From the Fyr 2.12.2026

Quick little reminder before you scroll…

Our next Farm Supper is February 21st and seats are almost gone. We’ll be serving wood fired pork cassoulet with roasted potatoes, sourdough, and salad. And mark your calendar for March 14th Supper on the Farm featuring Cottage Pie with truffled potatoes, buttered carrots and peas, and herby dinner rolls. Comfort food, elevated just enough, and meant to be shared around a long table.

Also, for Valentine’s Day we are keeping it sweet and simple. All of our housemade sorbet pints in the market freezer are half off. Made with seasonal fruit from last year’s harvest, they are bright, real, and wildly refreshing. Truly the perfect stay at home Valentine’s treat. Grab a couple, light a candle, skip the crowded restaurant, and call it romance done right.

Dishin’ On the Cafe

This week’s menu is cozy in the way only late winter food can be when you’re really feeling those February blues. Comforting, flavorful, and built to actually fuel you through the day. Nothing fussy, nothing overthought, just food that hits exactly when you need it to. Still fully committed to BDE and very serious about making lunch the best part of your day. Come hungry.

As always, BDE starts at the source. Farm eggs, thoughtfully raised meats, and as much produce as we can pull straight from the fields at 8 Hands Farm in Cutchogue, NY, the very farm we operate out of and get to cook from every single day. All of our sauces, mayos, and dressings are made from scratch using farm eggs, no seed oils, and carefully chosen flavors that actually belong on the plate. Behind every meal is a whole lot of early mornings, long days, dirty hands, and people who care deeply about growing and raising food the right way. No shortcuts. No weird ingredients. Just really good, real food.

Egg Sandwich Farm eggs layered with ham, melted cheddar, a swipe of pepper jam, and fresh arugula for balance. Savory, slightly sweet, and the kind of sandwich that reminds you breakfast for lunch is always the right call.

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Creamy tomato soup paired with crispy, golden grilled cheddar and finished with bacon scraps because that is simply how we do things around here. Cozy, classic, and as good as it gets.

Lamb Pita Warm, savory lamb tucked into soft pita with tzatziki, pickled peppers, and feta. Bright, comforting, and just the right amount of indulgent without being heavy (like this snow!).

Tacos Chorizo and beef with crisp cabbage slaw and cotija. Bold, savory, and built to be eaten with your hands. It may not be Tuesday, but these tacos hit the spot any day of the week.

Roast Beef Sandwich Tender roast beef layered with cheddar, peppery arugula, pickled onion, and horseradish bringing the bite. A classic that never misses.

Pulled Pork Sandwich Slow cooked pulled pork piled high with cabbage slaw and pickles for that rich, tangy, crunchy balance. Messy in the best way and very hard to put down.

However your week is shaping up, there is good food waiting for you here. Swing by, warm up with a hot drink or bone broth, catch up with a friend, and let us take care of the rest.

Made with Love in the Market

Some very real, very comforting take-home BDE happening in the market this week. These are the kinds of meals we lean on when feeding a family, stretching ingredients, and still wanting dinner to feel nourishing and satisfying, not like a compromise. Everything is made in-house by our crew using farm meats, thoughtfully sourced ingredients, and flavors that are meant to work hard for you. Maybe as simple as heat and serve or maybe build it out and make it your own!

Beef, Mushroom, and Farro Soup Deeply savory and grounding, with tender beef, earthy mushrooms, chewy farro, and a classic base of leek, carrot, and rosemary. This one feels old-school in the best way. Hearty enough to stand on its own, but even better with a slice of sourdough or a simple salad on the side.

Chicken Tikka Over Rice Warm, spiced, and deeply satisfying without being heavy. Tender chicken served over rice with roasted squash, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas makes this a full, balanced meal in one bowl. Comforting, colorful, and great for feeding a crowd or stretching into leftovers for lunches.

Pork Fried Rice Savory, cozy, and always a win. This is one of those dishes that works just as well for a quick dinner as it does reheated the next day. Add a fried egg, extra greens, kimchi, or a drizzle of chili crisp at home and call it a very good night. Chinese food without the hangover.

