Lynnette

My stock was almost just like yours. Turkey, chicken & chicken feet (6) - but then I added stock aromatics 3 hours before pulling it off the heat. I got six quarts, one frozen in ice cubes for sauces, two dispatched into soup, and the last three awaiting soups this winter.

There were only two of us, but I roasted a 13.5 lb free-range turkey (using Bobby Flay's Maple Roasted Turkey with Sage Butter recipe). This turkey was not brined, but was larded with bacon and basted with maple syrup. Given the bacon, I chose to accompany the bird with a wild rice pilaf with toasted pecans, mace-scented mashed acorn squash, dinosaur kale, and savory sauteed apples with cranberries. For dessert I made pumpkin custards sweetened with molasses and honey, and loaded with spices. We drizzled a homemade eggnog sweetened with maple over the custards. The beauty of the meal was that it filled us without stuffing us. The disaster came when I set my new oven to self-clean afterwards. It stopped mid cycle and remains locked. I am home today waiting for the repairman. I made stock with the meaty carcass and made one soup already with the neck meat and wild rice added to sauteed onion, garlic, carrot, celery & thyme. I have plans for a butternut-parsnip soup (as soon as the oven is fixed) and a SW turkey soup. The pieces and parts art tucked away in the freezer awaiting the soups. - Lynnette

Only since you asked... My DCS wall oven is sitting atop the island; the DCS rangetop and warming drawer are likewise without a home yet, and the new refrigerator - 4 days running - died in place today. Having all these new appliances in view and not yet working is driving me insane. I do love to cook, and have been too long without my tools. The new kitchen window was moved over 4.5 inches today to center it (as it SHOULD have been in the first place), so we step forward again... We now live in an oak wood so cabinets are dark oak, edges glazed with black; India black granite is slated to be installed in a few weeks, and all appliances are stainless. Floor is porcelain tile that fools even contractors, thinking it is slate. I think it will be a comfortable kitchen once finished. Pictures later... Lynnette

We have moved and I have been cooking on a two-burner camp stove that I swear I will trash in high style when my new kitchen is finally functional. Breakfast has been a steady diet of kefir-blueberry-raw egg yolk smoothies, except weekends, weather permitting, when we manage to cook eggs and bacon, outside. We bought a 1970 house that we are renovating. It's been an adventure but not one I will want to repeat. We're calling this place Road's End, for a good reason. We overlook the Mississippi Valley, and have a view that begs for many dinners alfresco. I hope to be active again, within the month. Or next. Lynnette

I haven't yet soaked cornmeal in limewater, but, I discovered that the product Maseca (Masa Harina) is "specially ground and dehydrated whole kernal corn and lime." I am pretty sure it is pre-soaked in lime. I use it for cornmeal. Lynnette

Most of the food we eat is from local farms, meaning: free-range, pastured, grass-fed meats and poultry, and local, mostly organic fruits and vegetables. We seek out farmers who have selected heirloom breeds best suited for pasture and our climate here in MN. I also buy Copper River salmon in season, and vacuum-pack and freeze about 30 lbs for the year. Real Food tastes better, and is richer... golden orange egg yolks, fresh & creamy raw milk, Highland beef with real flavor… the list goes on. And for those who think such meat is tough, know that pastured beef is best slowly - for long hours at a low temp, or quickly seared and left rare. The only medical problem I had was essential hypertension - and this was while I was a vegetarian! On this wholesome Real Food omnivore diet, complete with bone broths made into various soups, I am happy to say I am now, at 60, OFF my hypertension drug. The food I eat is loaded with omega 3 fatty acids, CLA (which is protective against breast cancer and cancer of the colon), vitamins, and a full range of natural amino acids, all from the grass-fed meats and bone-broths from them. I get plenty of phytonutrients and antioxidants from the organic vegetables. The key, IMO, is to eat a diversified diet. Vegetables with various colors, a mixture of protein sources – shoot, I would also use a diversified assortment of lipids… including raw, cultured butter, really fresh EVOO, duck fat, and yes, even non-industrialized lard. At best, we probably eat grass-fed beef, elk or lamb 2-3 times a week, and balance them with free-range chickens or duck, and wild seafood. BUT, all this said, I would not touch feed-lot beef or battery chickens with a ten-foot pole, in part, because of the hormones they are given. If anything, I am growing healthier on this clean, unadulterated diet! Tonight we will be eating pan-seared, rare, grass-fed Highland beef tenderloins. I will serve my wild mushroom soup and vegetables with it. Wish you could join us for a taste-testing And regarding breast cancer, From the Weston Price Foundation: “Breast cancer was a rare disease in 1900. Today it occurs in epidemic proportions—by some estimates one in every eight women will contract breast cancer, many of them during their childbearing years. Peruse the scientific literature on breast cancer and you will find that the following nutrients are considered protective against this terrible disease: vitamin C, carotenes, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin CoQ10, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), sphingomyelin and butyric acid.31 Of these, only the first two (vitamin C and carotenes) are found in plant foods. The rest are provided exclusively from animal foods, particularly butter and fats from animals allowed to graze, but the vast majority of popular books on breast cancer promote a lowfat vegetarian diet for women with breast cancer!”

