the bisonburger

You might remember that photo I took last June when I suddenly came upon a herd of buffalo fenced beside the very rural road in town.  To say I was astonished isn't even close.  I always saw pictures of them thundering across a Western plain;  to come across them in a vibrantly green field of grass in New Hampshire was worth several double-takes.

Saturday, the very kind farmer/rancher of Summit Meadow Farm threw a huge party for the townspeople, with free tastings of his bison (bison and buffalo are used interchangeably) - there were bison sausages with fennel, bison steak tips, bisonburgers, bison chili.  I tried them all, and they were all delicious, though a little heavy on the barbecue spice rub for my tastebuds, and I was eager to try to find some fresh bison to cook at home.    

Just as I was leaving, passing the most adorable black pigs I've ever laid eyes on, I overheard him say some bison burger would be available at our local market.  This morning I was pleased to be the first customer of a very limited amount of bison burger - and when it was gone, it would be 8 months before any more was available.

I was told bison is best very fresh, cooked quickly on high heat, and removed from the heat while it was still rare.  Let sit, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bite in.   A very bright taste, and while there was some fat in the grind, it's a small amount compared to beef.  Love at first taste.

What's to like about it besides the taste?  Knowing it spent the summer not two miles away in a beautiful pasture, and really, that's what buying local is all about.


I made slider size burgers, just a handful of bison burger, salt and pepper, seared on both sides quickly in a saute pan with a little unsalted butter and olive oil, and removed off heat to sit briefly before plating.  Rare is good with these burgers.

For a fancier version, I cut a round of bread ( lacking slider buns), drizzled a little homemade ranch dressing on top of the bread, added lettuce and a little chopped sweet red pepper.  

    

perfect burgers and zucchini ribbons among the flowers

The sun is out! After a month of rain, tornado watches, storms, and chilly temperatures, the sun is out and my beautiful "Red Fox" speedwell (veronica) is blooming very prettily beside the front steps. Time for le picnic!

I rustled up some herby hamburgers, and quick blanched zucchini ribbons, sat in the shade, and dug in.

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For the burgers:

2 pounds 80/20 chuck hamburger ( this will make at least 6 burgers)

2 slices fresh bread (I used semolina 3 cheese, but you can use plain bread and add a little cheese)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 small farm fresh egg

1/2 t. thyme

1/2 t. herbes de provence

1 t. or more to taste kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

2 t. worcestershire sauce

Wash your hands well. Place the bread and roughly chopped parsley in food processor and process until bread is well crumbed. Place in a large bowl.

Add the egg, thyme, hamburger, herbes de provence, salt and pepper, and worcestershire sauce and mix very well by hand. Form into burgers and cook. Serve with slices of tomato and spinach leaves.

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For the zucchini ribbons:

Each medium zucchini should serve two, so multiply as needed.

Wash the zucchini, trim the ends, and using a vegetable peeler and holding the zuke firmly, shave ribbons of zucchini. If using large zucchini, shave around the seedy core, and discard the core.

Bring a few inches of water in a saucepan to a boil, throw in the ribbons, and cook for one minute.

Drain and run cold water over the ribbons, then drain again.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of oregano, salt, and pepper.

Happy picnic!

* What I'm reading:

A History of Europe by J.M. Roberts

Wordless Wednesday: nutmeg custard and bouef bourguignon

You see what I do on a chilly day at home? These lovely dishes warmed up the kitchen beautifully ~

lamb navarin with summer vegetables

This is an off-the-cuff version of French lamb stew, usually made with tiny turnips and potatoes and the first peas of Spring. Don't be put off by the steps - it actually doesn't take much time at all. You saute, pop in the oven with herbs and broth ( wine or beer optional), sieve, and briefly cook again before serving. What you get is a heady, herby broth with chunks of tender lamb and slightly crunchy sugar snap peas and carrots. Mine is a version of Julia Child's from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Preheat oven to 350F.

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1 pound of lamb ( I used a center leg slice, which had almost no fat )

2 T. olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

kosher salt

fresh pepper

a three or four inch sprig of rosemary

1/2 t. thyme

1 T. flour

2 cups beef stock

1 cup beer ( I used Corona, which was all I had) Or wine.

1 cup canned plum tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smushed gently

2 bay leaves

1 large onion, peeled, halved, and cut into slices

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium skillet. Cut the lamb into 1 inch chunks and pat dry with paper towels.

Saute the lamb in small batches, browning on two sides. Remove lamb to a casserole as you saute, continue until all the lamb is sauteed.

Sprinkle the lamb with salt, pepper, thyme, and flour and toss.

Add the beef stock, optional beer, rosemary, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, and onion.

Cover and slide into the oven.

Cook for one hour.

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Set a sieve over a large bowl and drain the Navarin. Cool, and pick out the lamb chunks.

