Make it Yourself: Sausage Making

You may have read Devie the hound dog's version of making sausage.  Here's my version of the basics. I received the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman last Christmas.  Since then I experimented with making my own bacon, smoking various meats and cooking confit of all sorts.  Until recently, I had not attempted to make any sort of sausage.

Sausage is the heart of charcuterie, whether it is fresh breakfast sausage or a fine aged peperone.  This Christmas, I received the food grinder and sausage stuffer attachments for our Kitchen-Aid and am in the sausage making business.  I purchased enough hog casing from Butcher Packer for about 250 pounds of sausage and have all of the adjuncts (dextrose, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate and kosher salt) needed to make all the popular styles.

Thus far I have made fresh garlic sausage, breakfast sausage, Sauccison Sec (French dry-cured country sausage) and Spanish chorizo (also dry-cured).  I package each in a vacuum sealed bag to store in the refrigerator or freezer until I eat it.

Whether the sausage is fresh or dried, I have distilled Ruhlman's excellent sausage making advice down to a few rules:

1. Always use at least 30% fat in your sausage.  If you are using a good fatty cut of pork like pork shoulder, this should be no problem.  Sometimes you will want to add extra fat with additional cuts like fresh side or back-fat.

2. Keep everything as cold as possible.  Seriously, almost frozen is where you want to be.  I didn't do this the first time around, and the result was a mushy unworkable mess.  My procedure now is to freeze the entire grinder attachment with blades attached before making the sausage.  I then spread my meat and fat on a cookie sheet i nthe freezer until it is getting stiff and crunchy (but not frozen).  The bowl you grind into and any other tools should also be frozen.  When stuffing your sausage, keep the sausage mix in a bowl set in ice (or snow, if it is plentiful in your area as it was this winter).  Your sausage quality depends on these steps to maintain a low temperature.

3. Keep everything clean.  I haven't had a contaminated batch of sausage yet, but my experience with beer brewing has taught me that cleanliness reduces the likelihood of a batch going bad.

4. Use the specified amount of salt or nitrites.  First of all, this makes the product taste authentic.  Secondly, the proper amount of sodium nitrite is critical for food safety especially in dry-cured products.  This is the ingredient that will keep your product from spoiling, or worse yet developing botulism.  Do not skimp or leave sodium nitrite out with the thought you are looking after your health.

5. Avoid air bubbles in the casing during the stuffing process.  If they develop, prick them with a sterile needle to remove them.  It will take practice and experience to get your stuffing technique down.

Rachel took this short video when I made chorizo:

Follow these rules, use a good recipe, and enjoy homemade forcemeats.  Happy stuffing!

The $175 Scrambled Egg Breakfast

Yesterday we collected the first egg from our backyard chickens!!  Our guess is that one of the Buff Orpingtons laid it, as they were particularly vocal yesterday.

Today we collected another egg.  This time we saw an Orpington in the nesting box so it surely came from her.

We scrambled the two smaller than average eggs together for breakfast and served it with homemade bread buttered with home shaken raw milk butter. It was the most delicious egg breakfast we have ever tasted!

At $175 (the price we paid so far for the chickens, coop, feed, and bedding), today's breakfast was also the most expensive we have ever consumed.  Our average cost per egg will obviously decrease over time.  The chickens should lay about 250 eggs per year.  At 33 cents per egg (the price I pay for farm fresh eggs), we will break even after egg number 530.  If the four girls lay every other day (an underestimate but it makes up for future cost of food we'll need to purchase), that's two eggs a day, or 265 days until we reach the tipping point.  265 days from now is approximately Thanksgiving.  And there you have an insight into how my strange calculating mind works.

I added this post to the Fight Back Fridays roundup, even though it is Sunday.  I'm just so pleased with our chickens!

Pi Day Pies! Spinach Feta Pie Recipe

Today, 3.14, March fourteenth, is Pi Day.  Pi Day is to honor the beloved constant or 3.1415926535… or the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle. What better way to celebrate Pi than with pie?

One of my favorite vegetarian savory pie recipes, Spinach Feta Pie, is below.  Share your favorite with the Mr. Linky or in a comment!

[print_this]Spinach Feta Pie Makes: 8 servings Time: 30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes baking

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 large white onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound fresh spinach, chopped roughly

1 1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp dried herbs (we like oregano and basil for this recipe, dill, tarragon or thyme would be good too)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces frozen phyllo sheets, thawed and sliced into 1 inch squares  (can be reduced to 4 ounces if you want to lower empty calories)

1.Heat oven to 350 deg F.

2. Sweat onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until translucent.  Add spinach until wilted.  Allow to cool.

