Savoring Sustainable Seafood

We are thrilled to be supporting the Smithsonian's Savoring Sustainable Seafood Event on the weekend of June 11th.  Our product will be featured at two stations,  prepared by two top chefs.  Details follow:

Former Top Chef Finalist, Chef Bryan Voltaggio, VOLT, will be preparing:
-Warm Smoked Sturgeon, Braised
-Bacon, English Pea, Ver Jus, Summer

Rob Weland, Executive Chef, Poste Moderne Brasseries will be preparing: 
-Berkshire Pork Belly, Slow Cooked Hen Egg, local Asparagus

Smithsonian’s Sustainable Seafood Culinary Weekend
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and The Smithsonian Associates present a culinary weekend focusing on sustainable seafood Friday, June 11, through Saturday, June 12. The weekend will feature three events: an evening reception with tastings of seafood specialties prepared by more than 30 acclaimed chefs, a VIP reception with seafood dishes prepared by a select group of local chefs, a sustainability panel discussion with industry experts, preceded by a sustainable seafood breakfast buffet.

For tickets and additional information, contact The Smithsonian Associates at (202) 633-3030 or visit  http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/landing/sustainable-seafood.aspx and use the code 182935 to receive the members’ price $90 - a discount of $35 from the non-member price - for the reception.


Hope to see you there!


The Organic Butcher
703-790-8300

Recipe of the Week

Shrimp Marinade

For : 1 lb shrimp

Mix:

1 cup  white wine 

2 T white wine vinegar 

1/2 cup Olive Oil

3 bay leaves

sprinkle basil

4 cloves diced garlic

After marinading shrimp add juice of one lemon right before grilling.

Enjoy!!

The Organic Butcher

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.