Recipes

Wild rice and cornbread dressing

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

Dressing

I made a wild rice and cornbread dressing for our early Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit. Here is the recipe for enough to feed 20 to 30 people.

Ingrediants

7 or 8 cups chicken stock
6 cups water for cooking the rice
3 cups wild rice
3 tablespoon olive oil
3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup parsley leaves
3 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
12 cups crumbled cornbread
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter, melted


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly grease two 9×13 baking dishes.
Cook the rice in water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain the rice.
Saute the onion and celery in a skillet and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add parsley and thyme and cook another minute.

Mix rice, cornbread, pecans and vegetables in a large bowl or two. Add butter and just enough stock to get the right moisture level.
Pour everything into the baking dishes. Bake until cornbread is golden and crispy, about 20 minutes.

How I cook a large turkey

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

First I brine my turkey in water with a cup of kosher salt. cover it in enough water and keep it iced down over night.

Preheat the oven to 325˚

Put the turkey on the counter at room temperature for 45 minutes while you rub a few tablespoons of salt all over and inside. The bird needs to be approaching room temperature before cooking. Tie the legs together

Roast the turkey until the thigh internal temperature is 165˚. That took 4.5 hours in my oven for a 30 pound turkey. I never opened the oven until 4 hours into the process. I never baste the turkey.

With a fresh, pasture raised turkey you do not need to add anything.

Caribbean stew chicken

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

This chicken recipe is simple. It just has a lot of ingredients.

One large sustainably raised, pastured, Laughing Frog Farm chicken.

Process the following marinade in a blender or food processor:
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Ponzu sauce
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1.5 tablespoon allspice
4 large garlic cloves
1 inch piece ginger chopped
1 medium onion cut
4 scallions roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
5 or six sprigs of cilantro
5 or 6 sprigs of thyme (1 tablespoon if dried)
4 tablespoons vinegar
1 habanero pepper

Cut the chicken into pieces about the size of a thigh or smaller, remove skin and coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Heat the oven to 325˚

In a dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon oil and 3 tablespoons of sugar over medium heat on the stove, stirring constantly, until foaming and changing color. The resulting caramel will get dark brown. Add chicken pieces to the pot coating the chicken with the caramel. Add remaining marinade. Dust the chicken with about 2 tablespoons of flour, tossing in the pan. There should not be much liquid left, it should be a paste. Add enough water to coat the chicken. Stir, cover and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let the dish rest for 30 minutes.

Chicken bone broth – eat your leftovers

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

Bones from one chicken
Add chicken feet if available
One tablespoon of tomato paste
Two tablespoons of vinegar
One large onion
Two carrots
Two stalks of celery
one bay leaf
5 – 6 peppercorns
Handful of parsley and/or cilantro
Any other vegetables you want to get out of the fridge

Pull the bones apart, brush the bones with tomato paste, add vinegar and vegetables and cover them with water in a stock pot. I add any scraps of meat, skin or fat to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for four to 24 hours on low.
Strain the bones and vegetables out and use the broth for a very healthy soup.

Baked whole heritage chicken with vegetables

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

1 frozen whole chicken – We sell the best free range, pastured and organically fed chicken.
1/2 cup salt
Fresh ground pepper
one garlic bulb
Vegetables: I use onions, potatoes, mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes beets, carrots, squash, peppers, whatever is in season
Take a five quart pan, add two quarts of water and dissolve 1/2 cup of salt. Add the frozen chicken, add water to cover and set in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Pat the chicken dry, rub with olive oil and pepper.
Put cut vegetables in a bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add one garlic bulb, peeled and sliced. Use as many vegetables as your pan will allow. Put the chicken in the middle of a roasting pan, arrange the vegetables around the chicken, and bake at 350˚ for about one hour to one and a half, depending on size. Stir the vegetables occasionally.
I cook it until it reaches 160˚. Remove from the oven and let it stand for 15 minutes before carving.
This usually gives the two of us three or four meals before we boil the chicken to make broth and the last meal.

Cornbread with vegetables

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

1 1/4 cups of cornmeal
1 cup wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped mustard greens, kale, collards, bok choy, etc.
1 cup corn kernels
1 chopped red bell pepper

Chopped jalapeno pepper is an option

Caramelize onions or saute mushrooms and add before baking

Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix the dry ingredients and beat the eggs with the milk in separate bowls. Melt the butter in an iron skillet. Then stir the milk/eggs and the butter in with the dry ingredients. Mix in the vegetables, pour into the buttered skillet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Of course you do not have to use an iron skillet, but it is what I use. If you do not melt the butter in the baking dish you will have to grease the baking dish. Experiment with different vegetables.

Leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

This recipe is from Whole Foods.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon roughly chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic
Salt and black pepper, to taste
3 pound leg of lamb
2 cups baby carrots
4 medium white potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine
Be sure the meat is at room temperature before you begin.
Place oil, rosemary, and 1 clove of the garlic into a blender and puree until almost smooth. Add salt and pepper. Pour garlic mixture over the lamb, rubbing it into the surface of the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange carrots, potatoes, and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan. Pour or spoon marinade that has dripped off the lamb onto the vegetables and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cut small slits into the top, sides, and bottom of the lamb. Thinly slice the remaining clove of garlic and place a slice into each slit. Set the lamb in the pan with the vegetables and pour wine over the top.

Roast lamb and vegetables for 45 minutes, covered, and an additional 45 minutes, uncovered, or until lamb is done to your liking. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, check the vegetables. If they are not yet tender, cover and return to oven while lamb is resting to continue roasting until tender. Transfer lamb and vegetables to a serving platter and drizzle with pan juices.

Slow roasted lamb shoulder

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

One 3 to 4 pound lamb shoulder

1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper

4 sprigs of rosemary about 4 inches long

Fresh oregano

1 lemon cut in half

Preheat oven to 450˚. Make sure the lamb is at room temperature before you begin.  Rub lamb all over with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Put about 3 leeks, cut in half, or one large onion, sliced, in the bottom of a roasting pan and set lamb on top. Scatter garlic, rosemary and oregano over the lamb and leeks, and then squeeze lemon juice over lamb and toss lemon halves into the pan. Cover the pan snugly with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to roast, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.  At this point add vegetables like quartered potatoes, florence fennel, turnips, cauliflower, etc and roast for two more hours.  Let the lamb rest for twenty minutes before serving.

Bone broth

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

This is just about the same recipe that was in a New York Times article about bone broth.

5 pounds of bones with some meat attached
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 onions, halved and peeled
2 cups tomatoes – fresh or boxed
1 head garlic cut in half crosswise
2 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ bunch fresh thyme
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place meat and bones in a pan. Coat in olive oil and brush with tomato paste. Roast until browned, 30 to 35 minutes.
Put roasted meat and bones in a 12-quart stockpot and add vinegar and enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours. While simmering, occasionally skim fat and foam from the top using a ladle.
Add all the remaining ingredients. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for a minimum of 12 hours or up to 72 hours. You can bake it at 200 degrees instead of using the stovetop. I do that if the dogs are in the house. Strain broth. Once broth has cooled, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

https://www.cognitune.com/bone-broth-benefits/

Grapefruit and watercress salad

Laughing Frog FarmLeave a comment

4 large grapefruits (mine came from Barry Farm)

1/2 cup maple sugar
 (of course you can substitute, but this sugar is great)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
 (try and experiment with different vinegars)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint (the apple mint seems to be the best for this)

1/2 teaspoon salt (I use Himalayan or Celtic sea salt)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 bunches watercress (about 6 oz), trim off the tough stems (we grow it in the aquaponics system)
A bit of arugula
 (it grows 12 months a year around here)
2 large ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I am afraid I have to import these)
Fresh ground black pepper
• Cut the peel and the pith off two of the grapefruits. Slice the grapefruit into 4 rings each and place them on a parchment-lined platter.
• Heat a skillet medium high, put the sugar in a bowl, dredge the grapefruit slices in the sugar and when the skillet is piping hot, panfry the grapefruit slices for 1.5 to 2 minutes each side, until they are golden and caramelized.  Transfer the grapefruit back to the platter and refrigerate. They tend to want to fall apart so be careful turning them and moving them.
• Juice the other 2 grapefruits into a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, quickly lower the heat to medium, and simmer to reduce the juice to 3 tablespoons, 8 to 10 minutes.  Transfer the juice to a blender and cool. 
• Make the vinaigrette by adding the vinegar, mustard, garlic, mint, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the blender and slowly pouring in the oil with the blender going.  Salt and pepper to taste.
• Combine the watercress, arugula, avocado, and enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the salad.  Mix carefully so the avocado does not become part of the liquid dressing.
• Cut the grapefruit slices into cubes. If you make them too small they will become mush.
• Divide the salad on serving plates and top each salad with grapefruit pieces and serve.