Why hassle with the crowded restaurants this weekend when you can prepare these special Valentine Filet Mignons with Bordelaise right at home for your favorite someone. There is nothing more romantic than a couple of tender filet mignons perfectly seared and topped with a pan sauce of shiitake mushrooms and red wine, and Triple L Ranch has the finest cuts of grass-fed grain-finished beef tenderloin for your romantic dinner. Place each filet mignon on a bed of Nicoletto’s fresh garlic pasta with a side of Delvin Farms shaved organic Brussels sprouts, and you and your valentine will enjoy a delicious meal raised locally and with lots of love.

From L to R: Delvin Farms Brussels sprouts, Nicoletto’s fresh pasta, Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter, Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC, shiitake mushrooms, Triple L Ranch filet mignons. Not pictured: Triple L Ranch whole cream, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese asiago reserva

Triple L Ranch filet mignon is grass-fed, grain-finished, and raised with no antibiotics or hormones.

Begin by allowing your Triple L Ranch filet mignons to reach room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes before searing. Heat a cast-iron skillet on high with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Liberally salt and pepper each filet, add them to the hot skillet, and immediately turn the heat down to medium-high heat. Do not touch for 3 minutes. The filets will develop a beautiful dark crust which is what you want! After 3 minutes, flip you filets over and let sear for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest on a plate with a foil tent on top.

Perfecting a good sear on a locally raised filet mignon is a very attractive quality and quite romantic.

Next, turn the heat down to medium heat and in the same skillet add 1 tablespoon Hatcher Family Dairy sweet cream butter and 1/4 cup of minced shallots. Cook for 3 minutes before adding 1 quart-size container of sliced Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC, shiitake mushrooms to the pan. Sauté until soft (about 10 minutes).

Beautiful sliced shiitakes from Bloomin’ Shroom, LLC, make a savory mushroom bordelaise sauce.

Next, deglaze your skillet with 1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or any red wine you have on hand) and be sure to scrape up all the good browned bits (known as the fond) from the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 cup good beef stock, a sprig of thyme if you have it, and let the mushroom bordelaise simmer until it has reduced by a bit more than half(about 10-20 minutes). To finish, crank in some freshly ground black pepper, add another knob of Hatcher butter and swirl in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken and set aside.

Then for the pasta. Pasta is always an excellent choice for a romantic dinner (think Lady and the Tramp), and we simply love the fresh garlic pasta from Nicoletto’s Pasta Company. But to begin, you must build the perfect cream sauce, and no cream sauce is better than one built with Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream. Start with 1 tablespoon Hatcher butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan set to medium heat. Add 1/4 cup minced shallots (any type of onion would work well, too), and 1 minced clove of garlic. Sauté until soft (about 3 minutes). Then add 1 cup of your favorite white wine and 1 cup of a good chicken stock and let simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. Then add 2 cups of Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream and 1 cup graded Kenny’s Farmhouse Asiago Reserva cheese from the MoonShadow Farm booth and let the temperature reach a simmer again. Let bubble for another 5 or so minutes until thick. Remove from heat.

Find all the Kenny’s cheese at the MoonShadow Farm booth.

Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream is used in this perfect yet simple cream sauce.

Next, boil a large pot of salted water and add 1 package of Nicoletto’s Pasta Company fresh garlic pasta. Boil this pasta for only 2 minutes, then remove to finish cooking in the cream sauce (Italian style). Swirl the noodles around in the cream sauce for another minute or two on medium heat. Voila! Perfect fresh pasta in the simplest cream sauce ever.

Nicoletto’s fresh garlic pasta swimming in a sea of love.

At this point, your Triple L Ranch filet mignons should have had plenty of time to rest and reach medium rare. Serve the filet mignons on top of the pasta and cream sauce, topped with the shiitake mushroom bordelaise and a nice side of Delvin Farms shaved Brussels sprouts that have been sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, salt a, and pepper, and you’ll have a romantic meal made with love. Happy Valentine’s Day, you locavorian lovebirds!

Delvin Farms organic shaved Brussels sprouts.

A couple of Triple L Ranch filet mignons — the perfect romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day.

Whether you’re a Denver Bronco or a Carolina Panther, this Slow-Roasted Brisket topped with a spiced brown sugar glaze is sure to score touchdowns with your Super Bowl crowd. I love how a 9 lb brisket from Bear Creek Farm falls slap apart after spending 12 hours in an oven at 275 degrees, and the spiced brown sugar glaze caramelizes to produce a top “bark” that is flavor-packed and irresistible. This Slow-Roasted Brisket recipe produces enough meat to slice and serve with mashed potatoes or set on Jones Mill Farm sourdough slider buns for a sensational Super Bowl celebration.

