Mother's Day specials and more...

In honor of Mother's Day we have plenty of great specials this week.  We have an oven-ready garlic and rosemary stuffed pork loin that is amazing. Our Flank Steak and Ribeyes will be on special as well. Whip up a salad with our fresh local spinach or grill up some of our local organic asparagus for a tasty side dish.

Recipe of the Week:

Stuffed Flank Steak

What Can I Bring/A Cookbook by the Junior League of Northern Virginia
(Available at the Organic Butcher for $17.99)

2     pounds flank steak                                          
1/4  tsp paprika
1    tsp salt
1/4  tsp pepper
1/4  tsp mustard
1/4  tsp ground ginger
1     tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4  cup butter
2    chopped onion
1    cup bread crumbs
1/4  tsp salt
2    T chopped parsley
3    T chopped celery
1    large egg, lightly beaten
      Vegetable oil
2    T all-purpose flour
1    cup water or stock
1    cup red wine

• Combine paprika and next 5 ingredients.  Coat steak with dry mixture.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onion and saute until tender.  Add the breadcrumbs and next 4 ingredients to onion, stirring well.  Spread mixture over steak; roll loosely and tie with string.
• Sear steak on all sides in hot oil in a skillet.  Transfer to a baking dish, reserving oil in skillet. 
• Add flour, 1 cup water or broth, and wine to oil in skillet, stirring until smooth.  Pour mixture over steak.
• Bake steak, covered at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy!

"Dinner of the Week".......

This week we will be offering a "dinner of the week" special. It includes either Salmon or Hanger Steak with a bag of spinach, rice pilaf and a bottle of wine. We will take 15% of the total of your purchase. We also have two great recipes that customers have shared with us and are absolutely delicious.

Salmon with Dijon Mustard:

Dijon mustard
Salt
pepper
garlic
rosemary
olive oil

Coat salmon with olive oil
Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the top
Sprinkle with black pepper, garlic and fresh rosemary

Cook at 350 for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of fillet)

Turn up the heat to 450 for the last few minutes

Hanger Steak with Shallots:

2T olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
2T butter
2T parsley
4 medium shallots

Season steaks with salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a heavy skillet on high
Place steaks in skillet and cook about 6 minutes (3 minutes a side) for medium rare. Flip steaks when they are browned.

Take steaks off and let cool on a plate, cover loosely with foil.

Reduce heat to medium and melt 1T butter , add shallots and cook until soft.
Add wine and bring to a boil, let cool and add parsley and remaining butter.
Pour over steaks and serve.

New products this week: Ramps and Black Garlic

If you have not tried a Ramp come in and pick some up. They are similar to a leek and have an oniony-garlic flavor. They will work in the recipe above instead of shallots. Take it up a notch and throw in some Black Garlic.

Black garlic is an exciting new product. It has a sweet savory flavor and almost melts in your mouth.  It is loaded with twice as many antioxidants as raw garlic and contains a natural cancer preventing compound.

Enjoy!

Grass-Fed Lamb Chops....

One of our featured items on special this week are our Virginia raised, grass-fed lamb loin chops. They are extremely tender with a wonderful mild flavor. Along with tasting great they also offer many nutritional benefits that grain fed lamb does not. For a quick and easy dinner we love to throw these chops on the grill after seasoning them with kosher salt and pepper. If you want to get more creative we have a great recipe that is always a hit with guests. The sauce is an amazing accompianment to the lamb loin chops. It is mint jelly jazzed up with a few other ingredients.

Recipe:

3 T mint jelly

1 T white wine vinegar

1T dijon mustard

1/4 cup chicken stock

2T olive oil

and of course Lamb chops

In a small bowl whisk together mint jelly, vinegar, mustard and chicken stock. Set aside while cooking the lamb.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Season lamb chops with kosher salt and pepper. Add the chops and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium rare. Put the chops on a platter and cover loosely with foil to let rest.

Remove the pan from the heat and discard the fat. Add the mint jelly mixture. Set over medium-high heat and cook stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. Approximately 2-4 minutes. Pour sauce over chops and serve.

