The yummy offal bits! Steak and Kidney pie

I believe you should practice what you preach and eat what you preach too! Today after class i hit the Farmers Market on the Quad. I got some lovely duck eggs for 3 dollar a dozen(great deal and huge eggs). Also bought some beautiful lambs quarters,a lettuce with a wonderful rich flavor,This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. It is also high in sodium which is very important in pregnancy. It is also a common weed so if you find it growing wild try some! They can be used as salad greens or cooked and added to stews like bean and sausage. Also makes a lovely pesto! Its also called wild spinach so think of using it like spinach. But I also bought some beef kidneys and some beef heart! Here is my recipe for steak and kidney pie!

STEAK AND KIDNEY PIE
pie crust or biscuit dough
1 beef kidney
soak the kidney in salted water for several hours or overnight. If frozen you can soak it in salted water to thaw then rinse under running water and then place in fresh salted water for an hour. 1 tsp salt to one quart water. Double if you need more water. This mellows the flavor, I then soak mine in homemade yogurt for a few hours. Yogurt recipe is on this blog.
1 piece of beef steak
I have some Heartbrand Japanese wagyu beef from Yoakum TX YUMMY!
Some root veggies Onion,carrots,turnips,potatoes,garlic (all some or none)
flour
parsley,thyme,bay leaf,salt and pepper
worcestershire sauce
red wine
stock preferably beef but anything or water will do.

After soaking kidneys cut them open lengthwise and remove any tubes membranes fat etc(the fat is amazing when rendered but thats a whole other recipe) cut into chunks and toss in some seasoned flour. Do the same with the beef. Brown then remove from pan. add your root veggies and scrap up the browned bits. Deglaze pan by pouring in wine and stock about 1 cup wine and 2 cups stock. Let this reduce and thicken. Add worcestershire sauce about 3 splashes. If using dried herbs add now. If fresh add at the end of the reduction. Put the steak and kidney meat back into the pan after its reduced to a bit thicker gravy. Turn off pan and taste for salt and pepper.
Pack the meat with the liquid into a pie pan,cake pan or individual small pot pies if you have. Top with either pie dough or try biscuit dough which is also wonderful.
Bake at 350 for as long as you can with out burning the crust. About an hour. The longer the Braise the more tender the meat will be. You can also cover the pie so it doesnt brown too much.
This recipe is also wonderful if you add cream or mushrooms or dijon mustard for a sharper flavor.
Serve with a light green salad with the lambs quarters!

Elder flower pancakes

1 cup sifted all-purpose, pastry, or cake flour(I use organic unbleached cake)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder(I use alum free)
2 egg yolks
3/4 cups milk, more or less
1 teaspoon mexican vanilla (the clear one for tres leches)
1 tablespoon elder syrup if you have it(available at Ikea)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 egg whites
2 tablespoon sugar

Mix dry ingredients make a well and pour in wet ingredients,mix in gently as little as possible, except egg whites. Whip whites and fold in. cook in medium hot skillet with knobs of butter.
Serve with Elderberry jam or powder sugar or nothing! If pregnant try sprinling a tiny bit of sugar and a tiny bit of pink sea salt(yes salt). Its wonderful for your blood pressure. I know that sounds crazy but short of a chemistry lesson just know there is a big difference between salt and sodium(very bad)

Gazpacho souup

soak some bread in liquid. either water or stock.
If I use stock I reduce it by 1/2 to make it stronger.
10 or more tomatoes. Use what you have. But ALWAYS in season and fresh.
I'm using Roma's, heirloom reds and some super sweet yellow cherries.
1 cucumber peeled and deseeded.
1/2 red pepper or any pepper just use a sweet one(take out seeds and pith).
2 green onions
2 celery stalks with leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot(optional)
1 red Serrano deseeded(optional)

Blend in blender. pour through a fine strainer if you have one.
this removes skins seeds etc but really isn't a big deal.
after straining(or not)
Whisk or stir in
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar(my favorite)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
you could do a balsamic too.
If you don't have these around you could use any vinegar
or lime or lemon juice
Add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
if you wanna give it some more healthy oils add
grape seed or avocado oil?
LOTS of Salt and ground pepper.
you can also add some chopped herbs like parsley,cilantro,chervil or tarragon.
just taste as you add so it doesn't get too herbaceous

I top mine with roasted salted pumpkin seeds and walnut truffle oil!
Serve cold or even add a few ice cubes to the bowl.

Hibiscus mint tea lowers blood pressure

3 cups a day of Hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure! How nice!

handful of Hibiscus flowers fresh or dried(you can get these from Mexican groceries)
couple of tea bags either green,black or red(roois boois is African red tea)
boiling water
fresh or dried mint(relaxing and stimulating isnt that cool)
sugar agave or honey(no fake sugars!)
slices of lemon or lime

boil water.pour over sugar, herbs and tea and steep for 20 mins.
add extra cold water to dilute.
add ice to glass pour over and float lemon slice.
relax as blood pressure goes down!

duck prosciutto

duck prosciutto
4 breast
1 box kosher salt
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


toast herbs in dry skillet
grind in blender and sprinkle on breasts
salt bottom of container, lay in breasts not touching
cover with salt.
rest 24 hours
remove from salt and rinse.
wrap individually in paper towel and let dry.
if you want it spicy grind a bit of pepper on the breasts now
weigh your breasts individually
wrap in a double layer of cheesecloth
write the weight with a sharpie on the cheesecloth in grams
use a safety pin to attach to your fridge shelf. place a dish underneath
hang without touching until 30% of weight is gone.1-3 weeks.
slice very very thin and eat with one of my recipes to come.

Sammys agarita margarita

cook a cup full of agarita berries gathered in the summer. Or use frozen one! Cook in 2 cups of water with about 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar. Cook them for about 20 or 30 mins. Put them through a potato ricer or food mill or just squish them through a strainer. Put agarita juice in the blender with 10-20 mexican limes or a blend of limes and lemons with a lot of ice!!! salt the rim of the cup with the inside of one of your leftover limes run around the rim. I love to use that lemon lime tangy salt packet thing and put it on the rim. Blend it up and add a shot of tequila or titos vodka. SOOO refreshing! Since the agaritas are good for your liver they kind of negate the hooch! Drink up.

Wild Yeast bread starter using red grapes

1 bunch of red organic grapes crushed lightly equal to about 2 cups.
2 cups raw wheat berries ground in coffee grinder or blender(health food store)
2 cups water(best you can get or let some sit out to dechlorinate)
1 large glass jar(I use old pickle jar about half gallon)
cheesecloth doubled a few times (its fly season yuck)

1.Crush the grapes slightly, and measure out about 2 cups into a glass bowl. Add the flour and water

2.Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter has become thick and gooey.

3.Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let it sit at room temperature overnight.

4.The next day, check the starter for bubbles of gas coming to the surface, a sure sign of fermentation. Be patient: This can take as long as 5 days in some environments.

5.Once the starter has begun to ferment, strain out the grapes and “feed” the starter with a bit of flour and water. A couple Tablelspons flour to an equal amount of water like.

6.You can use the starter right away, or you can let it sit for another few days. The longer you let the starter ferment, the stronger the flavor of your bread will be; don't let it go too long though. smell it. If its not bumbling and smells gross it died. Sometimes they do this even when you do everything right. The bad bacteria just won the battle. Most of the time it does work though.

7. To bring the starter back to life, let it sit in a glass bowl overnight at room temperature. When the yeasts “wake up,” the fermentation process will start again. Store remaining in fridge.

MAKE BREAD!