Succulent Bear Creek Farm Slow-Roasted Brisket is prime eats for Super Bowl Sunday.

Like all Bear Creek Farm beef cuts, these briskets are all-natural Angus beef that are grass-fed and grain finished. I like to think of them as the linebackers of the beef world — hefty and strong with just the right amount of fattiness. In fact, it’s the exceptional marbling of Bear Creek Farm brisket that makes if perfect for low and slow roasting in the oven.

Exceptional marbling in Bear Creek Farm grass-fed, grain-finished brisket makes it ideal for slow roasting in the oven.

Brisket is unique in the way that it comes with its own juicy insurance policy — the fat cap! And Bear Creek Farm brisket has a mighty fine one. You can trim the fat cap down to about 1/4-inch, or completely remove it if you prefer a leaner cut of meat. I prefer to trim away the tougher deposits of fat from the brisket before roasting and leave the fat cap be to create plenty of juiciness. But for sake of simplicity, feel free to roast your brisket as-is.

The fat cap is the side of the brisket covered in the most fat and ensures a super juicy Super Bowl brisket.

Once I trimmed my brisket, I covered it in an ample amount of salt and pepper and let it rest while I sliced two large onions in 3/4-inch slices (I like thicker onion slices with my Slow-Roasted Brisket). Fill the bottom of a large roasting pan with the onions and mix with a bit of salt, then place the raw brisket on top with the fat cap up.

Before I place my Bear Creek Farm beef brisket in the oven, I whip up a spiced brown sugar glaze to produce a caramelized crust that mimics the hard outer “bark” of a smoked brisket. I use 1 can of tomato paste to give my glaze a sticky texture and tart flavor, and mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, 5 minced garlic cloves, and a ton of yummy spices. This makes a sticky, sweet glaze to cover my slow-roasted brisket.  (Tip: The glaze can also be slathered on a day in advance and left overnight in the refrigerator if you have the time or forethought.)

A tomato-y spiced brown sugar glaze adds a sweet tang to slow-roasted brisket.

Brisket is known for possessing a lot of connective tissue that can be broken down in the oven for many hours at a low temperature. To get that sugary dark crust on top, I slather my brisket with the spiced brown sugar glaze and roast it uncovered for 12 hours at 275 degrees. If you like a softer “bark” and a steamier brisket, you can cover it with foil during the last 6 of the 12 hours at the same temperature, and give it a quick ten minutes under the broiler to crisp-up the glaze. (Tip: feel free to throw in any market root vegetables that you like, such as fresh carrots, potatoes, turnips, or radishes.)

Add some market root vegetables before roasting if desired.

The finished product has a deep dark bark and is done when the back of a fork inserts easily.

Once my Bear Creek Farm Slow-Roasted Brisket was finished roasting, I let it rest on a cutting board for 20 minutes, and then began to slice it at the thinner end against the grain. I left my foil by my cutting board to remove and transfer the fatty parts, and a platter for the succulent slices. Once I got closer to the thicker end, the meat began to pull away easily — perfect for making Super Bowl sliders!

Leaving the fat cap on your brisket and roasting low and slow produces a succulent fork-tender slice.

Bear Creek Farm slow-roasted brisket pulls apart easily — perfect for Super Bowl sliders!

Speaking of sliders for Super Bowl Sunday, we hear the best slider buns to be found this Saturday at our market will be at the Jones Mill Farm booth. Judy Stroud’s sourdough buns will be baked fresh and ready for pulled Bear Creek Farm brisket and hunks of caramelized onions to feed hungry football fans. Enjoy and go team!

Everyone loves a hearty slider for Super Bowl Sunday.

Slow-Roasted Brisket

1 large Bear Creek Farm brisket

salt and pepper

2 large yellow or white onions, sliced

market root vegetables (optional)

Jones Mill Farm sourdough slider buns

 Spiced Brown Sugar Glaze

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

5 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

If you’re looking for a hearty spread to satiate your Super Bowl party, we’ve built the ultimate Sausage Platter to score points with hungry fans. West Wind Farms offers more than 25 varieties of bratwursts and sausages to build a platter that is not only impressive but delicious, and all brats and sausages are locally-raised, well-seasoned, and nitrate-free.

West Wind Farm offers more than 25 varieties of grass-fed and nitrate-free Bratwursts and Sausages for your Super Bowl spread.

Choose from fresh sausages like the Hot Italian seasoned with fennel, coriander and nutmeg, or opt for smoked selections like the peppery Andouille that tastes fantastic when charred in the oven. Add a few jars of Jones Mill Farm’s handmade relishes, whole-grain mustard, and a warm ale and cheddar dip, and your West Wind Farms Sausage Platter will be rocking and rolling through the 4th quarter.

