The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (2 page)

Readers new to Primal eating might notice—but certainly won’t miss—what these recipes don’t include—specifically the grains that bulk up so many modern dishes. Despite the current love affair with whole grains, the fact remains that they provide few nutrients and introduce substances like gluten, lectins and phytates that disrupt our physiology rather than support it. Their minimal amount of protein, micronutrients and fiber are more efficiently obtained through more nourishing sources like antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits and hearty meats. After all, it really isn’t the grains themselves we relish in dishes but the savory sauces and meats, the flavorful herbs and veggies and other “toppings” that we add to them!

You’ll also find that another staple of the modern diet, dairy, plays a limited and optional role in Primal recipes as it did for our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Although some dairy foods like pastured butter and aged cheeses can offer outstanding flavor and richness to Primal dishes, the preponderance of dairy in our modern diet again often displaces foods to which our genes are perhaps better adapted. The occasional and intentional use of dairy ingredients like pastured butter and cream in these recipes highlights their best nutrition and taste; however, non-dairy substitutions offer flavorful alternatives for those who don’t wish to include dairy.

What you
will
find and truly savor in Primal fare, however, will reward both your senses and well-being. Welcome to a whole new eating experience: it’s all about fulfillment—and vitality—from here on out!

Variety equals optimum nutrition—and taste. The typical modern diet revolves around a depressingly narrow selection of foods more limited than even our parents
and grandparents enjoyed. The restriction not only diminishes the nutritional value of our meals, it’s frankly unsatisfying. Primal cuisine restores our ancestors’ culinary abundance and then some by taking full advantage of a wide-ranging 21st century assortment of meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and herbs. With the likes of rosemary and bay-infused roasted lamb, tangy herb and caper marinade, and blackberry ginger mocktails, dinner will never be the same old, same old again.

The fresher our food, the more nutritious it is. Freshness was obviously a key benefit to the traditional hunter-gatherer diet. In keeping, Primal eating maximizes nutrition and taste by favoring the freshest, most naturally grown/raised ingredients. Wherever possible, recipes prioritize pastured, organic seasonal and locally grown/raised ingredients. Imagine cream of greens soup made fresh after a farmers’ market run. Or how about peachy chicken salad on a warm summer evening?

Among the highlights of Primal fare is the enjoyment of sumptuous, nourishing fats. For those uninitiated in the Primal Blueprint, Primal cooking makes liberal and gratifying use of healthy oils and “clean” animal fats (fats as free as possible from agricultural contaminants like growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticides). Although frequently and falsely maligned, certain select fats offer key nutrients unavailable in other foods—nutrients critical to the functioning of many physiological systems. Besides all that, many natural fats lend incredible flavor and more satisfaction to each dish. Envision a chopped yellowfin tuna salad rich with creamy avocado and thick bacon, or braised beef shanks with meat so tender it’s falling off the bone. You’ll wonder why you ever ate any other way.

Just as the Mark’s Daily Apple blog and my recent book,
The Primal Blueprint,
share the essential principles behind the Primal Blueprint diet, this cookbook serves up some of the best that Primal eating has to offer. The recipes are ideal for Primal Blueprint adherents as well as those following Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, Zone and other low carb diets. Although the recipes are based on the Primal Blueprint, they’re great for anyone looking to live a healthier life. If you want more from your eating experience—more flavor, more nutrients, more satisfaction, more vitality throughout your day, this book is for you! Whether or not you’re currently a Primal Blueprint follower, I’m confident that you’ll savor these dishes as outstanding samples of Primal eating—and enticing evidence that the Primal Blueprint is truly a recipe for thriving. Enjoy!

Before you turn on the stove or light the grill, the first step in making a recipe is gathering your ingredients. Keeping your kitchen well-stocked with a wide variety of fresh, healthy ingredients takes effort, there’s no question about that. But shopping for food doesn’t have to be a chore. It can even be fun once you start discovering new ingredients and new ways to source them.

Use all your senses when you shop—touch and smell produce, let yourself be drawn towards bright, fresh colors and be curious. Read labels, ask questions and try things you’ve never tried before. Begin establishing relationships with the people you buy food from—you’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn.

No matter where you live, you probably have more options than you think when it comes to gathering ingredients. If you can’t find a specific ingredient for a recipe though, don’t sweat it. Use whatever you have on hand or even better, what’s fresh and in season.

For most of us, whether it’s because of economics or convenience, shopping at supermarkets is an inevitable part of life. Luckily, you’ll be able to find many Primal foods in supermarkets. Supermarkets are a great place to stock up on frozen and canned foods or items you might want to buy in larger quantities. Specialty markets, co-ops, ethnic markets and online retailers often carry the harder-to-find ingredients that regular supermarkets don’t. Wherever you shop, just make sure to read the labels so you know exactly what’s in the food you’re buying.

Go directly to the source. These days, most cities hold farmers’ markets at various times during the week where you can buy most of your produce and sometimes eggs, meat and fish. A visit to a farmers’ market can even be a social event, a way to meet your neighbors and the farmers who supply your food. If
you have kids, bring them along. Farmers’ markets are kid-friendly and usually offers samples of what’s in season.

Have the source come directly to you. Become a “member” of a local farm by buying a share of their annual yield. Boxes of seasonal produce and in some cases meat, eggs, and dairy products will be delivered (or available for pick-up) on a regular basis and are often less expensive than buying organic produce from grocery stores.

