Stuff We Eat Around Here, Fall Edition

I wanted to share some of the stuff we've been eating.

Gelatin-rich stock:  we save every bone in a bag in the freezer until we're ready to make stock.  Cooked bones work best, imparting a rich flavor.

Butternut squash soup:  the only conversion here is to use your own homemade gelatin-rich broth, and to add some cream at the end to the soup mixture, plus a dollop of sour cream on top.

Tacos:  no lean ground beef here!  I recommend sprouted corn tortillas, or some other sprouted grain tortilla, heated on a cast iron pan.  Lots of real garlic and onion in the taco meat.  Lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes or salsa, and full-fat cheese.

Steak:  Try to get bone-in.  Mike salts them with sea salt, then lets them sit covered on the counter for an hour before cooking.  This allows the meat to come up to room temperature and makes for a juicy steak.  We eat ours pretty rare - the outside is well-cooked, but not very far into the thickness of the meat.

Slow-cooked roasts:  make sure they are bone-in and have a good layer of fat!  I recommend enamel cast iron pots.  You can brown on the stovetop, then transfer to the oven.

Greens:  we use the Julia Child method of preparing spinach, kale, dandelion greens, or sweet potato greens.  This involves blanching the greens, squeezing the water out, chopping them, then sauteeing them a little with butter.  The blanching takes out some of the bitterness, and the butter helps you absorb the nutrients.  Collards I treat specially, though, boiling them for a while with some ham hock or uncured bacon.  They need more boiling than most other greens, they're so thick.  Kale actually needs more than a blanch, too - boil for a few minutes.

Quiche:  use the Julia Child recipe with your favorite crust (or no crust).  There's really no reason to convert this Julia Child recipe!  I'll find the page number and specific cookbook sometime.  My favorite is leek.

Sweet potatoes:  no need to add sugar - they're already sweet!  Bake , steam, or boil and mix with butter and spices.

Green beans:  sautee in olive oil, butter, or lard until they crinkle.

Tomato and avocado with olive oil and salt:  mmm!

Apples!  No cooking required.

Pinto beans for any meal, even breakfast:  soak with a little vinegar (I use Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar) in a warm place overnight, rinse, then cook in the crockpot on low.  Make "refried beans" - put some with their liquid in a small skillet with a bit of lard and maybe a spoonful of broth.  Mash up a bit with a fork after they simmer, then add cheese.

Sauerkraut:  Bubbie's is lacto-fermented, though they heat it up a little before canning it to kill some of the bacteria so it doesn't explode.  That is, if you're too busy to make your own, as I have been.