Solace Farm

Mar 15, 2011

Sage and Balsamic Pork/Lamb Chops (adapted from Our Life in the Kitchen)

6-8 pork chops/lamb

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves?)

2 tsp dried sage or 2 Tbsp fresh, snipped

4 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water (I used water because there were so many drippings from the meat)

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)

Brown the pork/lamb chops in olive oil with salt, pepper, sage and garlic on medium high heat. Turn the chops once to cook through. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add the chicken stock to the pan drippings and scrape the fond to form a nice rich liquid. Heat to simmer. Add the vinegar and brown sugar, stirring often, reduce liquid to half. Add the butter and stir until slightly thickened. Put the meat back in the pan and heat through. Serve with the sauce. (I made a pilaf on the side and it was wonderful with all the sauce!)

Food Safety and Preservation

August 3: Free Pressure Canner Testing 11 am to 1 pm at the N.E.W Farmers’ Market on the corner of Astor and Main in Colville. Test your pressure canner before you start the canning season. Bring your canning questions and visit with WSU Food Safety and Preservation Advisor, Bonnie Stichart.

August 30: Free Pressure Canner Testing 12 to 2 pm at the Chewelah Farmers’ Market in the Chewelah City Park. Test your pressure canner before you start the canning season. Bring your canning questions and visit with WSU Food Safety and Preservation Advisor, Bonnie Stichart.

September 11: Free Pressure Canner Testing 11 am to 1 pm at the WSU Stevens County Extension office, 986 S Main, in Colville Test your pressure canner before you start the canning season. Bring your canning questions and visit with WSU Food Safety and Preservation Advisor, Bonnie Stichart.

Happy Easter!

Here is our stew recipe as requested:)

Solace Farm Lamb Stew

1 lb of ground lamb

1 medium onion

One celery stalk

Worcester Sauce

4 medium Potatoes (peeled and Cubed)

1 small turnip (grated)

Fresh or Frozen Peas and Carrots (cubed)

1 Package of Brown Gravy Mix

-Brown lamb with onion and celery season to taste with Salt/Pepper/Garlic. Add 1 Table spoon of Worcester Sauce.

-Add potatoes/carrots/peas/turnip and fill with water to cover vegetables…bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are soft. Add in Brown Gravy Mix to thicken…

Season to taste with Salt/Pepper/Garlic and more Worcester Sauce as desired.

Enjoy;)

BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB

1 leg of lamb, boned and butterflied – about 6#

Marinade:

¾ c oil

¼ c red wine vinegar

½ c chopped onion

2 cloves garlic bruised (or minced)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp salt (I use NoSalt)

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

1 bay leaf crushed

1/8 tsp ground pepper

Place lamb in marinade in large plastic bag. Turn to cover all sides with marinace.

Place in large bowl.

Turning occasionally, marinade for

24 to 48 hours in fridge.

Remove lamb from marinade.

Broil or barbeque (my preference), fat side up 4” from heat for 10 minutes.

Turn, baste, cook 10 more minutes.

Oven: continue roasting @425◦ 10-15 min.

Don’t overcook!

This recipe came from a specialty meat market in Bellevue WA. We’ve enjoyed it for years. Hope you do also!

8-10 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients

a.. 2 pounds ground lamb

b.. 2 garlic cloves, minced

c.. 1 can (16 ounces) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce

d.. 1 teaspoon salt

e.. 1/4 teaspoon pepper

f.. 1 package (12 ounces) medium noodles, cooked and drained

g.. 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

h.. 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream

i.. 6 green onions, sliced

j.. 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

k.. Paprika

Directions

a.. In a skillet, cook lamb and garlic until lamb is browned; drain. Stir

b.. in tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

c.. Place noodles in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with meat

d.. mixture. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until

e.. smooth; stir in onions. Spread over meat mixture. Bake, uncovered,

f.. at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with

g.. cheese and paprika; let stand 5 minutes. Yield: 8-10 servings.

a.. Variation: Ground beef can be substituted for the lamb.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 549 calories, 34 g fat (19 g saturated fat), 165 mg cholesterol, 695 mg sodium,

Cheesy Goodness

This simple New Years Day Breakfast Recipe is quick and delicious. My husband was so taken with this Cheesy Goodness that he bought a special non-stick pan for Christmas just for this recipe (and crepes of course).

Ingredients:

*½ Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Shredded

*¼ cup Bacon or Ham diced fine

*½ medium sized potato that is par boiled (left over mashed potatoes will do also)

A non-stick 7 inch omelet pan (must be a non stick for the recipe to work properly)

Place Pan on medium high heat and add bacon.

1. Brown Bacon than spread two thirds of the Shredded Cheese over the bottom of the pan and add thinly sliced potato followed by the last third of the cheese.

2. Let mixture brown until crispy and you can shake the pan and it slides like an omelet would , at this point place a large dinner plate over the frying pan and invert the pan and plate leaving your cheese crisp on the plate uncooked side down.

3. Slide Crisp back into the pan with uncooked side down and cook until the crisp is browned and slides when the pan is shaken (approximately 2 to 3 min).

4. When browned on both sides slide the Crisp onto a cutting board and let cool a couple of minutes then cut into wedges with a large knife and serve with sour cream.

Enjoy…….

Made THE MOST AMAZING PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE last night...this by far the best recipe ever:

4 cups Sugar

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 cube Butter

1 ½ cups Heavy Whipping Cream

7 oz Marshmallow Crème

16 oz Peanut Butter

*Combine sugars, butter and cream in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat. Bring to a Boil, stirring constantly for 7 minutes.

*Remove from heat. Stir in Marshmallow and peanut butter. Spoon into a 9 X 13 greased pan. When fudge is school cool cut into squares. Yields 3 pounds of yumminess;)

Source: Raichlen's Indoor Grilling by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing, 2004)

Method: Direct

Yield: Serves 4

4 lamb steaks (each about 1/2-inch thick and 6 to 8 ounces)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Greek)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup diced sweet onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Feta Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Place the lamb steaks in a baking dish and brush both sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle the oregano and garlic over both sides of the steaks, then season them with salt and pepper. Let the lamb marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the grill to high.

3. When ready to cook, place the lamb steaks directly on the grill grate and cook until nicely brown and to the desired degree of doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare; 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium. To test for doneness, use the poke method: When cooked to medium-rare, the meat should be gently yielding.

3. Meanwhile, place the onion and parsley in a bowl and stir to mix. Set aside until ready to serve.

4. Transfer the lamb steaks to a platter or plates and let rest for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the onion and parsley mixture over the lamb and serve the Feta Cheese Sauce on the side.

Feta Cheese Sauce

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

3 ounces feta cheese, drained and crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)

1/4 cup milk or water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

About 3 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

Coarse salt (kosher or sea; optional) and freshly ground black pepper

Place the feta, milk, olive oil, mayonnaise, paprika, and hot pepper flakes in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the cream and lemon juice and puree just to mix; overblending the cream may cause it to curdle. The sauce should be thick but pourable.

If it's too thick, add up to 1 tablespoon more cream. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice as necessary, and salt and pepper, if desired, to taste.