Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors (5 page)
Authors: Molly Chester,Sally Schrecengost
We recommend eggs as the very first food to source directly from a farm. The quality between eggs from chickens that are pastured versus grocery store eggs is so vastly superior that the effort completely pays off. The nutrition of a single pastured egg offers significantly higher levels of vitamins A, D, and E, as well as higher amounts of omega-3s, an element in which most diets are woefully deficient. This critical, essential fatty acid is a regulator of metabolism and a building block of the body that it cannot manufacture on its own.
When a chicken’s diet relies on wild foraging, the yolks are almost orange. No lie. Once you see and taste the difference, it is very hard to go back! Keep in mind that it is expensive for a farmer to produce truly pastured eggs, which is why they cost more. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that the farmers are not making a killing off their eggs. Mobile coops, (one of ours is pictured on
page 29
), must be moved every few days, and the chickens must not be overcrowded. It is a labor of love.
When a local farm is unavailable, here are some words to look for on grocery store labels:
local
(to avoid purchasing eggs that must be shipped across the country),
pastured
(to ensure the chicken roamed the farm as chickens should) or at least
free-range
(to ensure the chicken received time, however limited, in sunlight), and
organic
(to avoid hormones and antibiotics). It’s also preferred that the chickens not be fed soy, so look for the
soy-free
label as well.
“We recommend eggs as the very first food to source directly from a farm. The quality between eggs from chickens that are pastured versus grocery store eggs is so vastly superior that the effort completely pays off.”
LOOK FOR: Local, Pastured, Organic, and Soy-Free Broiler chickens, or chickens used for their meat, are raised slightly differently than layer hens, chickens used for their eggs, and here’s why: Although 100 percent pastured chickens are the healthiest chickens in terms of exercise, they also don’t have much meat on their bones for roasting because they’ve been running around so much! It
is
possible to find 100 percent pastured broiler chickens from a local farmer or even some health food stores, and I absolutely recommend using them for our homemade chicken stock (
page 82
), but for a delicious chicken that still receives moderate exercise, fresh green grass, and fresh air, I suggest finding a farmer who raises broilers in mobile pens, which are small bottomless coops that get moved to fresh green grass daily, but keep the chickens more contained. Although still technically referred to as
pastured
(how’s that for confusion?), they result in a healthy, meatier bird that we feel represents a reasonable compromise.
“The number one place to begin the search for a compassionate farmer is at a local farmers’ market.”
Most all chickens are fed supplemental grain, especially in the winter when the bug activity is down, but I personally prefer that the feed is
soy-free
(
page 50
). A few other poultry buzzwords commonly used in grocery stores are
cage-free
, which is not regulated and really doesn’t mean much, and
free-range
, which means the chicken has access to the outdoors, though the actual amount of access is so limited it might make us cringe. And as always, we prefer
organic
, to avoid hormones and antibiotics.
LOOK FOR: Wild, MSC Certified, and Sustainable The landscape of our vast, amazing oceans can be difficult to grasp. And then, we hear of things like mercury, soy pellets, extinction, and precious dolphins caught in tuna nets. How do we eat seafood without feeling guilty? And yet, seafood provides a supreme powerhouse of nutrition, serving as a staple for many traditional diets.
We choose to eat seafood, but as with our land-based meats, we do not take that decision lightly—and we’ve learned a few tricks along the way to help guide us, such as “the big fish eat the little fish” perspective, which reminds us that if we eat the little fish, we eat a lesser accumulation of mercury. If nothing else, that perspective has caused us to open our minds to lovely fish such as sardines (delicious chopped and tossed in Simply Mayonnaise,
page 178
) and anchovies (perfect in Caesar Salad with Sourdough Croutons,
page 106
). We also choose
wild seafood
because we have yet to learn of fish-farming practices that feel healthy and sustainable, and in navigating our wild seafood, we turn to an organization called the
Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC
(
page 216
), a certification and labeling program for sustainable seafood. When MSC certification is unavailable or unknown,
Seafood Watch
(see Resources,
page 216
), a program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, offers printable pocket guides and a searchable online database that outline the sustainability of each species. Many of our favorite recipes, such as Fresh Herb–Crusted Sea Bass with Sourdough Bread Crumbs (
page 118
) must be reevaluated when MSC-certified fish is unavailable.
LOOK FOR: Local, Pastured, Certified Humane, and Organic If you can believe it, pigs are actually very clean creatures. They use mud to cool themselves down, not because living in mud is their top choice. Ideally, pigs prefer wooded areas, where they can roam freely or be moved frequently using portable fences. In the areas of the United States where woodland is unavailable, pigs at least prefer quality space, appropriate shade and sun, clean water, and ample fresh food. These days, however, many factory-farmed pigs live a tightly confined life in temperature-controlled buildings with concrete floors, likely covered in feces. Sad, isn’t it?
Lucky for the pigs, and us, there are small- to medium-size pig farmers across the United States who think pigs need room to roam, too. As always, the number one place to begin the search for a compassionate farmer is at a local farmers’ market, but because quality
pastured
pork can be slightly more difficult to source than its beef and poultry counterparts, you may also find it more convenient to order online; see Resources (
page 216
) for a listing of quality pastured pork that can be shipped to your home. When navigating a grocery store, I choose pork products that carry the label
Certified Humane
(an organization that will change the landscape of factory farming around the world) and
organic
(to avoid hormones and antibiotics).
Simply cooked chicken, bless its humble self, shows up in so many recipes and in the most delightful ways. There’s chicken soup, chicken salad, chicken pot pie … you get my drift. We’d like to show you a simple, foolproof recipe guaranteed to precook chicken in a moist and tasty fashion every time. It’s called for in some favorite recipes in the book, including our White Bean Chicken Chili (
page 96
) and The New Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole (
page 127
).
Chicken breasts, split, bone-in, skin on
Sea salt
Place the chicken breasts in a suitably sized stockpot. A 6-quart (5.4 L) pot works well for 4 pieces (2 large breasts, split). Fill the pot with enough purified water to thoroughly cover the meat. Add
1
/
4
teaspoon salt for each half breast. This ratio applies no matter how much chicken you cook.
Over high heat, bring the water to a full boil. Cover and lower the heat enough to maintain a nice steady simmer without allowing the liquid to boil over, about medium-high heat. If scum appears on top of the liquid, skim it off with a spoon and cover again. Continue cooking until a paring knife slides easily into the thickest part of the breast. This time will vary depending on the size and number of the breasts being cooked. On average, the total cook time will be about 15 minutes
after a boil is reached
, plus about 5 additional minutes per half breast. (Example: For 4 half breasts, the approximate cook time would be 35 minutes, or 15 minutes + 5 minutes + 5 minutes + 5 minutes + 5 minutes.) Once the desired tenderness is achieved, turn off the heat and let the chicken rest in the hot broth, covered, for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and allow the chicken to cool completely submerged in the broth. Removing the meat before it is cooled sacrifices the moist quality of this method.
Once cooled, remove the meat and discard the broth. Place the meat on a large-size platter where the skin and bones can easily be removed with your fingers. At this point you can refrigerate the cooked, de-boned chicken in a sealed container or prep as desired for any recipe.
YIELD: 1 CUP (140 G) CHOPPED CHICKEN PER HALF BREAST
RECIPE NOTE
Chilling the cooled, de-boned meat before chopping or shredding allows for a more uniform prep.
Nitrates, a common additive in bacon that is used to prevent botulism during the curing process, are controversial because of their negative effect on health. Regardless of your individual stance on this matter, some people are indeed sensitive to them and must find an alternative. The good news is that nitrate-free bacon is available from local, small farmers or online (
page 216
). Beware of bacon that advertises “no nitrates added,” but lists celery juice or powder in the ingredients, because this is just a natural substitute for powdered nitrates. Even though it is natural, a nitrate is a nitrate to the body, and must be avoided by those who have this sensitivity.
1 pound (454 g) bacon
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Have ready 2 baking trays and 2 cooling racks. Place 1 cooling rack inside each baking tray. Lay the bacon in a single layer on top of the racks; the tray underneath will be used to catch the drippings.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the bacon is slightly crispy, but not burnt. Less crispy bacon prevents the oils from charring. Transfer the bacon to a plate.
Allow the trays to cool to the touch, but before the fat/drippings solidify, carefully scrape them into a glass container, straining if desired. Store bacon fat at room temperature and use to sauté vegetables or fry eggs; we also call for it in several recipes in this book. If not used up within a couple of weeks, transfer to the fridge for longer storage (ours never seems to make it there!).
YIELD: 14 TO 16 STRIPS BACON, PLUS
1
/
2
CUP (120 ML) OR MORE BACON FAT
DAIRY
Food is so personal. When I was nine years old, on a low-key Friday night, my mom, Sandy, ordered a pizza with pepperoni, and when it arrived, I explained that I wouldn’t be eating that pizza because “I am a vegetarian.” To which my brother responded, “Yeah, right.” But I was—for the next eighteen years. The reason? My only recollection is having a super-cool vegetarian friend teach me that an egg was a baby chicken. I ended up eating eggs anyway, and dairy, too, but back then, dairy most likely meant Velveeta, so I use the term loosely. Although I obviously wasn’t living a healthy version of the lifestyle, I believe you can sustain and build health with a vegetarian diet, assuming there’s an understanding of high-quality dairy products.