Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - Michelle Wojtowicz [25]
How’d you learn to farm?
We spent seven years going from Pennsylvania to Maine, working on different farms and learning traditional techniques—like working with draft horses.
How do you harvest the greens?
We cut them with scissors. Then Jasmine washes them and we set them out on towels and use fans to dry them. They’re way too delicate for a crank dryer.
What can you use microgreens for?
You can use them in place of any raw greens. They add flavor and aesthetics—they’re a way to get a really intense flavor from a tiny little thing.
Strangest things you’ve farmed:
Micro corn shoots.
What makes your business rewarding?
That it’s ours—and it’s a unique setup that’s successful. We’re using the skills we learned as farmers to grow stuff without land.
Recipes
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Braised Rabbit with White Wine, Scallions, Mustard Seeds, and Ham-Wrapped Roasted Loin
Butchers usually don’t like to sell rabbit parts, so when you go shopping for rabbit, you’re likely to be stuck with the whole animal. (Do ask your butcher to cut up the rabbit for you, though.) This recipe allows you to prepare the quarters and loins separately, using the method that’s most appropriate for each one. Braising the rabbit fore-and hindquarters a day ahead of time gives them a wonderful flavor. Shortly before serving, the loins are wrapped in jamón serrano and quickly roasted.
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INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 whole rabbits, butchered into 4 forequarters, 4 loins, and 4 hindquarters
1 cup white wine
1 cup orange juice
3 whole scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil
2 cups chicken stock
8 slices jamón serrano (serrano ham) or prosciutto
Serves 4
One day ahead, prepare the quarters: Toast the mustard seeds in a small sauté pan over medium heat, tossing the pan frequently, until the seeds start to release their mustard aroma, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Place the fore-and hindquarters in a deep dish, and add the white wine, orange juice, toasted mustard seeds, and scallions. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Remove the quarters from the marinade and pat them dry (reserve the marinade). Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil into it. Sear the quarters until they’re golden brown, about 3 minutes, then flip them over and sear the other side for another 3 minutes. Place the quarters in a roasting pan that is large enough to fit them comfortably. Deglaze the sauté pan with the reserved marinade, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Cook the marinade over medium heat until it reduces by half, 12 to 15 minutes. Then add this to the rabbit quarters.
Warm up the chicken stock in the same sauté pan and add it to the roasting pan. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Braise until the quarters are soft and incredibly tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. The meat should almost fall off the bone. Remove the pan from the oven and let the quarters cool in the braising liquid to room temperature; then cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, about half an hour before serving, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Season the rabbit loins generously with salt and pepper. Arrange 2 pieces of the jamón serrano on a flat surface so that their edges overlap—you want to create a strip that’s long enough to wrap around a loin. Place a loin on top of the jamón serrano, and starting at one edge, roll the ham tightly around the loin until the loin is completely covered. Repeat with the rest of the ham and loins.
Place the roasting pan with the braised quarters in the oven to reheat, 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat, and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into it. Sear the loins on one side until the ham is crispy. Then turn them over, transfer the