Farm Kitchen Chronicles: Spicy Ginger Beef with Vegetables
On immunity, part two, what to make when you are in a food rut, plus a bonus beverage recipe of an immune-boosting hot chocolate elixir.
Folks, it’s happened: my annual food rut has emerged. Something about our first snowfall and obsessively figuring out our farm plan for next year has just led to an overall exhausted feeling; just entering my kitchen makes me long for our farming days, pre-children, where Alex and I would be so tired after getting home at 8 or 9 at night and just having popcorn for dinner. But alas, I have two very hungry growing boys, and popcorn for dinner never really did the job anyway, and it is very crucial to nourish yourself at this time of year, so, for these reasons, I have to cook. It’s ok, since I always feel better when I do anyway, as will you!
When I was doing one of my herbal apprenticeships (specifically, my second one in Oregon at Herb Pharm), it was pressed to me continually that health and immunity starts with digestion. If you don’t have good digestion, there is a problem. However, in my current food rut, I am also focusing heavily on easy. Like I said, I am tired, homeschool is wearing me out, and I am so weary thinking about where we will be next year!
This recipe is one I created during my certification program from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition I did last year, all in the RV bus, a program I did because I was going insane being in New York at a farm that only employed Alex and was in an area I did not like (I was not a big fan of the lower Hudson Valley, though I did like the upper Hudson Valley much more). Anyway, being in my program taught me a lot about recipe development (hence this newsletter), and really tied a lot together for me regarding all three of my herbal programs. Every program has really concentrated on digestion as it relates to the immune system. This recipe, since it was made in the bus, really relied on things I had at the time in November: a chuck roast, ginger and garlic, tamari, and vegetables like kale, winter radishes, and frozen mushrooms. I always try to have lemons or limes, and it is always important to have a decent spice selection, so I used some spice powerhouses: cinnamon, Chinese five-spice, black pepper, and dried red chili flakes. It really came together in order to make something easy, and also, I wanted something different than what I was usually doing with chuck roast, which was making it with carrots, root vegetables, and potatoes in a slow cooker with rosemary and thyme. I love pot roasts like that, as it does feel very cold-weather to me, but sometimes I am in the mood for something with more kick and spicy flavors, and this is it.
The second recipe (bonus recipe!) is a hot chocolate elixir, perfect for after a day of sledding or just being in the snow.