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Chef Jack Garrison Recipes.

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Perfectly Baked Free Range Chicken

Free Range, or should we say true pasture-raised, chickens are more of a challenge to cook than conventional birds. Devoid of a surplus overlay of fat and injected filler, pasture-raised chicken must be roasted slower and lower. For the best results in the shortest time (which none of us have an excess of):

Wash the chicken in lukewarm water and dry completely.

Line a baking pan with foil, less shiny side up. Place a rack in the pan. Set the oven to 350 degrees.

On a hefty cutting board, armed with a sharp knife or poultry shears, butterfly the chicken by cutting through the soft cartilaginous breastbone thereby dividing the bird into slightly different-sized halves. Flip the chicken onto the split breast and push down on the bird until it flattens out with half on the right and half on the left.

Place the chicken, back side up, on the rack in the foil-lined pan.

Next, rub extra virgin olive oil all over the chicken. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.  Rosemary sprigs on top of the chicken bring out the flavor in the bird and make the house smell heavenly. Place an oven-proof thermometer into the fleshy part of the bird, taking care not to hit any bone or open body cavity.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees or until a temperature of 175 degrees is reached.

Pork Steaks Demystified

Pork steaks are a more flavorful cousin of the pork chop. Cut thinner than a pork chop, pork steaks are a favorite of chefs and gourmets for their rich culinary bouquet. REMEMBER BERKSHIRE PORK IS BEST ENJOYED PINK IN THE MIDDLE.

For each pork steak, season it with your favorite herbs and spices such as rosemary, garlic, pepper, crushed cloves, seasoned salt, etc. Slightly press down with clean fingers to adhere the seasonings to the pork.

On a medium hot grill or grill pan, brush one teaspoon of homemade Berkshire pork lard onto the grill surface.

Place the pork steaks on the grill surface. Turn the grill down to medium.

Grill the pork steaks on medium for 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned (watch the pork carefully as it can go from raw to overcooked in a flash). Flip over.

Grill the pork steaks for another 4 to 6 minutes or until juices begin to rise to the top.

Remove steaks and let rest for a few minutes before placing them on warmed plates.

We like our pork steaks with apple sauce, a baked potato, and garlic green beans.

 

Cheezy Kale Chips

These chips are awesome and there actually is no cheese on them.3 bunches of curly-leaf kale

1 cup raw cashews, soaked
1 large tomato, deseeded
juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Other spices can be added like garlic, onion powder, etc. Tear kale leaves into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Drain the water from the cashews, and in a food processor, process cashews and lemon juice to a hummus consistency. Add all remaining ingredients except kale, and process until smooth. Place kale pieces, and ½ of the cashew mixture in a large bowl.Massage kale pieces one by one and place them on Teflex-covered dehydrator trays.   Dehydrate at 110 degrees for 2 hours. Remove trays from the dehydrator and transfer kale chips from Teflex sheets to plain dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate for an additional 5 – 6 hours or until crunchy.  YUM!

Short Rib

Just adjust quantities according to the number of pounds of short ribs you have. If your short ribs are fatty, skim off the fat before serving.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds of short ribs
  • House Seasoning, recipe follows
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped, plus 2 more cloves chopped
  • Water
  • Beef Broth, plus more for roasting
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • White rice, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season ribs liberally, or to taste, with House Seasoning. Lightly dust with 2 tablespoons flour. In a Dutch oven, place a small amount of oil. Add the 2 garlic cloves and cook until lightly browned. Add the ribs and brown on each side. Add half water and half beef broth to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil. Remove the ribs from the Dutch oven and place in a casserole dish. Add the remaining garlic, salt and pepper, onions, and about 1 cup broth to the ribs. Roast ribs for 2 hours. Serve over buttered white rice.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Osso Buco

2 Grassfed Angus Beef shanks, cut 2″ thick (labeled as “Soup Bones”)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup dry white wine (or red)

1 cup organic beef stock or broth

2 tsp. thyme

2 tbsp. parsley, fresh, minced

2 tbsp. organic tomato paste

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 stalks of organic celery plus leaves

Heat 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a deep skillet or flame-proof casserole dish. Dredge the shanks in a mixture of 1/2 cup flour, salt, and pepper. Saute in the olive oil/butter until browned on all sides – about 10 to 12 minutes (for thinner cut shanks, adjust the cooking times). Remove the shanks, reserving any juices in the pan.

