Beef Tongue Tacos and Broth

The dogs are so NOT getting the tongues anymore.
 
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to cooking one. Tongue is so tasty and flavorful...now I'm wanting mutant animals so I can get more than one tongue per steer.  And the broth from the skin...wow...wow....ummmm, wow!

There are quite a few methods for preparing tongue.  I got impatient and used the pressure cooker.  It was a 1.35 lb tongue and I cooked it at 8 lbs of pressure for a half hour.  I used a trivet and about a half cup of water on the bottom.  I used the natural release method.

While the meat was cooking, I heated the coconut oil for deep frying some white corn tortillas.  While that was heating, I dissolved some gelatin/sugar/cream of tartar/salt in some diced tomatoes and chilies.  The tongue is a high gelatin muscle, like rib eye, but I always like to make sure I am getting enough.

When the pressure was out of the pressure cooker, I grabbed the tongue with some tongs and ran it under some cold water.  When it is cool enough, the skin is SUPPOSED to just release.  I guess I was too impatient again and ended up cutting it off until I got to the tip.  The skin at the tip pulled right off with ease.  I diced the meat into small cubes and put it in with the tomatoes.  In hind sight, it would have been down right decedent to fry them up a little first, fajita-ish, then put them in the sauce.

The only thing needed now was the taco "shells".  I tried "draping" the tortillas on the end of a wooden spoon.  They didn't drape well and the hot oil actually made the sides float up.  Then I tried tongs, holding onto them on one half while pressing them against the side of the pot.  That worked better, but then they puffed up a lot while being held under.  I stopped at 2 tortillas per person.  They weren't pretty but it's the thought that counts, right?

Ok, so the end product was a fresh fried tortilla, yummy meat topping and a glop of sour cream.  A fabulously messy meal that we all enjoyed immensely!

But that's not the end......

No, now I had this delicious smelling liquid at the bottom of my pressure cooker and tongue scraps, mostly skin, but some meat on there too.  So out comes the gallon bag of frozen onion skins and leftover bones/gristle from other meals.  I took the trivet out and emptied the contents of the bag into the pressure cooker.  I added water and some vinegar and salt to 2/3 full.  It's a 6 quart cooker.  I brought it to pressure and cooked for 45 minutes according to the instructions.  I let it the pressure come back down naturally and strained the big stuff out  of the broth with a slotted spoon into a strainer over the pot.

Total yield 3/4 of a gallon of double strength, very gelatinous broth.

The broth has become a simple potato soup, sausage and potato soup, and potato and cheese soup.

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Simple Potato Soup GF, DF

Simple Potato Soup
Pot of potatoes (peeled and diced, cubed or sliced)
Broth/water to cover (Homemade is best, if you've got it)
Unflavored beef gelatin
Saturated Fat (Coconut oil, butter, tallow, bacon grease etc.)
Salt

Fill a pot with peeled and cut potatoes, add broth and cover with extra water, if needed, to cover.  Sprinkle gelatin on top for extra protein and as needed to balance any meat in the meal.  Add some salt and some kind of fat, depending on your needs.  Bring to rolling boil and then simmer for 40 minutes to an hour.  Correct with more salt, as needed.

Excellent as a base for other ingredients or as a easy to digest meal for healing/recovery/stress.  I like it with globs of melted cheese, leftover sausage or steak works too.


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French Onion Style Potato Soup

Comfort food that travels well too.  I took some with me in a thermos and ate it  about 6-8 hours later.  Some of the cheese had dissolved into the broth...all the better, but I still had yummy clumps of melted cheese too.

Ingredients:
Homemade Beef Broth
Potatoes
Gelatin
Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Cane Sugar (optional)


I save all my leftover bones in freezer bags, along with onion skins.  When I have gathered enough to make a batch of broth, I just dump the bag into a pot, add some water and ACV and cook low and slow for a while.  This time I used my crock pot so I wouldn't take up stove space. Broth is done when I have time to strain and put away.  This batch was especially onion heavy in relation to the bones.  The smell throughout the house was wonderful.

