ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS & TOOLS OF OUR TRADE

ALTHOUGH WE make Field Roast products on a large scale at our Seattle headquarters, you don’t need fancy equipment or machinery to get the same results at home. Here’s a guide to the most helpful pieces of kitchen equipment to tackle the recipes in this book—it’s not meant to be exhaustive, but more a call-out to some of the most-used and more essential tools of our trade. Let’s do this.

BAMBOO STEAMER BASKETS These come in many sizes and are stackable, so they are great for steaming lots of sausages at once. All you need is a set of two or three and a large pot to set them on. Start with 2 quarts of water at a gentle boil, and add a pint of water every 30 to 40 minutes. I also use these to steam my stuffed roasts, I have a 14-inch basket that I bought at the Asian supermarket down the street from my house for pretty cheap, and these roast recipes should fit perfectly.

BUTCHER’S TWINE For tying off roasts and sausages, and countless other kitchen needs. This can be found at most grocery stores or kitchen supply stores. I buy mine in a big spool from the restaurant supply store.

CHEESECLOTH For wrapping the roasts and our meat grinds, cheesecloth is essential. You can find it at any well-stocked kitchen store, or online at a specialty grocery retailer (see Sources, here).

DUTCH OVEN OR LARGE POT For a few of the recipes in this book, you’ll need a large, heavy-bottomed pot. I reach for my Dutch oven at home, but any large pot should do the trick.

FOOD PROCESSOR To make our meat grind, the jumping-off point for many of the recipes in this book, you’re going to need a food processor. At Field Roast, we actually use a meat grinder, but in a pinch you can get great results with a run-of-the-mill food processor instead. We also use the food processor as a shortcut for making piecrusts and minced vegetables.

HIGH-SPEED BLENDER A high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, is so helpful in blending up dressings and sauces, and while I generally hate clutter on the countertops, this is one exception I make at home. They aren’t cheap, but in my opinion, the machine is worth every penny—and will last for years.

MEAT GRINDER There are many different types of meat grinders, but the one I use attaches right to my KitchenAid stand mixer. You can find these online, or at a well-appointed kitchen shop. This attachment will also double as a sausage stuffer with the right “sausage horn” attachment.

SALAD SPINNER I use a lot of seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs in my cooking, and my favorite way to quickly wash and prep them is with a basic salad spinner.

SAUSAGE CASING Most sausage casings available are made using animal parts, which won’t work for us. LEM Products makes plastic hot-dog casings (26 mm) that fit perfectly on to the sausage horn attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer. These are durable and easy to use, and can be ordered from LEM Products directly (see Sources, here) or even Amazon.

SAUSAGE STUFFER OR SAUSAGE STUFFER ATTACHMENT Unless you’re making a lot of sausage at home, chances are a sausage stuffer isn’t hanging out in your cupboards. If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer at home, the good news is the company makes a great attachment that works as a grinder and a sausage stuffer. Sometimes you can find them online as a kit; otherwise you may have to buy the “sausage horn” separate from the grinder.

THERMOMETER An instant-read thermometer takes a lot of the guesswork out of cooking—something I’m always grateful for.

UTENSILS AND SUCH Every well-stocked kitchen should have a good whisk, a chef’s knife with an 8- to 10-inch blade, and a paring knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade. A few stainless-steel or wooden spoons are great for stirring, and stainless-steel tongs are essential for cooking on the stovetop or for pulling hot food off the grill. The Microplane is my go-to for zesting fresh citrus, and while not completely necessary, a mandoline is great for making thinly sliced vegetables quickly and uniformly for salads and slaws.

THE FIELD ROAST PANTRY

Many of the ingredients in this book are things you may already have at home or, at the very least, can easily find at your neighborhood grocery store. But there are a few that may be less familiar, so I wanted to take a minute to run them by you so we’re all on the same page.

Everyday Staples

We always have the following ingredients on hand to make our meat grind, sausages, roasts, and burgers. In that way, they’re essential pantry ingredients around here—as critical to us as flour and sugar are to a seasoned baker.

