April CSA Share

April brings warm weather, wild turkeys and roasts that are perfect for a family-style Sunday dinner.

Half Share:
2.5# Choice of Boneless Roast (Pork Shoulder, Veal Rump, Veal Shoulder or Beef Rump)
1# Pork Sausage (Polish or Andouille) and/or Mutton Stew Meat
1.5# Beef Porterhouse/T-Bone Steak
Bonus: Lamb Soup Bones, Suet or Organ Meats

Whole Share:
2.5# Choice of Boneless Roast
1# Pork Sausage
1# Mutton Stew Meat
1.5# Beef Porterhouse/T-Bone Steak
1# Goat Loin Chops
1# Pork Tenderloin
1# Boneless Veal Neck Filets (Stew Meat)
1# Beef NY Strip Steak or Veal Scallops
Bonus: Lamb Soup Bones, Suet or Organ Meats

Besides making the perfect roast, perfecting and utilizing a nourishing broth/stock in one's cooking will greatly enhance any dish that you put on your table. Here is our favorite version of lamb stock. A basic ingredient that I use in my mashed potatoes, rice dishes, soups/stews, and more. I hope that you give it a try and realize just how rich and deep in flavor your favorite dish can be!

Basic Lamb Stock

Adapted from the Nourishing Gourmet and French Onion Soups

Ingredients:

Makes 8-10 cups

1-2 lbs of Lamb Bones (may be raw or already cooked)

1-2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar (helps to draw out calcium from the bones)

2 Carrots, cut into thirds

2 Celery stalks, cut into thirds

1 Onion, peeled and quartered

1 Bay leaf (dried or fresh-crack the leaf a couple of times if fresh)

4 cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed

½ tsp dried Rosemary or 1 sprig of fresh

couple of dried Peppercorns (~1 Tbsp)

Salt, to taste (I use kosher salt)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425° F. Roast the bones, onions and carrots in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring them a couple of times. Be careful not to burn anything. You just want to brown the ingredients. (If the bones are already cooked, you can skip this part if you want.) Drain away the fat and then put the vegetables and bones in a large stockpot. (It will be helpful to put the bones on top of the vegetables- they will weigh down the vegetables making it easier to skim off fat as the stock cooks.) Add a little water to the roasting pan and deglaze the pan to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add these juices and the cider vinegar to the stockpot. Add just enough cold water to the stockpot to cover the bones. (Adding more water will only make the stock less concentrated in flavor.) Bring the stockpot to a simmer on the stove. (Don’t let it boil- it will turn cloudy and bitter.) Once it starts to simmer, skim off any foamy scum or fat that floats to the surface. Add the rest of the ingredients (celery, garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and peppercorns.) Season with salt and cover loosely. (Leave a steam vent.) Simmer stock for at least 4 hours over low heat. Skim off any fat that surfaces to prevent cloudiness. (Add more water to cover bones, if needed.) Strain out all solids with a cheesecloth lined mesh strainer. Adjust salt and other seasonings (pepper and rosemary-may add another touch of dried rosemary.) Let cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for a few months. I usually portion out my stock into 2 and 4 cup containers, since these are the quantities that I use the most.

For more information on how to make various stocks, their nutritional value and a little history lesson- check out the article Broth is Beautiful from Sally Fallon Morell, the founder of the Weston A Price Foundation.