On September 13th I asked Mark’s Daily apple readers to host a Grokfeast (a picnic/party celebrating the Primal lifestyle) and to send me the results. The following is one of 13 amazing submissions, the best of which will win an entire cow courtesy of US Wellness.
Our Grokfeast technically started a couple of weeks ago. There we were, surrounding the lake in hopes that we had outnumbered them. And then it happened. Mom fought the battle and won. Unfortunately, that was it. Not another bite. When we finally gave up, we walked up the path to Grandma’s, picked some apples for our pie, and gutted the fish. A couple of weeks later we tried again. This time the 3-year old veteran fisherman was the hero reeling in FOUR more brown trout! Because of his strength (“This fish is heavy Daddy! Do you want to do it?”) we were now able to have our feast!
We greeted our guests in formal attire…bare feet and caveman outfits (and a couple of grunts from the kids). The people we invited to our feast are not fellow Groks. They are regular folk, who eat regular healthy crap. While we have only been on our Primal journey for the past 4 months, we thought we might be able to share our knowledge and success with them in a fun setting and maybe, just maybe, provide some motivation to follow in our big hairy footsteps. Mark, who has only been Primal for 2 months, dropping 25 pounds, is a perfect example that this kind of feasting is delicious and worth every bite! We invited our guests over for a game of yard volleyball. At one point 4 balls were being passed around the grassy court at the same time, which meant you had to be on alert or you’d get one straight in the noggen (not to worry…they were bouncy balls). The kids, old and young alike, had a “ball”! Who-da-thunk this group could have so much fun before dinner, chasing balls, cheering when we keep the ball in the air for several volleys, and diving for stray balls?!
When the volleying fun was over, there was another competition brewing…trout. Man vs. Woman. Dad vs. Mom. Mark vs. Lisa. I knew who was going to win, but he did put up a good fight. Mark grilled his trout in foil with a little olive oil, red onion, salt and pepper. When I pulled out the sausage, however, the game was over. There probably aren’t many fish who end up with pork in their bellies, but 3 of our trout did and they were fabulous! Everyone liked both kinds (but, did I mention mine won?)! The C-BOT Coleslaw was good. Not wonderful, not bad, just good. The pie was amazing! With a nut and date crust and apple, date and rhubarb filling, an oven wasn’t needed! Just a few forks and mouths. Again, rave reviews, but seeing the empty pie plate tells me they weren’t just being nice. Almost all of our food was local too!
The meal was a success! Our game was a success! Hunting and gathering with the kids prior to our feast was so much fun too, and was a great way to get them involved in the entire process of the meal.
The Feast
***WARNING: Five fish and a couple of pigs were harmed prior to our meal.
Grilled Trout, Sausage-Stuffed Trout, C-BOT Coleslaw (Cabbage, Bacon, Onion, Tomato), Apple Rhubarb Pie
Sausage-Stuffed Trout
3 brown trout
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Boulder Italian Sausage links
8 oz. Portobella mushrooms
5 garlic cloves
3/4 cup shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brown the Italian sausage, mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Stuff the fish with the sausage mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
The Tribe
Mark Rickman, Lisa Rickman, Samantha Rickman, Wyatt Rickman, Paisley Rickman, Florence Rickman, Shellie Miller, Joshua Miller, and Gus
Mark Sisson is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Reset Diet. His latest book is Keto for Life, where he discusses how he combines the keto diet with a Primal lifestyle for optimal health and longevity. Mark is the author of numerous other books as well, including The Primal Blueprint, which was credited with turbocharging the growth of the primal/paleo movement back in 2009. After spending three decades researching and educating folks on why food is the key component to achieving and maintaining optimal wellness, Mark launched Primal Kitchen, a real-food company that creates Primal/paleo, keto, and Whole30-friendly kitchen staples.