Farmhouse Recipes

Eating like a farmer means making the most of the best you’ve got. These recipes are tried and true – the ones we turn to again and again to put nourishing, nutrient dense, filling, and flavorful meals on the table day after day.

Farmer’s Oxtail Stew

02.10.2022 by Raelene Bradley // Leave a Comment

If you buy a whole or half beef in bulk directly from a farmer (shout-out to our loyal beef customers!), or butcher your own, you’ll likely end up with a few odd cuts of meat you’d never see in the grocery store and may not know what to do with.

One of those rare but delicious cuts is the oxtail.

The oxtail is the tail of any beef animal, no matter if your beef was a heifer or steer, Angus or Limousin

The tail is a well-used appendage and works overtime. Its muscles are strong, well-developed, and beautifully marbled (which means it’s also full of flavor). Because of that, it needs to be braised low and slow so that the meat melts off the bone, tender and succulent, rich and delicious.

The first time I was going to cook an oxtail, I turned to Darina Allen’s Forgotten Skills of Cooking.

This is one of my very favorite resources for traditional cooking skills and recipes. If I’m going to do anything old-school, or make something off the beaten path (liver, sweet breads, home dairy, a whole goose), I always open this cookbook first and Darina always has something insightful to teach me.

I’ve since adapted her recipe to make better use of the ingredients I have on hand and adjusted to my own method and preferences. The basic method is this: sauté the vegetables in lard, brown the meat in the drippings, add wine and deglaze the pan, add stock and tomato paste and herbs, return the vegetables and meat to the pan, cover, and braise all afternoon on low heat.

I use the same method to cook beef shanks (another rare cut whose praises I will sing all day long) with only a few variations.

For these cold midwinter days as I’m working my way through the freezer and looking for hearty, stick-to-your-ribs fare to warm cold fingers and toes after hours spent outside in the snow, you just can’t beat this hearty, delicious oxtail stew.

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Farmer’s Oxtail Stew

Thick, flavorful, and stick-to-your-ribs good, this oxtail stew braises in the oven for hours and is the perfect meal for cold midwinter days.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Course: Main Course

Ingredients

2 Tbsp beef drippings OR lard
3-4 strips bacon (optional)*
2 carrots, diced
3-4 celery ribs, diced
1 onion, minced
1 oxtail, cut into segments
1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1.5" cubes
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef stock*
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 Tbsp tomato paste
salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Heat beef drippings or lard a dutch oven or heavy oven-safe saucepan.
Add the bacon (if using) and sautéed 1-2 minutes.
Add onions, celery, and carrots and sautée 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the bacon and vegetables and set aside.
Add oxtails to the hot drippings, turning every 2-3 minutes to brown each side. Remove and set aside. Add the beef stew and do the same. Remove and set aside.
Add the wine and 1 cup of beef stock to the dutch oven and bring to a gentle boil, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the broth, herbs, and tomato paste. Season with salt & ground pepper.
Return oxtails, beef stew meat, and vegetables to the dutch oven. Stir to combine.
Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook gently for 3-4 hours until the vegetables are very tender and the meat is falling off the bones.
Use a fork to pull the meat from the bones, removing the bones. Taste & season if necessary with salt & freshly ground pepper.
Serve over buttered mashed potatoes or polenta.

Notes

*I didn’t have bacon on hand this week so just added an extra tablespoon of lard.

*It’s perfectly fine to use duck or chicken stock in place of beef. Granted, beef stock has a deeper, more complex flavor, but if I have chicken stock on hand, I don’t hesitate to use it instead.

* This oxtail stew has the consistency of a thick gravy. Serve it over buttered mashed potatoes, pasta, or polenta. Or with thick slices of crusty bread.

*Garnish with minced parsley, if desired.

*Leftover oxtail stew spread over thick buttered toast is ridiculously delicious. Just sayin’.

*Oxtail comes in an odd-shaped package – it really does have the shape of a tail, but the butcher should cut through the bone for you in segments. It’ll look a little like an old-fashioned phone coil. Just cut through the meat at each segment to separate them.

If by chance the butcher did not cut through the bone, it’ll be trickier to use, but still possible and no less delicious.

Just brown the whole tail curled around the bottom of your pan, turning over once to brown the underside. Remove and proceed with the rest of the recipe. Then return it to the pan before the vegetables, curling it around again. Add the remaining ingredients and you’ll be good to go.

Because you cook it low and slow, the meat will fall right off the bone and it won’t hurt the stew a bit to have the tail bone intact.

Hearty Mid-Winter Zucchini Bread

02.04.2022 by Raelene Bradley // Leave a Comment

I found a stash of shredded frozen zucchini in a freezer last week so I’ve been making LOTS of zucchini bread. We have seven (7!) chest freezers and 2 fridge freezers so unearthing an unexpected trove is not all that uncommon – ha!

We all love this recipe.

It’s easy to whip up and I generally do it after dinner while we’re cleaning the kitchen so it’s ready for breakfast in the morning and afternoon snacks thereafter.

