RECIPE: Pork tenderloin with Fennel and Garlic Cream

Many years ago, I would buy a Sicilian fennel pate and use it to season pork tenderloin.  I no longer buy this because it's not organic so I make my own.

Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Garlic Cream

Serves 4-6

2 pounds pork tenderloin from pasture raised pigs (1 large or two small )

2 t. fennel seeds, roasted (do NOT USE RAW fennel seeds!)

1 t. himalayan pink salt

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 

1 t. raisins, minced

2 T. EVOO

1 t. balsamic vinegar

Opt: 1/4 t. cayenne

1/2 c heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425F.

If necessary, clean the tenderloin(s) (remove the silver skin and excess fat.)  I don't understand why butchers never do this!  Set in a small baking pan with shallow sides - I make this in our small toaster oven.

In a mortar and pestle, pound the fennel seeds until most of them are reduced to powder.  

Add the salt and garlic and pound into puree.  

Add the raisins and incorporate them into the puree.  

Add the EVOO 1 T. at a time and emulsify.  Add the balsamic to complete the emulsion.

Roasted fennel on the left, paste on the right

Spread this paste over the pork as evenly as you can.

Roast for 10 minutes.  Pour in the cream and scrape up any brown bits.  

Roast for another 5 minutes.  

Before roasting on left, after roasting on right

The pork should now be slightly pink.  Because we buy pork that we KNOW has been pasture raised and is unlikely to be contaminated we are comfortable eating it at this temperature.  If you're using conventional pork you should probably cook it until all pink is gone, another 3-5 minutes (or whatever is necessary given the size of the tenderloin).

Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes, tented with parchment.  

Slice the pork 1/2" thick and serve with the seasoned cream sauce.  

RECIPE: Spanish Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites

Every now and then The Boston Globe prints a recipe that piques my interest.  Last month, their recipe for pork tenderloin sounded so delicious - and easy - I couldn't wait to make it!  It was indeed easy, the hardest part was waiting for the tenderloin to defrost!

Original recipe: Spanish Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites (Pinchos Morunus)

Spanish Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites

serves 3-4 depending on whether you serve a starch

• 1-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-1.5" slices
• 1.5 t. ground coriander
• 1.5 t. ground cumin
• 1.5 t. smoked paprika
• Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper
  
• 1 T. lemon juice plus lemon wedges for serving
• 1 T. honey
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 T. EVOO
• 1 T. chopped fresh oregano, or 1 t. dried (I used dried) 

In a medium bowl, combine the spices and 1 t. each of salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Add the pork and toss to coat evenly, massaging the spices into the meat until no dry rub remains.  Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

 

Mix lemon juice, honey, and garlic.  If you're using dried oregano, add it here.  Set aside.

 

In a large skillet over high heat, add 1 T. oil and heat until just smoking.  Add the pork in one layer and cook without moving until deeply browned on one side, about 3 minutes.  Using tongs,  flip the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through and browned all over, another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour the lemon-honey-garlic mixture over, then toss until evenly coated.  Transfer to a platter.

Sprinkle fresh oregano over and drizzle with the remaining 1 T. oil.  Serve with lemon wedges.

We served it with roasted broccoli - which was wonderful with the extra sauce.  It served 3 this way.

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RECIPE: Pork Tenderloin with GF Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce

We haven't had pork tenderloin in a long time, so I made this to illustrate the technique I use for making a gluten free cream sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with GF Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce

Serves 3-4

• 1 small pork tenderloin, about 1 pound, silver skin removed
• 1 t. EVOO
• 2 t. ground rosemary
• 2 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. cayenne or to taste
• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  (I make this in our convection toaster oven.)

Combine the rosemary, garlic and cayenne in a small bowl.

In a shallow roasting pan, rub the EVOO over the pork, then salt the tenderloin on all sides.  Sprinkle it with half the seasoning mix.

Roast for 16-18 minutes.  Pastured pork tenderloins are generally small, and we like our pork medium-well so I cook them for 16 minutes.  If  you prefer well done, leave it in for 18 minutes.

Remove from the oven, tent with parchment paper, and let rest for 5 minutes.



While the pork is cooking, make the sauce:

In a medium sauce pan - yes, you need such a big pan because THE CREAM WILL BUBBLE UP TO THREE TIMES ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME - combine the cream with the remaining seasoning mix. 

On medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.  THE CREAM WILL BUBBLE UP TO THREE TIMES ITS ORIGINAL VOLUME!  Stir occasionally and adjust the heat so it doesn't boil over.  In the photos below you can see it's nearly boiling over!!

Let the cream boil like this until it's reduce to 3/4 cup, about 15-20 minutes.  It should coat a spoon.

Add salt to taste, and keep warm on low heat until the pork is ready to serve.  Stir occasionally to prevent a film from forming on the top.



Slice the pork into 3/4" pieces and serve, draped with the sauce. In the photo below, I filled the small pitcher with sauce, and poured what didn't fit in the pitcher over the meat.  I served it with roasted broccoli, but the sauce would be just as good with asparagus or green beans.  

This is HALF the tenderloin! 

My husband likes to use the leftover pork in a sandwich so I only served half of it for dinner and there was one small bit left!

RECIPE:15 Minute Beef Fajitas

During the summer, when our farm store is FULL of veggies, I preserve what I can so we'll be able to enjoy them over the winter.  This recipe uses the peppers I froze last August.

I used beef tenderloin because it's tender without marinating so I can throw this together in 15 minutes! If you use a cheaper cut, you'll need to tenderize it first.

Beef Tenderloin Fajitas

Serves 4-6

• 1 pound beef tenderloin, sliced against the grain into 1/8" by 1" pieces
• 2 cups multicolored bell peppers, sliced into 3/8" pieces
• 1 c. poblano peppers sliced into 3/8" pieces
• 2 hot peppers sliced PAPER thin, or 1 t. cayenne, or to taste
• 2 large onions, sliced into 3/8" pieces
• 1 t. garlic powder (I make my own)
• 2 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. mexican oregano (use marjoram if you don't have any)
• 1 t. paprika
• 2 t. himalayan pink salt or to taste
• 2 T. ghee or lard 

For Serving:

• tortillas
• guacamole
• sour cream
• minced cilantro leaves

Please wear gloves when you slice the hot peppers! 

Combine the garlic powder with the herbs and spices and mix well.  Set aside 2 t. 

Sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over the meat, rubbing it gently to separate the slices and work the seasoning into the flesh.  Set aside while you cook the vegetables.

In a large saute pan, melt 2 T. ghee on med-high and saute the onions until they're brown on the edges.  They should not be soft yet - the high heat should just sear the edges.  Push the onions to the side and add the peppers.  Saute the peppers until they're brown on the edges, too.

Reduce heat to medium.  Mix the peppers with the onions, sprinkle the reserved 2 t. seasoning mixture over all, and saute until softened, about 5 min.  If you add the seasoning mixture too early, it might burn.

Meanwhile, mix the cilantro with the sour cream and set aside.

Push all the veggies to the side of the pan and add the meat to the middle. Stir the meat occasionally, until JUST barely cooked.  In the photo at the top you can see some of the meat is still a little pink. 

If the seasoning sticks, add 1 T water and scrape it up.

Mix the meat into the veggies and serve!

My husband made a GIANT sandwich!  I had them on a tortilla with guacamole and cilantro sour cream.

RECIPE: Bison Fajitas

We get our ground beef and our stew meat from our CSA farm, but I'm not able to get steaks or roasts from our farm so we have started using bison.  When we serve a chateaubriand roast, or raclette, I always buy the whole tenderloin, remove the chateaubriand, and then use the ends for other things, primarily stroganoff and fajitas. It's much cheaper to do that.

In a restaurant, fajitas are usually made on a grill, which gives them a smoky flavor.  I don't want to mess with charcoal so I make them on the cooktop, and add chipotle pepper powder, which is made from smoked jalapeno.  This can be spicy, so adjust the amount to your tolerance. 

Bison Fajitas

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound bison, cut from either end of the tenderloin, or inside skirt steak
  
• 2 large onions, halved and sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 poblano pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 yellow bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 hungarian banana pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1-2 jalapeno, serrano, cayenne or other hot pepper, depending on your heat tolerance, minced or thinly sliced
  
• 1/4 c. ghee, lard or tallow
• 2 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. paprika
• 1 t. chipotle powder (this can be hot, use less if your heat tolerance is low)
  
• 1 t. Mexican oregano (use marjoram if you don't have this)
  
• 1/2 t. himalayan pink salt 
• additional salt and pepper to taste
  
• For Serving:
• guacamole
• grated cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• chopped scallions
• cilantro
  

Note: We make fajitas often; so, when peppers are in season, I slice them and then freeze them to use until the next harvest:

Multicolored peppers ready to be vacuum sealed

INSTRUCTIONS:

You will be slicing the bison against the grain into thin strips.  This is easiest when the meat is partially frozen. 

