KOOKOOLAN FARMS
Grass-fed poultry is firmer and leaner than battery-raised poultry. For best flavor and texture, turn down the heat and cook covered.
1. “Farmer CZ” likes to brine her chickens first by combining 3 Tbsp salt with ½ gallon of water, and aromatics such as a drop of lavender oil, lemon oil, herbs, and/or fresh black pepper, and 1 to 4 Tbsp of an acid such as vinegar or wine. In a bowl or ZiplockTM bag, cover the chicken and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
2. Pat the chicken dry, rub the inside with salt and pepper. Stuff if desired.
3. Place chicken in a covered roasting pan, or soaked clay pot, or cover your pan with foil.
4. Bake, covered, at 325°F. A 4-lb chicken takes about 90 minutes; 5- to 6-pound chickens can take 2 hours. When thermometer inserted between thigh and body reads 180°F or juices run clear, the chicken is thoroughly cooked. For crisp, golden skin, remove the cover, brush the chicken with oil or butter, increase the temperature to 400°F and bake or broil for ten additional minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to rest 5-10 min. before cutting.
Rabbit the Brussels Way (Rabbit in Cherry Beer Stew)
Ingredients
* 1 cleaned and cut 3lbs domesticated rabbit (or rabbit legs or rabbit stew meat, preferably with head and liver).
* 2 onions, chopped
* 2 carrots (cut lengthwise)
* 2 stalks of celery (cut lengthwise)
* 1 cup of all purpose flour
* about 1 stick of lard or butter
* 4 cups of Kriek Lambic (Belgian cherry beer)
* 1 1/2 - 2 cups broth (I usually use wild game broth, beef broth works ok too)
* 1/4 cup gin (I usually take Bombay Sapphire because it also tastes great in a dry martini consumed while cooking)
* 1 bouquet garni (thyme, parsley stalks, bay leaves tied together)
* 1/8 cup raspberry vinegar (optional or use balsamic vinegar)
* 1 tbspoon red currant jam (optional or use concentrated red currant syrup)
* 1 lbs of sour cherries (fresh or drained jars on syrup and keep the syrup for dessert). Sour cherries can be found in middle eastern ethnic groceries.
* 1 cinnamon stick
Preparation:
A/ Broth: Reduce the broth to about 1 cup (along with the head of the rabbit if you have it). Keep aside. If you use commercially available stock cubes or home made stock: just make 1 cup of the stuff to just under the normal strength.
B/ Rabbit: Roll the rabbit cuts in flour. Melt the lard in a casserole. Brown the meat well on all sides together with the onions. Add the carrots and celery. Dust with 2-3 tbspoons of flour and add 1/2 the beer (2cups), the broth and the bouquet garni (as well as the head and liver of the rabbit). Scrape the bottom of the casserole well and season to taste with pepper and salt. Bring it to a light simmer and leave it simmering gently about 1-1/2 to 2 hrs.
C/ Cherries: When using fresh cherries: de-seed the cherries. Bring the remaining beer (2cups) to a boil along with the cinnamon, 1 tbspoon of sugar, vinegar and jam. Allow the liquid to reduce by about 1/4. Add the cherries and simmer under a lid until the cherries are done (10 mins or so). Remove the cinnamon stick and add sugar to taste.
If you're using jarred cherries: add 2 tbspoons of the cherry syrup to the liquid and reduce the liquid by 1/4. Take away from the fire and add the drained cherries. Add sugar to taste. Under a lid, allow the cherries to soak in the liquid until the rabbit is ready.
D/ Completing: When the rabbit is done, remove the head of the rabbit, the liver, carrots, celery and bouquet garni. Add the cherries with their liquid. Adjust seasoning with pepper, salt and sugar to taste. You can also thicken the sauce a bit more with some instant sauce binder if/when desired.
Serve with sautéed, parsleyed new potatoes or a good European-style bread and have a nice beer alongside (preferably Belgian kriek or geuze beer).
