Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors (19 page)

from the garden

This meal is a very versatile vegetable-based dish. Along with being served as a traditional rice and beans dish, the rice may be stirred into the finished beans and used as a filling for bean tacos. To serve, simply warm sprouted tortillas in the oven and provide fixings such as lettuce, avocado, mango, jicama, and sliced red peppers.

1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil

1 cup (160 g) small diced red onion

1
1
/
2
cups (225 g) small diced yellow pepper (about 1 large)

1
/
4
cup (36 g) seeded and minced jalapeño (about 3 large)

1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic

1 tablespoon (6 g) minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

5 cups (860 g) cooked black beans (
page 52
)

1 can (13
1
/
2
ounces, or 378 ml) whole coconut milk

2
1
/
2
teaspoons (15 g) sea salt

1 teaspoon raw honey

1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice

3 cups (495 g) cooked long-grain brown rice (
page 54
), warmed

1 mango, peeled and sliced, for garnish

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced, for garnish

In a large-size saucepan with tall sides over medium heat, melt the coconut oil until glistening. Add the onion and yellow pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the jalapeño, garlic, ginger, coriander, and cayenne. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

Add the beans and coconut milk, stirring to combine, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, while the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the sea salt, honey, and lime juice. Serve warm over brown rice with mango and avocado for garnish.

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

RECIPE NOTE

To mince ginger, use the side of a spoon or a paring knife to peel or cut away the skin of the gingerroot. Then, using a sharp knife, very finely chop the ginger. A microplane zester also works very well for this purpose.

The bone broth in this dish turns a versatile sauce into one that is also very health supportive. Use with any recipe calling for marinara or try it in our Mushroom Marinara over Roasted Spaghetti Squash (
page 122
). It’s also the perfect recipe to make using homemade jarred tomatoes from last summer’s garden, if you have them! Otherwise, look for tomatoes packaged in glass. If you can only find canned, try to find a company that is careful about eliminating BPA (Bisphenol A), an endocrine-disrupting chemical, from the linings of their cans (
page 217
).

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1
1
/
2
cups (240 g) diced yellow onion

1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic

2 tablespoons (6 g) Italian seasoning

1
/
2
teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

1
1
/
2
teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

1 cup (235 ml) homemade chicken stock (
page 82
)

1 jar or can (28 ounces, or 784 g) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

1 jar or can (28 ounces, or 784 g) tomato purée

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons (10 ml) apple cider vinegar

In a large-size pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.

Add the Italian seasoning, fennel, sea salt, and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute, while stirring constantly, to release the flavor of the dried spices. Add the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato purée, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 50 minutes. Adjust the heat to maintain a rolling simmer, stirring occasionally.

YIELD: 8 CUPS (1960 G)

RECIPE NOTES

• To crush fennel seeds, use a mortar and pestle or roughly chop using a knife on a clean cutting board.

• Homemade Italian seasoning is easy to make! Simply combine 1 tablespoon (3 g) oregano, 1 tablespoon (2 g) marjoram, 2 teaspoons (2 g) thyme, 2 teaspoons (1.5 g) basil, 1 teaspoon (1.2 g) rosemary, and 1 teaspoon (1 g) sage.

The paleo diet, which has many crossovers to a traditional foods diet, has popularized using spaghetti squash in place of pasta for a range of comfort dishes, and for good reason. Variations on this dish are made at least twice a month in my house, and I’m always left feeling full without feeling heavy.

FOR SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

2
1
/
2
pounds (1135 g) spaghetti squash

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1
/
2
teaspoon sea salt

1
/
2
teaspoon freshly cracked pepper

FOR MARINARA:

2 tablespoons (36 g) sea salt

2 cups (140 g) bite-size broccoli florets

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 cup (160 g) diced red onion

1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic

1 pound (454 g) cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon (4 g) chopped fresh oregano

1
1
/
2
teaspoons (9 g) sea salt

1
/
2
teaspoon pepper

3 cups (735 g) Bone Broth Marinara (
page 121
)

1
/
2
cup (50 g) pitted kalamata olives

1
/
2
cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese, optional, for garnish

TO MAKE THE SPAGHETTI SQUASH: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Wash the squash and cut lengthwise from root to stem. Scoop out the seeds, stopping before the flesh of the squash, which will be stringy.

