Holiday Recipes From Walpole Valley Farms

Yesterday we recieved a call from a young man looking to buy a chicken for his family Christmas meal. As we talked about the farm he explained that he will be sourcing all of the ingredients for the meal from local farms with the intention of getting his family to eat more locally.  What a gift.

Over the past few years we have heard many similar stories and every time we hear one we are newly motivated to keep striving to make our local food system even better.  As we prepare our holiday meals we think of all of those positive stories, the many tables that will be crowned with a roast or a ham from the farm, and all of the people we have yet to meet, in search of a new way of thinking about eating.

This Christmas we will be enjoying a standing rib roast (a cut we rarely get the chance to taste) and one day soon we will cook one of the hams from our pasture-raised pigs. Below you will find two wonderful recipes for both of these meats. Enjoy!

Standing Rib Roast

(otherwise known as Prime Rib)

1  5-bone beef standing rib roast (10–12 lbs.),    chine bone removed and tied back on 2 tbsp. kosher salt 1 1⁄2 tbsp. dry mustard, preferably Colman's 1 1⁄2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

1. Season beef with salt, including the rack of bones. Rub mustard all over beef; sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Set the beef in a 12" × 14" roasting pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2–3 days.

2. Remove beef from refrigerator 3 hours before you are ready to roast it, to allow it to come to room temperature. Arrange rack in lower third of oven and heat to 450°. Roast the beef, rib side up, until it begins to brown and sizzle, 20–25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325°; continue roasting until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 120° (for medium rare), about 2 hours more. Transfer roast to a carving board and reserve any pan juices. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 25–30 minutes. Remove and discard chine bone. Carve roast and serve with reserved pan juices. Recipe from Saveur.

And of course happy holidays to all of you and we hope to see you soon!

Caitlin