I just love it when EGullet responds to my google searches with a forum discussion !! We usually drink wine but one of our alcoholic drinks of choice is gin & tonic. After cleaning up our diet in favor of Real Food, I was dismayed to discover that all brands of tonic I could find contained high fructose corn syrup. And after cutting back on sweets, these tonics are also now too sweet for us. Thus, it seems that I will eventually have to make my own or go to special lengths to find and procure tonic that meets my standards. So... Please keep posting the results of your experiments! Every one helps! And Jordan, bless you for all your efforts. Good Luck with your business! Thanks, Lynnette

I made cassoulet for the first time last month, after reading through this forum and a couple of Paula Wolfert's. It took almost a month to gather all the ingredients, and first make the duck confit, but the result was well worth it. I used Paula's recipe in The Cooking of SW France. Here is a picture of one of the casseroles (I had to use 3, not having the larger size)

Okay, I have spent hours & hours reading through all the posts on onion confit/marmalade/conserve... and now have a question. After noticing mention of using duck fat, which I keep from making duck confit, I mused to myself.... what about using a bit of the jewel-like "duck jelly" from the duck confit in lieu of the Demi-glace? Yes, I know it is quite salty, but salt would help the onions release their moisture easier, and using only a tablespoon of the jelly might be just the right amount of seasoning. That, and it seems it would augment the taste of the duck fat. Opinions? Anyone? I must say, EGullet has been an inspiration to me from day one. I am now cooking things I had not known of, before... And onion confit/conserve sure sounds tasty!!! Now to the store for the onions...

Come summer, gazbacho is a favorite of ours. I have usually made it sans broth, but this year, I am going to add some grass-fed beef broth to my favorite recipe. Hmmm, I can already taste it. Can't wait for tomato season!!!!

In my opinion, yes. I always save the "duck jelly" - that rich, brown salty gel, and use it to salt homemade duck, turkey or chicken broths. It salts a stock pot just right, and adds both flavor and color.

Hi All, Paula, I made the Cassoulet in the Style of Toulouse last month, and must say, it was divine. I had to use three casseroles, not having the proper size, but still, it came out beautifully. I was amazed at the magickal transformation of fats into succulent beans. NEVER, ever, have I cooked beans from scratch that tasted so good. So thanks to you, Ms. Wolfert, AND to Rancho Gordo!!! Oops... this recipe was from Cooking of SW France. I have both books

I am still making bone-broth soups on a regular basis. Lately I have been having problems uploading images, but today, one image made it: This is duck soup with Porcini mushroom and Russian Kale. I think the already richly colored broth was deepened with the addition of the porcini soaking liquid. My husband was immediately impressed with the soup - and rushed to get the camera The flavor was no disappointment and was as rich as the soup was colored!

I don't think so. They're incredibly rich and I think they'd be almost too much (and I'm a pig!) We grow a beautiful cranberry style bean called Bayo (from Bayou) and I've been told it's an authentic bean for the dish. i sent almost all the seed I have to farmer in LA to help after Katrina hit and hopefully they'll be growing them out this Spring. For me with the Rio Zape, I'd cook them with a touch of fat, onion and garlic and then serve them with some minced white onion and a squeeze of lime. You'll get a hint of chocolate with this one. Tortillas and salad and you're home free. it's an amazing bean and if you garden, try saving a few for string beans. The cassoulet sounds SWELL, by the way. ← Hi Rancho, I did not see your reply before I jumped in to make Red Beans and Rice with the Rio Zape... while the cooked beans were not red, they were wonderfully rich. I used the trinity vegetables, with garlic and a ham hock in the recipe. Maybe it is just your fresh heirloom beans, or that I am using more natural, grass-fed fats, but again, the finished dish was simply awesome. The cassoulet was indeed awesome, thanks! I am having errors uploading the images, but when I solve the problem, I will post them under Paula's Cooking of SW France forum. The bottom line, is that I WILL be ordering more beans from you!! Thanks, Lynnette

I made Paula Wolfert's Cassoulet in the Style of Toulouse last week. I had ordered some Tarbais beans but did not get enough, so I added the Runner Cannellini beans that I recently bought from you. I did soak both beans overnight, and added them to the pork ragu with no extra salt added. I was amazed at the end product. The beans were rich and tender and unlike ANY I have cooked from scratch. The cassoulet was thick, so it was difficult to determine if any fell apart, but all the beans I noticed were intact and plump. I was thinking of using the Rio Zape beans for red beans and rice; Rancho do you think this be a good pairing? Lynnette, in MN