Chicken, Kale, and White Bean Soup Brothy, nourishing, and built for this time of year. Tender chicken, hearty white beans, and kale make this one filling but still easy to digest. A great option when you want something warming and supportive without feeling weighed down.

Squash Soup Smooth, comforting, and quietly satisfying. Naturally sweet from the squash and perfect on its own or paired with bread, grilled cheese, or a simple protein to round out the meal.

Pulled Pork BBQ One pound of slow-cooked pulled pork, rich and flavorful and ready to go. Serve it on bread, over rice, tucked into tortillas, or alongside beans and slaw to stretch it into multiple meals throughout the week.

Hummus Our usual for a reason. Creamy, savory, and endlessly useful. Spread it, dip it, build a platter around it, or turn it into a full meal with bread, vegetables, and whatever leftovers you have on hand.

Market Grabs

This week I want to talk about breadcrumbs. But really, I want to talk about sourdough. But actually…really, really, I want to talk about how we feed ourselves in the middle of busy, full lives.

Our fresh sourdough is at the center of so much of what we do here at Fyr & Salt. Whether it is schiacciata, baguettes, einkorn pullman, multigrain, white, or semolina batards, every loaf starts with simple ingredients, slow fermentation, and time. Real time. Long fermentation breaks down gluten, improves digestibility, and allows beneficial bacteria to do their work. Proper sourdough is easier on the gut, more flavorful, and far more nourishing than commercial bread made with speed and additives.

And we never let even a crumb go to waste.

Truthfully, there is rarely any left in the market by the end of lunch. So we bake extra for the kitchen because we know exactly what happens next. Fresh sourdough can always be brought back to life.

A quick refresh trick I love to use when we don’t get to the bread as quick as I’d hope (this rarely happens, but…)

Sprinkle the loaf lightly with water and warm it in a 350 degree oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. The crust crisps back up, the interior softens, and suddenly yesterday’s bread tastes like it just came out of the oven. You can also slice and toast it straight from the freezer.

Another little life hack.

When a loaf reaches the end of its fresh window, it becomes something else. We turn it into croutons. We turn it into breadcrumbs. Seasoned and plain. Nothing wasted. Everything used with intention.

What I love most about this is that breadcrumbs and croutons are two of those products that have gotten a weird health reputation over the years. Bread equals bad. Carbs equal bad. But when you are using properly fermented sourdough made with high quality flour and no preservatives, you are not talking about the same product you find in a plastic cylinder at the grocery store. Those are often filled with stabilizers, anti-caking agents, seed oils, and ingredients you cannot pronounce.

Ours are bread. Dried. Sometimes seasoned. That is it.

And they are pantry gold.

Ways to Use Them

• Sprinkled over roasted vegetables for texture

• Mixed into meatballs or meatloaf

• Chicken cutlets or homemade fish sticks for the kiddos

• Stirred into veggie burgers or salmon cakes

• Toasted in olive oil for a crispy pasta topping

• Folded into stuffed mushrooms

• Used to thicken soups or stews

• Scattered over mac and cheese before baking

• As the base for a quick gratin

Pantry Staples I Always Keep From the Market

This reminds me that like breadcrumbs, there are certain things I always keep stocked because they save me from myself when I am busy.

• Kriemfield Farm butter

• Pickled vegetables

• Breadcrumbs

• Stock or bone broth

• Hummus

• Apple cider vinegar

• Smithereen Farm blueberry spread

• EVOO

These are the upstream choices that make downstream decisions easier.

As a private health food chef, I have learned something very simple. Most of us know how to make these things at home. We absolutely could. But we often do not have the time, energy, or margin to do it consistently. And when we are overwhelmed, tired, or hangry, we are not making thoughtful choices. We are grabbing the quickest option available.

That is usually when we fill ourselves with food that does not actually nourish us.

If we think upstream about our week, about what we need in our fridge and pantry to feel fed and steady, everything shifts. We take care of ourselves first so we can show up better for our families, our work, and all the other things pulling at us.

That is why we do what we do at Fyr and Salt.

We make the food so you do not have to.

Kitchen Spark

We all find ourselves in food ruts, so here’s a little spark to light the fyr in your kitchen!  

