Beef Stew over Mashed Sweet Taters

So once again I had to get creative with a kitchen disaster, and the result was phenomenal! I bought a couple of grass-fed beef roasts only to find them tough and gristley. I had been planning to serve them with mashed sweet potatoes, so I rummaged around in the refrigerator and decided a beef stew would work just as well, and topped the potatoes with it.

Emily's Beef Stew
1/2 shallot, minced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp arrowroot flour (a gluten-free thickener)
1 lb stew beef, preferably grass fed with some fat or bone
1 24-oz can fire-roasted plum tomatoes
1/2 bottle of red wine
4 bay leaves
dash half-and-half
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 turnip, peeled and chopped
half a bag of baby carrots
1 carton organic chicken broth
1/2 package mushrooms, sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
salt and pepper

Saute shallot and garlic in butter in a large pot on med-low heat for 5 minutes. Add arrowroot flour and stir briefly to make a roux. Add beef and brown on medium-high heat, about 3 minutes, salting and peppering liberally. Add tomatoes, wine, and bay leaves; if you are using fat or bone add at this time. Add half-and-half, just one swirl around the pot, mix, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and drop in parsnip, turnip, and carrots. Simmer for about an hour (or longer, the longer the better), then add chicken broth, broccoli, and mushrooms and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove fat and bone if used, remove bay leaves, and serve over mashed potatoes.


Mashed Sweet Potatoes
I like to mix in one or two white or red potatoes as well. Leave the skins on—it's good fiber, and I don't trust mashed potatoes that don't have lumps!

4-5 sweet potatoes
1-2 white potatoes
dash half-and-half
2 Tbsps butter
1/2 shallot, minced and sauteed

Wash and cut the potatoes in half. Boil them in enough water to cover them for 15-20 minutes or until easily pierced by a fork. Mash in a large bowl and add enough half-and-half to thicken without being soupy. Add butter and shallots (use some leftovers set aside from preparing the beef stew) and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste (or add a little beef stew juice) and serve under Emily's Beef Stew, or as a side dish for any meal.


Mashed Butternut Squash "Potatoes"
I also made some of these inspired by a recipe from Rosebank Farms. Unbelievably delicious, and possibly the easiest way to prepare butternut squash.

1-2 butternut squash, peeled
dash half-and-half
4 Tbsps butter
salt and pepper
1/2 shallot, sauteed

Cut the butternut squash in half and remove seeds with a spoon. Place cut side up in a glass baking dish with half an inch of water in the bottom. Reserve 2 Tbsps butter and divide the other 2 Tbsps between the squash, placing a pat inside the cup of each and along the stem. Roast in the oven on 350 for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and drain any excess water (you may need to add water partway through the baking process). Mash squash in a large bowl with shallot, half-and-half, and remaining 2 Tbsps butter. Salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast Blog: Egg Sandwich

First of all, I have to say I am SO excited that Queen Street Grocery down the street from my house is carrying raw goat's milk from Burden Creek Dairy. I bought a bottle yesterday (only $4.99) and tasted it: no weird goaty flavor, lots of fresh milk flavor. I usually only drink a little milk in my coffee, and I don't think I'll start drinking it regularly now, but I am SO happy to feel good about this option.

A friend did point out that humans are not supposed to drink animal milk. While this is technically true, there are a few exceptions: traditional cultures gave raw animal milk to children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers due to its high nutrient content and high amount of saturated fat, which is essential for brain development, among other things.

Also, we are a dairy-ridden society, so asking people to simply give up milk is not always easy, and the alternatives are not always an improvement (soy milk) or an easy substitute (coconut milk, baking, etc.). It is much better to have non-homogenized, non-pasteurized, predigested raw milk available.

This morning it was really cold in my house, so I wanted a hot breakfast. Having been without eggs for most of the week since I used them up in my quinoa brownies, I was really craving a fresh egg. I was also missing my sister, who is out of town, so I made a variation of her signature breakfast: the egg sandwich.


To make an egg sandwich, you will need:

• 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread
• 1 egg
• tomato
• 2 pieces turkey bacon
• mustard

I fried the egg, broiled the bacon, slathered the bread (Ezekiel) with mustard, and sliced up a fresh tomato from Rosebank Farms. I also had two pickled okra that my mom made to make it feel really gourmet. I have the most awesome mother! Served it up with some coffee laced with raw goat milk, and voila! A delicious, filling breakfast.

Pro: Local organic egg and additive-free turkey bacon provide some quality protein and fat, combined with quality carbohydrate and fiber from the sprouted bread.

Con: This is a fairly acidic, and therefore inflammatory, breakfast: meat, mustard, tomato, and coffee are all acid-producing, so if you are prone to acid reflux or upset stomach this is not a great choice.

Pro: A relatively quick breakfast, I had everything cooked, toasted, and slathered in about 10 minutes.

Con: This is a fairly dish-heavy meal: broiler pan for bacon, pan for egg, plate, mustard knife.

Local Eating in Charleston Part II

For the past year, I've gotten local organic produce from Rosebank Farms Community Supported Agriculture. Since then I've learned about the number of farming co-ops in the Charleston area. This is by far the cheapest way to get the freshest food—I pay $200 for 12 weeks, which averages $17 per week. A typical week in the summer involves 6-8 each of peaches, corn, squash, and cucumbers, as well as tomatoes, huge bags of field peas, eggplant, okra, and the occasional Southern treat, like Muscadines. And that's the smallest portion serving 2 people.

Rosebank also offers Giddy Goat Cheese, local organic eggs, and fresh flower bouquets—all of which I've sampled and loved.

However, this isn't the only CSA in the Charleston area. Thornhill Farm in McClellanville, SC, has gotten so popular that its 2010 lineup is full; you have to e-mail them to be put on a waiting list for 2011!

Several CSAs are still available for the fall season starting in October:

• Rosebank Farm
  
• Ambrose Family Farm (offers delivery for a very reasonable rate)
  
• Thackeray Farms (Queen Street Grocery is the drop spot.)
  

Lowcountry Local First also offers a comprehensive list of CSAs in the area, from beef to seafood to produce. Most CSAs offer delivery and pickup options at varying prices, as well as a range of "serving sizes" for couples, small families, and larger families.

Finally, Healthy Home Foods based in North Charleston offers not only organic produce and meats but instruction on how to prepare them.

Stay tuned for Guerrilla Cuisine founder jimihatt's perspective on restaurants supporting local farmers in Charleston!

Thursday Night Leftovers: The Night Before Rosebank

So tonight was leftover night because I'm getting fresh veggies from Rosebank Farms tomorrow and I had forgotten to thaw any fish. So I threw together one of the most delicious meals I've had in a long time. I mean, this was alllll flava!


Spicy Salmon Curry

• 1 cup veggie broth
• leftover pinkeye peas (which I snapped and cooked yesterday) in broth
• 1 can salmon
• about 2 cups leftover rice, which I had cooked with coconut milk (I used Thai Jasmine rice, but you can use any leftover rice)
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 package frozen veggies (green beans, carrots, etc.)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• garlic chili pepper sauce (A Taste of Thai brand) to taste
• sea salt to taste
  

Basically you put all of this in a big pan and simmer it for 10-15 minutes (depending on how much of a hurry you're in). But if you want instructions:

1. Heat frozen veggies in vegetable broth for 3 minutes; add salmon and stir.
   
2. Add peas in broth; toss in rice and stir.
3. Add chickpeas, curry powder, garlic chili sauce, and salt to taste. Stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Now I will be the first to admit that canned salmon (despite the fact that it is included my list of 10 things you should have in your pantry) is kinda gruesome when you open it up. But ooooooh, is it good in here! The curry and coconut milk (add some if you haven't cooked your rice in it) take away any fishiness, and the salmon makes the dish richer and soaks up the curry. I had seconds.

But that's not all! I had a bunch of cucumbers from Rosebank, so I made this awesome cucumber raita with chives and basil to top it off!


Chive-Basil Cucumber Raita

• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• a handful of chives and basil, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix it all up! It's good enough to eat by itself.
And I also had a bunch of fresh squash, so I brushed it with oil and sprinkled on paprika, and tumeric and roasted it in the oven. (I feel terrible that I didn't use my grill, but I wanted to write this post and the grill takes more watching than the stove. I should have used it, though.)
Roasted (Grilled) Squash

• 2 medium squash (about 2 cups) sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• olive oil
• paprika
• tumeric
• salt

Brush squash with olive oil front and back; sprinkle with paprika, tumeric, and salt. Roast or grill for 5-10 minutes or until you can insert a fork easily.

All of this serves two very hungry people, three moderately hungry people, or four people who say they don't like leftovers but will be wishing you made more.

I Cooked! and I Can Prove It

OK, it's not all that strange for me to cook, but this time, I took pictures, as Amy Jo Gengler, acupuncturist at Re-Soul, encouraged me to do, so I could get credit for it.

The whole experience made me wish I had tried harder to get into a basic photography class in college; however, then I tasted it, and I realized that if you can cook, you don't have to be a good photographer.

Everything on the plate to the left other than the fish is locally grown on Rosebank Farms on John's Island, SC. I am a member of their CSA, which has been the most awesome experience--fresh veggies weekly, and you don't have to go grocery shopping! Plus it's a surprise every week. This season we are getting local eggs, Giddy Goat Cheese (which is phenomenal and an absolute must for every Charlestonian), and fresh-cut flowers with our veggies.

The fish was Amberjack filets with paprika and no-salt seasoning (and salt), seared and then baked for fifteen minutes using coconut oil. I cut white and red potatoes in half and roasted them in paprika, cumin, salt, and olive oil for 2o minutes. Steamed some green beans, and chopped banana pepper, tomato, bell pepper, basil, and parsley for a salad, topped with Herbes de Provence dressing from Whole Foods (which uses olive oil--no vegetable oil of any kind!).