I filled a pot with peeled and cubed potatoes (shredded would work too), then covered with the onion rich beef broth, salt and a little extra water to cover.  I brought to a boil, then simmered for 40-50 minutes...so an hour in total.  I added some gelatin towards the end and corrected the seasoning with a little more salt and a touch of pepper.  I ladled into bowl and topped with freshly shredded Swiss Cheese.  Oh yeah......

Pineapple Clam Chowder - GF

Enjoy this light, yet hearty meal anytime of year by changing the ratios of the ingredients.

Ingredients:
Homemade Smoked Turkey Broth
Sierra Mist (optional)
Sea Salt
Potatoes, peeled and diced
Cream of tartar
Coconut Oil
Beef gelatin
Baby Clams (with Juice)
Pineapple (with Juice)
Hot Pepper Oil (optional)

Bring about 6 cups liquid (broth, juice from clams and pineapple and soda or water as needed) to boil and add peeled, diced potatoes and salt.  I used 4-5 large russets.  Turn heat down and simmer 40 minutes.

Add as much gelatin and cream of tartar as desired. Cream of tartar = potassium.  Clams are the "whole" animal so don't need gelatin, but I always sneak in extra where I can and find the gelatin adds richness and balances the sweet/tart of the pineapple well.  I used a little over half a cup.

I added about a cup or so of Sierra Mist because it had been sitting in the fridge a while, flat.  I don't know that it necessarily added anything "special."  A little cane sugar would work just fine too. Add the clams and the pineapple at the end. Correct seasoning (add more salt, of course) and serve.
I like a dash of hot pepper oil too.

Friday Food

Beef Borscht (Slow Cooker)

Layer in the cooker, in order:

Ingredients:
slathering of coconut oil on sides and bottom
2 lbs homegrown grass fed beef, cubed (mine was still frozen)
1/2-1 cup beef gelatin
1 onion, sliced
3-4 cups sliced beets (fresh, canned or pickled)
3-4 cups bite sized potatoes (fresh or canned, drained)
a lot of sea salt...a few TBS
1/2-1 cup homemade broth, water or juice from canned/pickled beets
fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook for about 8 hours on low or overnight, correct seasoning before serving.
Add a dollop of sour cream per bowl, if desired.

P.S. This is NOT a purple soup, but a dark, savory brown.

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Piggy Spanish Rice

A yummy twist on Rice Cooker Spanish Rice....

BACON! 
Well, actually, cured jowls...you know....pig cheeks. ;)
Pork jowl is shorter than bacon anyway, but I still cut them up smaller before cooking.  I pan fried the bite sized pieces in their own fat at about "egg" temperature for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. We like our bacon with most of the fat rendered out but still meaty, on the chewy side, not crumbly.

I left out the additional fat and backed off the salt...the milk fed, homegrown, sugar cured jowls provide plenty of both.  Everything else is the same.  I did use a fruit based salsa instead of a cilantro based salsa, just for fun.  A huge hit!


Ingredients: Makes about 8 servings
2 cups Broth
4 TBS Beef gelatin
1 tsp Cream of tartar
.5 tsp Salt
a few dashes liquid minerals (optional)
1 cup Salsa
4 scoops Rice (rice cooker scoop is about 3/4 of a cup of actual rice)
Water to 4 cup fill line
.5-1 lb cooked bacon or jowl with grease

1. Put broth in pot of rice cooker and sprinkle with powdered ingredients, so gelatin can soak up some liquid.
2. When soaked, put rice and salsa into pot and stir.
3. Fill to 4 cup line marked on pot with water (or add extra broth).  
4. Add cooked jowl and corresponding grease.
5. Set to Cook.
6. When rice switches to "keep warm" setting, fluff and serve.

