Words by: Justin & Kayla Butts Photos by: Rachel Benavides
The cold days of January are perfect for a hot bowl of wholesome,brhealthy, flavorful soup. Kimmi Moake,browner of Kimmi’s Fine Foods in Rockport, knows all about great flavors because she sources the best ingredients.
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Kimmi’s Fine Foods is the premiere destination in South Texas forbrlocally raised meats and produce.brKimmi sells grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured pork, chicken, eggs, and all typesbrof seasonalbrvegetables and herbs, not to mention her fresh and packaged foods. Kimmibractually knows thebrnames of her farmers, the fields where the food is grown, and even the precise methods used to grow thebrfood.
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Before she opened her store, Kimmi spent a year working at our ownbrFour String Farm in Rockport asbran unpaid intern. She worked many long, hard hours on the farm to learn everythingbrpossible about how to grow food. She went to this extraordinary effort simplybrto become a knowledgeable and sophisticated buyer of food for her store.
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The essential ingredient for good soup is homemade bone broth.br“Bone broth is loaded with everythingbrthe body wants: minerals, fats, proteins, gelatin and collagen,” Kimmi said.brBone broth isbralso rich in flavor; the essence of the meat and vegetables it is made from.brThere is no shortcut tobrthe flavor of homemade bone broth in a soup.
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Kimmi’s Venison Pho is a great way to use your venison, and thisbrpho packs a punch. Her exquisitebrThai Lemongrass Coconut Soup can be prepared in minutes with a little advance preparation.
Perhaps the cleverest of Kimmi’s soup recipes is her Chicken ScrapbrWeekday Gumbo. This brilliantbrrecipe transforms your kitchen scraps and leftovers into a bold taste of Cajunbrcountry. “I’m a hugebrfan of trying to use as much of the animal as I can. Using everything Ibrpurchase from mybrlocal farmers sure does make my money go further,” she said. This soup showsbrhow much flavor is in the scraps.
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Enjoy any of these soups with Kimmi’s Gluten-Free Angel Biscuits.brKimmi is a master of gluten-free;brshe even prepares her own gluten-free flours. Visit kimmisfinefoods.com tobrlearn how to makebrgluten-free easy and utterly delicious. By the way, Kimmi loves copious butterbrwith her biscuits because a little fat helps slow down the digestion of carbs.
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You can find all of these ingredients at Kimmi’s Fine Foods inbrRockport. She is an excellentbrresourcebrand has all the tools you need to make incredible meals. Treat yourself well onbrthese cold Januarybrdays with Kimmi’s winter soup. Her food is good for you, your body, and yourbrsoul.
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Basic Bone Broth
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Prep time: 10 minutes
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Inactive prep time: 12-96 hours
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Ingredients:
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2-4 lbs of bones, preferably from a locally raised animal
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2 chicken feet for extra gelatin (optional)
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Leftover veggie scraps or veggies ie onion skins, carrot tops,brapple core, etc.
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2-6 tbsp raw, unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar
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Unrefined sea salt & pepper
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Directions:
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Put bones in a large stockpot and pour filtered water over. Bringbrto a boil and skim any foam offbrthebrtop. (The healthier the animal, the fewer the impurities that will rise to thebrtop as foam.) Reducebrtemperature to a simmer, and add all other ingredients OR move to a slowbrcooker. (If you’rebrgiving to a pet, omit pepper or spicy foods.) Simmer for at least 12-24 hoursbrand up to 3-4 days.
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Strain and store in fridge for 2-4 weeks. If the bones arebrbreakable with your fingers, you canbrgrindbrthem up in a food processor and add to pet’s food. Bone meal is very nutritiousbrand healthy for any pet!
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Venison Pho
Serves 4
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Ingredients:
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2-3 quarts venison bone broth
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2 onions, sliced
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1 2” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
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1 tbsp liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce
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2 star anise
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1 cinnamon stick
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½ t kombu (Can sub with 1 T fish sauce instead.)
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1 t peppercorns
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1 t coriander
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½ pound of venison backstrap
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12 venison meatballs (recipe follows)
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2-3 zucchini, spiraled
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Garnishes: fresh basil, lime, bean sprouts, thinly slicedbrjalapeños, radishes, or Japanese turnips
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Sauces: hot chili garlic sauce, hoisin, Yellowbird jalapeño sauce,brliquid aminos
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Directions:
Put backstrap in the freezer for at least two hours. Broil ginger and one onion until charred ~10-15 minutes. Bring all spices to simmer in broth for at least an hour or youbrcan put them in your broth for 4-6brhours.brAdd onion and garlic and simmer for an hour. Shave the near frozen backstrap and remaining onion very thin. Strain broth and put back into pot and bring to a low boil/simmer.