Culinary Artistry’s Cream Biscuits For Shortcakes
Makes 12
3 c all -purpose flour
1 t salt
1 T baking powder
2 t sugar
1 - 1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/3 c melted butter
extra sugar for dipping top of scones
Stir dry ingredients (first 4 ingredients) in a bowl with a whisk. Add cream and mix with wooden spoon, just until dough comes together. Pat dough into a disk, about 1 1/2 – 2 inches thick and cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, or the open end of a glass. Place on lined cookie sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, or until golden and fluffy. These really are best eaten the day they are made.
Braised Chicken with Egg and Lemon Sauce
Adapted from Marcella Hazen’s recipe from the
from Kookoolan Farms customer Robinette Harman
One 3 to 4 pound chicken cut up, or just legs, thighs and wings from larger bird
Olive oil and butter
1 cup chopped onion, 2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup homemade meat stock, or ½ cup beef broth and ½ cup water
½ cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
2 egg yolks, room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1.) Remove skin from legs and thighs, trim skin on breasts. Crispy chicken skin is a treat but in braised dishes it just adds calories.
2.) Salt and pepper the pieces and brown in 2 T olive oil in a skillet large enough to hold all the chicken. It will shrink a bit when browned, so you may need to brown in batches. Remove each piece to a plate when browned – try to not overcook breast pieces.
3.) Saute the onion over low-med heat in the pan with 2 T butter (add 1 T olive oil if too dry) until softened, add garlic for last minute – do not brown onions or garlic.
4.) Add wine and reduce for 1-2 minutes, then add broth and chicken. Turn chicken to coat in broth.
5.) Add a bit more salt and pepper and cook covered at a low-med simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until tender. The breast will cook more quickly, so you may pull them out when tender and add back in at the end. Marcella’s recipe cooks all the liquid off, but I greatly prefer to have at least a cup of the delicious sauce to pour over the chicken. When done remove pan from heat.
6.) Beat 2 egg yolks in a bowl with the lemon juice. Slowly pour the egg-lemon sauce over the chicken and quickly turn the hot chicken in the sauce. The egg-lemon sauce will thicken and cook in the heat from the bird, making a lovely satiny coating.
7.) Place chicken on a platter, pour a bit of sauce over and scatter with parley and serve. Makes 4 servings if whole bird
Coniglio Ripieno (Stuffed Rabbit, Italian Style)
1 boned rabbit Buy the rabbit already boned.
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Italian "porchetta", sliced, or unsmoked bacon
4 eggs
4 teaspoons dried thyme
2 sage leaves
A sprig of rosemary
6 little young onions
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
300 ml (10 fl oz - 1 1/4 cups) beer, if you prefer baking
Kitchen string
Medium difficulty
Prepare 2 omelettes with the eggs, the little young onions, finely sliced and salt. Let them cool.
Wash and chop finely sage and rosemary.
Salt the inner surface of the rabbit and sprinkle with the dried and fresh herbs; then arrange the slices of porchetta (or bacon) and the omelettes.
Roll as neatly as possible and tie with the kitchen spring. The rabbit is ready for cooking in a saucepan or in the oven.
Option 1: In the roasting tin: brown the stuffed rabbit in the olive oil (about 10 tablespoons), turning it over so that it colours evenly on all sides, douse with a glass of wine and let it evaporate. Add a glass of warm water and keep on cooking, half-covered, on a low flame adding other warm water if necessary. When the meat is tender, reduce the cooking juice.
Option 2: In the oven: put the stuffed rabbit in a baking tin with 4 - 6 tablespoons olive oil and beer. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for about an hour or until meat is tender dousing the meat with the cooking juice frequently.
Wine suggestion: Cirò Rosa (a rosé wine from Italy)
This is the recipe I used for the rabbit we bought from you awhile back. It was delicious. I think the only thing I’d add would be fresh mushrooms, in season. We served this with wild rice and a fresh salad from
2 ½ pounds of rabbit (up to 3#), cut up
Place cut-up rabbit in flat refrigerator container. In bowl, combine remaining ingredients; pour over rabbit. Marinate overnight in refrigerator. Place marinated rabbit in crock pot. Add 1 ½ cups marinade, cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove meat to warm platter. Thicken gravy, if desired. Serves 4.