3.  Stir together feta cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, and spices.

4. In a separate bowl, stir phyllo and 2 tbsp olive oil together.

5. Optionally, line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment for easy cleanup and no spills in the oven.  An easy way to do this is fold a piece of parchment into a square, then fold into a triangle twice holding the center of the paper as an endpoint.  Match endpoint to the middle of the spring form, cut a semi circle shape where the endpoint meets pan side, and open to reveal a circle like form.  You just approximated a radius (half a diameter)! Multiply the diameter times Pi and you have circumference!

6. Combine cooled onions, garlic and spinach with the feta mixture.  Press into prepared 9 inch springform pan.  Place pan on a cookie sheet.

7. Top pie with the phyllo dough pieces.  Drizzle a little more olive oil on top for extra crisp deliciousness.

8. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Note: This pie is a great recipe to make double and freeze.  The frozen pie will take 1 hour 15 minutes to bake.

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I hope you enjoy some Pi Day pie today. Please share a pie recipe, memory about pie, or pie making tip in the comments!  If you participate in the blog round up, please let your readers know and link back to this page.

What's Left in the Larder

Today we ate our last winter squash harvested over six months ago.  It was bitter and I'm sad about that.

I wondered exactly what is left in our larder.  Here's the count as of March 9, 2010:

8.5 quarts applesauce

10 half pints tomato paste

3 quarts tomato sauce

12 quarts whole tomatoes

2 half pints ketchup

3 quarts barbeque sauce

3 pints honey strawberry jam

1 pint peach jam

2 bags frozen blueberries (maybe a pound each?)

8 2-cup portions of frozen pumpkin puree

handful of dried tomatoes

As we deplete our larder, we are relying on purchasing produce more than ever.  I try to find fresh vegetables at farmer's markets and Clintonville Cooperative, our local natural foods store.  Their selection of produce is getting slim and I can't wait to see more green house grown produce available soon!

How are your preserves holding up?

Local Food & Gardening Events - March 2010

The snow is melting and spring is around the corner.  Columbus has an abundance of interesting local food and gardening events again this month.  Enjoy! Hounds in the Kitchen events

Kids Cook - Thursdays from 11:15am-12pm at Sprout Soup.  This month we'll be going bananas on the 4th, serving up maple syrup on the 11th, and cooking the exotic quinoa on the 18th.  $4 per child.

Kids Cook EGGstravaganza - Saturday March 20 from 12 - 1:30 pm. at Sprout Soup.  Kids of all ages can join in the fun of decorating an egg, making a late lunch, and visiting with a laying hen.  $5 per child; $15 family maximum.  Please RSVP to Rachel.

Urban Edible Gardens - Tuesday March 30 from 7 -8 pm at Greenovate, 9 East 2nd Ave Columbus 43201.  Come to Rachel's workshop filled with techniques on how to include an edible garden in your environment, be it a backyard, patio, or deck.  She will share information about raised beds, containers, plants best suited to Ohio conditions, and low impact low budget tips to start gardening this season.

Events hosted by others (in chronological order)

Maple Syrup festivals are being held around the city.  Check out the Maple Syrup 2010 post for dates and locations.

Columbus Winter Farmer's Market March 6 and 20 from 9 am - 1 pm at First UU Church, 93 W Weisheimer Dr.  Purchase Ohio grown and made goods, enjoy live music and space to sit and chat at the Winter Farmer's Market.  (Here's my review from a January visit.)

Urban and Container Gardening- Saturday, March 06, 2010 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Stratford Ecological Center 3083 Liberty Rd., Delaware, OH.  Stratford’s farmer will gear this class to the small backyard or patio grower, sharing information on rainwater harvesting, composting, maximizing your space, extending the growing season, and using containers to “grow your own.” $20/person or $30/family.

Hills Market Oscar Dinner - March 6 - $35 per person - 6:30 p.m. at Hills Market. This dinner, served in the Wine Department, is a compilation of courses inspired by all five 2009 Oscar Nominees for Best Picture. This evening will feature five courses, four wines and three film critics: John DeSando, co-host of WCBE’s It's Movie Time, Cinema Classics, and On the Marquee, Johnny DiLoretto co-host of WCBE's Cinema Classics and entertainment reporter for Fox 28, and Kristin Dreyer Kramer, co-host of WCBE’s It's Movie Time and On the Marquee and editor-in-chief of NightsAndWeekends.com. $35 per person.  Call 614.846.3220 or e-mail manager@thehillsmarket.com for reservations.

North Market cooking classes include Seafood Suppers on Sunday March 7, and Eastern European on Wednesday March 24.  Their chef series continues with The Refectory on Thursday March 18 and Trattoria Roma on Wednesday the 31.  All classes are $50 per person or $125 for 3.  Visit their events calendar for more information.

Ohio Market Day - March 13, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. At Hills Market. This event features dozens of our favorite Ohio vendors, more than 100 prizes, free hot dogs from Boar's Head (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) workshops and a day-long midwest beer sampling in the Wine Department.  Free.