Pour the broth into a saucepan, add the lamb chunks again and add:

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1 1/2 cups peeled, cut carrots

another sprig of rosemary

another 1/2 t. thyme

salt and pepper

1 T. unsalted butter

Simmer until carrots are barely tender, then add:

1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas

Cook a few minutes then serve with a nice crusty bread ( and maybe a cool Corona).

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What I'm reading?

Beach book time - lots of mysteries!

Hope you're enjoying your summer ♥

Featured in TasteSpotting!

rapini and sausages on penne pasta

What a wonderful birthday week it's been, filled with flowers and cards, messages and phone calls - and a beautiful cake from friend Winnie. It saved my week, because the weather has been terrible - snow, rain, sleet, ice, and some kind of pellets of snow/ice.

There was a lovely bunch of rapini in the fridge for my birthday dinner, but rather than the usual rapini soup, I decided on a fairly traditional Italian recipe, using fat sausages to give the dish a little more oomphf. A confetti of onions and green and red peppers made for a very pretty platter.

To make:

2 cups penne pasta ( or farfalle or spagetti)

one bunch rapini, washed, trimmed, cut into 2-3 inch pieces, stems and all

a package of sausages ( I used small, but next time will use the large ones)

1 large onion

1-2 cups diced red and green sweet peppers

salt and pepper to taste

3 T. olive oil

1 t. thyme

sueeze of fresh lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, peeled, smushed

3 T. olive oil

Cut the sausages into 1 or 2 inch pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Toss the cut rapini into the boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes.

Scoop out the rapini ( you'll use the water for the pasta) and place in a bowl of cold water.

Using the same water, cook the pasta for around 8 minutes, then drain.

Place the sausages in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of water and cook until slightly browned. Remove the sausages to a plate.

Drain out any grease, then add the olive oil to the skillet.

Toss in the onion, garlic, and peppers and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the drained rapini and saute another 2 minutes.

Add the sausage and thyme and saute 5 minutes.

Add salt and pepper as desired.

Toss the pasta and veggies and sausage together and mix well.

Place in large pasta bowl or serving platter, top with a drizzle of olive oil and the fresh lemon juice, and serve. You can serve with Pecorino-Romano, or not.

Enjoy!

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Featured on Photograzing!

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What I'm reading:

The Book of Salt

street food: linguica rolls

If you live in a Portuguese community - or Southern Massachusetts - you will find this spicy sausage called linguica. It's a smoked pork sausage with spices, and the very best linguica comes from Gaspar's, near New Bedford, MA. When I was growing up on Cape Cod, you could find it at the Blessing of the Fleet celebration, juicy and popping on the grill, served dripping and delicious on Portuguese rolls. We had it at beach parties, and we put it in Kale Soup. For those lucky enough to be able to eat shellfish, linguica added to steamed clams or mussels, or baked in seaweed along with lobster and more clams is a treat.

The other morning I woke up with a powerful hankering for it, and luckily I had some linguica stashed in the freezer. Since I like it when it's plump , rather than grilled, I unwrapped it and simmered it in water for ten minutes. I fried the Vieira Saloio ( Portuguese Sourdough bread) slices in butter, sliced off the linguica into manageable chunks, and - voila! My very favorite Street Food! And what a breakfast!

You can mail order the linguica from Gaspar's, and I found the sourdough bread at Shaw's Supermarket. It's a wonderful treat for a BBQ or grill party, too! Most New England supermarkets carry Gaspar's linguica, usually in the bacon section.

Enjoy!

leek and potato with slivered ham

Checking the freezer the other day, I came across that nice Christmas hambone and decided to make a "beefier" leek and potato soup than I usually do. Normally, I puree the soup and top it with scallions -this time I added a cup of slivered, smoky ham and left it chunky. Yummy!

I served it with the last of the focaccia & herb cheese, but if I'd had time, I would have

made the rosemary bread, which would have gone well with the ham.

To make:

One ham bone, with meat

Water

bay leaf

Put the ham bone in a pot and add several inches of water - not more than half way up the bone. Add the bay leaf and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Remove ham bone and slice off a cup of ham.

2 cups leek whites, sliced ( you can add one onion, if you haven't enough)

2 cups baby red potatoes, sliced thickly

1 sprig rosemary

1 t. thyme

fresh dill, about a tablespoon ( optional)

1 cup slivered ham

Simmer the leeks and potatoes, thyme and rosemary in the ham broth. Taste broth carefully and add pepper and optional dill, then the slivered ham. Do not overcook - the potatoes should be tender, but not breaking apart. It usually takes about 20 minutes cooking time.

Serve with a great rustic bread and a bright green salad.

Enjoy!

classic french beef bourguignon: chasing away the chill

I knew I was coming down with something last night - was it the faintness after shopping, the chill in the air, the brooding grey sky, the frozen toes? As soon as I woke up, I craved chile peppers in soup. I managed to pull together a hasty red pepper and udon noodle soup for breakfast, but I knew what I really needed - this classic French red wine and beef stew, fragrant with bacon, thyme, merlot, and beef, balanced with a touch of garlic and salsa.