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Ingredient Spotlight :Bacon
Ingredient Spotlight : Tomatoes

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice w/Gelatin

Ingredients: Makes about 8 servings
2 cups Broth
4 TBS Beef gelatin
1 tsp Cream of tartar
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Salsa
4 scoops Rice (rice cooker scoop is about 3/4 of a cup of actual rice)
Water to 4 cup fill line
2 TBS Coconut oil or Butter

1. Put broth in pot and sprinkle with powdered ingredients, so gelatin can soak up some liquid.
2. When soaked, put rice and salsa into pot and stir.
3. Fill to 4 cup line marked on pot with water (or add extra broth).  
4. Add a plop of oil or butter.
5. Cook.
6. When rice is done, fluff and serve.

My 4 cup rice cooker allows for setting a timer to start cooking at a later time AND keeps the food warm for up to 14 hours. Very handy!

Foodie Wednesday

Angel Food Soup

Angel Food Soup 

1. Heat broth (packaged or homemade)
2. Add extra salt as needed (make it slightly saltier initially, the egg will absorb some.)
3. Scramble some eggs (1-2 per person)
4. When broth is hot, stir in a circular motion and add eggs.  (Slower speed will give you longer, thicker threads....faster will give you smaller, thinner threads.)
5. Remove from heat and serve.

I have FOND memories of this soup. So simple and yummy and FAST.   It was a special treat in our house, but I imagine the origins were more along the lines of "empty pantry" or "what to fix?" syndrome.  It's practically free if the eggs come from your yard and the broth from the bones saved up from previous meals. You can, of course, spruce it up some.  Add some gelatin and coconut oil or a little sugar and cream of tartar.  Toss in some some leftover  potato or rice, noodles or serve with a chunk of cornbread slathered with butter.  Spice it up with a little Tabasco or basil or nutmeg or ?????

Pennywise Platter Thursday

Pork, Peach and Potato Stew

Hearty and colorful!

1. Take the remainder of the Pork Roast and Peaches out of fridge (or freezer).
2. Cut pork and peaches into tidbit sized pieces.
3. Scrape gelatin broth/gravy from storage container into a pan.
4. Add cut (and peeled, if desired) potatoes to pan.
5. Add extra salt for potatoes
6. Place meat/fruit on top.
7. Heat on medium low with a cover until potatoes are tender.
8. Stir and remove from heat to cool.
9. Enjoy!

Pennywise Platter Thursday

Bacon and Brat Mustard Curry with Rice

Rice
Rice, dry
Water or broth
Coconut oil
Sea Salt

Add as much rice as needed to a pan and fill with water or broth so the liquid is higher than the rice level by the first bend in your first finger.  Add a glop of coconut oil and salt.  Bring to a rolling boil, then add lid and turn down low or off.  Let sit while the rest of the food is cooking. 


Meat
1 pound Nitrate Free Bacon, bite sized
1 pound brats, sliced bite size

Fry up bacon.  When it is the desired crispness, add  brats.  While the meat is cooking, make the sauce.


Mustard Curry Sauce
1/2 can mustard flour (dry mustard)
1/2 jar curry powder
1/2 - 1 tsp ginger root powder
8 TBS gelatin
8 TBS Sugar/cream of tartar mix
Sea Salt
Coconut oil
Apple Cider Vinegar 

Mix dry ingredients together and remove what clumps you can, then stir or mash in coconut oil.  Add vinegar and stir until is is the consistency of oatmeal. Let sit.  When meat is done, add wet mix to meat and stir until dissolved.  If sauce is too thick, add more vinegar and sugar/cream of tartar as needed.

Serve over rice.

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Pad Thai ish Noodles (AKA Warm Toes Noodles)

It was - 14.4 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up this morning.   Yeah, a tad nippy.

I had just 2 pints left of my thyroid broth and was wanting something "saucy".  I used a little too much liquid for the amount of noodles, but it was still yummy and effective, even if a little soupy.

Soak the Thai style rice noodles in hot water for 8-10 minutes while cooking the sauce. Drain, mix with sauce and serve with fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice.


