Our meat CSA Pastoral Plate has recently started offering a selection of cheeses along with eggs, lamb, chicken, beef and pork. I picked up our meat order on Friday afternoon, and tried the Swallow Valley sheep’s cheese once I got home. Paired with potato chips (classy, I know) and a G&T (I was in need) this cheese was delicious. Really, really good. It would probably have been even better with some nice crackers or red wine, if we’d had either on hand, or if I had the patience to put a nice(r) plate together.
This month we ordered flank steak for the first time, along with the standard whole chicken, some lamb shanks and ground lamb. The chicken is usually our favorite, because for two, these chickens are small enough that we don’t end up with chicken leftovers for days on days. The chickens tend to be 3-4 pounds, which generally works out to dinner and lunch the next day for two, with a little leftover for cats, a sandwich, or another lunch the following day. We usually try to make stock as well, though I wouldn’t recommend cooking the stock overnight in the crock pot like I did last week, unless you like waking up to the savory scent of chicken in your bedroom in the middle of the night. I don’t mind it too much, Intern on the other hand, had some opinions to share with me in the morning. I do recommend the crock pot method though, just not while you and your partner are sleeping. I made asparagus risotto with our homemade stock the following day to make up for the chicken-scented wake-up call, and I am pretty sure we both agreed it was worth it.
I never thought of making stock in a slow cooker – good idea and I’m all for the scent.
I, too, have opinions about the smell of cooked meat in our house. Before I started eating meat again, I could not handle even being in our house if someone had cooked hamburger or bacon. Zac was always considerate about this and so last night I made it up to him by planning “bacon hamburgers” for dinner.
mmm…flank steak..where do i begin?
on another note…I would love for you to join my link party “What’s in the Box?” where we celebrate all the goodness of CSAs. Check it out: http://inherchucks.com/2012/04/12/whats-in-the-box-21/