A Super Bowl Smash: West Wind Farm Sausage Platter.

For this sausage platter, we chose a diverse selection of sweet, spicy, and savory from the West Wind Farms’ ample menu — the sweet Hawaiian-style pork sausage,  a Smoked Sweet Pepper and Onion, the fresh Classic Pork Brat, a spicy smoked Andouille, the Hot Italian sausage, and the gooey, earthy Mushroom and Swiss cheese Brat.

West Wind Farm bratwursts and sausages come in a variety of flavors that are savory, spicy, and sweet.

We like to simmer our brats in equal parts water and dark ale until they’re plump and juicy (about 20 minutes), and use the rest of the ale for a warm cheese dip to accompany our spread. These West Wind Farms brats are also tasty seared in a skillet or on a grill after they have been simmered. The choices are endless and all delicious.

Simmer brats in equal parts dark ale and water. Tip: Adding sliced onions or herbs and spices to your simmering liquid really amps the flavor!

Brats will be plump and juicy after simmering for approximately 20 minutes.

For the smoked sausages, we opted to sear them in a hot cast-iron skillet and finish them in a 350 oven to roast. The outside of these sausages became crispy and delicious. When finished, slice the sausages into rounds or on the bias after they have fully rested for about 15 minutes to preserve the natural juices.

West Wind Farm smoked sausages are pan-seared with a dark and crispy outside, and a juicy well-seasoned filling.

Dark ale, Hatcher Family Dairy milk, and grated Kenny’s Farmhouse Ted combine to make our warm ale and cheddar dip.

For the warm ale and cheddar dip, we simply combined butter with flour to produce a roux, then whisked in a dark ale and Hatcher Family Dairy milk. We added the sharp-tasting Kenny’s Farmhouse Ted that we found at the MoonShadow Farm booth (which is a bleu aged cheddar) to our yeasty béchamel,  along with yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, paprika, and salt and pepper. (note: The warm ale and cheddar dip does best when served in a chafing dish to keep it smooth and creamy.)

The Kenny’s Farmhouse Ted cheddar has a piquant bite that pairs well with dark ale. Find it at the MoonShadow Farm booth.

To round out our West Wind Farms Sausage Platter, we added the sweet and piquant Apple relish and Saurkraut from Jones Mill Farm. Slice your sausages, add a dollop of whole-grain mustard, and you’ll have a impressive platter of local sausages for some serious Super Bowl snacking.

Jones Mill Farm has a myriad of jams, jellies, pickles, and relishes that pair well with a savory sausage platter.

West Wind Farm sausage platter with warm ale and cheddar dip, Jones Mill Farm sauerkraut and apple relish, and whole-grain mustard.

West Wind Farms Sausage Platter

West Wind Farms Sausages (we chose Hawaiian-style, Hot Italian, Smoked Sweet Pepper and Onion, Mushroom and Swiss Cheese Brat, Classic Pork Brat, and Smoked Andouille)

2 cups dark ale for simmering

Jones Mill Farm Apple Relish

Jones Mill Farm Sauerkraut

Whole-grain mustard

Warm ale and cheddar dip

Warm Ale and Cheddar Dip

1 10 ounce package Kenny’s Farmhouse Ted cheese from MoonShadow Farm, grated

1 cup dark ale

1 cup whole or 2% Hatcher Family Dairy milk

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Hot Sauce to taste

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper

This hearty Lamb Bolognese from the Franklin Farmers Market is thick, robust, and definitely not your momma’s spaghetti. We slow-simmered tender ground lamb from Hatcher Family Dairy with a minced mirepoix and fresh marinara from Alfresco Pasta to make a hearty ragú that sticks to your ribs during the freezing winter temperatures. Swirl this lamb Bolognese with wide Alfresco Pasta papparadelle noodles and top with Kenny’s Asiago Reserva from MoonShadow Farm booth, and you have a hearty classic Italian dish made with all local ingredients from the Franklin Farmers Market.

We began this lamb Bolognese by adding a finely minced mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onions with dried bay leaves to two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. We sauted the mirepoix for 5 to 10 minutes or until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.

Next, we added 1 lb of Hatcher Family Dairy ground lamb and finely broke up the meat in the pan with a large wooden spoon. We cooked the lamb until no pink was left, and then added our garlic and 1 cup of red wine. Lamb Bolognese really benefits from the flavor of wine, but if a red is not on hand at your home, feel free to use a nice dry white. Simmer the wine until almost all the liquid has evaporated (about 10 minutes) before adding the tomato paste. Work the tomato paste into the meat until smooth and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often.

