Free Back to Butter: A Traditional Foods Cookbook - Nourishing Recipes Inspired by Our Ancestors by Molly Chester, Sally Schrecengost Page B

(160 g) raw honey.
    DATES: NATURE’S CANDY
    Let’s clarify: In saying “date,” we are referring to the whole, dried fruit, not the chopped, sugar-coated dates that appeared in the 1980s to make fruitcakes at Christmas. Several varieties of whole, dried dates are available at the farmers’ markets in California and other desert climates, but the king of all dates, the Medjool date, is available in most grocery stores and truly satisfies even the most persistent sweet tooth. Dates are featured in our lightly sweet and refreshing Lemon Vinaigrette ( page 112 ) and the quick, satisfying snack Almond Boy ( page 207 ).

PART 2
TRADITIONAL FOODS RECIPES
    When you step into the kitchen and tie on that apron, you’re more than a cook—you’re an artist. Consider the stove your easel and the ingredients your paint. As these recipes were developed, you were forefront in our thoughts. Our efforts are complete when you succeed. That said, every artistic endeavor has a learning curve. Beginnings are rarely magical. But magic does happen when you just keep putting on that apron!
    “Practice isn’t the thing you do when you’re good. It’s the thing you do that
makes
you good.”
    —Malcolm Gladwell,
Outliers: The Story of Success
    AN INGREDIENT REMINDER
    We’ve mentioned this in our introduction, but it bears repeating here: to avoid clutter, we omit certain descriptive words in the ingredient lists of the recipes. For example:
    • Organic is not placed before, well,
everything
! But we certainly recommend it be so.
    • We recommend all meat and eggs be pastured, also known as grass-fed ( page 35 ).
    • All seafood is wild with sustainable certification, such as MSC certification.
    • All butter used in the creation of the recipes was pastured and unsalted.
    • We recommend all other dairy—including milk, cream, and cheese—be sourced as grass-fed, whole/full-fat and possibly raw for uncooked applications ( page 37 ).
    • We highly recommend a quality mineral-rich fine sea salt, rather than refined table salt.
    • In our baking recipes, we rely on fresh-milled, sprouted flour, which creates very light, airy flour. Regular store-bought flour will not produce the same result.
    • All vinegar is unfiltered.
    • All honey is raw.
    • All water is filtered.

CHAPTER 6
FIRST BITES
    LET’S BE HONEST—we don’t make a whole lot of appetizers for a typical family dinner. These dishes are pulled out for company, a welcome nod for someone special. The last few minutes in an entertaining kitchen can be hectic. An appetizer acts like a shiny object, distracting guests from noticing any kitchen mishaps. One night, I actually returned a sheet pan to the oven with a potholder stuck on the bottom, but thanks to the Roasted Shrimp Salsa ( page 70 ), our guests “barely” noticed the billowing smoke!
    One of the great things about having a big garden is having lots of culinary herbs. It may feel excessive to buy the four bunches of parsley to make tabbouleh, but not when it’s plentiful in your garden! Typically made with bulgur wheat, this salad substitutes in quinoa, which allows our gluten-free friends to partake. I like serving it with cucumber rounds.

Quinoa Tabbouleh
    3 cups (555 g) cooked quinoa ( page 53 )
    3 / 4 cup (109 g) dried currants
    1 cup (180 g) seeded and diced tomato
    3 cups (180 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 4 bunches)
    3 / 4 cup (75 g) diagonally sliced scallion, both white and green parts
    1/3 cup (80 ml) lemon juice
    1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
    1 / 2 teaspoon garlic paste
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1 / 2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
    Combine the quinoa, currants, tomato, parsley, and scallion in a large-size bowl. With a fork, toss the ingredients to combine.
    In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Pour over the quinoa mixture and using your fork, toss again.
    Chill for 2 hours, if desired, and serve.
    YIELD: 8 CUPS (1,800 G), OR 10 TO