Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors - Softcover

Molly Chester; Sandy Schrecengost

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159233587X ISBN 13: 9781592335879

Publisher: Fair Winds Press, 2014

Synopsis

Welcome (Back) to Traditional Foods!

What if butter and other “banished” foods like eggs, cream, and bacon had the inherent potential to restore our health and well-being—and that of future generations? It’s a pretty good question, isn’t it?

Traditional foods are the real, whole, unprocessed ingredients of our ancestors’ kitchens. These simple foods nourished us for centuries, before modern food processing turned our health upside down. Their value is once again gaining recognition.

Traditional foods include:

Grass-fed Meats and Wild-caught Seafood

Organic, Farm Fresh Produce

Pastured, Whole, and Raw Dairy

Healthy Saturated Fats and Unrefined Oils

Soaked and/or Sprouted Grains, Nuts, Seeds, and Beans

Fermented Vegetables and Cultured Condiments

Unrefined Sweeteners

Back to Butter explores these topics and more. Beautifully photographed and divided into two parts, Part I teaches you how to stock a traditional foods pantry and offers step-by-step guidance on the techniques and preparation methods practiced in traditional foods—including sprouting, soaking, and fermenting. Part II showcases more than 75 mouthwatering recipes, from main meals to side dishes, desserts, and more, including:

Cultured Cream Cheese Olive Dip

Red Rice Salad with Cumin Dressing

Millet Salmon Cakes with Creamy Dipping Sauce

Meatballs and Mushroom Gravy

Caramelized Beets with Fresh Chives

Fresh Corn Pudding

Red Cabbage Kraut with Fresh Dill

Sourdough Bread Pudding with Raisin

Crispy Peach Cobbler

Learn just how nourishing and delicious it can be to revisit the wisdom of our ancestors and return Back to Butter.

About this title

Review

Ham Loaf
View larger

Sweet Ham Loaf

My great-grandma Scowden used to make this recipe years ago and it remains one of my mom’s favorites. Like most everything, the dish has evolved—no more refined sugars, fresh pineapple replaces canned, and the sourdough bread crumbs are homemade. If you’re feeling ambitious, try making homemade ketchup and mustard first!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (170ºC, or gas mark 3). Have ready a 2-quart (2 L) glass or ceramic ungreased loaf pan. To make the glaze: In a small-size pot, combine the Sucanat, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, and water over medium heat. Whisk well and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, and let melt. Stir to combine and set aside. To make the loaf : In a medium-size bowl, combine the ham, pork, eggs, bread crumbs, milk, and ketchup. Using clean hands, gently mix to combine. Gently press the mixture into the loaf pan and top with the pineapple, lightly pressing the fruit into the loaf. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC, or gas mark 4). Pour the prepared glaze over the loaf. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 1 hour, uncovered. When done, the loaf will pull away slightly from the sides of the pan and the topping will be browned and caramelized. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Using two metal spatulas, lift the entire loaf from the pan. Slice and serve warm.

Recipe Note

This is a perfect recipe to use up leftover ham from the holidays. Cut the ham into large chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse approximately 25 times, until the meat has reached a uniform crumble.

Ingredients

• For glaze:
• 1/2 cup (100 g) Sucanat (see note below)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
• 1/2 tablespoon (7 g) butter
• For loaf :
• 1 pound (454 g) ham, ground (see Note)
• 1 pound (454 g) ground pork
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup (50 g) Sourdough Bread Crumbs
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) milk
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) ketchup
• 1 cup (155 g) diced fresh pineapple

About the Author

Molly Chester and Sandy Schrecengost are the daughter-mother team behind the traditional foods blog Organic Spark (www.organicspark.com). Molly is a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Institute of Health & Culinary Arts in NYC and worked as a personal chef in Hollywood before she and her husband embarked on an organic and biodynamic farming project in Moorpark, CA in 2011. Apricot Lane Farms comprises 160 acres and is being designed to provide a voice and platform to traditional and ecological farming techniques. For more information, visit Apricot Lane Farms at http://www.apricotlanefarms.com/ and Molly and Sandy’s blog at http://www.organicspark.com/. Molly Chester and Sandy Schrecengost are the daughter-mother team behind the traditional foods blog Organic Spark (www.organicspark.com). Molly is a graduate of The Natural Gourmet Institute of Health & Culinary Arts in NYC and worked as a personal chef in Hollywood before she and her husband embarked on an organic and biodynamic farming project in Moorpark, CA in 2011. Apricot Lane Farms comprises 160 acres and is being designed to provide a voice and platform to traditional and ecological farming techniques. For more information, visit Apricot Lane Farms at http://www.apricotlanefarms.com/ and Molly and Sandy’s blog at http://www.organicspark.com/.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fair Winds Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 159233587X
• ISBN 13: 9781592335879
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224