Cut the bison into 2" wide batons and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes to facilitate slicing thin.

While you're waiting for the bison to firm up, slice the onions and peppers.

Mix the herbs, spices and 1/2 t. salt in a small bowl.

When the bison is firm, slice the batons against the grain into strips about 2" long, 1/2" wide, and 1/8" thick. It's important that the meat is sliced against the grain or it will be chewy.  Combine the bison strips with the spice mixture and massage the spices into the meat.  Set aside.

Melt 2T. fat in a large saute pan on high heat.  Add the onion and sear, stirring frequently,  until it's starting to caramelize.  The reason you want to use high heat is to sear the onion without cooking it through - it should be translucent but not mush.  Push the onions to the side of the pan.

Add the peppers and stir until they are caramelized, too.  Again, you don't want them to loose their crunch or their skin.  If the onions are in danger of burning, mix them into the peppers. 

Reduce the heat to low, season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and remove them to a bowl.  Cover and keep warm while you fry the meat.

Bring the heat up to medium-high and add the remaining 2T. fat to the pan.  Add the bison to the pan in a single layer and allow one side to sear.  Stir and barely cook the other side.  It should be medium or medium-rare.  

Add the vegetables back to the pan.  Stir briefly to reheat them.  By the time the vegetables are hot, the meat should be just cooked through.  Serve!

My husband eats these on tortillas, I prefer them 'neat', with guacamole, grated cheese, sour cream, cilantro and chopped scallions.

 

Bison fajitas with guacamole, grated cheddar, and cilantro lime sour cream.

RECIPE: Cabbage in Harissa Cream Sauce

Last year (2024) was an incredibly busy year for me - it was the most productive year our CSA farm has had since we joined, AND my husband started growing a small home farm garden - so I was overwhelmed with produce.  Unfortunately, although I was cooking up a storm, I didn't have time to post many new recipes - if you look at the blog archive on the right hand side, you'll see I posted only ONE recipe in 2024 - so I will be trying to catch up this year.  Here's a recipe I will definitely be making again.

There is still cabbage in the farm store, so I've been looking for different ways to prepare it.  I created this to serve with Spanish Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites.  Although it doesn't look appetizing, it was delicious.  And easy!

Cabbage in Harissa Cream Sauce

serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large head of cabbage, quartered, and each quarter cut into 1/4" slices
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 t. harissa
• 4 T. ghee

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large saute pan (mine is 14" across) melt the ghee over high heat. 

Add the cabbage and cook, stirring only occasionally, until the edges are caramelized and the cabbage is cooked but still a bit crunchy.  If you stir too often, it won't caramelize; if you don't stir often enough, it will burn.  You don't want it burned or all wilted, so it's a delicate balance.

Depending on how hot your 'high heat' is, it could take 10 minutes or 20!  My cooktop has a 'boost' option and gets very hot, so it only takes me 10 minutes. The first time you make this, figure out what works for your cooktop.

If you don't have a pan large enough to hold the entire cabbage, cook half of it and remove to a plate, then cook the other half.  Cabbage shrinks a LOT when you cook it, sort of like onions, so it probably will all fit into a 12" pan once it's cooked.

Once all the cabbage is caramelized, reduce the heat to medium-high.  Add the cream and the harissa, and season with salt.

Cook until the cream is heated through, 3-4 minutes.

Spanish Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites and Harissa Cream Cabbage

 

RECIPE: Grilled Pork Kebabs with Fennel, Cumin and Coriander

If you don't already, you should subscribe to the NY Times Recipe Feed .  Many of their recipes are subscription-only, but a few are accessible to everyone, and they have unlocked more of them during this COVID-19 pandemic.  The recipe that inspired this one came through on that feed.

I made it as written and wasn't happy with the method (my food processor did NOT want to puree such a small amount) so I made a few changes.

Original recipe:  Grilled Pork with Fennel, Cumin, and Red Onion.

