Photograph courtesy of Chefs Gone Wild A braised meat is actually a tough recipe choice for me when it's bitterly cold outside. For one thing, it warms up my kitchen; this is not a good thing when your kitchen is literally one side of a hallway and there's nowhere for the heat to go. I guess that's what friends with real kitchens are for! One look at the osso buco from Stephane of Chefs Gone Wild and you can see how hard it is to resist a hunk of meat surrounded by a moat of tasty meat juices. I wish I had a meat juice moat. Related: Lamb Osso Bucco with Orange, Lemon, and Capers...
Continue reading »
If bacon is the gateway meat for vegetarians, then veal is certainly the same for omnivores. For despite its incredible taste and unique texture, it can't be denied that the most veal is raised in a way that is inhumane. However, the American veal industry has also made many positive strides in recent years, and these days it is even possible to find humanely raised veal that has had some access to pasture.
Continue reading »
According to Marian Burros in the New York Times: A little coddling for the calves is bringing a meat long shunned back into acceptance.When photographs of formula-fed veal calves tethered in crates where they could not turn around appeared across the country, sales of veal plummeted.Some (farmers) returned to the old-fashioned method of putting them out to pasture with their mothers." Others got rid of the crates but kept the calves in barn pens, letting them mingle with other calves and giving them room to walk and turn around. And here's the money line: "Veal from calves fed sufficient grass or grain as well as milk has real character and flavor." Sources for pastured or pen-raised veal americanpasturage.com dartagnan.com...
Continue reading »
