The Mayo Clinic

Dropping processed vegetable oils from my diet also necessitated the elimination of mayonnaise as well. Commercial mayo is nothing more than a disturbing mixture of oils, emulsifiers and chemicals.  So what to do? I figured that since I had my own chickens I could make my own mayo the way it used to be done; by hand. It was a little intimidating at first but once you have the trick down it's not too bad.
  This recipe uses raw egg so please use caution. I only make it with eggs I just pulled from the chicken coop or, at most, a day old. I would not use commercial eggs nor old eggs and I make sure to keep the mayo well refrigerated. I label the jar with a throw out date a week from when I make it. The recipe is easily halved so make as much as you need to make sure you use it up.
  I use cold pressed virgin olive oil for this but have read that it can create a bitter flavor in blender or food processor. I hand whisk it in a glass bowl and it's not too tough. Really.

Olive Oil Mayonnaise
  2 egg yolks
  3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  1 tsp mustard ( I use Dijon)
  1 pinch of paprika
  1 pinch salt
  1 cup olive oil

Whisk together the yolks, vinegar, mustard, paprika and salt in a glass bowl. Put the olive oil in a  cup with a pour spout and while whisking the egg mixture drizzle the oil down through the moving whisk in a thin stream. Everything should thicken up as you get to the end of the oil. Use it anywhere you would normally use mayonnaise; sandwiches, salads, coleslaw, etc.

Beet It

We subscribe to bountifulbaskets.org.  Through them, every Saturday morning, we pickup a basket of fruits and vegetables at one of the local drop points. You get a random assortment of produce and it is exciting plus exposes you to vegetable you may not have used much before. Because of this I have been exposed to collard greens, jicima, chard, mangoes, persimmons, etc.
  The last two weeks we got beets. The only experience I truly have had with these roots is either cooking them in with a corned beef brisket or using them to pickle eggs. I was unsure what to do with the, so I roasted them.

Roasted Beets
  6 large beets with green trimmed off to about 1 inch
  Olive Oil
  Salt

Preheat the oven to 400 and lay your beets out in a roasting pan. Coat them with oil and sprinkle a bit with salt. Roast the beets in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until when stabbed with a knife it feel like an undercooked potato. Let them cool and the skins can be rubbed off with a kitchen towel. You can slice them thin and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and crumbles of blue cheese for a very nice salad.
  What else can you do with beets? Pickle them! Add the sliced beets to a mason jar and top with the pickle brine recipe from last November and let them sit in the fridge for a week or so.

Pickling Brine:   1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
   1 cup Water
   1/4 cup Sugar
   2 tsp. Salt (I use Kosher)
Combine all ingredients small sauce pan and bring to a boil.

The Short End of The Rib

My wife's parents get whole cows (a practice we now follow as well) and keep them in a pair of freezers in their garage and their children are permitted, within reason, to help themselves to said beef. I have observed this  practice  repeatedly over the years and have noticed that the cuts disappear in a particular order. The ground beef goes first, then the steaks, next the roasts. Last to be used are what I have called the 'junk' cuts. Arm roasts, chuck roasts, soup bones and short ribs lay strewn across the bottom of the chest freezer like a child's forgotten playthings.
  I strongly feel these 'economy' cuts are the soul of good cooking. The tougher roasts become a luscious pot roast and collagen may be enticed from the soup bones to make beef stock . But what of the humble short rib? What does one do with a cut of beef containing more fat, connective tissue and bone than meat? Tougher cuts usually require braising to break down its connective tissue and short ribs are no different. My mother will braise short ribs in a cast iron dutch oven with onion soup mix and while delectable I need to watch my salt intake.  Therefore I have replaced the soup mix with fresh onions and utilize my slow cooker rather the my dutch oven in order to make short ribs a weeknight meal.

Onion Braised Short Ribs

3-4 lbs short ribs, cut into single rib sections
4 large onions
3 tbs butter
2 cups beef stock (homemade if you have it but low sodium canned is fine too)
Bacon Grease or Heat-Tolerant vegetable oil (Canola, Peanut, etc)
Salt and Pepper to taste

  The night before, turn your slow cooker to HIGH and add the butter. While the butter melts slice the onions and add them to the crock. Add a pinch of salt and stir to make sure all the onions are coated with butter.
  In the morning (after about 8 hours) check your onions, they should be nicely caramelized and reduce the slow cooker to LOW. Next put a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon grease or oil. Once the pan is hot add the short ribs and brown well on all sides. You may want to use a spatter guard if you have one. After the ribs are browned, add them to the slow cooker.
  Pour the beef stock into the hot skillet and use a whisk to scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan then add that to the slow cooker as well. Continue to cook on LOW for 8 more hours. Next remove the ribs from the crock and keep warm. You can serve the remaining liquid as a jus (as-is), thicken into gravy or hit it with a stick blender (watch out for splatter!) to thicken.
  Serve everything over rice with a green side salad.