GARBANZO FLOUR A pulse flour made from ground chickpeas, also known as gram flour. We use this in our roast recipes to add tenderness and soften the bite of the strong high gluten flour. You can find garbanzo flour in most natural grocery stores and Whole Foods Market; it’s also available online.

VEGAN BEEF, CHICKEN, AND VEGETABLE BASE These vegan bases are highly concentrated flavored pastes that come from reducing stock until almost all the liquid is gone. Most natural foods stores offer vegan versions of chicken and beef flavors, which are a blend of plant flavors meant to closely resemble the same profile. We use these bases in these recipes to add rich plant flavors to our meats.

VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN Vital wheat gluten is one of the core ingredients of our meats. It is a very high protein flour from wheat. This is the product of the “washing the dough” process. Essentially this is wheat flour with the carbohydrates (starches) washed away. You can find vital wheat gluten in most natural grocery stores, Whole Foods Market, and also online.

Vegan Dairy

COCONUT CREAM Coconut cream is much richer than coconut milk. It can be purchased at most grocery stores, especially specialty grocers and Asian markets. The cream that rises to the top of a can of coconut milk is also considered coconut cream.

PLANT-BASED MILKS When you see a recipe calling for plant-based milks, feel free to use your favorite—I usually reach for almond, but any nut, soy, or alternative milk will work just fine, just make sure they are unflavored and unsweetened.

VEGAN BUTTER I always have vegan butter on hand to use in everything from fluffy biscuits to silky sauces. For a long time I used only Earth Balance Buttery Spread, which has a low melting point, more like margarine, and has a buttery flavor. Recently I have started to see vegan butters with a higher melting point that more closely resemble butter. Miyoko’s Creamery makes a delicious cultured product that you can find in most natural foods stores, and also online. The recipes in this book ask for both, but can be interchanged depending on preference or availability.

VEGAN CREAM CHEESE Cream cheese comes up in a lot of our recipes, and I can’t recommend Kite Hill brand enough (available nationwide). It’s a naturally cultured product made from delicious and expertly crafted almond milk.

VEGAN EGGS I rely on two vegan egg products in the kitchen, and they both play a different role. First up is Vegg, which comes in a powder that you mix up to make an actual egg yolk. Imagine a runny vegan egg yolk to use on top of salads, benedicts, and stirred into sauces. Vegg relies on black salt and nutritional yeast, which gives it that characteristic egg flavor and color. If you have trouble finding it, you can use equal parts nutritional yeast instead. Second, I can’t live without Follow Your Heart vegan eggs, which you can mix up to be more of a full egg to use when you’re looking for both the yolk and the white—or to make killer scrambled eggs. You can use other powdered egg substitutes in a pinch, but I have found that the Follow Your Heart vegan egg has some unique properties that make for great flavor and texture.

VEGAN MAYO I like Just Mayo brand better than most vegan mayos because it doesn’t separate when you add it to something hot, so it’s great to cook with—and readily available at most grocery stores.

From the Fields

Throughout these pages you’ll see regional ingredients getting a lot of play: apples and pears, hearty greens such as kale and arugula, beets, fennel, and mushrooms (especially chanterelle, oyster, and trumpet). Cooking with local ingredients whenever possible just ensures they’re fresher as they haven’t had to travel as far, and here in Seattle we’re lucky to have a few great year-round farmers’ markets that make the hunt, so to speak, pretty easy. The following are a few fresh ingredients that are, sadly, not local and may not be as familiar in your home kitchen.

JACKFRUIT This is a large, spiky tree fruit common in Southeast Asian cooking, which you can find canned in Asian markets or well-stocked grocery stores. We use young jackfruit in our recipes. While jackfruit typically has a sweet flavor, when it’s young it’s more firm and much less sweet, and when it’s cooked down, it shreds easily like carnitas or brisket, so it’s a great plant-based center-of-the-plate option.

KIMCHI In general, kimchi refers to any fermented vegetable, but napa cabbage is definitely the most common inclusion in this colorful Korean side condiment. Thanks to its recent popularity, kimchi is now really easy to find at a well-stocked grocery store or Asian food market.

KOMBU A member of the kelp family, kombu brings immense umami flavor to everything it touches. Look for it dried and packaged in Asian food markets or well-stocked grocery stores. See here for a more in-depth look.

