Janine Farzin

Grass-fed brains for Empanadas con Sesos (Brain Empanadas)

August 7, 2019 By Janine Farzin 2 Comments

Brain empanadas with chile-herb-brain filling and a wedge of lime

Crispy fried dough gives way to tender brains, super flavorful with chile and herbs. Brain Empanadas are a great vehicle for getting this cholesterol-rich superfood into your family.

Brains are having a revival, but quality matters and it’s up to us to know our farmers, ask our butcher and chefs about their sourcing, and procure grass-fed meats and organs.

Yes, the USDA intends to regulate beef brains to ensure quality – but quality goes much deeper than USDA guidelines. Insist on feeding your family pastured meats. All of our ruminants should be grass-fed, grass-finished to respect the animal, benefit the land and improve our health….

Simple Raw Meatballs and a great food-based source of vitamin B6

June 27, 2019 By Janine Farzin Leave a Comment

How to be creative with simple raw meatballs

An idea like Raw Meatballs hardly deserves a recipe of its own. Yet, after May shared it with me, I thought it was so easy and sweet, I adopted it. And after I shared it with Claudia, she was eager to do the same. So why not share with you too? May’s gift to all of us! (Thank you, May!)

When I started this blog, I felt passionate about including raw meats. Like offal, they are underappreciated in our culture, yet nutrient-dense in special ways. Yet when I set up the menus for this site, I didn’t include them. I was uncertain about continuing to post them since I hardly make time for all the organ meat recipes….

Kidneys and Rice (or Kidney-Rice Casserole), when less is more

June 17, 2019 By Janine Farzin Leave a Comment

I’m posting this recipe in honor of doing more by doing less. Nourishing Traditions is all about comfort food and this recipe is adapted from Sally Fallon’s Kidney-Rice Casserole. But I can’t use ‘casserole’ in the title (as I mentioned here) – so I’m sticking with Kidneys and Rice.

As the spring thaw has come to Chicago, I was really missing my bike commute. Yet, biking almost always takes longer then driving and I’ve been feeling so busy. How could I find time? Yet, as always promised, ‘less is more‘ still holds true.

I’ve managed to get back on my bike. And find a recipe just long enough to allow me to immerse myself in cooking, which I always love….

Roast Stuffed Heart: would your kids ‘scream with horror?’

June 6, 2019 By Janine Farzin 3 Comments

Preparing Roast Stuffed Heart

Many children nowadays can happily watch bloodcurdling scenes on TV, yet would scream with horror if one of my favorite childhood dishes, roast stuffed heart, was put in the middle of the table for dinner! – Darina Allen

It’s certainly possible.

Mac and cheese, PB&J and chicken nuggets are found on menus far and wide in kiddie portions to appease children with familiarity. American kids have their own subculture of bland-colored, processed foods.

Although, I do wonder – could a plain hot dog count for organ meats?…

Chicken Gizzard Soup with Dill and using all the giblets

March 27, 2019 By Janine Farzin 6 Comments

Chicken Gizzard Soup

You know how when you get a chicken, it has all that stuff inside?

Or, wait… does it?

Well, imagine it does for just a moment. All of the giblets (save the liver) can go in the stockpot. The single liver can be sauteed for a single bite of toast. Or you can squirrel them all away to make a collection of each of them.

Of course you know what to do with the liver. And the hearts. But what about the gizzard?!

Even when the chicken is sold in parts, if all the organs are sold out, there is likely to be some gizzards leftover. They are also very likely to be the cheapest. So, where’s the love!?

Technically, the gizzard is the second stomach of the chicken, and along those lines – I say that it deserves as much love as tripe!

Chicken Gizzard Soup is a great way to make new friends with the last giblet holdout….

Sumac Brain Fritters (marinated in lime juice) to Celebrate Nowruz

March 20, 2019 By Janine Farzin Leave a Comment

Sumac Brain Fritters

Nowruz Mobarak! Happy Iranian New Year!

Today is the vernal equinox; the first day of the Iranian calendar (year 1398) and the first day of spring here at home.

After a warm introduction, the Iranian New Year has become one of my favorite holidays. The solar calendar resonates with me and I love any opportunity to bring many of my favorite Persian foods and spices to our table.

In anticipation, this week we spiced up our Monday night organ meat dinner with Sumac Brain Fritters!…

Pâté en Croûte with ground liver and pork in a brioche dough

March 14, 2019 By Janine Farzin 1 Comment

Pate en Croute served with mustard, cornichons and clementines

What if you could cook your meat in it’s own little oven?! In medieval times, meat was prepared with nuts and dried fruit, protected with a crust and placed directly into the hearth. Eventually, the dough was improved for consumption. And today, Pâté en Croûte is having a revival.

Thanks to McCullough at the Chicago Meat Collective for teaching me how to make this last October. It’s a bit of a labor of love, but I’ve been having so much fun with it! An intricate recipe leaves plenty of room for innovation. I’m eventually going to have to return her specialty hinged terrine pan though…

The specific details are all down below, but this week we’ll walk through an overview of the recipe itself. …

Tripe Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves) to honor Iran’s traditional foods

March 6, 2019 By Janine Farzin Leave a Comment

Tripe Dolmas (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Tripe Dolmas are inspired by an article in the Winter 2016 Wise Traditions Journal. Near and dear to my heart, it was called Iran’s Traditional Foods: A Heritage Worth Renewing. The article seemed consistent with what I’ve learned about Iran from my in-laws.

Soroush Niknamian describes traditional foods made with whole-food ingredients. These include fermented wheat and raw dairy products, hearty meat and vegetable soups and stews, and rice preparations described as an art form….

Kidneys in Butter-Mustard and Parsley Sauce à la Julia Child

February 27, 2019 By Janine Farzin 8 Comments

Julia Child's Kidneys cooked in Butter-Mustard Sauce

Once upon a time, a rat with an exceptional sense of smell determines he wants to cook. “Anyone can cook,” he is told.

He’s separated from his family and ends up as an assistant secretly cooking in one of the finest restaurants in Paris. After discovering he’s a rat, the rest of the kitchen staff quit and he’s forced to prepare a meal by himself for the leading food critic in France.

Reunited with his family, they join his trusted friends to help him prepare the eponymous dish, which is a smashing success.

“Anyone can cook.”…

The BLTA – Bacon, Lettuce, Tongue and Avocado – Sandwich

February 21, 2019 By Janine Farzin 3 Comments

The BLTA - bacon, lettuce, tongue and avocado - sandwich

I love a sweet, juicy, warm summer tomato, and I love a typical BLTA. But when snow is falling and the tomatoes at the store resemble pale, mealy baseballs – I just can’t be convinced to buy one.

I guess if you’ve never had a ripe tomato and you don’t know the difference, it’s understandable. Yet, once you start eating seasonally, it’s hard to go back.

In the meantime, I happened to have a poached and peeled tongue in my fridge. Fortunately, the new and improved BLTA – bacon, lettuce, tongue and avocado – is still a crowd-pleaser….

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