Smokey Ridge Charcuterie

Toads-In-A-Hole is a British dish of Bangers cooked in Yorkshire Pudding.

My husband found a recipe for Toads-In-The-Hole on simplyrecipes.com that he was adamant I try. Not much of a baker, I generally avoid anything that involves strict measurements, and dough- rising and resting. Well, I gave it a try and was surprised at how easy and satisfying it was. We ate half for dinner with a simple side salad and half for breakfast the next day with poached eggs. I tweaked the recipe a little bit and here it is:

INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cup of all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter/ duck fat, + more for browning sausage
1 lb. SRC Bangers

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. In a seperate bowl combine eggs, milk and melted butter/duck fat. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

3. While your dough is resting, in an oven proof skillet (8-10 inch diameter) brown the sausages in butter or duck fat on low heat turning every 4 minutes or so. You want at least two sides nice and golden. Coat the sides of the pan with oil by dipping a paper towel in the oil drippings and smearing the sides. Place skillet in oven.

4. Once dough has finished resting, pour into the hot skillet so it fills in around the bangers but leaves the top of the bangers exposed if possible. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the dough has risen up and is golden brown on top.

Servings/Yield: 4 servings | 4
Source: Smokey Ridge Charcuterie

This is a recipe I picked up during my travels in Brazil and it has been a staple ever since. Its easy, hearty, spicy, satisfying and economical. I’ve seen it made with anything from tongue, to pork loin, to hot dogs.  Feijaoda is one of those dishes that has as many versions as there are cooks who make it. Here’s mine…

INGREDIENTS
1 cup dried Black Beans, soaked overnight in water
1 quart water,
1 lb. SRC Linguica
1 lb. SRC Dry-Cured Bacon, (could also use ham/ham hock)
1 large yellow onion, diced
7 garlic cloves, minced
to taste salt and pepper
½ cup parsley, chopped
4 cups Cooked white rice
to taste Malagueta peppers/hot pepper sauce
½ cup Farofa (manioc flour)/ bread crumbs, toasted

1. Slowly, on low-heat saute bacon until fat renders. If using ham or you are not able to render sufficient fat, add a little vegetable oil. Add diced onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute.
2. Add soaked beans, 1 quart of water, bay leaves, a couple of minced malagueta peppers (if using) and ham (if using). Simmer for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, slice linguica and toast breadcrumbs/ farofa.
4. Add sliced linguica and continue to simmer gently until beans are tender.
5. Stir in parsley, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and hot peppers and serve over rice with the toasted breadcrumbs/farofa on top. Enjoy with a side of sauteed collard greens.

Servings/Yield: 4 servings
Source: Smokey Ridge Charcuterie

Ingredients:

For the Stock
Turkey neck and giblets (no liver)
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
2 parsley sprigs
2 medium onion
2 carrots
2 celery stocks
5 cups water/ stock

For the Gravy
Pan drippings
5 cups turkey stock
5 tablespoons duck fat (or combination duck and turkey fat/butter)
5 tablespoons flour
¼ cup bourbon, sherry, or calvados (optional)

1. To make the stock, add a little butter to a stock pot and on medium heat brown the turkey and onion. Add all other ingredients and simmer for about 2 hours, occasionally skimming the surface to remove any foam that rises to the top. Strain into a container and set aside to cool. This step can be done a day or two ahead of time.

2. Skim the turkey fat from the roasting pan and set aside. Set roasting pan over burner on high heat and deglaze pan by adding about 1 cup of stock and stirring up all the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce the liquid by half and remove from the burner.

3. In a 2 quart stock pot, melt the duck fat. If you are short on duck fat you can add reserved turkey fat or butter to make up 5 T. Once the fat is melted and bubbling add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour turns golden brown. Whisk in the stock, pan drippings and bourbon/sherry/calvados ( optional) and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2-3 minutes. The gravy should be smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but if there are any lumps you can strain gravy while pouring it into the serving dish.

4. *Use left over gravy for turkey stew or pot pies. Left over turkey fat is great for cooking with.

Servings/Yield: about 5 cups
Source: Smokey Ridge Charcuterie

Ingredients:

2 cups Short/Medium Grain Rice (Bomba, Arborio, Arroz de Valencia, Calriso, Calrose, Arborio)
5 ⅓ cups Chicken stock
¼ cup Duck fat, butter
4 sausages SRC Duck and Pear Sausage
3 tomatoes
1 medium onion
½ lb. chantrelles
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
10 almonds, toasted
2 pinches saffron threads, lightly toasted
1 thyme sprig
1 rosemary sprig

1. Heat duck fat/butter on low heat, add the sausage and brown both sides (3-4 minutes per side), the sausage wont be cooked all the way through but that’s ok for now. Set aside in warm place.

2. In the same skillet add the chantrelles and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

3. When mushrooms have expelled most of their liquid, pour it off into the stock and cook for 2 more minutes. They should start to brown a little. Set aside with the sausage.

4. Add onion to the skillet and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt and cook for 10-15 minutes until pasty and deep red. Then sprinkle in the paprika and stir. Increase the heat to high, add the stock and herbs and bring to a boil.

5. With mortar and pestle (or food processor) pound almonds, parsley and toasted saffron with a couple tablespoons of stock until a paste forms. Add it back to the simmering stock. Season stock with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add rice to boiling water, stir once, and cook uncovered for 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sausage and reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until the rice and sausage are cooked. Check the doneness of the sausage and serve.

