Tag Archives: U.S. Wellness Meats

Pork Chops with Sweet Potato and Fennel Hash

Posted on December 11, 2011 by | 4 Comments

Pork chops are so easy.  They cook up quickly without much fuss, which makes them great for mid-week dinners.  I especially like pork paired with something that has a little sweetness.  Fruits like apples, cherries, and apricots are clear winners – but so are the sugars from slowly caramelized fennel, onion, and sweet potatoes in this hash.

Brining the pork chops not only infuses more flavors into the meat, but it helps ensure that the meat will stay moist and juicy when cooked.

This recipe is part of our feature on U.S. Wellness Meats, “Music and Meals to Warm You Up“.  Visit their website for free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, and other great products!

Ingredients:

  • 4 bone-in pork chops from U.S. Wellness Meats
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 bulbs fennel
  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 1 sweet onion, cut into large dice
  • 3 slices bacon from U.S. Wellness Meats, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper or pepper blend

In a one-gallon resealable bag, mix 3 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt with the maple syrup and water.  Shake well until the salt has dissolved.  Place the pork chops in the bag, seal, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove the outer, tough layer from the fennel bulbs.  Cut each bulb in half lengthwise (top to bottom). Place cut sides down, then slice the bulbs lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips.

Place the fennel, sweet potato, and onion into a shallow roasting pan.  Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Gently toss with just enough olive oil to coat the vegetables and the pan.  Arrange the bacon pieces over the vegetables.  Roast at 400F, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned in places and bacon is cooked (approximately 40 minutes). 

Dry the pork chops with paper toweling.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.  (No additional salt should be needed due to the brine.)

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add a thin layer of olive oil to the skillet, and sauté two of the pork chops for approximately 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned.  (You don’t want to crowd the pan or the chops will not brown quickly and will get overdone.)  Set the cooked pork chops aside in a warm place, and repeat for the last two pork chops.  Note: Take care not to overcook.  Pork chops are done when they reach 145F, if you have a meat thermometer, and are safe to eat even if slightly pink in the center.

Serve the pork chops with the sweet potato and fennel hash…and enjoy!

Dire Straits kicked off the 1980′s with what many feel is their masterpiece, Making Movies. Guitarist Mark Knopfler hit the mark on such songs as “Romeo and Juliet”, “Tunnel of Love” and “Skateaway”, which still sound fresh 30 years later.

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Posted in Entrees, Pork, Side dishes

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Beef Chili Rellenos

Posted on December 9, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Stuffed poblano peppers are a great way to make a pot of chili more interesting, whether you’re having guests or just using up some leftovers.  This is not a quick recipe because there is a lot of preparation, but your hard work will pay off!

The chili in this recipe is mildly spicy.  If you’d like for it to be hotter, stir in a chopped chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce) to the chili mixture before it goes into the oven.

This recipe is part of our feature on U.S. Wellness Meats, “Music and Meals to Warm You Up“.  Visit their website for free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, and other great products!  Also, special thanks to our friends Susan and David for the inspiration for this recipe!

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Place the stew beef in a large bowl and season generously with salt and pepper.  Toss well.  (Note: if you are using chili powder containing salt, you may want to omit the salt in this step.)

In a large Dutch oven (or other oven-proof pot), heat 2 tablespoons of beef lard over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, brown the stew meat in the lard.  Do not crowd the beef in the pot or it will steam instead of browning.  Remove each batch of browned beef to a clean bowl.  Add more lard to the pot, as needed to brown all the stew beef.

After browning the beef, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.  Saute the chopped onion until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to loosen the fond (browned bits on the bottom) from the pot.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about a minute).  Return the stew beef and accumulated juices to the pot.  Add the chili powder and stir well so that the chili powder coats the meat.  Stir in the diced tomatoes and beef broth.  Bring to a simmer, then cover and move the pot to the oven.

Cook the chili for around 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.  Close to the end of the cooking time, partially uncover the pot so that the liquid will reduce, but do not let the chili become dry.  It should be saucy, but not soupy.  When meat is done, remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to comfortably handle.

In the meantime, wash the peppers and dry thoroughly.  Turn on the hood if you’re roasting on the stove top!  (If you don’t have a gas range, you can also put them under the broiler in the oven, or use a grill outdoors.)

Using tongs, place the pepper over the flames (or under the broiler).  Turn frequently, until the entire pepper is well-charred.  Place the blackened peppers in a paper bag (watch out that there are no embers on the peppers!) and roll the top of the bag closed.  This will allow the peppers to steam and continue to cook.  Put the bag aside and allow the peppers to cool.  [If you don't have a bag, you could wrap them in paper towels and place in a glass bowl to cool.]

When cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin from the peppers with your fingers.  It may help to use some running water to get the skin off, but be careful not to get the peppers too wet or you’ll dilute their flavor.  It’s okay if there’s some charred skin left here and there on the pepper, and it’s okay if they tear a little in places.  Slice the peppers open on one side, remove the stem, and lay them out flat to scrap out the seeds and white ribs.  Dry the peppers with paper towels.

When ready to assemble, heat the oven to 400F.  Fill each pepper down the center with chili, fold the pepper “sides” over the top of the chili so that the chili is enveloped by the pepper.  Place each pepper into a shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle cheese over the peppers (reserve some cheese for serving).  Return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until hot throughout and the cheese is lightly browned.  (There may be leftover chili – perfect for lunch on another day!)

Serve hot, with limes, sour cream, additional cheese, and a sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds.  Enjoy!

Nancy’s Chili Powder (no-salt)

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 3/4 teaspoon hot, smoked, Spanish paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons raw (turbinado) sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Store in a lidded glass jar at room temperature.

A bit of “south of the border” spiciness in our dinner, and in the music to boot! Mexican-American Border Music, Vol. 1: Pioneer Recording Artists (1928-1958) is a great collection of early Tex-Mex music. You can hear strains of Tejano and country music in it, and it’s passionate and vibrant- sorta like the peppers!

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Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Soup

Posted on December 7, 2011 by | 26 Comments

This is a nice, simple soup for a cool evening!  This recipe is part of our feature on U.S. Wellness Meats, “Music and Meals to Warm You Up“.  Visit their website for free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, and other great products!

Although I haven’t tried it, coconut milk can probably be substituted for the heavy cream for anyone who is sensitive to dairy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 free-range chicken breasts from U.S. Wellness Meats (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
  • 4 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
  • 3 tablespoons Kerrygold unsalted butter (grass-fed)
  • 2 leeks, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced, washed thoroughly and dried
  • 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
  • 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used a mixture of cremini and shiitaki)
  • 1 tart apple, peeled and cubed
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pour the chicken broth into a large, heavy pot.  Rinse the chicken breast halves with cold water, and place in the pot with the chicken broth.  Bring the broth to a simmer, and cook the chicken for 15-20 minutes at low heat.  As the chicken is cooking, periodically skim the foam from the broth and discard.  Move the chicken to a dish to cool.  Pour the chicken broth into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer, and set aside.  Wipe out the pot with paper towels.

Using the same pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Saute leeks and celery until soft, but not browned, for around 10 minutes.  Add mushrooms and saute for 2 or 3 minutes,, then add the apple cubes and cook for another few minutes until the mushrooms and apples are soft.  Return the strained chicken broth to the pot with the vegetables; stir in apple cider vinegar, dried thyme, and cream.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes, partially covered.

In the meantime, cut the chicken into smaller pieces, then shred each piece by hand.  Cover the shredded chicken so it doesn’t dry out, and set aside.

After the broth and vegetables have simmered for 20-30 minutes, use an immersible hand-blender to puree the vegetables to a finer consistency.  (I like to leave it a little chunky.) Add the shredded chicken to the the soup.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Heat on low for at least 10 minutes.  Serve hot, and enjoy!

Well, this soup ain’t funky at all, but the music selection sure is! Do The Funky Chicken by Rufus Thomas is guaranteed to get your feet dancing. Thomas hit the charts with “Walkin’ the Dog” in 1963, and it was one dance floor hit after another for the Stax Records artist. Do the Funky Chicken!

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Posted in Appetizers, Entrees, Poultry, Soups and Stews

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Featured Chef at U.S. Wellness Meats!

Posted on December 6, 2011 by | 4 Comments

We are excited and honored to announce that She Cooks…He Cleans was selected by U.S. Wellness Meats to be December’s Featured Chef!  We have been ordering grassland meats, compassionate certified pork, and shrimp from U.S. Wellness Meats for several months and have always been happy with the quality of the products and the excellent customer service we have received.  Occasionally we have shared a recipe with them, but never dreamed that they would feature us on their website.

Please visit their website, not only to check out the She Cooks…He Cleans Feature (with interview and recipes), but also to see what this company is doing for the environment by supporting sustainable farming practices, and to read about the many health advantages from eating meat from pastured, grass-fed animals.

Here is a teaser of the recipes we created for this feature, “Meals and Music to Warm You Up”. We will also be posting these recipes later on this blog, but they are available now at U.S. Wellness Meats!

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Lemon Garlic Shrimp over Cauliflower Mash

Posted on November 7, 2011 by | 33 Comments

Lemon Garlic Shirmp over Cauliflower Mash, from She Cooks, He Cleans

This recipe is a low-carb adaptation of Shrimp and Grits, and I have to say it worked pretty well!  There are a lot of flavors here – first, in lieu of grits, a base of roasted cauliflower pureed with roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese.  Then we top it off with wild-caught shrimp in a spicy sauce bursting with garlic, lemon, and oregano, plus a little bacon for a touch of smokiness.  Yowsa!    This is a great, hearty meal!

When you select your shrimp, try to find domestic, wild-caught shrimp.  Farmed shrimp may contain growth hormones, antibiotics, or unhealthy chemicals.  [Speaking of chemicals, as much as I feel for the plight of the shrimpers in the Gulf, I am probably not going to have any more Gulf shrimp in this lifetime.  Thanks, BP, for poisoning our Gulf.]  These shrimp came from U.S. Wellness Meats – wild caught off the Pacific Coast and flash frozen soon after harvesting.  This is the second time I’ve added shrimp to my meat order from Wellness Meats and both times I’ve been impressed with their fresh taste.  These shrimp have also been cleaned and shelled (except for the tail), and are ready for cooking as soon as you thaw them.  When shopping locally, I look for wild Georgia shrimp!  If you’re near a coast, you probably have some great local shrimp too.

This recipe has a LOT of garlic in it.  Here’s a great tip, from Saveur.com, for quickly peeling a head of garlic that costs nothing and it really works!  I’ve tried it a few times now – it saves time, and it gives you the opportunity to shake the dickens out of something.

Ingredients for 2-3 servings:

Shrimp Marinade:

  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 pound raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined

Cauliflower Mash:

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into large-ish florets
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • butter (grass-fed)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • (optional) half and half or cream / or broth, if needed to correct consistency

Lemon Garlic Shrimp:

  • Marinated shrimp (from above)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter (grass-fed)
  • 1/2 cup white wine, or bottled clam juice
  • 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • pinch or two of dried oregano
  • juice of one lemon
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

First, mix up the marinade ingredients for the shrimp.  Put the shrimp and the marinade in a resealable bag, mix it up well so all the shrimp have some marinade on them, and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

Preheat an oven to 400F.  Place the cauliflower and garlic in a shallow roasting pan.  Toss with enough olive oil to coat the pan and the vegetables.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cover loosely with foil, and roast for 15 minutes.  Remove foil, and shake to mix up the vegetables for more even browning.  Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until cauliflower and garlic are soft and lightly browned.  Remove from oven.

Using a food processor, puree the cauliflower with a couple tablespoons of butter (or more).  Add the Parmesan cheese and mix well.  You want to end up with the cauliflower having the consistency of mashed potatoes or grits (fairly thick, not runny).  If needed, add a drizzle of cream or broth if the cauliflower is too dense.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Place in a heat-proof bowl and keep warm.

In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp.  Set aside on paper towels until cool, then chop into small pieces.  Set aside.

Add two tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings in the pan, and heat until melted over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened.  Add the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano, and saute for about a minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in wine.  Cook until liquid is reduced by half (will only take a few minutes), then add the shrimp.  Cook, stirring frequently to turn the shrimp, until shrimp are pink and opaque on both sides.  This should only take 3 or 4 minutes; do not overcook the shrimp or they will be rubbery!  Stir in the lemon juice and remove from heat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the mashed cauliflower.  Garnish with chopped bacon and fresh oregano.

Just because you can’t eat the seafood from the Gulf, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the music! First up, the latest release from one of the creme of New Orleans bands, the Rebirth Brass Band with Rebirth of New Orleans. Another stellar release from this long-standing group, guaranteed to put the pep in your step and fill a dance floor.

One of the many great things about HBO’s Treme is the music, gathered here on Treme: Music From the HBO Original Series, Season 1. With Dr. John, Rebirth, Trombone Shorty and more, this is a great collection of Louisiana music!

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Posted in Entrees, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs, Seafood

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Big, Bad Beefy Back Ribs

Posted on May 31, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Big Beefy Ribs

Smoking these gigantic beef ribs is not for the faint of heart – they are big and bad, as the title of this post says!  It takes some prep work, starting days ahead if your ribs are in the freezer.  Then on cooking day, plan on starting them fairly early because they need 6 to 8 hours to get to the tender stage that’s just right for eating.  However, it was SO worth the effort because these ribs had a great meaty taste that stood up well to the smoke, spicy rub, and barbeque sauce.

First, a bit about the ribs themselves.  These ribs are from U.S. Wellness Meats – pasture raised, grass fed beef with no hormones or antibiotics.  As I’ve mentioned recently, grass fed beef is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a proven cancer fighter, plus many other nutrients.  I am a rib fanatic, so when I saw these beef back ribs I knew I had to try them!  Please be advised, they are shipped from U.S. Wellness Meats in a 16 pound package.  This necessitated an afternoon of cleaning out our freezer – which is a good thing because there were quite a few unlabeled packages and containers that I’m pretty sure had been in there for 5 years.  There were probably 3 full racks, at least, in this package.  When they arrived, I partially thawed the ribs, repackaged them in smaller slabs of 4 to 7 ribs, and put them back in the freezer.  I’ll tell you now, I could barely fit a rack and a half (about 10 ribs) on our large Big Green Egg.  The good news is, we have lots more ribs in the freezer for another day!