Here is an easy step by step way to successfully prepare confit of duck with ideas for variations. Ingredients
Curing
Roasted Wild Goose (or duck, or teal, or other waterfowl)
From Kookoolan Farms customer and neighbor, Ursula Bessler
Wild waterfowl can easily start tasting oily, so it should be prepared fresh. Take out the fat gland in the back or cut off the tail. An optional additional step is to skin the goose and then to dip it into hot water to remove the rest of the fat. Marinade for 2-3 days.
Marinade: 1 clove, 4 crushed juniper berries, 1/2 teaspoon crushed peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 1 twig thyme, 1 onion cut into slices, chopped parsley, 2 parts red wine, 1 part vinegar, 1 part water, or red wine only. The meat should be completely covered by the marinade. The best way is to marinade the meat in a freezer bag, and put the bag into a container, that way you won't
need so much liquid. Put the container in a cold place and turn daily.
Cooking:
Place inside the goose: 1 apple, 1 onion, both quartered; some sprigs of parsley, thyme, sage, 1 bayleaf. Put the goose on a rack into a roasting pan, breast down. Pour hot broth
(about 1 inch) into the pan. Then cook the goose in a pre-heated 400 F oven for 30 minutes. Then turn oven down to 350F, turn goose breast side up and cover top with sliced bacon. (The smoked bacon-flavor goes well with the flavor of wild game). Then roast about 20 to 30 minutes per pound. It is important to pour broth over the goose often, but carefully without dislodging the bacon. The inside temperature should be 180 F. Do not roast too long, as the meat will get dry and will lose its flavor.
When the goose is done, turn off oven and let goose rest in the oven for 15 minutes.
If you use wine only, or if your marinade does not taste too vinegary, you can use part of it with chicken broth to baste the goose and for gravy.
Guten Appetit!
This was originally a recipe for game hens, so the overnight marinade works great with the firmer texture and meatier flavor outdoor-raised poultry and gourmet game birds. The Moroccan spices are great for summer barbeques.
This is a grill dinner your family and guests will talk about for years. The combination of herbs, spices, and peanut oil really brings out the bird’s natural flavors. Free-range or wild poultry will stand up to the long marinade far better than confinement-raised birds. Works great with chicken, pheasant, guinea hens, Cornish game hens, or squabs. For wilder-raised birds, which tend to be much leaner than confinement-raised birds, turn down the temperature of your grill to medium or medium-high, and cook a little more slowly, in order to avoid drying them out. Their leaner flesh tends toward toughness when cooked at higher temperatures.
Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place poultry in a large ziplock bag, pour in the marinade, press out the air and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Place birds on the grill, breast side down, and discard the unused marinade. Cook the poultry for 20 minutes, then turn and grill for an additional 30, or until juices run clear or internal temperature of the thigh reads between 175-180. Remove from grill, allow to rest for a few minutes and serve.
SERVING:
For a great middle-eastern-themed, outdoor BBQ dinner party, grill pita bread as well, and serve with hummus, baba ghanoush eggplant spread, yogurt-mint sauce, a salad of fresh cucumbers, parsley, and tomatoes, and rice. Follow with a dessert of Baklava, sugared almonds, and Turkish coffee for a truly memorable evening.
Rabbit and Lemon Tagine
Ingredients :
1 rabbit, jointed
1 lemon
4 onions
4 cloves garlic
2 oz butter
Salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 stick cinnamon
2g saffron (in stamens, not powdered)
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch coriander
Chicken stock
Recipe :
Peel and chop onions, crush garlic and chop herbs.
Melt butter in a large pan, brown meat.
Add onions once rabbit is golden.
Cook for a few more minutes, then remove liver from heat.
Add ginger, cumin, cinnamon, saffron and crushed garlic, then stir in 300ml stock.
Season.
Mix ingredients well, then leave to cook for 30 minutes.
Add up to 1 cup more stock if necessary during cooking, to keep meat moist.
Add juice of half a lemon, parsley and coriander.
Chop and add liver, leave to cook for a further 10 minutes.