Grilled Pork Kebabs with Fennel, Cumin and Coriander

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 T. fennel seeds
• 1 T. cumin seeds
• 1 T. coriander seedsJuice and zest from 1/2 lime
• 1/14 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems plus more for serving
• 2 T. soy sauce, wheat-free Tamari, or coconut aminos
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 jalapeno chile, frozen and grated
• 1 t. honey
• 1 pork tenderloin, about 1.5 pounds, cleaned
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, for serving.

In a dry frying pan on medium heat, toast the seeds until they're fragrant and slightly browned.  Cool.  Crush lightly in a mortar and pestle.  Transfer to a small bowl.

Mince the cilantro leaves until they're almost pureed, then combine them with the soy sauce, garlic, chile and honey.  Stir in the crushed spices. 

Add everything except the pork and red onion and stir to combine.

Cut the pork into 1" pieces and mix with the marinade, tossing to coat each chunk.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Heat a grill or broiler with a rack positioned 4" from the heat source.  Thread the pork onto skewers leaving a little space between each cube. Grill over the highest heat possible, or broil on high, for 2-5 minutes, then flip the skewers and continue cooking until the meat is browned and charred in spots. it should be just cooked through, slightly pink in the center.

I didn't bother with skewers - I just spread the cubes out on a rimmed sheet and turned them with tongs.

Serve with cilantro sprigs and onion slices.  I skipped the red onion and served it with mayonnaise and cilantro-jalapeno sauce.   On the side, I served sauteed celeriac.  My husband complains that celeriac always looks better than it tastes, but I love it!

NOTE: Cutting the pork into cubes meant it cooked very fast, and evenly, which is a good thing.  Next time I may try cooking the tenderloin whole. 

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MENU: Valentines Dinner 2019

Oops!  I meant to post this last week, and thought I had, but now I see that I forgot! Sorry!  Save it for next year, or another special occasion this year, like a birthday....

I thought I would post an easy-to-prepare meal that would be perfect for Valentine's Day.  Perfect NOT because it's full of red or heart-shaped ingredients, but because it's unusual, tasty, and easy to prepare which will leave you lots of time to spend with your beloved.

Valentine's Dinner Menu Suggestion

Serves 2 (with leftovers)

Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Garlic Cream 

Cauliflower with Roasted Red Pepper

Steamed Green Beans

Clean the pork and put it in the roasting pan.  Preheat the oven.

Cut up the cauliflower, peel the garlic, and start steaming both of them.

While the cauliflower is steaming, make the fennel-garlic paste for the pork, slather it on the pork and pop the pork in the oven.

When the cauliflower is done, transfer it to the processor/blender and put the green beans in the steamer.  Add the red pepper and ghee to the cauliflower and cover the container.

When you take the pork out of the oven to rest, puree the cauliflower.  If you puree it too soon, it will get cold.

By now the beans should be ready.

Plate the meal and serve it!

If you eat dessert, Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce would be my choice, using quark instead of cream cheese...

NOTE: If the green beans are skinny, you can roast them with the pork instead of steaming: arrange them on either side of the pork and drizzle with a little EVOO before putting the pork in the oven.

RECIPE: Easy Beef Stroganoff, gluten free

Looking for an easy Beef Stroganoff recipe I was disappointed to see that they all call for either Worcester Sauce (which is full of MSG) and/or flour.  I never use either.  This recipe comes together in minutes.

Easy (GF) Beef Stroganoff

Serves 4

1 pound beef tenderloin (or beef ribeye)

4 T. ghee

1 pound of sliced mushrooms (optional)

2 large yellow onions, sliced 1/4" thick

2 cups unsalted beef broth, preferably homemade

1 T. dry mustard powder (or Dijon mustard)

1 c. sour cream

Over medium high heat, saute mushrooms in 2 T. ghee until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and reserve.  

Saute onions in remaining ghee until translucent and lightly browned.  Add 1 cup broth and stir until it's almost all absorbed.  

While the onions are cooking, slice the beef against the grain into 2" x 1/2" strips about 1/8" thick.

When the onions are cooked, push them to the edges of the pan and add the remaining 2 T ghee to the center.  Add the beef in 2-3 batches and stir until medium rare (don't over cook it!).  Push each batch to the side, over the onions, before adding the next one.  

Add the reserved mushrooms and the remaining 1 c. broth, and stir until reduced by half.