For this sauce we used the fresh marinara sauce from Alfresco Pasta found at our farmers’ market. We love this marinara because it is made in small batches with fresh tomatoes and herbs, and we find it to have the fresh, bright tomato flavor that we like in a sauce. We added 3 defrosted tubs of the Alfresco Pasta marinara to our pan, including a 3-inch section of the rind of our Kenny’s Farmhouse Asiago Reserva cheese that we grabbed at the MoonShadow Farm booth, and simmered the sauce with the lid on for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce reduced beautifully, and what was left was a thick, hearty ragú with a sumptuous lamb flavor and tender texture.

Remove the rind and bay leave, and pour in 1/2 cup of Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream with a sprinkle of freshly ground nutmeg to finish.

Lamb Bolognese is slowly simmered and sticks to your ribs and a wooden spoon, too.

For the noodles, we find Alfresco Pasta’s fresh spinach papparadelle that is flecked with bright green spinach to pair well with such a hearty sauce, but the myriad of pasta choices at the Alfresco Pasta booth would all work well. Simply add the frozen fresh pasta to a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water and stir immediately to separate. Cook until desired texture, drain, and combine with lamb Bolognese sauce.

Sprinkle with the perfectly nutty Kenny’s Asiago Reserva, place in chilly hands of your favorite person, and you’ve got a steamy bowl of hearty pasta to cuddle-up with on a blustery winter night.

Hearty Lamb Bolognese with Paparadelle

2 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tablespoons fat from Italian pancetta)

1/2 medium yellow or white onion, minced

1 carrot, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 dried bay leaves

1 Lb Hatcher Family Dairy ground lamb

1 cup red wine

1/2 can tomato paste

3 12oz tubs Alfresco Pasta marinara sauce

1/2 cup Hatcher Family Dairy whole cream

1 package Kenny’s Asiago Reserva cheese from MoonShadow Farm

1 package Alfresco Pasta spinach papparadelle

Ward off the chilly weather with this Bison Guinness Stew Recipe from Kayla Fioravanti of Red Cedar Bison Ranch. We absolutely love this premium grass-fed bison at the Franklin Farmers Market and enjoy using in some of our favorite slow-cooker-style recipes. Red Cedar Ranch Bison is raised here in middle Tennessee with no hormones, antibiotics, or GMOs, and is low in fat and calories with high levels of iron. This Bison Guinness Stew is an excellent  recipe for first-time bison buyers since it calls for a low-and-slow cooking method (the preferred method to cook bison), and also because bison has such a similar flavor to beef and can be easily substituted in many traditional beef recipes.

This Bison Guinness Stew recipe begins with a rainbow of fresh vegetables grown by our local farmers. We chose crunchy sweet carrots and red potatoes from Kirkview Farm, and since we have so many wonderful winter vegetables at the Franklin Farmers Market right now, we also decided to beef, er, bison up the veggie content with sweet golden turnips and rutabagas from Paradise Produce and earthy shitakes from Bloomin’ Shrooms, LLC.

Next, we visited the Red Cedar Bison booth to grab a 1lb bag of freshly frozen bison stew meat, plus a jar of Red Cedar Bison Bone Broth to boost the savory flavor of our bison Guinness stew. Once we purchased all our locally raised meat, bone broth, and fresh vegetables from our local farmers at the Franklin Farmers Market, we hurried home to get our stew on the stove.

We began by chopping our vegetables into a medium dice and mincing our herbs and garlic. We also ground mustard seeds into a fine powder to flavor our stew according to Kayla’s recipe.

We drained the bison stew meat and patted it dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture before we seared it in a hot pan. But before doing so, we added a hefty sprinkling of flour to our stew meat to ensure a nice brown crust. We added the stew meat to a pan of oil set on medium-high and browned the meat well on all sides. Then we added our vegetables and garlic and sautéed for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Then we added our herbs, spices, and flour, which added a great aroma to our stew before we slowly poured in the Red Cedar Bone Broth, stirring well.

Next came the fun part: the Guinness! We glugged 1 large can of Guinness beer, stirred well, then adjusted our seasonings to taste. We covered our skillet and cook for 45 minutes until the liquid reduced and the bison was tender and delicious.

Bison Guinness Stew by Kayla Fioravanti of Red Cedar Bison Ranch

Ingredients

• 1 tsp thyme finely chopped
• 1 tsp sage finely chopped
• 1 tsp rosemary finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
• 2 tbsp flour
• 14.9 oz Guinness beer can or bottle
• 16 oz Bison Bone Broth
• 1/2 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 red potatoes cut
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 small onion
• 1 lb bison stew meat

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Brown the bison, add the onion, carrots, garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add the herbs, spices, flour and chicken stock and stir well.
3. Slowly add in the Guinness beer.
4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to cook for about 45 minutes.
6. The liquid, when close to finishing, should have reduced in volume by 1/2 of what you started with and the meat should be fork tender.