Offal

I've found a new favorite web site
Offal Good.com

Written by Chris Cosentino, a chef at
Incanto in San Francisco.

As you can see by what he's holding in his hands here, he's all about cooking offal. Actually, what he is about, and I think this is really cool, is using the whole animal. No waste. He's also about humane farming of these animals as well. So, now that we're venturing into our own world of raising animals for food, I find this guy to be a real inspiration. I would like to follow his credo; no waste. I'd like to show respect to the animals we are raising for food, by using all that I can to feed us. That's how my parents grew up, and I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to try to live that way and teach my children to respect the animals that feed them and to feel a connection to their food. When they get that hamburger at McDonalds, they'll be able to picture the cow it came from, unlike so many Americans who don't have a damn clue.
We've recently slaughtered a pig, and we will get our first chance to try cooking/eating offal soon, starting with the heart. So let's hope Chris will have a good recipe and some how to's posted for our adventure into the world of offal

Love That Meatloaf

NO! NOT THAT MEATLOAF!

THIS!




It's cold and rainy outside. It's a good night for comfort food, and what better comfort food than MEATLOAF? Not too many that I know of. So here's the deal tonight. I happened to have some left over ground deer meat blended with Italian sausage spices. I searched meatloaf recipes on Epicurious.com, and I found a buffalo meatloaf recipe. I thought, "what the hay. Why not use that? Venison, buffalo, it can't be too different, right?" Yeah I know, it can be quite different. But, the fat content may be similar, so I thought it just might work, plus the fact that one of the recipe reviewers used straight beef and loved the recipe told me it would be a go. So if you want to check out the recipe go here: Buffalo Meatloaf With Spinach and Roasted Baby Potatoes I have made some minor adjustments. First and foremost, the meat. I'm using a half pound of organic grass fed beef (all I can afford ....that stuff is ridiculously overpriced!) and a half pound of the ground venison "Italian sausage". I lowered the red pepper content since I'm serving it to my kids. I kept the spices the same, except for a little garlic powder being mixed in with the tomato sauce that I put on top ( instead of red pepper). Let's see, is that it? The only other changes were to the rest of the menu. I used fingerlings instead of the baby potatoes they called for, and since my kids, or at least one of them, has an issue with spinach, I steamed broccoli for them. I still sauteed spinach in olive oil and seasoned it with salt and fresh lemon juice and dinner was served. I will give you the family verdict asap!
Happy dinning!