When it comes to chicken, I am firmly in the dark meat camp. Chicken breast are too often dry and rubbery, so I usually avoid the white meat altogether. However, the steam treatment I gave this chicken made it so delicious that I had a difficult time saving the breast for the chicken salad recipe for which […]

This is a favorite cornbread recipe and a great way to use up any lard or tallow you have on hand. We used Tortillas de la Tierra’s heirloom blue cornmeal, which you can find at The Local Butcher Shop. Heating the cast iron pan in the oven before filing it with batter ensures a beautiful […]

Spring and Summer in the Bay Area can be frustrating and deceiving.  Warm and lovely during the day and then BAM, the fog rolls in and the night can be near frigid.   Last week this happened and it gave me the great excuse to make a soup for dinner that was light in flavor and […]

Since the new year, The New York Times, The Today Show, Time Magazine and chef blogs have extolled the virtues of bone broth. The terms bone broth and stock are used interchangeably, though some folks differentiate them by the ratio of bone to meat used. Whatever you like to call it, it’s good stuff; and we’re serving it hot by the cup at The Local Butcher Shop. […]

This time of year chickens forage abundant plant foods with high green pigment, leading to bright orange yolks. Spring is a great time to enjoy eggs from chickens raised on pasture. Spring Frittata 8 chicken eggs or 6 duck eggs 1/2 cup cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or cream 2 tablespoons parsley and/or mint, finely chopped […]

Kelly Taylor is a butcher at The Local Butcher Shop. In this guest post, she reports on the challenges facing Bay Area ranchers as slaughter options become more limited. She also outlines immediate actions that concerned residents and meat eaters can take to support the ranching community in Marin County. An Eroding Slaughter Situation for […]

With layers of spice and sweetness, this robust dish from the pages of Rancho Gordo’s Heirloom Beans is a lovely way to ease into autumn. There are a lot of ingredients involved here, but the cooking is straightforward and the result is a flavorful, hearty meal. It’s even better rewarmed as leftovers with a fresh drizzle of […]

This week, we kick off our fourth annual Cinco Tortas de Mayo celebration, an ode to the great Mexican sandwich. The mastermind behind Cinco Tortas is Kel Troughton. Kel is the head of prepared foods here at The Local Butcher Shop as well as our artist in residence. His beautiful lettering adorns our shop walls and signs. […]

I cooked not one, but two whole geese for New Year’s Eve dinner. The result was just enough goose meat to feed a crowd, and lots and lots of leftover goose fat. I decided to try my hand at duck confit. For confit, either vegetables or meat are cooked slowly then stored in fat. In French, confit […]

Possibly one of the most enjoyable ways to eat cabbage is in okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style savory pancake. In Japanese, okonomi means “how you like it” and yaki means “grilled” or “cooked.” Okonomiyaki is customized to what you like or what you have on hand, but alway includes cabbage. The batter is made with flour, eggs […]