This dish, featured at Hidden Villa's Second Annual Meat Tasting Tour, combines the sweet-tart flavor of hard apple cider with the earthy aroma of rosemary for an intensely flavorful sauce that, when lamb is in the picture, begs for a chewy slice of bread to mop up what's left in the pan (if there is anything left). By first browning the shanks then braising them in a Dutch oven for a few hours over low heat you are creating a rich, silky sauce and fork tender lamb that will reinvigorate your tired tastebuds in time for spring. Photo courtesy of the Los Altos Town Crier.

Tags: Animal Husbandry Program, food, recipe, sustainability Read More

Happy New Year, sorry for being a bit late on these, hopefully we’ll get back in the rhythm quickly. Tags: Animal Notes, farm animals, Animal Husbandry Program, animals, chickens, pigs, goats, cows Read More

A roulade is a wonderful way to pair your favorite meat with fresh, seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs with minimal fuss and maximum presentability. Guests will enjoy the elegant spiral of perfectly-cooked meat wrapped delicately around a savory filling; alternatively, feel free to eat this with your fingers right off the cutting board (like we did). This recipe, featured at Hidden Villa's Second Meat Tasting Tour alongside last week's anticuchos, pairs lamb with dried apricots and arugula, but there's no reason you shouldn't experiment with what's on hand. 

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On Saturday, December 17th, a small group of Hidden Villa supporters, local meat merchants and a few members of the press was invited to join Hidden Villa's Animal Husbandry Manager for a workshop and tasting tour featuring traditional (and untraditional!) cuts of our sustainable, organically-raised meats. We are delighted to be able to share the recipes for four of the dishes served at this event with you. Starting today, we'll be posting a new recipe once a week with pictures! Here, you will find recipes for anticuchos (heart), braised cider lamb shanks, an apricot-spinach lamb roulade and ice cream with maple and bacon toppings. Photo courtesy of the Los Altos Town Crier.

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Cows: The big news is that Cleo is off the farm, hopefully being courted by a bull at Page Mill Pastures.

Tags: Animal Husbandry Program, animals, farm animals, Animal Notes, goats, pigs, chickens, cows Read More

For those of you did not meet him at the farmers' market this summer, we are excited to introduce our new Animal Husbandry Manager at Hidden Villa. He's here to spread the word about producing  humanely raised, quality meat and eggs as well as share weekly updates on our farm animals in the form of "Animal Notes." So, without further ado...

Tags: animals, Animal Husbandry Program, sustainable agriculture, chickens, pigs, cows, goats, sheep, Animal Notes, farm animals Read More