Trending Pasta Caesar with Sourdough Croutons

You know the pasta Caesar pasta salad that is everywhere right now? I’m making it, but because I despise recipes, I’m doing it my way.

Using our pasta from the market, our sourdough, our eggs, our anchovies or sardines, and whatever protein you feel like grabbing from the butcher. Steak would be incredible here, but honestly chicken, shrimp, or even leftover roast works beautifully.

This is one of those meals that feels fun and current, but is actually built from really solid, nourishing ingredients.  When we made it my thirteen-year-old son commented, “this is quite creative and unique (and delicious obviously because he was devouring it.)”

And yes, we are absolutely using the sourdough butts.

The Crouton Situation

We love our bread. But let’s be honest. After day one, no one really reaches for the butt.

So we turn it into something better.

How I make quick croutons at home (not the same way the magic happens in the F & Salt kitchen, so I still recommend buying them in-store, (bread) butt if you have extra bread at home, go for this quickie method:

1. Have one of the kids chop the sourdough into small cubes

2. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic

3. Sometimes add Italian seasoning depending on the vibe

4. Spread on a sheet pan

5.  Bake at 400 degrees until deeply golden and super crunchy

Pull them out warm and scatter them over your salad.

Gluten Free or No Bread Option

If you want to skip bread, chickpeas make a fantastic crouton swap.

Quick crispy chickpeas:

1. Drain and dry canned chickpeas very well

2. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika or garlic powder

3. Roast at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until crispy

They are great on salads and even better for snacking straight off the tray.

You can also use toasted nuts, seeds, or even crispy lentils for crunch.

The Caesar Dressing (Using Our Market Ingredients)

This is a simple, real Caesar dressing that actually tastes like something.

In a bowl, mash together:

• 1 egg yolk from our farm eggs

• 1 to 2 anchovy fillets or a spoonful of mashed sardines 

• 1 garlic clove

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 teaspoon Dijon

• Whisk in olive oil slowly until thick and emulsified (start VERY slowly, teensy bit of EVOO at first)

• Finish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, and salt to taste

If raw egg is not your thing, use a spoonful of may or even yogurt instead. It still works beautifully.

Build the Pasta Caesar

1. Cook your pasta from the market and let it cool slightly

2. Toss with chopped romaine, kale, or whatever greens you have on hand. We also added cucumber for some crunch and off-season freshness.

3. Add dressing generously

4. Toss those toasty croutons on top

5. Top with shaved Parmesan

Now for the protein.

• Grilled steak sliced thin from the butcher

• Roasted chicken

• Crispy chickpeas

• Or even leftover pork

And if you are feeling bold, a drizzle of chili crisp on top takes this to another level.

Why This Works

You are using:

• Real sourdough

• Real eggs

• High quality fish

• Good olive oil

• Quality Parmesan

• Fresh greens

These are deeply nourishing ingredients that have gotten a strange reputation over the years because of what industrial food did to them. When made properly and used thoughtfully, they are incredibly satisfying and more importantly, nourishing and supportive for our bodies.

This is also a perfect example of thinking upstream. Keep good bread, pasta, eggs, olive oil, and anchovies in your kitchen and you can build something impressive in under 30 minutes.

We cover the ingredients so you can make the meal.

Like the idea of that one stop shop? Here is your grocery list for the Trending Pasta Caesar. I put an F next to all items we carry at the farm or in the market.

• Pasta (F) 

• Fresh sourdough loaf or housemade croutons (F) 

• Farm eggs (F) 

• Anchovies or sardines (F) 

• Parmesan cheese (F) 

• Extra virgin olive oil (F) 

• Garlic (F) 

• Dijon mustard (F) 

• Lemon 

• Romaine or mixed greens 

• Kale or cucumber for extra crunch 

• Chickpeas for crispy gluten free option (F) 

• Steak, chicken, pork, or shrimp from the butcher (F) 

• Yogurt or mayo for dressing variation (F)

Optional but highly encouraged additions

• Pickled onions (F) 

• HCO chili crisp (F) 

• Fresh herbs 

• Black pepper and sea salt (F)

This is one of those meals where if you keep a few core ingredients stocked, you can pull something nourishing and impressive together quickly.