Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors (23 page)

After 90 minutes, taste the gravy and if needed, re-season the sauce. To serve, dollop a mound of potatoes on a plate, top with a couple of meatballs, and smother it all with a big ladle of gravy. Delish!

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

This pie is similar to shepherd’s pie, but the bottom is a tomato-based beef filling while the top is slathered with creamy hominy grits, as opposed to potatoes. Hominy grits are the traditionally treated (
page 59
) version of polenta. The careful lime treatment results in the creamiest, softest corn and truly makes the dish.

FOR HOMINY GRITS:

3 cups (705 ml) homemade chicken stock (
page 82
)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup (140 g) fresh-milled hominy grits (
page 61
)

1
/
2
cup (50 g) finely grated Parmesan

FOR FILLING:

1 tablespoon (15 ml) ghee (
page 22
), plus additional for the pan

1
/
2
cup (80 g) small diced red onion

1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic

1 pound (454 g) ground beef

1
/
2
cup (75 g) small diced red bell pepper

1 cup (70 g) thinly sliced cremini mushrooms

2 cups (470 ml) Bone Broth Marinara (
page 121
)

1 tablespoon (14 g) minced liver

1
/
2
cup (60 g) small diced zucchini

1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt

1
/
2
teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

2 tablespoons (5 g) chopped fresh basil

4 ounces (112 g) fresh whole milk mozzarella, crumbled

TO MAKE THE HOMINY GRITS: In a medium-size pot with tall sides over high heat, bring the stock and sea salt to a boil. Slowly pour in the grits while whisking to prevent lumps. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, whisking every 3 minutes; the grits should produce large, sputtering bubbles. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the Parmesan.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: In a large-size saucepan with tall sides over medium heat, melt the ghee. Add the onion, garlic, and beef, and using a potato masher or wooden spoon, crumble the ground beef for 1 minute. Add the red pepper and mushrooms and sauté for about 12 minutes. Adjust the heat to evaporate liquid.

Add the marinara, liver (if using), zucchini, sea salt, and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Coat an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) glass baking dish lightly with ghee. Spread the beef mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spread the crumbled mozzarella evenly over the top, followed by the grits, using a spatula to spread evenly.

Bake for 50 minutes, uncovered. The grits will brown lightly along the edges and the underlayer of sauce will be bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

RECIPE NOTES

• Fresh mozzarella is often stored in water. Dry the mozzarella well with a cloth or paper towel before crumbling.

• To coat a pan lightly in ghee, spread room-temperature or melted ghee onto the pan using a folded paper towel.

• If using store-bought sauce, the sauce may be more watery than when using the Bone Broth Marinara. In that case, raise the heat to medium-high after adding the marinara and cook until the sauce is quite thick and not at all watery.

When I make this dish, my kitchen smells like the scent of my childhood. I think it’s the smell of grated onion and chopped parsley. Grating onion was my mom’s way of hiding it from us when my brother and I were younger. We didn’t know that it was only the texture we didn’t like! Plus, meatloaf is a delicious place to hide all sorts of things. These days, we hide a bit of minced liver, too. Organ meats are so important for our overall health, yet people often think they don’t like them. So we just hide ’em instead!

2 eggs

1 pound (454 g) ground beef

1 pound (454 g) ground pork

1 tablespoon (14 g) minced liver, optional

1
/
2
cup (25 g) Sourdough Bread Crumbs (
page 188
)

1
/
4
cup (60 g) plus 1/3 cup (80 g) ketchup (
page 174
), divided

1/3 cup (55 g) finely grated yellow onion

1 teaspoon fish sauce (see Note)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 slices uncooked bacon, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Have ready a glass or ceramic loaf pan (no need to grease the pan).

Into a medium-size bowl, crack the eggs and beat with a fork for 30 seconds. Add the beef, pork, liver (if using), bread crumbs,
1
/
4
cup (60 g) ketchup, onion, fish sauce, garlic, parsley, sea salt, and pepper. Use your fingers to gently mix together for approximately 30 seconds. Avoid overmixing as this toughens the meat.

Gently press the mixture evenly into the pan. Spread the remaining 1/3 cup (80 g) ketchup and chopped bacon over the top of the meat.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. When done, the loaf will pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, and the topping will be somewhat crispy and browned. Allow the meatloaf to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Serve warm.

YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

RECIPE NOTE

This recipe originally used Worcestershire sauce instead of naturally fermented fish sauce, which we call for here. Store-bought Worcestershire sauce contains soy sauce, most likely of low quality and minimally fermented, and should therefore be avoided as mentioned on
page 50
. Soy should only be eaten in its traditionally fermented state. However, if unable to source a high-quality Worcestershire sauce, fermented fish sauce serves as a delicious and nutritious substitute.

CHAPTER 10
SEASONAL SIDES

SIDE DISHES ARE OFTEN OUR FAVORITE PART OF A MEAL and even guide the split decision of a main course at a restaurant. They capture and translate the colors and textures of each season. Eating seasonally parades earth’s best offerings at their peak. A red, juicy watermelon says summertime better than any spoken word, while proud asparagus stands tall with a bold salute to spring.

Confetti Slaw

spring

This recipe used to be called Whole Grain and Crisp Vegetable Slaw—snooze. During the photo shoot, we commented on how the brightly colored carrots, cabbage, and scallions almost made the dish look like confetti! Bye-bye, boring name (though it’s still delicious no matter what you call it)!

FOR SALAD:

1
1
/
2
cups (195 g) shredded carrot

1
1
/
2
cups (105 g) shredded red cabbage

1/3 cup (35 g) sliced scallion, both white and green parts

1/3 cup (37 g) roughly chopped crunchy walnuts (
page 49
)

1/3 cup (30 g) diced fennel

1
/
4
cup (16 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3
/
4
cup (140 g) cooked millet (
page 53
)

FOR DRESSING:

5 tablespoons (75 ml) unrefined walnut oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons raw honey

1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt

1
/
4
teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

TO MAKE THE SALAD
: In a medium-size bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Toss with a fork and set aside.

TO MAKE THE DRESSING
: In a small-size bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, whisking until well combined.

Right before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss with a fork.

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Amid the first breaths of spring, out of some unsuspecting patch of ground, incredibly sturdy green shoots of asparagus come poking up. In this dish, the spears are blanched to enhance their bright green color, then cooled, drizzled with a simple marinade, and served cold, making it a perfect party dish.

Inspired by Karen Wilmer

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) asparagus

2 cups (470 ml) water

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) unrefined sesame oil

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) Nama shoyu

1
/
4
cup (80 g) raw honey

3
/
4
cup (83 g) crunchy pecans (
page 49
), coarsely broken

Trim 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) from the bottom of the asparagus spears to remove the tough portion of the stalk.

In a large-size saucepan with tall sides, combine the water and sea salt. Over high heat, bring to a boil covered. As soon as the water is boiling, add the asparagus, cover, and turn the heat down to medium-high for 2 minutes. Fill a large-size bowl with ice water.

After the 2-minute blanch, using tongs, quickly transfer the asparagus to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. After 2 minutes in ice water, use tongs to carefully transfer the asparagus to a colander and drain thoroughly.

Combine the sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, Nama shoyu, and honey. Whisk vigorously to combine.

Place asparagus in a glass dish (with a cover) and pour the dressing over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours.

To serve, use tongs to transfer asparagus to a serving platter, then pour the remaining dressing back over the top. Garnish with the pecan pieces and serve cold.

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS