BOBBY'S BICUITS AND GRAVY

This is a recipe from the show Brunch at Bobby's (Flay) with flaky buttermilk biscuits, creamy gravy and savory sausages.  We didn't have any whole milk so we substituted with 1%...the milk of choice in our house.  Very delicious and satisfying...probably not the healthiest breakfast, but worth the calories and extra downdogs (or insert your exercise of choice).

Buttermilk Biscuits



4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Cream Sauce:

2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 
Pre heat your oven to 450.  Get your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the mixer and run it on low just to combine the ingredients.
 

Cut your 12 tablespoons(!) of butter into 1/4 inch squares.  Cut long ways on the stick, then roll it once, cut long ways again, then turn it horizontally and cut every quarter inch and voila!

Add the butter and run your mixer on medium high until the mixture looks like course meal.

Get your buttermilk ready and add to the mixture and run on low until just combined, get it out onto a floured surface (counter) and shape into a 10x12ish rectangle about 3/4 of an inch thick.

Using a 2 in. biscuit cutter, cut and place about 7-10 disks onto a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  After you cut a few out, ball it up and flatten out and cut some more...

Brush each biscuit with some milk before heading into the oven.

Time for the sausages...we used a half pound of pork breakfast sausage which made about 5 sausage patties. 

The gravy is a classic cream sauce or bechamel...start with the milk warming to scalding in a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour for about a minute...then add the milk to the flour butter mixture and whisk for about five minutes or so...I didn't use enough salt today, so make sure you are tasting a seasoning as needed!

The butter and flour (roux) should be golden, you don't want to actually cook the flour here, just make sure it gets integrated.

Milk should have little bubbles along the side, but not boiling!.

Sausages are about 5 minutes per side...start with some canola oil on the pan and on the flip add some more drizzling it over the sausages.

Biscuits were in for about 12 minutes...nice and golden and surprisingly flaky!

The gravy is just sauce without a little of that tasty sausage grease...keep whisking this gravy until it coats a spoon nicely.

OOOOOHHHHHHH WEEEEEEEE!  Gramaw would be darn tootin proud of these here biskits an gravy...so delicious....gravy was creamy and the biscuits although flaky, held up with the gravy and the sausage making it your choice to use fork and knife or just say the hell with it and eat it like momma intended like a wonderful breakfast sandwich.  Won't have room for lunch after this breakfast!

INA'S POTATO LEEK SOUP

This recipe is not good for you!  Ok, well there are much worse things you can eat, and as we always say, although there is a lot of cream and cheese in this baby, at least it is not over processed and filled with nasty chemicals...so indulge and know that you are eating wholesome fat!  The soup is, as Ina would say, fabulous.

Here is a link to the recipe...


2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (4 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces creme fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish



Peel and chop your potatoes and slice the leeks long way and make sure to wash out all the sand and dirt that can get stuck inside...Ina would say, "because who wants to have sand in their soup?"

Chop the leeks up along with the potatoes, get them onto a half sheet pan in a single layer, season generously with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.  Toss to make sure everything is covered and shake the pan to make sure you have a single layer going into the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, tossing a few times during the cook time.

After about 40-45 minutes, add the baby arugula and toss...back in the oven for 4-5 minutes, until the arugula is wilted.

Wine and one cup of chicken stock in one measuring cup....

Take the pan out of the oven and set it over two burners on medium...add the wine stock mixture and deglaze the pan...scraping up any brown bits that are on the pan...give it about 2 minutes to reduce a little.

Once the pan is deglazed, add the soup in batches if necessary into the food pro and puree with about 5 cups of the stock.

Up until now, I know your thinking...ok, a little olive oil and I guess potatoes are a simple carb, so i guess this isn't the healthiest thing in the world...enter the cream!  Creme fraiche - french sour cream...much more mild that regular sour cream...along with 3/4 cup of heavy cream...and...1/4 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

This simple soup has so much flavor and comfort in it.  And yes some calories, but just have one bowl, save the rest for lunch and for dinner the next couple days...Thanks Ina....tell Geoffery we say hello!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH PORTOBELLO AND KALE

This is a beautiful fall dish with a tasty roasted mini spaghetti squash tossed with sauteed portobello mushroom caps, onion and farm fresh kale.  This one captures the essence of why we joined the CSA, to force us out of our comfort zone and to try new things...very much worth the time and effort on this one.  Very hearty with quality calories.


Recipe from this weeks CSA Newsletter
1 large spaghetti squash
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 portobello caps, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons basil
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese




Be careful cutting these squashes, they are very dense so the chances of the knife slipping out increase, no worry, just be careful and slowly cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Season with olive oil and generous salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Squash goes into the oven at 400 for 40 minutes...until a fork easily pierces the flesh...pull them out, let cool and prep the rest of the dish.

Snap the stems off of the portos and brush them clean with a...well...a brush.  Can't wash mushrooms, they get all soggy and messed up, just give them a brush and in this case a dice.

Get the onions going with some olive oil for about  6-8 minutes...little salt, little pepper, until golden, then add your mushrooms and garlic for about 2-3 minutes...a little salt, little pepper and finally add your kale and herbs...oh yea...little salt, little pepper, built those flavors baby.

The kale takes a while to wilt down...I think it was over 15 minutes...this is all over medium to medium low heat...let things work out...stir occasionally.

Half cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano to help every thing bind up nicely.

Now that the squash has cooled, you can make your spaghetti strands by taking a fork and scraping long full strokes through the flesh into a bowl...

Add your kale mushroom mixture to the bowl with the spaghetti, top with parm and toss thoroughly.

The mushrooms add a really nice earthy flavor.  This meal was a surprise at how deep the flavors developed during the process.  Raw kale is a little bitter and tough...once cooked it is still bold, but sweeter and much more tender.  Enjoy! 

NOT YOUR GRAMMA'S PANCAKES...OR ARE THEY?

PUT THE INSTANT PANCAKE MIX DOWN!  Go retro and make these oatmeal pancakes from scratch...And while your at it...turn that bottle shaped as an old woman around and read the ingredients....wait a tic...where is the maple syrup?  Turns out the only syrup that is in that stuff is high fructose corn syrup, which isn't the end of the world, but I definitely challenge you to buy some pure maple syrup and indulge in the difference!

This recipe is from Bob's Red Mill and was shared with us from our great friends "the Fergs" all the way out in Montecito and Santa Barbara CA.  These pancakes are filled with tons of nutrition, and are so delicious, especially when prepared the way "the Fergs" roll with peanut butter and pure maple syrup. 


1 cup Milk
3/4 cup Quick Cooking Rolled Oats
3/4 Cup Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
2 beaten Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp. Cooking Oil
2 Egg Whites
2-3 Tbsp. Organic Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp. butter
1 ripe banana (optional)

Before you start cooking, get your butter and peanut butter out so that it can get nice and soft and easily spreadable.  Put the milk into a small sauce pan and start heating it up...not boiling...heating.

Combine all of your dry ingredients and have your oats ready to mix with the milk.

Separate your whites into the bowl of a mixer and throw the yolks into a bowl with your oil to be beaten.

I use a whisk instead of sifting to make sure all of the dry ingredients are mixed without any big clumps.

Get the whites going in the mixer for about 3-4 minutes on medium high until stiff peaks form.

Eggs and oil beaten

Once your milk is hot add the oats, get it off of the heat, stir and let it sit for five minutes.

Peel the banana and mash it up with fork...this is an optional step...we had some bananas that were ripe so we used them...

After five minutes, add the oats to the dry mixture and stir, then add the eggs and oil mixture along with your optional banana and stir until everything is nicely integrated.

Clean out your small sauce pan and add about a cup of pure maple syrup...heat on low.

side bar:  we have chosen to live without

a microwave.  although many studies have 

been done showing no proven negative 

effects, we just think there is nothing natural 

or healthful or necessary with respect to this

technology.  It is a personal choice and one that 

is shared amongst all members of CAMO - 

coalition against microwave ovens  

Woah, are those the peaks in Colorado??.....nah, those are the stiff peaks we are looking for from the egg whites...fold the whites into the mixture and get cookin...

Heat your cast iron pan over medium low heat...add about a half tbsp of butter and let it heat.  If your butter starts to bubble or brown, the heat is too high....

Use 1/4 cup scoop for the cakes...do two at a time and let them cook until the bigger bubbles show and then flip...they should be nice and golden brown...

Nice triple stack...trust me, shmear some peanut butter and pour over some of that warmed maple syrup and enjoy some of the best, most nutritious pancakes you will ever have.  We didn't put butter on them, but some people might like it...otherwise omit the butter for shmear and only use it for cooking.