March 09th, 2017

Before I take a "share" of our own lamb, pork and beef, I always try to eat down our freezer before taking more. We don't go out to dinner that often, and mostly eat at home for all of our meals. Therefore, we go through our freezer contents pretty quickly. I try to make well rounded meals, incorporating fish and chicken and vegetarian meals every week as well.  Of course, we all get excited about the prime cuts of beef steaks and roasts, but when you order a share, whether it is a 1/4, 1/2 or whole, it is important to make recipes that include the stew meat, if you take it, rather than have it ground into burger, as well as cuts like bottom round,(I have mine run through the butcher's cuber during processing, to tenderize). The Chuck Roast cut can be one of the tough cuts of meat, so I marinade mine. Last night's dinner consisted of Chuck Roast, broccoli tots and a side salad.  Of course, the frugal part of me, always saves the leftovers for our lunches that week until it's gone.  In our throw away society we seem to live it, which includes food, I feel better knowing that along with saving $ by not eating out so much, I am consuming every part of the animal, without too much waste.  I often "re-invent"leftovers into lunch meals, another dinner meal(s), until it's gone. I can't be the only "farmer's wife" that get's frustrated about all the little bits and pieces that get saved on the farm~but it comes in handy eventually and just like our leftovers, these leftover 2x4s, hog panels, buckets, building materials, eventually get used! Up-cycling, recycling and repurposing are nothing new to farmers~I find it's the same as when I make a meal and I have left overs! I might make Quinoa salald one day and the next day, I will put the leftovers in our stew! So on to last night's dinner:

Chuck roast: After thawing~ I cut slits in the roast and stuffed with garlic cloves.
I made up a marinade of lemon juice,balsalmic vinegar,red wine vinegar,chopped garlic,salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. I poured it over the roast that I had placed in a plastic bag sitting on a pie pan. I twisted it tightly closed and placed it in the fridge for about 10 hours, turning it every so often when I remembered. 
I took the roast out about 1 hour before I was read to cook it. I cooked mine in the oven last night, but it would be great on the grill!
I cooked it on 425 for 15-20 min., then down to 350 for about 20 min. per lb.
We like our beef med-rare, so I took it out about 120-125 and covered it after taking out of the oven.  It turned out a perfect med-rare. I made a sauce of horseradish, Greek yogurt and a little lemon juice to serve with it. (That was for me, Jay would not touch that with a ten foot poll).
As the roast was resting, I made broccoli tots:
I blanched a small head of broccoli florets for one min. plunging them into a ice bath after straining to stop the cooking.
While they were cooling, I chopped about 1/4 cup white onion, put 1 whole egg in the bowl, 1/3 cup panko crumbs, 1/3 cup Italian bread crumps, chopped parsley and about 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese. I chopped up about 2 cups of the broccoli quite fine and added to the bowl. I had pre-heated the oven to 400 (left it on) and brushed a piece of parchment paper with a little olive oil. I formed a small handful of the broccoli mixture into a ball, squeezing them to hold together and then while still in my hand, forming them to look like a tater tot. I baked them for about 20-25 min., turning them over half way through! They were so good! I felt like I was eating a tater tot, but without all the carbs! Next time I am going to maybe add chopped jalepeno's and try cheddar cheese...a lot you could try!

I served our dinner with a side salad, that included the previously blanched broccoli that was leftover, I had made too much for the tots, so I threw them in the salad!

Enjoy!

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