Add up to 2 tbsp. more olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion, and cook until slightly caramelized. Add the garlic and saute 1 more minute longer. Turn the heat to low, pour in the wine and stock/broth, and simmer for 2 more minutes while scraping up the brown bits. Return the shanks to the pan with the reserved juices.

Stir in the thyme, parsley, tomato paste, and lemon zest. Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat begins to fall off the bone. Stir a few times during cooking. If the dish starts to dry out, add another 1/2 to 1 cup of stock/broth and continue cooking.

Add the carrots and celery, and cook 15 minutes longer or until the carrots are tender. Remove the meat to a warm platter, and tent with foil. Melt the rest of the butter and slowly mix in the remaining flour while stirring until the sauce is thickened.

Place the meat on warmed plates and spoon the sauce on top. Good with mashed potatoes or pasta, green beans, peas, broccoli, or salad. Don’t forget the hearty bread to sop up the sauce with. A well-bodied Cabernet wine such as Wild Horse, Sterling, 14 Hands, Bonterra, or your favorite, perfectly compliments this wonderful dish. Enjoy!

Homemade Berkshire Lard

Dice about five pounds of back fat into one-inch size pieces, put it in an 8-quart stainless steel pot, sprinkle it with ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and put it on the lowest setting on the cooktop. Leave the pot lid slightly ajar to allow the water to escape, and cook it no more than 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the cracklings are floating. Turn off the flame once the cracklings have a light golden hue, but before they are truly browned. Spoon out the cracklings and use them for salad crisps or dog treats. Strain the fat through a cheesecloth-lined colander, pour it into glass containers, and store it in the fridge. For freezing, let the lard cool enough to put it into a plastic, freezer container.   (It never gets to my freezer, because I use it too fast). The resulting lard is a crisp white and without a scent.

Note: Please see more lard tips at http://grassfedcooking.com/2010/prudent-carnivore-bringing-home-the-back-fat/. Thank you to Shannon Hayes of www.grassfedcooking.com for this recipe.

If you have a recipe you would like to add to our site please email us at floridafieldstoforks@gmail.com.

Another great dish is organic chicken, this is almost comfort food but better.

Accompany with a salad of bitter greens and a mild bleu cheese dressing and roasted potatoes with garlic………………very nice kitchen music!

Sauteed Chicken with Roasted Grapes

3/4 lb red or black seedless grapes
3/4 lb green seedless grapes
4 T cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup minced chives
Kosher salt/pepper

Heat oven to 375 and on a parchment-lined pan put 1/2 of the grapes.
Roast for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes (they will be wrinkled and golden).
Meanwhile, in a processor puree the remaining grapes until smooth.
Strain through a chinois pressing skins to release all of the juice from the skin.
In a heavy pan, melt 1/2 of the butter over high heat.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes per side.
MANAGE YOUR HEAT – do not scorch!
Add strained puree and simmer until chicken is cooked. Juice should be syrupy.
Remove chicken to platter.
Whisk the remaining butter into the sauce and cook over high heat for 1 minute.
Add roasted grapes and heat through.
Pour sauce with grapes over the chicken.
Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Swiss Chard with Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms and Sweet Pepper

4 to 6 servings

1 bunch of Swiss chard, green leaves only
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
10 to 12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tbl lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

  1. Rinse the Swiss chard leaves well; drain. Cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2 to 1-inch strips.
  2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbl of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until it is softened and just beginning to color 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms and bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes longer.
  3. Add the Swiss chard pieces to the skillet in bunches, stirring or tossing with tongs as they wilt. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring, until the chard is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid.
  4. Add the remaining 1 tbl olive oil and the lemon juice and toss with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Suggested Cookbooks

The Farmer and the Grill A guide to grilling Barbecuing and Spit-Roasting Grassfed Meat, by Shannon Hayes

The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook, by Shannon Hayes.
This is a great resource and Jan’s favorite cookbook.

Tender Grassfed Meat Traditional Ways to Cook Healthy Meat, by Stanley A. Fishman
Brock’s favorite cookbook.

The Backyard Homestead Book of Kitchen Know-How Field to Table Cooking Skills, by Andrea Chesman

Long Way On A Little An earth lover’s companion for enjoying meat, pinching pennies, and living deliciously, by Shannon Hayes

100% Natural Lard The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient, by the Editors of Grit Magazine

Art of the Slow Cooker, by Andrew Schloss

The Gardener and The Grill The Bounty of the Garden Meets the Sizzle of the Grill, by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig