Actually cooking organ meats week after week
Everyone loves pie! Blueberry pie. Pizza pie. Steak and kidney pie. Chicken pot pie! It’s not as ‘boring’ as some of the other foods in our home. My daughter gets to bake, again. Meanwhile, I strongly believe we must continue to minimize the ‘displacing foods of modern commerce.’ Offally Creamy and Delicious Chicken Pot Pie is a hearty and nourishing meal to please all of us….
Thai Chicken with Basil (and Organs!) was inspired by a recent discovery of a chicken and organ blend from Force of Nature. Any ground meat dish deserves to have some organs added. It’s a way to boost nutrient-density in our favorite meals. It’s easy to do by hand, but once I discovered these blends, I’ve incorporated them into many of our meals….
Chicken Livers with Peaches and Sour Cream is a celebration! It’s a meal to celebrate and nourish this physical body that carries me through my days. We only get one body in our time here and it’s up to us to take care. To create habits that will compound favorably over time. I’m loving this summertime meal that has a bright glow and good vibes. Allow wellness!…
Pate with Italian Sausage Seasonings is the second pâté with sausage seasonings inspired by Alice Waters. Summer chicken livers are easy to find and perfect for this pâté. And they boast the sacred combination of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and K2) that must work together. The media can be so fickle: D getting all the love, A sometimes vilified, and K2 often absent… But the reality is that one without the others may be harmful; these three go hand-in-hand. …
Chicken Salad with Livers is a celebration of this summer and the simple pleasures all around us. I’ve noticed that that so many parks, typically empty or sparsely used, have been well-utilized this summer. So many people are enjoying big, open spaces for visiting with friends or simply getting a breath of fresh air. We’ve taken this Chicken Salad with Livers outside with us several times this summer….
What to do with all those odd bits? Make Stuffing with Giblets and share them with the people that you love!
And count your blessings while you do… That you have a turkey that comes with giblets. That you have the resources for using them. And that you will be able to savor the nutrient density of these goodies, all the while enjoying a delicious meal.
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I’m committed to serving organ meats weekly in our home. It’s become a steady part of our rhythm that has familiarity and comfort. This week, let Chicken Liver Enchiladas inspire you to put liver on your table.
In the Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck pauses to explain the steadiness of Ma. “She seemed to know that if she swayed the family shook…” I’ve learned, through motherhood, that my own steadiness defines the world around me. Both in how I see the world, and how steady action compounds over time.
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Every time I’ve read Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl to the kids, I keep thinking that I should recreate Doughnuts Smothered in Liver Paste. To be fair, doughnuts aren’t really my style. But my husband, a serious sourdough baker, was happy to help. And the kids ended up taking one for the team.
Contrary to what we learned growing up, the livers and saturated fat give us plenty to love: a wide variety of vitamins including the fat-soluble vitamins, and improved regulation of hormones and mental health. The doughnuts, not so much. Except that everyone does.
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I didn’t start with a strategy of hiding organ meats. Once I learned about the importance of including them in a diverse and nourishing diet, I served them front and center, without apology. Regardless, we incorporate them into all sort of foods now. Sometimes ingredients come up and sometimes they don’t. Whether you do intend to reveal your (secret) ingredients or not, Savory Mushroom Bolognese with Ground Organs is a great place to start!
So what is so important about organ meats? …
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. …