Despite the dark skies and rain, it’s been a good week at the store.  The vivid colors of our art show lifted everyones spirits and the new tasty grocery items stimulated our taste buds.  A few comments: “This art show is what I needed today”. “I bought a couple [new cheeses] on Saturday and OMG, so delicious”! “OMG David, that egg and cheese burrito was heavenly!  S loved her chocolate chip cookies.  It was a great day”! “Tortillas are excellent! Thanks for the recommendation”!

There is another reason.

For those of us who can, we favor purchasing our fresh food from local sources made by people near us.  It is good to support local economies and support those who are willing to work for often minimal wages to continue the food ways traditions true to farming communities of yore.

But when we are talking about meat, there is another reason. Meat raised, grown and harvested in the old ways is not only more delicious & safely nutritious, but it cooks better.  It sears, it browns, it marinates and still retains its plentiful self.  Unlike much of the meat in the grocery store that seems to absorb much of the rinse water used in the processing of the meat and from the weeping that occurs with the changing temperatures in shipping long distances. 

Did you know that?

I am of a certain age so remember that hamburger used to actually brown without foaming and turning gray before it was fully cooked.  And that you could get a crust on chicken rendering it tender inside and caramelized on the outside rather than reduced in size and hard-as-a-rock tough when fully cooked.

Chefs know this.

And we are the store know this so only sell meat that will taste well and perform well in cooking.  And we are happy to be supporting those that are committed to these ideals as well.  We hope you can try some of the beef, pork or chicken that we carry and experience the difference.

If you are cooking with grocery store meats consider using a rub that contains salt and/or sugar. These are humectants so they draw water to themselves pulling it out of the meat and into your container.  Let the meat sit like this for 6 hours to overnight.  Drain it and pat dry.  Prepare 1 1/2 times the portions you think you will need because each piece will shrink with the water loss.

To prepare good meats for cooking, NEVER RINSE. But pat them dry with a paper towel to allow your seasoning to adhere and the heat of your oven or grill to sear the meat properly, which in turn seals in the moisture that you want to retain. Meat, and especially lean meat, can be up to 65% water naturally.

Grilled pork chops with studded Rice Pilaf

Turn all burners on your grill to high and close the lid to let the entire grill heat up for 15 minutes. If you are cooking with charcoal, close that lid while the charcoal whitens to build up heat.

Meanwhile season your meat. Mix the following together and sprinkle/rub the seasoning into both sides of 2 pork chops just before grilling:

• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• 1 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Raise the lid of your grill and turn off any burner you will not cook on. Throw the chops on and reduce the heat to med/high. Cook until desired doneness flipping only once. Tasty, savory, crispy and moist. So delicious. NOTE: if cooking on charcoal, place the meat directly over the charcoal to sear in the juices. Dave cooks on gas and says he heats the grill to 500′ and grills at 450′.

Consider trying the Robie Farms pork chops we sell; they come two to a pack. The pork is humanely raised heirloom breeds grown and harvested here in New Hampshire and the flavor is unparalleled.

Rice pilaf

Measure out 1 cup of white rice and place in a strainer. Over the sink, rinse and rinse and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. This can take up to one minute and the process removes the excess starch so your rice will not cook up sticky.

Meanwhile, on medium heat in a small/medium sized sauce pan, warm:

• 3T olive oil

Add the drained rice and:

• 1/4 cup couscous [we have some organic, hand-rolled bulk packaged for you]

Stir this occasionally and let the rice and the couscous begin to brown. Add:

• 1 1/2 cups broth with salt; your choice but chicken pairs well with the pork
• 1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes

Bring the mixture up to boil then reduce the heat to very low, put the lid on and cook for 14 minutes. Turn off heat remove lid and fluff the pilaf with a fork. Put lid back on to stay warm until ready to serve.

We hope you have a good long week=end remembering those who gave their lives in times of war. The store will stand at attention during our Memorial Day festivities at the bandstand just outside our doors. Don’t miss the parade at 10:00 and stop in to try some of our celebratory goodies! Don’t miss the fresh lemonade on the front porch in the red cooler all season long. 🙂

Take care,

Jane and Dave

Click here read our menu on how we roll out the food specials each week.