Whether you have space for just a few outdoor pots or a large plot of land, growing your own food is something to seriously consider. Almost nothing tastes better than a ripe, juicy homegrown tomato plucked from a vine right outside your door. More and more people, even city dwellers, are also starting to raise their own chickens for eggs. Grow, raise, fish, and hunt your own food and you’ll never have to guess how it was treated and raised.

Foraging for wild plants, nuts, and seeds has been key to the survival of the human species until fairly recently, when most of us stopped foraging and started buying food in stores. Modern-day food foraging is often less about survival and more about a desire to get closer to our food source and have a little adventure in the natural world. Some upscale restaurants now hire foragers to find interesting ingredients for the chef. Not all food in the wild, however, is fit to eat so before you bring home some wild greens or mushrooms it’s wise to know exactly what it is you’re eating. Spend time educating yourself, or better yet, sign up for a guided walk with an experienced forager.

In addition to a wide variety of fresh vegetables, meat, seafood and select fruits that you’ll buy regularly, it’s helpful to have a pantry that is well stocked with less perishable staples. For both fresh ingredients and non-perishables, buy the most natural version you can, avoiding unnecessary ingredients, hormones, antibiotics and pesticides. Buy from local producers if possible, even for items like honey and nuts.

Here are a few key ingredients you’ll want to keep on hand as you cook through the recipes in this book:

Herbs:
Most fresh herbs will keep for up to a week if wrapped loosely in paper towels and stored in an airtight bag or plastic containers with tight lids in the refrigerator. Packed the same way, herbs can also be frozen for several months. Herbs with more delicate leaves, like cilantro and basil, tend to keep best outside of refrigeration in a jar of water. Herbs can also be dried. Tie them in bunches by the stem and hang them upside down in a cool, dry place for several weeks. After drying, pull the leaves off the herbs and store in airtight jars.

Spices:
Most spices are sold in whole and ground form. Ideally, buy whole spices and grind them right before using—a coffee grinder reserved just for spices works well for this. Pre-ground spices tend to have less flavor and aromatics than whole spices. Either way, store spices away from heat, light and moisture. Every six months, think about replacing spices with fresh ones.

Healthy Fats and Oils:
Our bodies need fat, and so do pretty much all recipes if you want them to taste good. It’s good to have a few different types of cooking oils for different uses. Nut oils, avocado oil and higher quality (i.e. more expensive extra virgin olive oils) are best for flavoring food after it’s cooked, rather than heating the oil up during the cooking process. Less expensive extra virgin olive oil and butter are good for sautéing and browning food at lower temperatures. Lard, coconut oil, ghee, clarified butter and unprocessed palm oil are good for high heat cooking and frying.

Nuts and Seeds:
Staples for our cave-dwelling relations and good to have on hand in modern days, too. Ideally, buy raw nuts and seeds and roast them in your own oven at low heat if needed. Instead of stocking up on pre-made nut and seed butters, simply make your own by grinding nuts or seeds in a food processor with a little oil.

Sea Vegetables:
Most forms of sea vegetables (i.e. kelp and seaweed) are dried and will keep in airtight packaging for months.

Broths:
Consider making your own chicken, beef and vegetable broth and storing it in the freezer.

Non-Dairy Milks:
Unsweetened coconut milk is used in many recipes in this cookbook. This canned milk keeps well for months in a cool pantry.

Flour Alternatives:
Coconut flour, nut meal or nut flour are all good options.

Sweeteners:
Although only used in moderation, maple syrup and raw honey are good to have on hand and keep for months.

The single best way to improve the quality of your meals and “get Primal” is to choose and prepare food yourself. In your own Primal Kitchen you are in charge of the quality of ingredients. Therefore, you determine the quality of your food, and ultimately the positive or negative effect on your health and well-being. Cooking at home requires some advance planning and preparation, but is well worth it, especially when you have leftovers the next day to pack up for lunch. Here are some tips on how to become a tried and true Primal chef.

If you are a beginner in the kitchen, start by reading all the way through a recipe before you begin. Don’t be put off by long ingredient lists, as they don’t necessarily mean a recipe is going to be more difficult. Give yourself enough time to cook without feeling rushed. As you gain confidence in the kitchen you’ll be amazed by how quickly you can get a meal on the table. Be prepared for some things to not turn out as expected and for some recipes to not match your palate. The more you cook, the more comfortable you will become with changing recipes to suit your personal tastes. If you are already comfortable in the kitchen, expand your experiences and try something new: add timeless techniques to your repertoire, such as preparing bone broths, long cooked roasts or homemade mayonnaise.

A well-equipped workspace saves time and effort in the long run, and can even take much of the drudgery out of meal preparation day after day, year after year. Kitchen tools and equipment come in a vast array of options, ranging from basic and manual to fully automatic with all the bells and whistles. You know the basics: sharp knives, cutting boards, spatulas, pots and pans, measuring cups and spoons, etc., but what about the tools and appliances that may not be a necessity? Here are a few of our favorite Primal Kitchen tools that will make life in the kitchen that much easier.

Dutch Oven or Casserole:
A large, heavy, lidded pot that can be used on the stove and in the oven and is extremely handy for cooking large roasts or braising meat.

Handheld (stick) Immersion Blender:
Blends ingredients right in a pot, bowl or other container. Use it to blend soup, batter, smoothies, etc.

Food Processor:
For slicing, grating and chopping, as well as some mixing tasks. Some households will manage quite well with only a very small model, but a machine with an 11-cup bowl is the standard size and most convenient.

Thermometer (dial or digital):
A thermometer takes the guess work out of cooking meat to desired doneness (rare, medium, well-done).