Pick up some of our local fresh spinach and a bottle of wine to complete your meal. We recommend the Siete 7 which is an organic Garnacha/Tempranillo blend from Spain.

Now taking Easter orders....

With Easter right around the corner it is time to place your special order. If you are looking for local lamb we have grass-fed Virginia raised lamb that has been getting great reviews. If a traditional lamb leg is on your Easter menu we can prepare it bone-in or boneless. As always we are happy to provide you with cooking tips. Other items to consider are frenched lamb rack, boneless lamb loin and lamb loin chops. Seder bones are also available for those that pre-order. The following is a list of some of our more popular Easter items:

LAMB LEG (BONE-IN) $9.99/LB
BONELESS LAMB LEG $10.99/LB
SEMI-BONELESS LAMB LEG $10.49/LB
FRENCHED LAMB RACK $23.99/LB
LAMB LOIN CHOPS $16.99/LB
BONELESS LAMB LOIN $22.99/LB
LAMB SHANK $6.99/LB
LAMB TENDERLOIN $24.99/LB
EASTER HAMS..CALL FOR TYPES AND PRICES.

We recommend to pre-order your Easter entree to ensure we'll have it available and ready to go when you arrive. 703-790-8300.

How to cook the perfect ribeye steak indoors...

You can bet our number one selling special of the week will be our boneless ribeye steak. Therefore, we have included some cooking instructions. With less than optimal grilling conditions we have chosen to include an indoor cooking method. If you haven't done it already try this one out:

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 1/2-inch thick
• Olive oil to coat
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron or ovenproof skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature before cooking.

When oven reaches temperature of 500 degrees remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.)

Remove steak from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.

WINTER 2010 FREEZER PACKAGE...

Why not kick-off the New Year with our latest Organic Butcher freezer package? This is a sampling of some of our most popular winter products. Enjoy the discount of this smaller package listed below or add to it and create your own package. We have listed some suggestions below.

2-3 lb. Beef Pot Roast

(2) NY Strips or (2) Ribeyes (12-14 oz each)

(2) 6-8 oz Filet Mignon

2.5-3 lb. Boar Shoulder or (1) 1 lb. Venison Tenderloin

4 lb. Whole Chicken

1.5 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Total Cost: $119 (Regular cost: $140)

Add 2 lb. or more of Lamb Top Round for $9.99/lb. (reg. $11.99/lb.)

Add 2 lb. of ground beef, veal and pork for $5.99/lb. (reg. $7.99/lb.)

Add 2 lb. or berkshire pork chops for $11.99/lb. (reg. $13.99/lb.)

Add 2 lb of pork sausages for $7.99/lb (reg. $9.99/lb.)

Five Great Specials......

We have five great specials that we will be offering through December 15th. Special #1: Berkshire pork chops. These chops are rich in color with the perfect amount of marbling to create one of the most tender and flavorful chops you'll ever try. Purchase as a rib roast or as single or double cut bone-in pork chop. Special #2: Tuscano Sausage. This is a combination of veal and pork mixed with roasted red peppers, feta and seasonings. This one is great alone or sliced-up a top a pasta dish. Special #3: Ginger Soy marinated Flank Steak: This leaner cut has great flavor especially when grilled or broiled with our ginger soy marinade. This marinade will produce a slightly sweet flavor with a bit of spice and will grill or broil to a crispy outside with a recommended rare to medium rare center. Special #4: Wild Boar Rack: Wait a minute...did you see that price?? $19.99/lb!! These frenched racks are extremely full flavored and lean and best when prepared over high heat. Racks are averaging 4lbs pounds each, although sizes can vary significantly (generally become larger in the winter months). Also we are happy to portion for those who don't need a whole rack. Special #5: Day-Boat U-12 Sea Scallops: These scallops are dry-packed because they are extremely fresh and don't need a preservative to prolong their shelf life. These tasty scallops are easy to prepare and sure to please.

These specials are good until December 15th when we release the new ones.