Sauce Ingredients: 
1 pint broth (1 cup would have been better in hindsight)
1 glop coconut oil
.5 oz dried shitake mushrooms, crumbled (they fell out of the cupboard when I was grabbing the coconut oil)
6 TBS Sucanat/Cream of tartar mix
6 TBS Beef unflavored gelatin
2-3 glops of unsweetened ketchup (to help use it up)
1-3 TBS red pepper flakes (to taste )
1-3 TBS Dried Lemon Grass
1-3 glugs of rice vinegar
Salt to taste

I noticed my bare toes were non icy feeling about 20 minutes after eating, hence the name.

Gluten Free Wednesday
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Tuesday Twister

Thyroid Broth (Chicken Necks)

I ordered 40 lbs of "natural" chickens necks for making broth.  The necks still have the actual thyroid in them, so are a good source of the hormone.  There was some skin still attached too.  The 40 lbs was divided into 4 frozen SOLID chunks.  Fortunately, I had a SS pot large enough to accommodate the mass.

Ingredients:
10 lbs chicken necks and skin
onion peels
dried parsely
ACV
water to cover
(a few goat ribs stuck in because they were in the freezer)

I put the full pot on the wood stove and let it do it's thing for a few days, until the necks fell apart and fat melted all the way.  It became the base for many soups in the following COLD days and nights.  It made a HUGE difference for me in staying warm at night.

Fight Back Friday

Pan Fried Goat Chops with Potatoes and Glazed Onions

Looks like a huge amount of food but the plate is only 6" across.

It has always puzzled me that there is a large portion of farmers and ranchers that don't actually eat what they grow...I guess they know what's in it, eh?

Pictured here is a 1" thick section of the loin of  "Whitey" or "Todd". Yeah, we name our food.

These boys were dam raised, forage fed dairy goats, a yearling buck and a 2 year old wether.  The oysters are still in the freezer, I admit, I am not sure what to do with them.

I like my meat seared in coconut oil on the outside and rare/raw on the inside.  Raw meat is easier to digest than cooked and the inside of a steak is sterile....so no worries on contamination.

Ingredients:
Goat chops (approx 1/4 lb/person ) 
Coconut oil
Onion
Potatoes
Gelatin (1 TBS/person)
Sugar/Cream of Tartar (approx 1 tsp/TBS vinegar)
Maple Syrup/Cream of Tartar (1 TBS/onion)
Apple Cider Vinegar (2 TBS/person)
Salt

Directions:
Any meat cooks better at room temperature.  These were frozen, so I soaked in warm water while I loaded the dishwasher and started on the onions.  The onions sautéed in coconut oil while I prepared the potatoes.  I added the diced potatoes, stirred to coat with oil and cooked covered for 7 minutes on medium low (egg temp).  Meanwhile, I preheated some oil for the meat in a separate pan.  After 7 minutes, I stirred the potatoes to unstick them from the bottom and covered again for another 7 minutes.

While the potatoes were finishing, I prepped the glaze and started on the first chop.  The chops cooked one at a time for about 1-2 minutes per side on medium heat.  In between flipping, I soaked the gelatin with the sugar mix in the maple syrup mix with the ACV and salt and stirred.  When the chops were done, I added the glaze to the potatoes and mixed in.  It doesn't take but a few seconds to melt the gelatin.

Quick and easy, what more could you want?

I saved my scraps from the meal (bones, onion skins etc.) in a baggy in the freezer for making broth later.

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Apple Beef Green Curry Stew

I put up 4 cases of applesauce in the past week and had one jar that broke its seal the next day.  Rather than reprocess a single jar, I put it in the fridge for more immediate use.

Here's what I did with that jar...after a few nibbles, that is. ;)

1 pint of homemade beef broth
1 pint of water to rinse broth jar (or as needed)
about 6 potatoes, shredded
1 pound of beef, cut in small chunks
4 TBS Gelatin
1 can of crushed pineapple (optional)
1 can of coconut milk
1 pint of homemade applesauce
or fresh cut apples
1/2 jar Thai green curry paste
unrefined sea salt to taste

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Chunky Tomato Soup

Chunky Tomato Soup
Homemade bone broth
Shredded Potatoes
Coconut Oil
Tomato Puree
Diced tomatoes and green chilis (optional)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Cane Sugar/Cream of tartar mixture
Stew Meat
Gelatin
Unrefined sea salt