In a roasting pan with a rack, place the squash cut-side down on the rack. Pour approximately 4 cups (940 ml) water into the bottom of the pan to reach a
1
/
2
-inch (1.3 cm) depth.

Carefully place the pan into the hot oven and bake for 1 hour, or until a fork pierces through the skin and the flesh with slight resistance and an indentation remains when pressed, though the squash should not be mushy. Remove from the oven and, using a fork or tongs, place the spaghetti squash cut-side up on a cutting board. Into each cavity, place 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter and sprinkle each with
1
/
4
teaspoon sea salt and
1
/
4
teaspoon pepper. Allow the squash to cool for 5 minutes and melt the butter. Using a fork, shred the squash into a large-size serving bowl and set aside. The “noodles” will be al dente.

TO MAKE THE MARINARA: In a medium-size pot over high heat, bring 10 cups (2350 ml) water and the sea salt to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and blanch for 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the florets out of the boiling water and into a mesh strainer. Run under cold water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking process. Strain well and set aside.

In a large-size sauté pan with tall sides over medium heat, melt the butter until foaming. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened and the water released from the mushrooms has evaporated.

Add the oregano, sea salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then add marinara and olives and stir again. Continue to cook until heated through.

Gently pour the marinara over the top of the spaghetti squash. Garnish with the broccoli florets and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

RECIPE NOTE

To prepare mushrooms, wipe with a damp cloth or paper towel. Trim the very bottom of the stem and slice vertically down through both the stem and the cap.

This meal (pictured on
page 66
) is an interactive, build-your-own dinner that has always been a staple in our house. It’s so easy and fun! Simply make a batch of perfect baked potatoes, whip up the cheese sauce, and select as many toppings as you’d like from our lists below. Set everything out, and let your family create! My mom remembers hoping as a little girl to be given the extra skin from my Gramma’s baked potato. I plainly see a miniature version of my mom with big ol’ eyes of anticipation as she watched Gram scoop out the steaming pulp and slide a chunk of real butter into that perfect vegetable cup.

FOR POTATOES:

4 large russet potatoes (or variety of choice)

4 teaspoons melted lard (
page 23
) or melted ghee (
page 22
)

Sea salt of choice: lemon pepper, garlic, or regular

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 recipe Foolproof Cheese Sauce (
page 46
)

MEAT OPTIONS:

Cook-Off Chili with Roasted Corn (
page 100
)

Bacon

Sausage

Pancetta

RAW VEGETABLE OPTIONS:

Fresh corn cut from the cob

Diced onion

Sliced scallion

Diced avocado

To make the potatoes: Several hours before dinner preparation, scrub the potatoes and set aside to thoroughly dry. If in a hurry, take care to thoroughly pat the potatoes dry after washing, or let the potatoes spend a minute or two in the preheating oven to hurry this process. You just want to start the preparation with a potato whose skin is clean and dry. Use a paring knife to cut any bad spots from the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6). Have ready an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20 cm) or 7 x 11-inch (17.8 x 28 cm) glass baking dish. Use clean fingers to coat the skin of each potato with lard or ghee, liberally covering any exposed potato flesh. Set in the baking dish and liberally sprinkle with the sea salt and pepper.

Bake the potatoes for 1 hour. Test with a paring knife; it should slide into the center of the potato with ease after piercing the skin. If not fully baked, continue baking in 15-minute increments until done.

To serve, split the potatoes lengthwise, then top with a scoop of cheese sauce and the desired toppings.

The New Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole