turned out good. But, I am just learning about sausage making and there a few kinks I need to work out.
So I will leave you with a great recipe taken from, "Chefs on the Farm".

Cider Braised Cabbage with Chiles, and Apples

serves 4

In a large cast iron skillet, melt over medium heat:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Add and cook for 4 minutes:

1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly

5 whole garlic cloves

Stir in and cook lightly:

1 small head Savoy cabbage, cored and sliced

2 Cameo apples, cored and sliced

Add and toss together:

2 dried arbol chiles

6 whole black peppercorns

1 tablespoon honey

Reduce heat to medium-low, add and, cook covered for 10 minutes:

2 cups apple cider

Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Cook stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is gone. Add:

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

salt, to taste

Continue to cook until all liquid in gone. Serve under some great homemade sausages.

Scallops and Beans

So I haven't blogged in forever. But, I would like to get in the habit again. I am going to start blogging the recipes for the dinners I make on my days off. I currently have three days off a week so that is a guaranteed three posts. I will also supplement the blog with posts of our grocery shopping at the farmers markets. This means what we got, where we got it from, and maybe some plans on what we will be cooking that week. The garden is going to get going real fast here, so there will be plenty of garden updates, too. So here is the first recipe. I made this on Sunday after returning from our 3 day trip to Vancouver for Nova's birthday.

Seared Scallops over White Beans and Bacon

serves 2

Soak overnight in plenty of water:
    3/4 cup cannellini beans
Drain and transfer to a heavy pot. Add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and skim off the any foam. Simmer gently for an hour, or until the beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during cooking.
Season to taste with:
    Salt
In a medium sauce pan, saute over medium heat:
    1/3 cup of bacon, diced
Cook until crispy and then add:
    1 small shallot, fine diced
    1 garlic clove, finely chopped
    1 teaspoon thyme, picked
Cook for 1 minute. Drain beans add to sauce pan with:
    3/4 cup chicken glace
    1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Cook on a strong simmer. Continue until liquid is reduced, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare:
    1/2 cup Salsa Verde
Remove the small muscle( the "foot") attached to the side of:
    1/2 pound sea scallops
Season the scallops with:
    Salt
    Fresh-ground black pepper
Warm a heavy-bottomed pan over medium high heat; when hot, pour in:
    Oil to coat the bottom of the pan
Turn the heat up yo high and add the scallops in a single layer. Don't crowd the pan. Cook the scallops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve scallops over the beans with sauce and spoon the salsa verde over the top.

Fresh Tomato Goodness

Heirloom Tomatoes and Frizzled Peppers
with Sweet Corn–Marjoram Vinegarette
recipe from Chef's on the Farm

This recipe is a great way to use up your abundance
of tomatoes, corn and peppers during this time of year.

The peppers, tomatoes, marjoram and garlic
all came straight from our garden!

My ketchup is better than yours Heinz!

Utilizing every chance to incorporate fresh local tomatoes into a recipe, homemade ketchup just can't be passed up. Making homemade ketchup is a summer requirement, especially with the abundance of fresh local tomatoes at the local farmer's markets or your own garden. Tomatoes are one of summer's gems that must be enjoyed to the fullest. Because once fall comes, there won't be anything close to the amazing in-season tomato taste!


It's always exciting to use ingredients straight from your own garden. For this recipe the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper were sourced from our very own garden and the vinegar was locally sourced from Rockridge Orchards & Cidery in Enumclaw, Washington.


Classic American Ketchup
Metropolitan Home Magazine

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. sunflower oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1½ tsp. dry mustard
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 2 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. mace
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground allspice
• 1½ tbsp. maple syrup
• ¼ cup cider vinegar

Directions

In a medium nonreactive saucepan, heat canola oil and add onion, garlic, dry mustard and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Gently break down tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon while cooking.

Add maple syrup and cider vinegar and continue to cook, stirring for another 10 minutes, until mixture has a thick sauce consistency.

Purée using an immersion blender or cool briefly before puréeing in a standard blender. Pour into a jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Ketchup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about a month. Makes 1 pint and can easily be multiplied.