Although I normally eat almost vegetarian, there are times when the deep flavors of meat and wine with herbs can resurrect me like nothing else. Forget the pre-Thanksgiving jitters, the memories of my father on Thanksgiving, the silent phone, the bleached grasses just before the snow, the tension that November brings. The hours of the wine blending with the beef make for an extraordinary experience. This is, indeed, Slow Food at its best. This is the one stew I don't add carrots and onions to, because it's perfect, just as it is. There is a deep robustness to this stew, that is unlike any other I've made.

So throw a log on the fire as the pot bubbles, and take joy in this day.

To make:

a pound of stewing beef

4 strips of bacon ( I use thick cut), sliced into slivers

3 cups merlot, or other robust red wine

olive oil and unsalted butter for the saute ( about 2 T. each) butter is optional.

2 cups beef bouillion

2 T. good salsa (I use Green Mountain Gringo, from Vermont)

3 cloves mashed garlic

1 t. thyme

bay leaf

salt and pepper

Place beef on paper towels and blot until dry.

Put bacon in a skillet and cook until brown. Remove to paper towels.

Add olive oil and butter to the skillet and brown, about five pieces at a time, the beef chunks. Remove beef when browned, reserve, and continue to brown beef until all the chunks are done.

Place browned beef in an oven-proof dish or pot.

Drain the fat from the skillet, then add the merlot and beef bouillon, and the thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, and the salsa. Simmer for a few minutes, scraping up the browned bits.

Pour over the beef, then add the bacon bits.

Cover and place in a 325F oven for two hours.

Taste the stew and adjust seasonings, then serve with good bread and butter, or buttered noodles.

Enjoy!

garlicky lamb burgers with parsley

Oh, did I wake up hungry today! And fresh in my mind was a post I had read from Susan of Farmgirl Fare ( which you can read here : http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2007/11/book-review-cooking-with-shelburne.html) - describing a lamb burger she had made bursting with parsley, garlic, red pepper, and black pepper. On top she made a relish composed of olives, more parsley, and roasted red peppers.

All ideas of following her recipe flew to the winds - the market had no ground lamb, only a small piece of nearly fatfree lamb I would have to chop in the processor. And I only had a few olives - well, you understand. So wing it I did, and it was incredibly good, even if I didn't follow her recipe!

To make 2 burgers:

3/4 pound ground lamb

1/2 cup finely minced parsley, done in the food processor, along with

2 cloves garlic, and a few kalamata olives

fresh cracked pepper

several dashes of hot sauce or red pepper flakes

salt to taste

1 or 2 large pieces of jarred roasted red peppers

If you're chopping your own piece of lamb, do the garlic and parsley before you do the lamb.

Place parsley and garlic in food processor and pulse. Scrape into a bowl.

Cut lamb into small cubes ( if you don't have already ground) and pulse BRIEFLY until chopped.

Mix the lamb, garlic, parsley, and salt and peppers together. Pour some olive oil in a skillet and place burgers in the skillet, along with the pieces of red pepper.

Cook until done ( I like mine rare), serve burger with sliced red pepper on top.

Enjoy!

portuguese kale soup with linguica

Have you ever seen such a beautiful soup? Chunky with linguica, which is a Portuguese pork sausage that is lean and tasty with spices, and loaded with that beautiful ( and healthy!) kale, throw in some potatoes and a few kidney beans and you have a lovely meal.
I grew up on Cape Cod, and my stepfather was Portuguese - put those two together and you'll understand why this soup was a familiar and eagerly anticipated meal.
If you've never heard of linguica, it's a lean pork dry sausage with lots of spices and herbs. Unlike its cousin, chorizo, it is not hot, as in way too spicy for me. I'm lucky enough to find it at my local supermarket, but if you can't find it, just go to Gaspar's Sausage (http://www.gasparssausage.com/) and you can order some online.

To make:

1 coil of linguica ( it's sold that way)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T. olive oil
about 6-8 cups chopped kale, stems removed
6 red or white potatoes, large dice
1 can kidney beans, drained
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups beef stock
pinch of dried thyme
1/2 large can italian plum tomatoes, with juice, chopped
2 T. medium salsa, Green Mountain Gringo preferred

Place olive oil in large pot and heat. Add onions and garlic and stir until a little browned.
Add chicken and beef stocks to pot.
Cut linguica into 1 inch pieces and add to pot.
Add large diced potatoes to pot.
Add thyme to pot.

Bring pot to a simmer and cook for a half hour. (You can add water to pot if the stock doesn't cover the potatoes and linguica)

Add kale.
Add tomatoes.
Add salsa and kidney beans.

Add more water or stock if necessary.

Cook another half hour. Serve with rustic bread and butter, for dunking !

If you prefer a slightly spicier soup, add hot pepper sauce or pepper flakes.

This soup improves as it ages.

This is my entry into the Tastes to Remember blog event:
http://sarah-cooking.blogspot.com/2008/04/tastes-to-remember-blogging-event.html