Pick up your Meat Share: Archway Farm: Friday - Sunday, December 2nd - 4th, 9a - 7p
Dear Shareholders:
We are midway through our busy holiday season with Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas coming soon. All our pigs are in winter housing, and the turkeys and meat chickens are wrapped up for the year, which gives us more time to spend in the kitchen cutting meat.
The ground beef, as well as some of the other beef cuts this month are from Sunnycroft Farm, which is my parents’ farm in Maine. The are a small grass fed cow/calf operation.
We hope you enjoy,
Mark (for Wyatt, Maggie, Dima, Leo, & Alona)
Special Items in This Months Shares
(depending on size and meats you selected)
Smoked Ham: Cured and smoked this ham is good any time of year, though we do sell a lot around Christmas and Easter. (Full and Basic shares)
Archway Bratwurst: we made this fresh bratwurst with milk and eggs which add a richness to the sausage. (Full & Basic shares)
Stew Beef: grass fed beef from my parents farm in Maine, Sunnycroft Farm (Full shares)
Recipe of the Month
Borscht
This delicious chunky borscht soup is made with fresh beets, stew beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and dill, then topped with a dollop of sour cream. It’s a great recipe for a chilly day!
from Simply Recipes
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, divided
- 1 (1 1/4 pound) section bone-in beef shank with a lot of meat, or 1 pound beef stew meat, excess fat trimmed
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 8 cups beef broth or beef stock, divided
- 4 large beets (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and chopped
- 4 carrots (1 pound), peeled and chopped
- 1 large russet potato (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill, divided
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 cup sour cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Steps to Make It
- Brown the beef, then cook the onions: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add the shank slice or stew beef. Let the beef brown lightly on one side, then turn over. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Let the onions cook and soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add 4 cups broth and simmer until the beef is tender: Pour 4 cups of the beef broth over the beef and onions in the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep and roast the root vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400°F.Peel and chop the beets, carrots, and potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Toss the beets and carrots with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and spread them out in a single layer on a foil lined roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Toss the potatoes with olive oil and make room for them in the roasting pan, and roast everything an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove the meat from the pot: Once the beef has cooked through until tender, remove from the pot, and take the pot off the heat. If you are using a beef shank, remove and discard any bone, connective tissue, and excess fat. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces.
- Skim the soup: Skim off any excess fat from the liquid in the pot.
- Finish cooking the soup: Return the pot to the stove and add the remaining broth, the carrots, beets, and potato. Add the chopped meat to the pot, the sliced cabbage, and a half cup of the fresh dill. Bring to a simmer, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the cabbage is cooked through. Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (I use about 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but the amount you use will depend on how salty your beef broth is to begin with.)The soup is best made a day ahead. (The longer the soup sits, the more it will all turn the deep red color of beets.)Serve ladled into bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.