The next step in the process, after allowing the designated ribs to thaw over 2 days, was to remove the tough membrane from the back of the ribs.  This is important because that membrane keeps the spice rub from permeating the meat, and it also is inedible, rubbery and unappealing.  It’s a little difficult to remove it, but if you’ve taken the membrane off pork baby-back ribs, it’s the same principle.  Using a dull knife (or screwdriver), loosen the membrane on the underside of a rib (one near the end of the slab).  Pry it up, then use a paper towel to get a good grip on it, and pull it away from the ribs.  If you’re lucky, you can get it to come off in a big sheet – but if it breaks, just find another place to pry it up with the knife and start over.  You don’t want to leave any of it on your ribs!

The night before you plan to cook the ribs, rub them all over with a good dry rub.  (If you’d like, smear the ribs with plain mustard, then apply the rub.)  From my “research” on cooking beef ribs, I learned that it is better to use a rub with less sugar than you would usually use for pork ribs.  After reading tons of recipes, I put this rub together for our ribs.  Also, unless your ribs are really meaty, go light on the rub or it will be overwhelming.  Wrap the seasoned ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Beef Rib Rub:  (This makes more than you need for 1 1/2 racks – store extra in a glass jar with a lid, for next time)

  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 1/4 cup chili powder, no salt * (see below)
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar or raw sugar
  • 1/8 cup freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt or coarse sea salt

On the Big Day, take the ribs out of the refrigerator about an hour before grill time.  They take long enough to cook without having to warm up in the grill!

Smokin Beef Ribs

In the meantime, get the grill ready for some smoking!  We used the Big Green Egg…a grill/smoker that I can not say enough good things about!  Fill the firebox up with lump charcoal – you won’t need it all since it burns slow, but there’s nothing worse than not having enough to last for 8 hours.  We set it up for indirect cooking at 225F, using the plate setter (legs up) and a disposable aluminum pan on the plate setter to catch drippings.

When the Egg is at temperature, throw in a couple of handfuls of hickory chips for smoke.  We used to soak these in water for 30 minutes before throwing them in, but I recently read that wasn’t necessary since the cooking temperature is so low.  Sure enough, they seemed to work fine without soaking since we got plenty of smoke and there were chips still in the firebox when we were done.  Put the grate on the inverted plate setter, squeeze the ribs in on the grate, bone side down, and shut the lid.  Watch the temperature, but don’t even think about opening it for at least 2 hours!
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Posted in Beef, Entrees, Sauces, Marinades, and Rubs

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Primal Burgers…buns need not apply

Posted on May 28, 2011 by | 8 Comments

A mid-week cookout, just because!

Burger!

First, the burger meat!  Some people might gasp in horror at this, but others will nod knowingly in approval – but I have ADDED FAT to the grass-fed ground beef because it was 90% lean.  Not just any old fat, mind you, but 100% pure beef lard from grass-fed cattle (available at US Wellness Meats).  Yes, I said lard!  Grilling meat that is too lean, in my opinion, leads to dry and tasteless burgers.  In addition to that, the fat of grassfed animals is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and many other nutrients.  So why cut them out?  I chopped up a few tablespoons of lard and worked it into 2 pounds of ground meat with my hands.  Then I formed loose, roundish patties for the grill.  Since we aren’t having buns with the burgers, there’s no need to make them flat-burger shaped.

Along with the burgers, there are sliced portabella mushrooms, sprayed with olive oil.

Next the fixin’s are set out: raw Amish cheddar cheese from grass-fed cows (see a theme?), uncured, dry-pepper rubbed bacon, and special sauce (ketchup, balsamic vinegar, Montreal steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce,  dash of allspice and I don’t remember what else).

The Big Green Egg is fired up to around 425F  – on with the cooking!

As you can see – we had a treat of fresh corn on the cob.  Not on our primal diet, but we’re allowed to stray here and there for good things like this!

No, we don’t have a food stylist…why do you ask?

Yum!

What goes good with an old favorite like burgers? More old favorites!

Found a copy of “Chronic Town” on vinyl the other day, and spinning it reminded me of how amazing R.E.M. was at the start. Hard to believe its been so long, but to my ears they never really sounded better than here. Unfortunately this initial EP isn’t on CD, but its a part of Dead Letter Office. So crank it up and revisit 1981!

Quite possibly tied as my favorite David Bowie album, Hunky Dory has it all. A foreshadowing of “Ziggy” with “Life on Mars”, the stomp of “Queen Bitch” and of course his first hit, “Changes”. A remarkable performer and a brilliant album. “Oh, You Pretty Things!” indeed…

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