Spaghetti with Meatball, Says Minty

October 25, 2013 — 2 Comments

Minty uses her Jedi mind tricks to do many things like buy Cadbury Dairy Milk, dried sausage and choose what we eat for dinner. Well, technically, fettucini or linguine or very flat noodles with meatballs. No matter, you make, you boil, you eat with sauce and stuff, ’nuff said.

I didn’t think to write up Spag with Meatballs until I was well on my way. Mostly because I’m sick. I feel like resting as this old dog would do.

or sun bathing like this young barn cat.

Yet people need food and our kitchen needs to keep on keeping on.

Noodles ready. I made them with spelt. In French it’s called “épeautre.”

1 1/2 cups of spelt
two eggs

mix and knead. roll in a pasta roller

Sauce on. Very simple. For kids, I try to avoid too many notes.

1 small onion
a bit of garlic
tomato paste
big can of toms
duck fat
salt
pep

Balls frying.

Ground beef
salt
pepper
dash of allspice
duck fat

Start the sauce. Defrost the beef. Make the noodles. Boil the water.

When things magically converge on a meal, boil the noodles. You can warm your balls in a low oven.

Wet your noodles with a bit of sauce and plate. Scoop some sauce and on go the meaty balls. Top with some parm.

Minty loved her Spaghetti with Meatball. Zélie said, “NO!” “NO! PEGGY MEAT BALL!!” That’s how she rolls.

Bavette, Gets ’em Wet

October 22, 2013 — 6 Comments

A simple cut for a fry pan. I’ve sizzled up many a bavette and each time I wonder if maybe I could have finished up in a hot oven. Yet each time, after a quick hot fry, it comes out juicy and tasty.

This is before:

It’s a Bavette. 100% grass-fed beef bavette from our farm. In English, we call it a flank steak.

Hot pan a go-go. A minute or so on one side,

Then introduce the other with the hot heat and some gros sel.

The hot duck fat gets that beef to be yum with a few flips.

After a rest, some pepper and a pat of butter, dig in. I had no veg with this guy because I’m preparing Bambi.

Bambi is soaking. The kids had manchons de canard or Gascon Buffalo Wings as I like to call them.

Kevin fell victim to the black seat of nap.

Then we had cheese. The kind of cheese that needs pink Champagne to make it real. Though, lacking in pink bubbles, this bavette was big enough for the both of us and oh what cheese!

Chaource

Veal T-bone

October 20, 2013 — 1 Comment

We recently sold out our veal boxes. Thankfully, we managed to grab a t-bone to assess our quality. Every time we sell meat, the fry pan goes on and we sample to make sure the work put in for tasty meat is going along smoothly. Tasting a veal t-bone is a perk of farming grass-fed beef.

In France, it’s called a “cotes/filet a griller.”
In any language, it looks delicious.

I fried in a fat that can take heat. Grass-fed tallow was ready to go.

After a gros sel, in to the hot pan for a right browning.

Then a flip. And another flip and another flip. I don’t eat veal rare, but I suppose you can.

Onions, shallots and garlic are ready to mop up the fond.

As the t-bone is resting, butter goes in for a meltdown.

The OSG absorb the butter as they mail-it-in as sauce. I think I added a dash of water, but wine or stock would seal the deal.

As we tasted, we had our best friend to the left of us.

Kitty to the right. Stuck in the middle with veal. A great lunch. It came out nice, this.

Hot Chocolate for Late Night

October 17, 2013 — 3 Comments

We live in the heart of Gascony. This means duck, wine, beef!, floc and Armagnac. I love Armagnac. These farmhouses get cold in the winter and nothing warms your body like a hot, hot chocolate with a splash of Armagnac. It’s a bit chilly now, but not that bad. Though we like to practice and prepare our winter habits in advance especially after a long day and especially when Die Hard 2 is up for viewing.

Cacao Powder, 3 soup spoons
Suger, five soup spoons then taste
Milk, 1 litre
Cream, 1 cup
Armagnac, shot per cup or less

We have a big jug of Armagnac. I pour it into something that will pour it into something smaller as to not lose any along the way with silly overpours. The cup on the right is for the cook. I have my Gascon Hot Chocolate neat, hold the chocolate.

But for the boys, it’s nice to sip some sweet after a day of work on the farm.

Milk and cream heat up in the pan. Add the sugar. Add the cacao powder.

Whisky whisky.

Check out the browny-ness. Does it look inviting? No? Add a dash more chocolate powder magic. And maybe some sugar.

Pour some Armagnac in a mug. Add the hot choc. You can also not add the Armagnac and be equally warmed.

Sit back, enjoy the action man movie and warm up. If you get the Strawberry Shortcake mug, don’t panic.

Naked Tomatoes

October 9, 2013 — 1 Comment

A customer of ours generously gave us some lovely tomatoes. Gorgeous things with amazing colors and shapes. I cut them up and stuck them on a plate. I could have stopped there. My basil was whining so I chopped some up and added a bit of salt, pepper and vinegar from down the road. A bit of a coldy chill in the fridge and this should be a nice treat with the lettuce they brought over.

Meatballs For The Pub

October 7, 2013 — 3 Comments

If you’re at the pub and someone shows up with hot meatballs, a rush of happiness fills the air. I love to make meatballs. Pair that with the Irish pub in Jegun to watch a lovely evening unfold. It’s so easy and straightforward. These babies are technically “Swedish Meatballs.” Though, after chatting to the two Swedish people I know, I’m guessing there is room for some artistic Swedish creativity when it comes to making balls out of meat.

When the balls were ready, they looked like this. I then rushed over to the pub for a giggle and some night life.

It is very simple. You need:

Mince or ground beef for the American crew ( I hear those crazy kids at Grasspunk do some mean mince )
Allspice
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Cream
Beef broth
Dash of flour

No chopping required. Put some mince into a big bowl.

You could ball them up like so, but first, add some spice.