Stir mustard into sour cream and add to pan.  Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.  Serve.  

(My husband doesn't like mushrooms so I serve my portion over some mushrooms, I don't stir them into the main dish.  In the photo above, you can see them peeking out under the beef.)

Most people serve this over noodles but I serve it with a green vegetable on the side: peas, beans, asparagus, etc...   There is enough sauce to serve it with noodles if you prefer.

RECIPE: Parsnip Fennel Dip or side

I really don't like the taste of fresh fennel - the anise flavor is too strong for me - but I LOVE cooked fennel and I love the seeds roasted.  I use this primarily as a dip with carrots but have also served it warm as a side dish with pork tenderloin.

Parsnip Fennel Dip (or side)

Makes 4 cups, serves 4 as a side dish

2 pounds parsnips
2 T. ghee, melted
1/2 - 1 c. water, as needed
6 T. EVOO
2 Meyer lemons, zest and juice.
2 large cloves garlic, minced using a microplane
1/2 t. fennel seeds
1/2 t. wild fennel pollen
1.5 t. himalayan pink salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Peel the parsnips and slice into 1/2" rounds.  Toss with melted ghee and roast until light brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, roast fennel seeds in a dry saute pan on med-low heat until fragrant and light brown, stirring frequently, 3-5 minutes.  Pour into the bowl of a mortar and pestle (if you leave them in the pan to cool, residual heat will cause them to burn).  When the seeds are cool, add the salt to the mortar and crush to a powder.

Zest both lemons and then juice them.  You should have 1/2 c. juice.

When the parsnips are done, let them cool a little and then add them to the bowl of a food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until silky smooth, scraping bowl often.  Add water as needed.  Adjust seasoning.  Serve on a bed of baby arugula with carrot dippers.

I don't know if this could be made in a high-powered blender, it might be too thick.  If you try it and it works, please let me know!

 

RECIPE: Raclette - naturally gluten free

Raclette is similar to fondue except you don't use a pot filled with oil, you use a specialized grill that rests on the table between all the diners.  On top of the grilling coils is a cooking surface (ours is granite) and under the coils are small containers that each diner fills with either cheese (raclette) or mixed vegetables covered with cheese.

8-person Raclette Grill with Granite Top at Amazon.com

While the cheese is melting under the heating coil, the grilling surface is used to cook meat, sausage, potatoes and vegetables.  As each item is cooked to your preference it's transferred to your plate, covered with the melted cheese, and then eaten with the various sauces.

Raclette Grill in use (from Amazon.com)

It's a wonderful way to entertain because most of the prep work can be done the day before.

When we've ordered this in a restaurant, which is how we discovered it, it's been served with three sauces - garlic, mustard, and curry.  You could serve just one of these, if you have a favorite, but we like to serve 5 or 6 so that everyone's tastes preferences are covered.

The sauces are better if they're prepared a day or two ahead to give the flavors time to meld.

The cheese and meat can be sliced the day before and the potatoes and vegetables can be pre-cooked then, too, and brought to room temperature before serving.  We cook the potatoes right before serving, while we're enjoying a cocktail and appetizers.

Some people serve cold cuts - prosciutto, ham, and salame - instead of beef and sausages, and some people prefer shrimp or other seafood.  The suggestions below are what we chose to serve.

Raclette Dinner Suggestions

For the Raclette Grill
Raclette cheese, sliced 3/8" thick
Red and white potatoes, par-boiled and sliced 1" thick
Raw beef tenderloin, sliced 3/8" thick
Chipolata (or any other mild cooked) sausages
Asparagus, lightly steamed
Sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Broccoli and/or cauliflower, roasted
Cayenne peppers, minced

Condiments
La Quercia Ridgetop Prosciutto
Fermented dill pickles
Raw Peruvian olives

Sauces (I've made dozens!  Will add links to the others as I find them)
Curry sauce
Coffee butter
Harissa mayonnaise
Pesto and Chive Blossom Aioli
Horseradish tarragon cream sauce
Roasted red pepper and balsamic butter 
Thai dipping sauce with ginger, garlic, miso and curry paste
My SIL's favorite is this Chimichurri Sauce
Cucumber dill sour cream
Paul Prudhomme's Honey Mango Sauce
Jalapeno jelly cream cheese
Tarragon mustard cream
Garlic ghee


Raclette is generally served with a dry white wine.
Because many of our sauces are spicy, we also serve a Riesling.