Make couscous:
Weigh out, then cover with boiling water or stock. Cover bowl and leave couscous to absorb water, until light and fluffy. Melt in a knob of butter to taste.
Serve couscous and meat together.
Advice :
This is a tasty dish, full of nutrients:
Rich in iron and potassium, rabbit meat also contains trace elements and minerals, essential for a healthy, balanced diet.
With more proteins than most meats, rabbit is especially good for children and teenagers.
Rabbit meat is also rich in vitamines B, PP, and E, which makes it great for anyone who does a lot of sport, or who wants to build muscle. Protein is also good for the nervous system and protects cells from ageing.
Lean and tender, rabbit meat is very easily digested.
Recommended wines:
- Bordeau: St Emilion
- Burgandy: Maçon, Saumur Champigny
-
Sauteed MushrOOMs and Wild Vegetables
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Chicken fat (or butter).
Small bunch of wild leeks or green onions
1 lb mixed wild/gourmet mushrooms
½ lb fiddlehead ferns, seabeans, and braising greens
2 TBSP demiglace
¼ cup sherry wine.
¼ cup chevre cheese (or heavy cream).
1 tsp dried thyme
black pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan, melt a little chicken fat (or butter). Saute leeks and mixed mushrooms. If desired you can include some leftover lamb or chicken or some ground beef. After about 3 minutes, add the rest of the vegetables.
After about 5-6 minutes, when vegetables have softened and are slightly brown, and any raw meat has cooked through, add 2 TBSP chicken demiglace and ¼ cup sherry wine.
After about 1-2 minutes, when the sauce has thickened, add ¼ cup chevre cheese (or heavy cream).
Season with thyme and black pepper, and then serve the whole thing over polenta or pasta or couscous.
Pairing:
Choose a beverage with a rich strong taste and high in acid, such as a chardonnay or a big red wine or a Belgian beer, or with kombucha tea for a non-alcoholic choice.
Pasta in Brodo con Fegatini e Piselli
This recipe is provided by Anthony Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm: From Italian Cooking, by Elizabeth David.
I first came across this minestra in
The quantities for two people are a pint of chicken broth, 4 or 5 chicken livers, 6-8 oz. of shelled green peas, about 1-1/2 oz. fine pasta (it should be home-made, in short strips about the thickness of a match, but ready made pasta will do), Parmesan cheese, and a little butter.
If using ready-made pasta, first cook it for 5 minutes, with the green peas, in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain it, and then heat the broth to boiling point and put in the pasta and peas, which should be young and very fresh, so they will be cooked at the same time as the pasta. Clean and chop the chicken livers, not too small. Heat them through in the butter, and add them to the pasta and broth, with their butter. Add some grated Parmesan cheese when the broth is ready to serve."
The recipe is provided verbatim. Please note that the British Imperial pint is bigger than the
In Greek: ??????? µe ?sp?? s??tsα, pronounced kou-NEH-lee meh AHS-pree SAHLT-sah
This dish require three-hour marinating of the rabbit before cooking. The tastes in this dish are remarkable, and since most of us don't cook rabbit on a daily basis, this is an excellent recipe that shows off the best of all tastes: rabbit, white wine, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Place the rabbit pieces in a pan and marinate in enough vinegar to cover half-way. Soak on one side for 1 hour 30 minutes, then turn and soak on the other side for 1 hour 30 minutes. Total time: 3 hours.
In a large skillet, sauté the marinated rabbit in hot oil until well-browned.
Add the garlic, and when lightly browned, pour in the white wine.
Transfer everything from the frying pan (including oil) to a stew pot with a tight-fitting lid, and heat to a boil Stir in salt, pepper, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir in water slowly, trying not to break the boil. Cover tightly and simmer (lowest heat to maintain a very light boil) for 1 hour. 10 minutes before cooking is done, add the lemon juice and shake the pot gently to distribute.
When cooking time is up, turn off the heat and leave the pot on the stove for 10-15 minutes.
Yield: serves 4
Note: Do not uncover the pot during cooking, until time to add the lemon juice. Then cover again tightly.
Serve Rabbit in Wine & Garlic Sauce with fried potatoes.
