Cherry and Huckleberry Pies!

We made two pies out of some of the cherries and berries we have been picking lately.  We made one cherry and one huckleberry / cherry.  This recipe is for canned cherries - you have to do something different with fresh cherries and we learned that the hard way :)  The pies taste great but they didn't thicken so all the filling came out when we cut them.  But this works great with canned berries.

 This recipe makes 2 pies
The Crust:

 1 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
10 - 12 tablespoons ice water

Let the butter and coconut oil melt and then mix them up (we were lazy this time and made the crust in the food processor)

Butter an oil

Then put the flour and salt in

You want really freezing cold ice water - like as cold as you can get it

Mix up the butter, coconut oil, flour and salt

Then add 10 - 12 tablespoons of the ice water, mixing in between each one, just a bit.  You really don't want to over mix at this stage.

It should look like this when you are done

Set the dough aside and now for the filling:

5 cups canned cherries

3 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cup huckleberries (optional - we only did it on one of our pies) - you will only do 3/4 cups per pie

some sprinkles of Almond extract

Here are the pie sized bags we froze the cherries in

Put them in a bowl

And add the sugar and flour

Then the sprinkles of almond extract

Yummo!  Can you smell that?!?!

 Then we are going to come back to the crust:

Mom put her apron on for this part - because you always get flour on your clothes :)

Put flour on the cutting board

Then you divide your dough into 4 sections - one piece should look like this

Then roll it out to the right size for your pie pan

Then sort of roll it over the rolling pin like this to put in on your pie pan

Then fill it in with your filling

Fill it up to where it is level with the edge of the pie pan

Then roll out the top crust and put it on top

Making scallops on the edges

Then you cut these 4 little pieces out so that it can ventilate and not pop :0

Bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes

All baked

 That looks SO tasty!  I have to go eat some now :)  Have a great time making this yummy pie!

Lamb Meatballs in Green Curry Sauce

Last night we made lamb meatballs in green curry sauce.  We got out extra ground lamb thinking the DeMyers would be back - so we are going to be eating meatballs for days! :)  We might try to save them some for when they come home tomorrow.

First you pour a glass of wine

Then you take out the piece of cork

Then take a drink :)

Lamb meatballs:

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

To make the meatballs, mix the ground lamb, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, garam masala, and salt together in  a large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Green curry sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard (real home rendered lard)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeno or serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1 (13 1/2 - ounce) can coconut milk (do not shake)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 cup packed chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate (sold at Indian grocers) or fresh lemon

Chopped onion and garlic

Used half lard and half olive oil this time

To make the sauce, heat the lard in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chile and stir well.

Spoon out and measure 1/2 of the thick coconut milk that has risen to the top.  Add to the saucepan with the cumin and garam masala.

Cook until the onion mixture is softened and the coconut milk is reduced and looks oily, about 5 minutes.

Add one cup water, the cilantro, tamarind concentrate, and remaining coconut milk (about 1 1/4 cups).

Whisk well and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.

Using your hands rinsed under cold water. shape the meat mixture into 24 equal small meatballs.  Transfer to a plate.  Carefully add the meatballs to the simmering sauce and cover with lid ajar.

Simmer until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through with no sign of pink, about 20 minutes.  Season with salt.  Serve hot.  You can also put some more cilantro on top.

Yummo!!!! :)

Hope y'all have a great day!  And have fun making this delicious meal!

Biscuits and Gravy

As today is a special occasion - the senior Patriarch's birthday, (that would be Grandad), we are making biscuits and gravy for lunch - well, it is usually a breakfast meal but we like to eat breakfast for lunch or dinner sometimes. This is one of our favorite breakfast-type meals!  This is the sort of meal that starts way before the day - because it contains REAL foods, in this case wonderfully healthy fat known as lard, rendered from a pastured hog, raised organically.  Not to mention the cracklin's which are the yummy bits of roasted, browned pork left over from making lard.  It also starts with home seasoned breakfast sausage, made with ground pork and fresh herbs from the garden.

First make the sausage:

Homestead Breakfast Sausage w/ Fresh Herbs:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork (from our home-raised organically fed hog)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Preparation:      

Combine ground pork with all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Yum!  Can you smell those herbs?

Now, let that rest while you start the biscuits...

Cracklin' Biscuits:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3/4 cup chopped hog cracklin's
• 1/4 cup melted butter

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.  Mix well to ensure proper blending.  Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture.  Once butter has been well blended into flour, add buttermilk and chopped cracklin's.

Continue to mix until biscuit dough is well formed.  Place dough on a floured board and kneed lightly, 5 or 6 times.  This is what makes them flake apart:)  Roll out dough until approximately 3/4-inch thick.

Cut biscuits with a 3in. biscuit cutter (or a regular big kitchen knife) until all are formed.  I have found they don't have to be shaped nicely to eat good.

Place biscuits in a greased 12-in. cast iron skillet (or a cookie sheet) and drizzle with remaining melted butter.  Bake until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes.

Now as soon as the biscuits go in the oven, brown the sausage and begin the gravy.

Southern Sausage Gravy:

Time to make the gravy!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. breakfast sausage
• 2 tbsp pork lard (bacon grease will work too)
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups milk
• salt and pepper, to taste
• dash cayenne pepper (optional)

 Preparation:

Cook sausage in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking up with a spatula.  

With a slotted spoon, remove the browned crumbled sausage to a paper-lined plate.  Add 2 tablespoons lard, bacon grease or olive oil to the drippings in the skillet.  Add flour, stirring until blended and bubbling.

Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of milk; continue stirring until thickened and bubbly.  Add the crumbled sausage.  If too thick, add a little more milk.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  Stir in a dash of cayenne pepper, if desired.

Serve over hot split biscuits - Yummo!

This time we also fried up some sausage links from a local organic farm

Lifeline Farm is a local farm here in Montana that is one of our favorite sources for sustainably raised organic pork (they make really good cheese too!).

I would have had a fabulous photo of the finished product, but I was too hungry to stop for that - maybe next time:)

I hope you enjoy this wonderful meal!