Pick up your Meat Share:
Friday (1/2) and later, self service
Major pork re-stock in progress. This is what a skin-on pork chop looks like!
Dear Shareholders:
Hope you all have enjoyed a peaceful and restful holiday season. We are now officially in the depths of winter. This is when I break out all the comfort food recipes as emotional support for the darkest days of the year. I’m simmering stock on the stovetop and drinking it like tea. I’ve pulled all my smoked and pickled off-cuts from my personal freezer and made them into a festive loaf for charcuterie boards. I’m making my grandma’s chicken & rice recipe and trying new slow-cooking recipes I’ve never tried before. I love this time of year because everything slows down and if I feel like hanging my face over a steaming pot of stew for hours, well… there’s nothing stopping me! Except maybe fresh snow and a pair of skis.
This month we will be cutting a lot of custom meat but we are hoping to keep up with the retail side of things. Beef and pork are in the pipeline for fresh cuts. We processed lamb just before the holidays so if you are looking for cuts or ground lamb its in stock. We are also hoping to be smoking some chickens and trying some new sausage flavors. As always, we are trying to do it all and always managing to do some.
– Maggie (for Mark, Alona & the Archway Farm team)
Special Items in This Months Shares
(depending on size and meats you selected)
Pot Roast: A nice sized chunk of beef for your crock pot! Originating in Europe, traditional pot roast has since divided into many Americanized and multicultural versions, including the Mississippi version Mark wrote a recipe for a couple years back . If you ask me here’s no wrong way to slow cook meat.
Bratwurst: Our house-made bratwurst started off as a special but quickly climbed the ranks in popularity and is now an established Archway sausage flavor that we try to keep in stock. This sausage is perfect for a bun with mustard and kraut but I’ve also been known to cut the links into one inch pieces and use them on my spaghetti as a substitute for meatballs. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!
Chicken Breast: I think I may have roasted a chicken every week this month and the feedback we’ve been getting from customers has been very positive. I can say with confidence that this is our best batch of chicken yet. See the recipe below for some inspiration on how to use this month’s cut.
Recipe of the Month
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast with Creamy Lemon Pasta
I have been eating so much pork and beef lately that I feared becoming sick of some of my favorite winter comfort foods. With the holidays it can be easy to overdo it with all these heavy, roasted and rich hearty meals. I wanted to bring you all something brighter with that same comfort food feeling. This was my first time trying something like this but it was well received in my house and I can tell that its a meal that will become a staple.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the breaded chicken:
- 1 lb Archway Farm Chicken Breasts
- 1 cup light oil for frying or mix of butter and oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (reserve juice and remaining zest for sauce)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic or onion powder
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs whisked for dredging
For the pasta
- 1 lb pasta of your choice (bucatini, fettuccine or linguini)
- 1 small onion or half a medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/3 Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan cheese
- 1/3 finely chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
Optional add-ons: a squeeze of lemon over the chicken after plating, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes in the sauce for a little kick, sauteed mushrooms, arugula, spinach or roasted broccolini.
Steps to make it
- Remove thawed chicken breasts from packaging and pat dry.
- Lay meat on a cutting board and filet each breast length-wise creating two half-inch thick pieces of meat. In a shallow dish dredge breast meat in 1/4 cup of flour and let rest while you put together breading.
- In a bowl whisk two eggs together, breaking them up so they will evenly cover the meat. In a separate shallow bowl or dish combine: 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic or onion powder, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or parmesan cheese. Mix with a fork until well combined. (You can also add any flour left over from dusting the chicken to this mix.)
- Get a skillet heating on medium high heat with your fry cooking fat of choice. (I would also start boiling water for pasta at this time.)
- Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture and then move to the breadcrumb mixture. Completely coating each piece. I like to use a fork for this process.
- As the oil heats you will see it start to ripple. Lay the chicken breasts two at a time in the pan leaving plenty of room around them and fry on both sides until golden brown and cooked all the way through. You may need to turn the heat down to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked on the inside before the outside gets burned.
- Remove from pan and allow to rest on a paper towel while you throw the pasta together.
- Hopefully by now your pasta water is boiling and you can drop it in while you cook the sauce.
- In a wide-bottomed pan or skillet heat butter on medium heat. Once it is melted and starting to bubble add diced onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook for about 5 minutes. If you are adding mushrooms to this dish this would be the time to add them. Add garlic and fry for an additional 2 minutes, until it becomes fragrant, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat down to low and add your stock and cream. Allow to slowly come to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- If your pasta is done go ahead and strain it, reserving some of that starchy water for your sauce.
- Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water, 1/3 cup of finely grated cheese and a 1/3 cup of diced parsley. Stir until fully incorporated and starting to thicken. A couple of minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the pasta, a tablespoon of lemon zest and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. If adding fresh tender greens, this would be a good time to add them. Stirring gently, fully coat the pasta in the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice the breaded chicken breasts across the grain and arrange on top of plated pasta.
- Add a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley to finish it off.
Enjoy!