Meat Share Recipes December 18 2019

his share includes: 

• A half chicken, cut into quarters

• 2 lbs ground beef

• A pork roast

The next share will be on 1/15/2020 (or 1/18/20, if you are picking up at market!)

The rest of the dates are as follows - every two weeks.

1/29/20, 2/12, 2/26, 3/11, 3/25 for Wednesday pick-up

2/1/20, 2/15, 2/29, 3/14, 3/28 for Saturday at-market pick-up

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND PEAS

Brown the chicken parts in a Dutch oven with olive oil. Add 3-4 whole peeled garlic cloves, 4 ounces roughly chopped button mushrooms,  and ½ cup white wine or chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then lower to a steady simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken and garlic are tender, about 45 minutes. When the chicken is tender, add 1 cup fresh or frozen peas and 2 tablespoons butter. Cover and cook until the peas are tender or heated through. Serve, spreading the garlic onto crusty bread.

SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH BUTTER AND TARRAGON

Use butter to brown the chicken well in a large skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature is 155-165 degrees, or the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a platter; add minced shallots and ½ cup white wine or chicken stock. Reduce the sauce over medium-high heat; add chopped tarragon, pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

ROASTED CHICKEN, CHINESE-STYLE

Heat the oven to 450. Make a paste of minced ginger, a sprinkle of Chinese five-spice powder, orange zest, and oil. Slide it under the chicken skin. Drizzle the chicken with more oil. Roast, skin side up, basting occasionally with pan drippings, until the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. I think it would be delicious to surround the chicken with whole garlic cloves and chunks of carrot and Daikon radish, to absorb some of the chicken juices, and then serve over rice so you can pour some of those delicious juices into the rice and savor every drop.

CROCK POT HAM ROAST

1 1/2 cups pineapple juice, orange juice, or apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (4-5 lb) bone-in ham

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

In a small bowl, whisk together pineapple juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and pepper; set aside. Place ham into a slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. Pour pineapple mixture over ham. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours, basting every hour.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE 

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1-inch pieces are fine)

1 large or 2 slim carrots, coarsely chopped

2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds ground chuck, brisket or round or combination

1 1/4 cups tomato paste (from 2 6-ounce cans)

2 cups red wine, preferably hearty but really, anything you like to drink

Water as needed

2 bay leaves

A few sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle

In a food processor, pulse onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until finely chopped. Heat a moderate-sized Dutch oven (4 to 5 quarts) over medium-high heat. Once hot, coat the bottom of the pan with two to three tablespoons of oil. Once it is hot, add the chopped vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until they are evenly brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Add the ground beef and seasoning again with salt and pepper. Brown the beef well and again, don’t rush this step. Cook for another 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine, using it to scrape up any stuck bits in the pan. Cook the wine until it has reduced by half, about 5 more minutes. Add water to the pan until the water is about 1 inch above the meat. Toss in the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and stir to combine everything, bringing it to a low simmer.

Simmer for 3-4 hours, adding water about 1 cup at a time as needed as the water cooks off. You will finish with 8 to 8 ½ cups of sauce. Use for spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, or any other application of your choice! Keeps in the fridge for a week or the freezer for 6 months. 

Meat Share Recipes December 4 2019

In December 2019, we debuted the Meat Share, an every-other-week share of about $50 worth of beef, pork, and chicken. We select the items in each share, and provide recipes to go with them. This share is designed for folks who don’t have a big chest freezer but would still like to support our meat production in a consistent way, and benefit from meat prices slightly below market rates.

This share includes: 

• A whole chicken, cut into quarters

• A half-pound of bacon

• A 1.25 lb package of ground pork

• A smoked pork hock

Below are recipes for the items in this share. This is the only share that will not include beef, as the beef is not yet back from the butcher. All other shares will include a mix of beef, pork, and chicken. We hope that you enjoy our selections. We aimed to give you a good value in this share, with the share price coming out to $50 per share, but our aim to give you over that value in products. 

The next share will be on 12/18/19 (or 12/21/19, if you are picking up at market!)

PORK MEATBALLS

½ cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

1 large egg

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ground pork

½ cup finely chopped or grated onion

1 clove minced garlic

Combine the milk and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the egg, salt, pepper, parmesan, and parsley in a large bowl. Add the meat to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands. Add the onions, garlic, and soaked breadcrumbs to the large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands, pinching rather than kneading to avoid overworking the meat. 

Pinch off a piece of the mixture and gently roll between your hands to form 1 ½ inch meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each). Continue shaping until all the meat is used, placing the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet  so that they are not touching. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, The meatballs are done when the outsides are browned and the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Cooked meatballs can be frozen - allow to cool completely, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen solid, transfer to a to a freezer container. Reheat in a simmering sauce for 15 minutes or in a warm oven 10-15 minutes.

GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN PARTS

Heat the oven to 450. Make a paste of 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, lemon zest from one lemon, and 3 tablespoons olive oil; slide it underneath the chicken skin. Drizzle the chicken with more olive oil, surround with 1 pint cherry tomatoes and 1 cup olives and roast, skin side up, basting occasionally with pan drippings, until the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with a little crumbled feta and oregano and serve.

CHICKEN-AND-GARLIC STEW

Brown the chicken parts in a Dutch oven with olive oil. Add at least 2 heads’ worth of unpeeled garlic cloves, ½ cup chopped parsley and ½ cup white wine or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken and garlic are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve, spreading the garlic onto crusty bread. Garnish: Parsley.

MRS. GARCIA’S BLACK BEAN SOUP

1 pound dried black beans

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ham hock

½ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

⅓ cup white or apple cider vinegar

Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

The night before cooking the soup, place the beans in a colander and rinse with cold running water. Place the beans in a large (4 qt+) Dutch oven or soup pot with a lid and cover with enough cold water that it comes to one inch over the top of the beans. Soak overnight.

Drain the beans, and then return them to the pot. Add enough cold water that it covers the beans by one inch. Add the onion, pepper, garlic, ham hock, olive oil, salt, and a generous quantity of black pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the beans are very soft and the soup is creamy, not watery, 4-5 hours. Check after 2 hours - if the beans seem dry, add another cup of water. The final consistency should be velvety and thick. (The beans will soften in the first two hours. The goal is to continue cooking the soup until some of the beans break down and create the smooth, thick soup base.)

When the soup is nearly finished, stir in the vinegar and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes more. Pull the ham bone out of the pot - the meat that hasn’t already fallen off should be easy to pick off; coarsely chop and return the meat to the pot. Serve over rice if desired, garnished with sour cream. I like to serve with corn bread!