The kids love it with a tall glass of cold milk. I like to add butter – because butter (chuckle).

Go on – dig out your own stash of frozen zucchini and add a little boost of summer nutrition to your breakfast fare this week. Your family will be none the wiser (wink wink).

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Hearty Zucchini Bread

Easy to put together with staple pantry ingredients, hearty and delicious for breakfast and snacks, this is my favorite way to use up my stash of shredded zucchini grown last summer and frozen to boost the nutrition of mid-winter days just like these.

Prep Time15 mins

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: zucchini

Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 cups zucchini, shredded
1 1/4 cups melted butter*
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs*
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Notes

*I have a LOT of butter on hand (thank you milk cow), but you could also substitute melted coconut oil or vegetable oil.

*It’s midwinter. Below average temperatures and way above average snowfall. My chickens aren’t laying. So I’ve been substituting 1/2 cup yogourt OR applesauce for the eggs instead. The bread does finish a little more dense, but with no loss of flavor or texture.

*Feel free to get creative with the spices. I often use an apple-pie mix of spices (including ginger, nutmeg, and cloves) or a chai-spiced version (with cardamom and black pepper).

In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini, butter (or oil), sugar, eggs (or yogourt/applesauce), and vanilla. Mix well with a fork.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture and mix just until combined. Gently mix in chopped nuts (if using).

Pour batter into a greased 9×13 pan.

Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick/knife inserted comes out clean.

Garden Fresh Tomato Tart

07.31.2021 by Raelene Bradley // Leave a Comment

My tomatoes are juuuuuust starting to ripen. It’s taking them forever to do so this year and I’m on pins and needles, checking every day! But with the handful we collected from the garden one morning this week, I decided to whip up this quick and delicious tomato tart.

One thing that makes this tomato tart so quick to put together is that the tart dough does not need to rest or chill (like pie dough). Just mix it up and roll it out.

Here’s a quick tip for nice edges to your tart: If you’re using a tart dish, after laying the dough in the dish, run a rolling pin over the edges to the cut pastry nice and neat.

Or, if you don’t love shaping and edging tarts or pies, just make a free-form tart!

Lay the dough out onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Assemble it according to the recipe, leaving 1-2 inches along the edges without toppings. Then gently fold the edges up and over the filling. So simple you might just switch to making rustic-style free-form tarts every night of the week!

Use whatever tomatoes you have on hand. This week, I had a few cherry tomatoes, 2 romas, and 1 early girl. I sliced them all about the same thickness and spread them over the bottom of the tart. You can nestle different size tomatoes next to each other to effectively cover the whole bottom of the tart, but try not to overlap them.

You can use almost any soft cheese. Goat cheese is perfect here – that nice creamy tang paired with the sweet bite of tomatoes is the perfect pairing. This week I used my homemade farmer’s cheese (or fromage blanc) because it’s what I had on hand and it turned out so great.

Sprinkle with any herbs you have on hand. I used basil this week but have also used thyme. Chives, tarragon, and summer savory would all be excellent options.

Bake in a really hot oven about 30 minutes until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese begins to soften and brown on the edges. Let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serve with a nice big green salad.

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Garden Fresh Tomato Tart

This beautiful summer tart takes advantage of the bounties of the season – fresh tomatoes and herbs – and is easy enough to put together for lunch or, served with a nice big green salad, makes a great summer dinner.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: cheese, farmers cheese, goat cheese, tomato

Ingredients

1 unbaked tart dough (see below)
2 tbsp Dijon or whole grain mustard
3-4 tomates, sliced
4-6 oz goat cheese (or homemade farmer's cheese)
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (basil, thyme, chives, tarragon, summer savory)

Tart Dough

1 ½ c flour (210g)
4 ½ oz unsalter butter, chilled & cut into cubes (125g)
½ tsp salt
1 large egg
2-3 tbsp cold water

Instructions

Tart Dough:

Combine the flour & salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers, cut/crumble the butter until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
Beat the egg with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture and add in the beaten egg mixture all at once, stiring until the dough holds together. If it's not coming together easily, add the 3rd tablespoon of water.
Gather the dough into a ball and roll out on a lightly floured surface. No need to rest or chill. Once it's large enough to fit in your tart shell, roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the dish, unrolling over the dish. Fit the dough into the dish and press your fingers lightly into the bottom to make slight indentations.
If you're making a free-form tart, just transfer the dough to a parchment-covered baking sheet. No need to make indentations.

Assemble the Tart:

Preheat the over to 425°.
Spread an even layer of the dijon or whole grain mustard over the bottom of the tart shell.
Lay the sliced tomates over the mustard, spacing close together but do not overlap. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. I like to add a sprinkling of salt at this step as well.
Crumble your cheese over the tomatoes, distributing it evenly, but not covering the whole surface. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over all.
If you're making a free-form tart, gently fold the outer 1-2 inches up and over the envelop the filling.
Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese softens and browns on the edges.
Let it rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.