Heat the broth with a little extra water for rinsing the gelatin out of the jar.   Cook the shredded potatoes in the broth and oil. Add tomatoes, sugar mixture and meat.  Cook at low temperatures, stirring occasionally until meat is tender.   I think we ate after about 2 hours.  Add a tablespoon of gelatin per 1/4 lb of meat and salt to taste.  This will be a naturally thick and hearty soup.  If using a Crockpot, add all the ingredients at one time and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Variation:
Using the leftovers, I made a cream of tomato soup by adding some fresh cream/milk and gently warming.  A dollop of sour cream would be a nice option as well.

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Frittata Soup

Chopped Leftover Frittata,
Herb Toss Broth
Water to rinse gelatin out of broth jar
Leftover BBQ Brisket with gelatin
Diced potatoes
Diced tomatoes
Glug of vinegar (ACV, red wine, or balsamic)
Unrefined salt to taste

My leftover brisket add so much fat, I didn't need to add any extra fat.  In fact, I added extra vinegar to cut the fat.  It seems to help lessen the clinginess of the fat globules or mouth feel of the fat.  Toss all the ingredients in the pot, heat, correct the seasoning and serve.

Real Food Wednesday

Herb Toss! (or making bone broth)

I normally make broth with just bones, onion tops, a few glugs of ACV, unrefined salt and water to cover.  In addition to bones available from processing an animal, I save my bones from meals and onions top/skins in the freezer.  It's the connective tissue and the stuff INSIDE the bones that adds gelatin to the broth.

I decided to clean out the "cupboard" a bit today.  I tossed in older carrots that were never going to get eaten, some celery seed from who knows when, some dried parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

It sure looks pretty!  This is when it is just coming to a boil.  Right after taking a picture, I turned the stove way down to just above the lowest setting and covered.  it will cook for about 12-24 hours or when I get around to straining it.

UPDATE:  Here's the final result, 24 hours later.







Tuesday Twister
Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

Spicy Oyster Chowder

Spicy Oyster Chowder
Diced Potatoes
Broth
Coconut Oil
Onion (optional)
Tomatoes with Green Chilis
Oysters
Gelatin
Unrefined Salt
Sugar/Cream of Tartar mix
Mushrooms (Optional)

I used a couple handfuls of potatoes, 1 small onion, what was left of some broth from the back of the fridge,  a large glop of oil, 2 cans of tomatoes (Best Choice brand doesn't use BPA lining), 2 cans of oysters, a handful of unground salt, 4 TBS of gelatin and 10 TBS of sugar with 5 tsp of cream of tartar.  I was feeling a little off so added a LOT more sugar than I usually do....my liver needed it.  There are no rules here, just use what you have on hand and what pleases your eye.


Cook potatoes in broth until tender, add onions if using.  Add all other ingredients and sweeten to taste.   Slow simmer for about 15 minutes. Chowder lends itself to leftovers as the flavors meld over time.  You can substitute clams or whatever for the oysters, but oysters are a good source of copper as their blood is copper based instead of iron based.

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Thai Style Potato Soup

Thai Style Potato Soup
Potatoes and/or Sweet Potatoes 
Pineapple
Coconut Milk
Broth
Shrimp (optional)
Gelatin
Basil (optional)
Unrefined Salt
Green/Red Curry paste
Dried Mangoes (optional)
Sucanat/Rapadura (optional)
Cream of Tartar (optional)


Cut up the potatoes, place in pan and cooked covered in broth.  When potatoes are tender add pineapple, mangoes (if you have them, fresh or frozen would work too) coconut milk, salt and curry paste.  Be careful with the paste, a little goes a long way.  Add gelatin, basil and sweeten to taste.  Extra sugar will help cut the "burn" if you've added too much curry.  Use approximately 1/4 tsp of Cream of Tartar per tablespoon of sugar.  Add the shrimp at the very end, if you use it, when the burner is already turned off.  They will be done before you can fetch the bowls for serving.

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