Specialized plates are available, with indentations for the sauces, but they aren't necessary to enjoy the meal.  In the photo below you can see one of our sets, with exaggerated wells:

Here's a photo of our raclette grill set up on the island in our kitchen, with a different set of plates:

The sauces are on a lazy-susan so that we each have easy access to them:

Here is the food at the beginning of the meal - meat, veggies and potatoes on the granite slab, cheese and parsnips underneath:

A few minutes later, it's all ready to eat:

My plate, with the melted cheese poured over, the various sauces in the background, and olives, pickles, and hot peppers in the center:

The meat was cooked to perfection!

RECIPE: Mushroom, Aduki and Onion Stroganoff

This recipe is from the cookbook, A Taste of Russia, by Darra Goldstein.  The original recipe calls for beef tenderloin but for vegetarians, I make this with mushrooms instead of beef and add 1/2 c. of aduki beans.

Mushroom, Aduki and Onion Stroganoff

Serves 4

• 2 pounds mushrooms
• 4 T. ghee
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 t. mustard (dry or Dijon)
• 1 c. onion broth
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 cooked aduki beans, rinsed

Clean the mushrooms and slice 1/4" thick. 

Peel and halve the onion, slice 1/4" thick, and halve the slices.

In a large saute pan, melt 2 T. ghee over med-high and saute the onion until soft and barely golden. Remove to a bowl.

Melt the remaining 2 T ghee, add the mushrooms and saute until soft and lightly browned.  

Return the onions to the pan and add the onion broth.  Cook stirring until the broth is reduced to 1/2 cup.  Reduce heat to low.

Stir the mustard into the sour cream, then add the mixture to the pan with the mushrooms and onions.  Stir in the aduki beans. 

Raise the heat to medium and heat through but do not boil.  Season to taste.


The recipe directs you to serve stroganoff with french fries but we normally serve it with fettucini noodles.

MENU: Christmas Dinner 2018 - Raclette and GF Buche de Noel

When we host Christmas Dinner, we always serve raclette, which is both festive and easy.  I'm going to post the menu here, and links to all the recipes, so that others can copy it.  It's wonderful for New Year's Eve as well.

Raclette is a wonderful way to entertain because most of the prep work can be done the day before.

We like to start with vegetable-based appetizers since the meal is so rich.

Christmas Dinner 2018

Appetizers
Endive boats with blood orange, almonds, and quark
Carrot coins and green beans with Roasted Cauliflower Dip

Cocktails
Pumpkin Martini (using Sunshine Kabocha puree)
OR Pumpkin Maple Martini (using Sunshine Kabocha puree)
Guava Mimosa (using guava syrup)
Fig and Raspberry Christmas Cocktail (coming soon!)

For the Raclette Grill
Raclette cheese, sliced 3/8" thick
Red and white potatoes, par-boiled and sliced 1" thick
Raw Beef tenderloin, sliced 3/8" thick
Chipolata (or any other mild cooked) sausages, room temperature
Asparagus, lightly steamed
Sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Broccoli, roasted
Cayenne peppers, minced

Condiments
La Quercia Ridgetop Prosciutto
Fermented dill pickles
Raw Peruvian olives

Sauces (these are generally best made the day before)
Curry sauce
Coffee butter
Harissa mayonnaise
Pesto and Chive Blossom Aioli
Horseradish tarragon cream sauce
Roasted red pepper and balsamic butter 
Thai dipping sauce with ginger, garlic, miso and curry paste

White wine:
Tablas Creek Biodynamic Roussanne
J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling

Dessert: Gluten Free Buche de Noel

Buche de Noel
Almond pinecones
Chocolate pinecones
Meringue mushrooms
Dried cranberry 'berries'
Sugared rosemary branches
Sugar plum acorns with hazelnut caps

With all the leftover bits and pieces, I made Fire Cider.

The photo below is the table right before we ate with the sausages, cheese, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, and beef ready to be cooked.  In the center, on the lazy susan, are the sauces.  In the upper left is the dish with the potatoes.

We use specialty plates for this meal with wells for the different sauces.  You don't need these plates to serve or enjoy raclette, but they do make it easier to keep the sauces from running into each other. 

The drinking glasses are all to the left of the plates because most people use their right hands to manage their food on/in the grill.  Don't put the glasses too close to the grill - they'll get hot!