Servings/Yield: 4 servings
Source: Smokey Ridge Charcuterie

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet potato, Cooked, cooled grated
1 small onion, grated
1 egg
1 Tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon pepper flakes (optional)
1 leg SRC Turkey Conft, Meat pulled from bone (you could sub Duck Confit)
Reserved duck fat
SRC Cranberry Red Onion Marmalade

1. In one bowl combine grated sweet potato and onion. In another bowl, whisk together flour, egg and spices. Gently mix the egg mix into the sweet potatoes. Form approximately 24 walnut size balls, set aside.

2. In a skillet, saute turkey confit until hot and starting to brown around the edges in the duck fat provided in the bag. Shred or chop the meat and set aside in a warm place. Pour off excess duck fat (and set aside for another use).

3. Set the sweet potato batter in the hot duck fat, pressing down with a spatula to make discs. When one side is golden brown, flip and fry the other side. You may need to do this in batches and replenish duck fat in pan as you go. If doing multiple batches, keep the pancakes warm in the oven.

4. To serve, place a heap of turkey meat and a dollop of cranberry-red onion marmalade on each pancake.

Servings/Yield: approx. 24 canapes
Source: Smokey Ridge Charcuterie

This is a nice summer recipe that wont heat up your kitchen much. Steps 1-3 can be done ahead of time. Leftover aioli is great for sandwiches, egg salad and potatoes, and left over slaw makes a good snack by itself or a side dish.

FOR THE AIOLI
1 cup vegetable oil
2 egg yolks
1-2 jalapeno chile
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
to taste salt

FOR THE SLAW
¼ head cabbage, diced
1 can black beans
1 ear corn
½ red onion, sliced
½ lime lime juice
¼ cup vegetable oil
to taste salt
4 SRC Jerk Chicken Sausages
4 sandwich rolls/ tortillas

1.For the Aioli: In a food processor, add jalapeno pepper and mince, then add egg yolks and process for a couple of seconds. With the blade running, add oil in a slow and steady stream. If you add oil to fast, the sauce with break. Add the vinegar, salt and cayenne. If the aioli is too thick, add a little more vinegar or a couple of drops of water. Keep refrigerated.

2.For the Slaw: Steam the ear of corn for 5 minutes, then shock in ice water. Once cooled cut the kernals off into a mixing bowl. Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the corn. Then add the diced cabbage and onion. Stir in the lime juice and oil and season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3.For the Sandwich: Poach sausages for 10-15 minutes. Run them under cold water to cool. Cut in half length wise.

4. Heat grill to medium high. Grill sausages until the casings are browned up and they are hot all the way through (about 5 minutes). Toast rolls or heat tortillas.

5.Assemble the Sandwiches: Spread the aioli generously on your rolls, lay out the sausage and cover with slaw. Serve with a side salad and enjoy with a nice cold saison, or a glass of off-dry white wine.

Servings/Yield: 4 servings | 4

Gumbo is a great way to use seasonal summer vegetables.  The other night I made this recipe and added zucchini and chopped chard because I have an abundance of those things right now.  It was delicious! 

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons Flour
1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cups stock
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 lbs. fresh tomatoes, skinned and diced
1 package SRC Andouille
1 package SRC Tasso (for spicy) or Dry-Cured Bacon (less spicy)
½ lb. shrimp and/or boneless chicken (optional)
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 sm green bell pepper, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 green onions, diced
½ cup okra, diced (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chopped
Salt, Pepper and tabasco to taste
5 cups cooked white rice

1. In a stock pot (at least 6 quarts capacity) make a dark roux by melting the butter over medium heat and adding flour. Stir until the roux darkens to a peanut butter color (this will take about 5 minutes.) Whisk in the cold stock, worcestershire, tomatoes and thyme. Boil for about 5 minutes and then turn down to simmer.

2. In a frying pan, saute andouille, tasso/ bacon on low until a little fat is rendered, then add the chicken (if using) and diced vegetables and saute on med-high (you may need to add a little oil or butter if pan is dry) until some of the vegetables start to brown a little but are still crunchy.

3. Add the vegetable and meat mixture to stock and simmer for 10-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add parsley, green onions, and shrimp if using and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper and tabasco.

4.Serve over white rice.

Servings/Yield: 6 servings

Enjoy a live music, great wines by the glass, a beatiful picnic area, and delicious dinner by Smokey Ridge Charcuterie every Friday 5-8pm during the summer!  $5/ car load.

SANDWICHES   $7.50

-House-made sausage: chicken and basil/ Spicy Italian Sausage, grilled seasonal  

  vegetables red wine vinaigrette

-Chicken Breast, house-made ricotta, tapenade, parsley sauce, salad greens

-Nicoise: Tuna, hard-boiled egg, seasonal vegetables, greens, tapenade

-Vegetarian: Hard-boiled egg, seasonal vegetables, greens, tapenade

-Pâté Du Jour, with pickled things, salad greens, house-made whole grain mustard

PICNIC BOX  $10

-come with side salad, baguette, house-made accompaniments and pickled things, and

  your choice of:

   Country Pâté/ Free-Range Chicken Liver Pâté/ Farm-Style Pâté/ Rillette

SWEETS

-Shortbread cookies

-see specials board