Add halved meatballs, liquidbraminosbrand thinly sliced onion. Plate all garnishes for the table. Assemble bowls with zucchinibrand arrange backstrap aroundbrnoodles. Pour hot broth to cook backstrap and a total of three whole meatballs to eachbrbowl. Transfer to table to add garnishes and sauces. Enjoy!brbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbr
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Vietnamese Venison Meatballs
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Makes approximately 40 meatballs
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Ingredients:
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2 lbs of ground venison
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1 tbsp fish sauce
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1 tbsp tapioca starch
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1 tsp freshly ground pepper
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1 tbsp baking powder
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1 tsp toasted sesame oil
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2 garlic cloves, chopped
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½ inch piece of ginger, chopped
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2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
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½ tsp honey
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Directions:
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Combine all ingredients, mix well, and freeze 2-3 hours. In a food processor, puree mixture in batches until consistency isbrthat of a paste. Freeze another 30 minutes. Remove from freezer. While you’re shaping meatballs with wetbrhands, bring a large pot of waterbrtobrboil with a drizzle of liquid aminos in it. Boil in 2-3 batches for about 10brminutes per batch. While it’s boiling get a bowl of ice water ready. Remove meatballs from boiling water and place in ice bath 2-3brminutes. Remove from ice bathbrandbrplace in strainer. Freeze what you don’t use for insta-pho at a later date!
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Chicken Scrap Weekday Gumbo
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Serves 2-4
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Ingredients:
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Chicken pickings from bones used for broth
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½ good quality smoked sausage link
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3 tbsp Kimmi’s Gluten-Free Flour
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5 tbsp high quality, properly prepared lard
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½ onion, chopped
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3 cloves of garlic, chopped
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1 green bell pepper, chopped
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1 stick of celery, chopped
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3 tbsp grass-fed, pastured butter
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1-2 quarts chicken bone broth, room temp
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Parsley, unrefined sea salt, pepper, red pepper to taste
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Brown Rice, cooked, (recommend ½ cup serving per person)
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Directions:
Start your rice. Chop veggies, making sure to keep them allbrseparate. Put lard in a deep-sided cast iron skillet or stock pot and heatbrto medium high heat. Add flour andbrstirbrCONSTANTLY for about 10-15 minutes. Turn heat down to medium. Add onions and stir periodically untilbrthey reach a dark caramel color. Addbrgarlic and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and butter,brstirring periodicallybruntil slightly cooked, usually about 15-20 minutes. Add broth and spices. Simmer at least another 20 minutes to letbrflavors meld. Serve with AngelbrBiscuitsbr(recipe follows).
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Kimmi’s Gluten-Free Flour Angel Biscuits
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Yields about 30 biscuits
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Ingredients:
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5 cups Kimmi’s Gluten-Free Flour
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1 tbsp baking powder
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1 tsp baking soda
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3 tbsp ground psyllium husk
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1 tsp unrefined sea salt
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4 tsp yeast
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¼ cup warm, filtered water
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2 ½ tsp coconut or unrefined sugar
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3 cups buttermilk, preferably raw
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LOTS of butter!
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Directions:
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Mix warm water, yeast and sugar in a bowl and set aside to rise. Put all dry ingredients into a bowl, add wet and add preparedbrsponge. Using wet hands, formbrbiscuitsbrand place on cookie sheet or baking stone. Cover with a light tea towel and letbrrest for at least 30-45brminutes. Preheat oven to 450℉ and bakebr12-15 minutes until crust turns a golden brown. If you prefer doughy biscuits, cook 10-12 minutes.brServe with plenty of butter.
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Thai Lemongrass Coconut Soup
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Serves 1. Multiply to accommodate more friends.
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Ingredients:
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½ cup cooked chicken, shredded
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1 cup chicken bone broth
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½ cup whole fat coconut milk
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1 drop high quality edible lemongrass essential oil
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½ tsp fish sauce
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½ inch piece of ginger, chopped
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1-2 Thai chilis
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Cilantro for garnish
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Directions:
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Soak chicken in coconut milk, ginger and lemongrass essential oilbrovernight or at least a few hours. Heat chicken, broth, Thai chili and fish sauce in a pan. Pour inbrbowl and garnish with cilantro.
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