Christmas Dinner 2018 - Raclette

Here's a photo of my plate filled with food:

We always serve more food than we need because we love leftovers.  Here's how I use them:

The leftover vegetables go into salad (the sauces make great dressing)

Potato Raclette strata  (using rosemary instead of thyme) 

Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff, with steamed green beans on the side

Brussels sprouts with prosciutto and balsamic

Parsnips with pesto aioli 

Oven roasted sausage and potatoes 

RECIPE: Beef Ribeye and Onion Stroganoff

This recipe is from the cookbook, A Taste of Russia, by Darra Goldstein.  The original recipe calls for beef tenderloin but since that's rarely available in our farm store I've been using ribeye.  I've also eliminated the flour and replaced the beef bouillon with demiglace.  For vegetarians, I make this with mushrooms instead of beef .  I will also often add mushrooms to the beef version, although it's not authentic.

Beef Ribeye and Onion Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff made with Red Onions

Serves 4

• 2 ribeye steaks
• 4 T. ghee
• 2 large onions, yellow or red (I used red in the photos)
  
• 2 t. mustard (dry or Dijon)
• 1/2 c. veal or chicken demiglace
• 1/2 c. sour cream

Remove the bones from the steaks and slice the meat AGAINST THE GRAIN into pieces 2" long by 1/8"  thick.  The slices need to be thin or they'll be tough.

Peel and halve the onion, slice 1/4" thick, and halve the slices.

In a large saute pan, melt 2 T. ghee over med-high and saute half the onion until soft and the edges are dark brown.  Add the rest of the onions and saute until barely golden. Remove to a bowl.

Sauteed red onions

Melt the remaining 2 T ghee.  

Add the meat and saute on high for just a few minutes until it's med-rare.  Reduce heat to low and return the onions to the pan.

Stir the mustard into the sour cream.  Add the demiglace, and then add the mixture to the pan with the meat.

Raise the heat to medium and heat through but do not boil.


The recipe directs you to serve this with french fries but we normally serve it with a vegetable - peas, broccoli, or roasted cabbage fettuccine noodles.


 

RECIPE: Beef Fried Rice

I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables into our diet, something I struggle with in winter.  I developed this recipe to use up leftovers and it was really tasty...

Veggie-heavy Beef Fried Rice  

Serves 4

• 2 cups leftover cooked rice (I used basmati)
• 2 cups raw beef steak, sliced thin  (I used tenderloin, you can use flank/skirt steak or ribeye)
• 4 eggs, scrambled
• 2 large onions, diced 1/4"
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 c. green veggies (I used peas, you can use broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, bell peppers, etc...)
• 1/4 c. ghee, divided
• 2 T. water, divided
• 1 T. toasted sesame oil, divided
• 2 T. garlic coconut aminos
• 1 T. South River tamari (made without soy!), divided
• Opt: pinch baking soda for tougher cuts of meat
• Opt: red pepper flakes
• Himalayan pink salt

If you're using flank or skirt steak, please use these instructions for the proper way to cut it.

Mix beef with 1 T. water, 1 t. sesame oil, 1 T. aminos, and 1 t. tamari.  Add baking soda if you're using a tougher cut of meat - it will tenderize it.  Set aside while you chop the veggies.

In a small bowl mix remaining 1 T. water, 2 t. sesame oil, 1 T. aminos, and 2 t. tamari.  Set aside.

In a large saute pan, melt 1 T. ghee over high heat.  Add meat to pan and saute until 1/2 cooked, about 2 minute.  It should still be pink in the middle.  Remove to the bowl you marinated it in.

Reduce heat to med-high and melt another 1 T ghee.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Add carrots, green veggies, and optional hot pepper flakes and saute until they're crisp-tender.  Peas took about 5 minutes.

Push vegetables to the side of the pan, melt another 1 T. ghee in the center, and add the rice.   Saute, turning constantly, until warmed through.  Mix with the veggies and push everything to the sides of the pan.

Reduce heat to medium and melt the last 1 T. ghee in the center.  Add the eggs and let them sit until they coagulate into an omelet.  Stir to break the omelet into smaller pieces and then stir these into the rice mixture.

Add the reserved beef and the reserved sauce. Stir until the beef is heated through.  Adjust salt and serve.

I served it with Bok Choi Salad.