LEMONGRASS Lemongrass is widely used in Asian cuisines, and can be purchased dried or fresh—I prefer the latter. It used to be tricky to find, but now many mainstream grocery stores have it proudly displayed in the vegetable aisle. If you’ve never worked with it in the kitchen, lemongrass has a mild citrus flavor and brings a really special brightness to savory dishes, such as salads, soups, and stews. When shopping for lemongrass, do know that the majority of its flavor resides in the lower stalks, which is why many stores sell it this way, choosing to cut away its leafy tops. In the kitchen, you can use it in one of two ways: break it up and use it whole—much like a bay leaf—to flavor stocks and soups. To do this, turn your chef’s knife over and pound the lemongrass to break open the membranes and help release the flavor. I’ll even cover it with a towel and give it a good roll on my cutting board—just be mindful that you want the stalk to remain intact so it’s easy to remove from your dish before serving. Alternatively, you can peel off the outer layers and mince the lemongrass finely, adding it to marinades, salad dressings, and curry pastes for flavor. Store it in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerated, for up to three weeks.

ROASTED SUGAR PIE PUMPKIN STEW, here

LIQUID SMOKE A superconcentrated seasoning. I use liquid smoke sparingly to get that warm, smoky flavor into foods without the lengthy smoking process. Most well-stocked grocery stores should have it.

MEYER LEMONS I occasionally get specific with my citrus and call for Meyer lemons—not to be fussy, but because they really are sweeter and their rind is more fragrant and less astringent than a regular lemon.

MIRIN A type of seasoned rice wine common in Japanese cooking (and a core ingredient in teriyaki sauce), mirin lends a sweet acidity to a recipe—making it a fitting contrast for saltier flavors, such as soy or tamari. Asian food markets and most well-stocked grocery stores should have it available.

MISO Miso is made from fermented soybeans and comes in a few different colors ranging from white to dark red. Earthy, salty and pungent, miso is an essential seasoning for sauces and marinades as well as meats and vegetables. Miso is available at Asian markets and well-stocked grocery stores.

NATURAL SUGARS You’ll notice that the recipes in this book rely on natural sweeteners, such as agave syrup, coconut sugar, and date sugar, instead of granulated sugar. Because they’re minimally processed, natural sweeteners often contain nutrients that no longer exist in refined white sugars and therefore are thought to be a healthier choice. In addition to the possibility of a more nutritious sweetener, I’m really drawn to natural sugars because they each have distinct flavors that make them interesting and exciting to experiment with in the kitchen. Agave is light and quite sweet, whereas coconut sugar has a dark, almost damp sweetness, and date sugar is subtle and caramelly.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST If you’ve ever made a tofu scramble (or hang out with people who do), you probably know nutritional yeast. This dairy-free, savory seasoning has an addictive cheesy, nutty flavor that’s great in sauces, casseroles, and bakes, and sprinkled on top of salads, soups, or popcorn. You can find nutritional yeast in natural grocery stores, Whole Foods market, and online.

SPICES & SEASONINGS To ensure I’m working with the freshest spices possible, I often grind them myself or, at the very least, buy them in bulk (you never know how long those little glass jars have been sitting on the shelves). As for herbs, there’s nothing like fresh herbs to bring color, fragrance, and flavor to a dish. I know it can sometimes feel like an extra ingredient to add to the shopping list, but I’m a firm believer that buying herbs fresh makes all the difference. If you’d rather use dried herbs, a good rule of thumb is to substitute dried herbs for fresh at a ratio of 1:3 (so if your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, you’d want to use 1 teaspoon of dried instead).

TAMARI & SHOYU You may often hear tamari and soy sauce talked about in the same sentence, and while similar at the outset, tamari has a darker color and richer flavor than soy sauce and is usually made with little to no wheat. Shoyu, on the other hand, is a little different: it has a more full-bodied flavor and is considered a living food with probiotic qualities. I buy mine at the natural foods store, but I realize this is an ingredient that may be tough to find, so feel free to use a tamari or soy sauce if you have trouble tracking it down.