The Ancestral Table: Traditional Recipes for a Paleo Lifestyle (6 page)

SALTS

Sea salt is harvested from evaporated seawater and contains trace minerals; I used fine sea salt in developing these recipes, which has an equal saltiness and texture to table salt. I also used Morton’s kosher salt when writing this book; if you use the other leading brand, Diamond Crystal, you’ll need about one-third more salt, because it is significantly less salty than Morton’s.

Tools

DUTCH OR FRENCH OVEN

Easily the most-used pot in my kitchen, a 5-quart Dutch (or French) oven is worth its weight in gold. It can be used to brown, braise, and simmer dishes with an even heat distribution, and it works like a charm in the oven.

STAINLESS-STEEL SKILLET

I often use a 10" to 14" stainless-steel skillet when I don’t need the tall sides of a Dutch oven. Stainless-steel skillets work especially well for oven-roasting meats because you can make a gravy directly in the pan with the drippings that accumulate.

CAST-IRON SKILLET

Another essential, a 10" to 12" cast-iron skillet is superior for frying and roasting at high temperatures.

LARGE STOCKPOT

Perfect for boiling, simmering, and steaming. With the amount of broths my family makes, our 8-quart stockpot always seems to be on the stove.

RIMMED BAKING SHEET WITH WIRE RACK

Called a half sheet in the culinary world, this versatile 13” x 8” sheet can be used to roast any number of dishes, and an accompanying 12” x 7” rack enables you to keep ingredients dry.

BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR

A blender or food processor is necessary to create appealing sauces and mixes and can save you time in the kitchen so you can be outdoors with your family instead. In addition to a stand-alone blender or food processor, an immersion blender is an inexpensive but useful tool for blending soups and sauces in large amounts without having to transfer them to another container.

STRAINER AND CHEESECLOTH

Paired with a blender, a strainer (with or without cheesecloth) can create velvety sauces and clear broths and will make your dishes much more appealing to the eye.

SHARP KNIFE

A sharp knife seriously lessens the drudgery of cutting. I prefer a 10" Santoku or chef’s knife. Be sure to get an appropriate sharpener to keep your knife in good condition.

QUICK-READ THERMOMETER

Essential for knowing when meats and oils reach the desired temperature.

CHIMNEY STARTER

Worth its weight in gold if you use a charcoal grill, a chimney starter quickly and effortlessly lights and warms charcoal without lighter fluid.

Cooking Techniques

BLANCH

To submerge a food in boiling water for a short time (often 30 seconds or less) to cook it slightly but retain its shape, color, and/or texture. Also referred to as parboiling.

BLEND

To grind into a smooth paste or liquid using a blender or food processor on a high setting. Blending produces smoother results than processing.

BRAISE

To simmer, generally covered, in a liquid over low heat.

COMBINE

To mix ingredients together, generally gently so as to not disturb the foods. When applicable, I combine ingredients with my hands.

CHOP, DICE, AND MINCE

Chopping is the most coarse cutting technique, resulting in large, uneven chunks. Dicing produces small, even pieces about 1/4" in size. Mincing involves chopping an ingredient as finely as possible. Think of it this way: in a salad you could use chopped lettuce, diced eggs and tomatoes, and minced ham.

DEGLAZE

To add liquid (usually broth or wine) to a pan that has browned chunks stuck to it and simmer the liquid while scraping up and whisking the chunks (called sucs) into the liquid to form a flavorful sauce.

FOLD

To combine a light ingredient with a heavier ingredient while retaining as much air as possible. To fold, add the light ingredient to the heavier one and cut through the mixture with the edge of a spatula, moving in a figure-eight motion and rotating the bowl as you go. When the spatula gets to the side of the bowl, scrape the side to incorporate the lighter ingredient into the mixture. This technique is hard to describe with words—your best bet is to watch a couple online videos of this technique in action.

JULIENNE

To cut ingredients into long, thin, matchstick-shaped sticks.

PROCESS

To grind into a somewhat chunky paste or liquid using a blender or food processor on a lower or pulse setting.

REDUCE

To simmer a liquid on medium or higher heat to evaporate some of the water content and deepen the flavor.

SAUTÉ

To cook dry ingredients on medium or high heat with some oil or fat to keep the ingredients from sticking to the pan.

SIMMER

To heat a liquid on medium or low heat so that it bubbles but does not boil.

SWEAT

To gently sauté vegetables (usually onions or other aromatics) on lower heat to evaporate the liquid and lessen any sharp or astringent flavors.

Grilling and Smoking Basics

CHARCOAL FUEL AND GRILLING TEMPERATURES

Charcoal grills use two main types of fuel: hardwood charcoal and briquettes. Hardwood charcoal creates a hot and fast-burning fire; briquettes are generally cooler and last longer. To put it more simply, hardwood makes for great steaks, and briquettes are good for barbecue. The easiest way to start a charcoal fire is to employ a chimney starter, which usually uses a little newspaper to start the fire in lieu of lighter fluid.

The thermometers found on the lids of grills are generally inaccurate. Buying a remote grill thermometer can take the guesswork out of grilling. If you don’t have a grill thermometer, an easy way to gauge grill temperature is to see how long you can comfortably hold your hand above the fire, about 5" from the cooking grates: hot = 2 seconds, medium-hot = 3 to 4 seconds, medium = 5 to 6 seconds, and medium-low = 7 seconds.

DIRECT GRILLING

Direct grilling is cooking foods directly over the heat, creating a delicious crust caused by the Maillard reaction (also known as the browning reaction). Direct grilling is the easiest cooking method but can burn the outside of the food before it is done on the inside. It is best combined with indirect grilling for foods that require extended cooking times.

INDIRECT GRILLING

Indirect grilling occurs when you limit the heat to one side of the grill and keep the other side cool, placing your food on the cool side of the grill. With a charcoal grill, this is done by banking the coals on one side, often with a large aluminum pan under the cool side of the grill to catch drippings and prevent the coals from sliding under the meat. With a gas grill, it’s done by turning off some of the burners; you’ll need to experiment with your gas grill to find how many burners to turn off in order to get the temperatures you want. Indirect grilling enables you to cook foods on the grill without burning them or causing flare-ups from dripping fat. It is often combined with short amounts of direct grilling to create a delicious crust and a fully cooked inside.

INDIRECT SMOKING

Indirect smoking is similar to indirect grilling, but with wood chunks and wood chips placed over the fire. With a gas grill, fill two smoker boxes or small aluminum pans with wood chips and wood chunks, as shown in the illustration on
see here
. Add about 1/2" water to the wood chips. Place the smoker boxes on the side of the grill that will be hot and a large aluminum pan on the side of the grill that will be cool. As the wood chunks burn and smoke, the water in the wood chips will evaporate and eventually burn and smoke, but usually after the wood chunks have burnt out. This will enable you to smoke meats for an extended period without having to add wood. When smoking with a charcoal grill, you can add wood chunks directly to the charcoal, adding more as they burn out. Bear in mind that meats do not need to be smoked the entire time; an hour or two in a smoky environment is generally sufficient.

Hickory is an excellent all-purpose smoking wood that works well with both pork and beef. Fruit woods like apple and cherry are milder, sweeter, and ideal for both pork and poultry.