Composting Workshop - Tuesday March 16 7 pm at Worthington Library, 820 High St.  Attendees will learn safe, simple and effective methods to start their own home composting program in this FREE workshop. All are welcome!

King Corn and Big River movie screenings - March 22 at 7 pm at Studio 35.  This event is held in celebration of World Water Day, while we also kick off Earth Month with Aveda Institute Columbus. Join us and find out more! Doors open at 6pm and the movie begins at 7pm. Admission is $7.50 and a portion of the proceeds will go to Sierra Club's Central Ohio Clean Water Campaign.

Ohio Maple Dinner - March 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Hills Market. Enjoy a perfectly-balanced three course meal (paired with wines hand selected by Wine Director Constance Begue) to complement the delicious maple syrup harvested by Lewisville, Ohio's Misty Mountain Estates. $35 per person. Call 614.846.3220 or e-mail manager@thehillsmarket.com for reservations.

What's on Your Table? - Saturday March 27 from 9am - 1:30pm at Columbus Menonite Church, 35 Oakland park ave.  An intriguing discussion led by trailblazing Cleveland chef & well-known food advocate, Parker Bosley. Local foods pioneer, Mary Holmes, will give the keynote, followed by presentations from area food activists arranged by the Clintonville Farmer's Market.  $12 for materials and lunch.

Organic Gardening - Saturday March 27 from 10 am - 12 pm at Stratford Ecological Center, Delaware Ohio. Gardening without chemicals is nothing new; humans thrived on naturally-grown food for centuries. In this class, you’ll observe the organic perspective of viewing your garden as a natural and diverse system, learning the basics of composting, companion planting, crop rotations, pest control and more. Pictures will inspire and clarify. $20/person or $30/family.

Raised Beds and Natural Gardening 101, Saturday, March 27, 2010 at Blue Rock Station, Zanesville, Ohio.  Learn how to use thermal mass, passive solar, and lots of other easy techniques to enhance your garden growing knowledge and become a true eco-manager.  $35 per person.  E-mail Annie at annie@bluerockstation.com  or give her a call at (740) 674-4300 for reservations.

Cast Iron Rocks

We LOVE cast iron cookware.  We own two skillets, one dutch oven, and one griddle.  Here are the top ten reasons that cast iron rocks:

1) It lasts forever.  Seriously.  The cast iron skillet pictured above is from my great grandmother.  She died four years ago and probably owned this skillet for decades before then.

2) Non stick.  Cast iron is naturally non stick when you season it.

3) Easy cleanup.  Simply rinse with hot water.  That's it.  No scrubbing; definitely no dishwasher needed.

4) Convenient storage.  With hooks on the end you can hang skillets like we do or stack them easily on the stovetop or in a drawer.

5) Even heat.  Cast iron retains heat for a very long time (Alex the materials scientist says it has strong thermal capacitance) and heats evenly in a well made pan.  Because it is thicker and has more mass, adding cold food will alter the cooking temperature less than in stainless steel or aluminum pans.

6) Added nutrients?  Cast iron pans may add iron to foods.  The amount of iron may vary based on how well seasoned the pan is, but many people are deficient in iron and the added nutrients can't hurt for most of us.

7) Versatility.  You can do virtually everything in a cast iron skillet: cook eggs, brown sausages, pan fry potatoes, toast grilled sandwiches, bake tortillas, make roasts, and more.

8 ) Odd Usages.  These pans are heavy.  You can use them to weigh down paneer, hold the lid on pickled vegetables, or  clobber an intruder.  More than a cooking vessel, cast iron skillets are good to have around the house.

9) Ease of manufacturing.  Manufacturing a cast iron pan is simple and relatively eco-friendly compared to aluminum and stainless steel pans.  It requires fewer steps, materials, and waste than other pans.  Lodge, the most common brand available, is made in the USA.

10) Value.  Cast iron is readily available as hand-me-downs from relatives, at estate sales, and in retail stores.  Save 15% in my Open Sky store today through Monday on Lodge cast iron skillets in several sizes!  Use coupon code SKILLET15.

Joel Salatin: Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal

"We live in an amazing country where it's perfectly legal to feed your kids twinkies, hoho cakes, and mountain dew, but raw milk, that's dangerous."  So began Joel Salatin's Saturday keynote address to the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association annual conference on February 13, 2010.  I attended the talk.  The writing below is my best effort to impartially summarize Salatin's opinions as he shared them. Joel Salatin is the farmer behind Polyface Farms, a revolutionary pasture based meat producing business.  Polyface Farms was featured in Michael Pollan's recent Omnivore's Dilemma and the movie Food Inc.

Mr. Salatin shared a litany of things he wants to do that are illegal (in his home state of Virginia, rules are not necessarily the same in every state):

• Hire local kids to do farm work - power tools are legally too dangerous, yet they can be licensed to drive cars
• Make lard and can stews - legally must be made in a commercial kitchen which can't be in an agricultural zone
• Cure meats - laws require these must be done in a separate outbuilding, one not in an agricultural zone
• Give tours or build a cabin for visitors - charging for these services would be entertainment, and entertainment is not allowed in an agricultural zone  (Mr. Salatin joked, "This is farmland and it's not to be for entertainment.  Nothing is funny on a farm.")

Salatin was serious when he called on the audience to be realistic about the fight for real food production.  He offered anecdotal evidence that the average citizen hasn't heard of Food Inc. and regularly eats fast food without thought to the ingredient quality.  He declared, "if our position succeeds, it will completely invert the power, prestige, and position of food lords."

Mr. Salatin explained which current paradigms must shift to have a real food system.

First, the current paradigm is that the government is more trustworthy than individuals.  Salatin, with much experience advocating for sustainable farming at the local and national level, believes the "very notion that a bureaucrat is more honest than a farmer is repugnant."

Secondly, current decision makers and food laws imply that food safety is objective.  Salatin believes it is not.  He pointed out that hunting is a proud time honored tradition that exists outside of food safety codes and is deemed 'safe' by thousands of citizens who eat venison every year.  Food safety regulations mostly come into play when food is exchanged for commerce.  He questioned, "You can give away raw milk or cheese.  What is it about exchanging money that makes it a hazardous substance?"

Next, the current paradigm is that bugs are bad.  Americans, especially, have an obsession with sterility that destroys the good bugs who could eat the bad bugs.  It is creating immune system dysfunction on an epidemic scale.  In real food circles, kefir, kim chee, kombucha and other 'good bug' fermented foods are making a come back.

In general, people are ignorant and trained to feel that freedom of choice is scary.  Salatin reminded the audience of the origin of the USDA meat stamp of approval.  In 1906 after the Jungle was published, meat purchased dropped by 50%.  Farmers lobbied congress and Roosevelt created the stamp of approval to increase credibility among consumers.  So is the way with many labels; the average consumers' fear leads to certifications that are little more than hoop-jumping red tape for small producers.

Finally, the processed food system is so pervasive that people now believe it is normal.  In reality, Salatin believes, it is not normal for most societies past to present to eat food you can't pronounce.  It is not normal to eat food you can't make in your kitchen.  As a measure of real food, Salatin proposes don't "eat any food that wasn't available before 1900."

Salatin's speech ended with several empowering alternatives for those looking to produce and consume traditional whole foods.

1) Don't comply.  Salatin suggested opting out of the industrial food system.  Find your own kitchen.  Buy directly from the farmer and talk to them about where and how their goods were raised.  "Take your TV up to a high hill with a deer riffle,"  he said, advocating that people avoid the traditional media focus on the quick, easy, and cheap.

2) Create a non-commerce system.  Community Supported Agriculture arrangements have passed the regulations test and allow farmers to offer a variety of products.  Creating private clubs and herd share programs are other non commerce alternatives.  Some farmers have even had success giving their product away and make their money through donation bucket collections.

3) Look for loopholes and renaming opportunities.  Read regulations carefully and follow them literally.  Salatin gave the example of a farmer who needed to follow a regulation that required a wall with a window in one of his buildings.  Size was not mentioned, so he built a dog house sized wall and window in the shelter.  A raw milk producer relabeled her milk as 'pet food' and is able to sell it without concern about anti-raw regulations.  Another sells her artisanal cheese as 'fish bait' because there are no regulations regarding fish bait in her area.

Salatin concluded his talk demanding "we need a constitutional amendment guaranteeing every American the freedom of food choice. This heritage, sacred, noble food production system will not be wiped from our culture."

You can read more about Salatin in his many books including Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front

The Best Beans and Rice Ever

Tuesday night I cooked the best beans and rice ever.

I'm sure it's the best because I grew the beans, picked the beans, dried the beans, and finally cooked them.  Do you know how many fresh beans it takes to make a cup of dried beans? Now I do and it's a LOT.

I didn't use a recipe (I rarely do) but here's what I can recall: [print_this]

Best Beans and Rice Makes: 6 entrée servings Time: 25 minutes preparation, 1-2 hours simmering

Cook dry beans with 3 cups water and bay leaves in pressure cooker for 25 minutes.

Cook peppers, onion, and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium high heat until softened.

Add rice to pot and stir to coat.  Add beans (discard bay leaves), veggie stock, 2 cups water, chilis, soy sauce, and old bay.

After 1 hour, check seasonings.  Add tomato paste.  Continue cooking until rice is tender, adding more water as necessary.  Correct seasonings again if needed and serve.

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Have you ever worked so hard in the creation of something that the final product is elevated beyond usual expectations?

I added this recipe to the Food Renegade Fight Back Friday blog carnival.