gold vs. grimes, represent!

Last night, much fun was had at the Los Angeles Public Library for this week's edition of their ALOUD series. The Taper auditorium hosted this "bi-cultural binge." Moderated by Good Food's Evan Kleiman, a classic East Coast/West Coast battle ensued between LA Weekly restaurant critic Jonathan Gold and former New York Times restaurant critic (and current obit writer!) William Grimes.

As more of an adventurous home cook than restaurant junkie, I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by the panelists' vast knowledge of food and restaurant history in their cities. Conversation spanned nearly two hundred years, from the 1837 opening of Delmonico's in New York City to current foodie trends-- food trucks and nose to tail eating.

Gold and Grimes bantered to clear up misconceptions of their respective "scenes." Kleiman proposed LA food spotlights health while New Yorkers are pleasure-seekers. Both of the guys thought instead the food cultures were more of a result of geography and physical space. Los Angeles home owners are more likely to entertain in-house using local ingredients, while shoe-box dwelling New Yorkers store books in their ovens and eat out three meals a day. Both coasts came together to shape moden food movements, from the DIY/punk rock mentality to the internationalization of chefs and resurgence of public markets.

As the crowd thinned out, probably headed to Cafe Pinot to sample their special prix fixe menu, Grimes was kind enough to give the man some insight into NYC's craft beers while I picked Gold's brain for butcher recommendations.

Check out the William Grimes' new book Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York and Jonathan Gold's Counter Intelligence.

And a special thanks to tryharder for giving us your place on the list.

Tryharder t-shirts do get you into the best events.

Things I Love Thursdays.

Here it comes, this week's edition of "Things I Love Thursdays!"

On the radar this week are fellow recreational butchers, courtesy of the New York Times. Great article, even though it uses every conceivable butchery anecdote, leaving me to feel a bit like a can of potted meat.

Legendary food writer Jonathan Gold shared his words of wisdom and caution for us aspiring food writers at class on Tuesday. He is quite the inspiration-- had the class hanging on his every word! Just as candidly eloquent (if that makes sense) in person as he is in his columns. Too bad his event at LAPL is full for tonight. Any suggestions on how a lady might sneak in?

My new issue of Meat Paper magazine came in the mail this week! Such a lovely magazine. Gorgeous and full of flavor. In this issue, they set out to determine whether a T-Rex tasted like chicken. The diagram is priceless. Truly the best way to stay on top the trends in the meat world.

KCET (or your local PBS, I'd imagine) has been airing loads of episodes of Julia and Jacques cooking at home. I caught an episode this week about pork and watched Jacques break down an entire rack. His methods and instruction were so simple and straightforward I could imagine someone actually doing it at home for themselves. All the while, Julia towered over him making fabulous yummy sounds and smacking her lips. Now that's classic TV.


And because we really just like cook dinner at home, drink wine, and watch bad TV, I made an somewhat elaborate birthday dinner for the man that I have to share.

We love, love lamb, and these chops were pretty killer. They come with a silly story, too. I usually buy my lamb either from my favorite local butchers, Marconda's Meats or Huntington Meats at the Farmer's Market at 3rd and Fairfax or from Whole Foods, but the giant Ralph's near my house now carries quite a selection. I didn't give it a second glance when it first appeared, as grocery story lamb makes me think of the suspicious meats I remember as a child-- an oozing slab of a mystery cut shrink-wrapped with a little packet of mint-flavored jelly.
Not wanting to be too pretentious, I thought I'd check out Ralph's supply. I then ran into roadblock number two. All of the packages of chops were labeled "Wine and Mustard Marinade." Hm. I kept walking. That didn't seem right.
One more try. Aah. They weren't actually marinated, just topped with a poorly designed, misleading recipe card. So four pretty little lamb chops came home with me and did not get marinated in mustard.
Instead, they were quickly seared in my trusty cast iron and topped with the birthday boy's favorite mint sauce, a zippy seasoned-to-taste puree of fresh mint, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.
Delicious. Sweet, spicy, savory and just special enough for a birthday.

Have a protein-packed day!

beer, bikes, birthday, and bacon maple cupcakes.

Call me cliche for jumping on the bacon bandwagon, but would you turn one of these down?

Yeah, didn't think so.

The man had the brilliant idea to celebrate his 30th in style (and by style, I mean of the trendy hipster-type), with a biking beer tour of downtown LA. Admist the DineLA and Beer Week festivities, he's hosting his own mini-tour, starting at Wurstkuche and ending at Bottle Rock, where I will be serving the ridiculously decedent cupcakes, modified from this recipe from Bacon Today and Vanilla Garlic. And yes, there is bacon, bacon grease, and maple syrup throughout, not just on the top.

Isn't meat fun?

things i love thursdays!

This week has been somewhat "meat lite" for two reasons-- an unexplained shortage of my favorite 365 brand nitrate-free bacon at Whole Foods and a new found focus on writing about my recreational meat activities! I'm so glad Pat Saperstein from eatingla posted about this UCLA writing workshop, taught by Patric Kuh, food critic for Los Angeles Magazine. Thankfully, the man was very supportive of my impulsive decision to sign up. So far, it has been super fun and inspiring.

I do have a few things to share.

First, I would like to give thanks to the artisan butchers of America. I know that all is not sunshine and happy cows in the meat industry here, but at least I can feel pretty sure that the USDA has some regulations on things like this.
Fiji meat man. Now, I've never been to Fiji so I don't want to judge. I thought their cuisine was primarily made up of fish and seafood? On second thought, maybe that explains their excitement for the pig heads and sausages.

Next, let's talk about some bizarre livestock breedings. Have you seen the tiny potbelly pigs?

(source)

Kind of cute, in an alien sort of way. Apparently they are the hot new celebrity pet. Paris Hilton ordered one this week, just to tick off those pesky PETA people. They're supposed to be cleaner and more intelligent than dogs (Paris better watch out-- wouldn't want her to be outsmarted), but I can't imagine carrying them around in a designer pet carrier. Would it be inappropriate to mention the possibilities of bacon sliders?

They've been messing with cows, too. This is a Piedmontese cow:

(source)
This oddly sad looking creature is the result of a breeding phenomenon that began with an Italian cow that has "double muscling." What does that mean, you ask? Well. According to earthy.com, "this low fat beef is...lower in calories, higher in protein and contains a higher percentage of desirable Omega 3 Fatty Acids..beef from both full-blooded Piedmontese and Piedmontese-cross cattle consistently has these qualities of leanness and tenderness because it is due to their unique genetic makeup rather than an effect resulting from their feeding or environment." The article also mentioned that these cows were bred specially to retain their positive traits and remove the negative. I'm a bit unclear of what the negative traits were, but since they're mostly bred in Michigan, perhaps I'll ask my parents to look into it. They might want to pick up a few. Might be nice to have some cows to visit next time I make the trip to the homeland.


That's all for this week! Stay tuned.

things i love!

It's Thursday and I haven't posted anything this week, so here's another shot of "Things I love Thursdays!" Come on, it's fun, right?

Here's my first pick. It's an absolute requirement to wake up early enough every morning to make myself some kind of meaty goodness for breakfast (and often, mid-morning snack!), but I can never seem to make time to eat it before leaving for work. Here's my perfect solution:

(source)

The don't forget me lunch bag! So cute and practical with a clever red silk ribbon. Of course, I use it for breakfast instead of lunch. And I don't forget it. It came home with me at felt club last Christmas and has been a good friend ever since. What do I do for lunch, you ask? Well, I currently happen to be lucky enough to walk home for lunch so I can fry up some fresh bacon, along with some berries and a mug of peppermint tea. I'll always be a scavenger at heart.

Here's another thing I love, a weekly dose of internet irony! I found it curious that these two articles circulated in the same week--

Woman's Shattered Life Shows Beef Inspection Flaws

The FDA's Ten Riskiest Foods

Or, would you rather suffer from E. coli as a result of eating this:


(source)
Father's Office burger*


or this:

McDonald's Side Salad

Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely soulless. Every now and then, I do partake in a sketchy ground beef patty or take a chance by not re-washing pre-washed greens (though I find them to be pretty ridiculous in general-- how hard is it to rinse and chop your own lettuce?), and I do so in full awareness that these products come with their fair share of risks. It is so unfortunate that a woman's life was ruined by enjoying a hamburger, but as you can see, anything you eat comes with some sort of risk unless you grow or raise it yourself; that's just the price we pay for convenience. Perhaps these articles will encourage us to be more educated consumers and not just become radical scare tactics...

And speaking of health food, another interest of the week was inspired by this post on svelte gourmand.

(source)

Yes, that's right, lard! I'm itching to try cooking something with it. I love the idea of cooking Brussels sprouts in lard, as Joshua Ozersky (author of The Hamburger) suggests in this interview. Perhaps I will get some good stuff next time I visit my friendly local butcher, or perhaps I will try this technique for rendering lard, although since I don't technically have a kitchen window, I run the risk of my home permanently smelling of pig fat.

*I am aware that this is an unfair comparison, since I am fairly certain Father's Office uses only the highest quality meats and grinds their beef in-house, but doesn't that burger prove the point better than a frozen beef patty?

things i love thursdays!

I am currently inspired to do a fun little weekly selection of meat-related things I like. It will probably most often serve as a reminder to myself of exciting dishes to try or products to buy, but who knows? Maybe you will be inspired (or perhaps amused) as well.

First up-- Candied Salted Bacon

(source: the kitchn)

Now I know it has been done, but I just thought this recipe looked particularly tasty. Perhaps because of the nice story about making it in your kitchen at 2am with or without pants on or maybe because of the lack of "process" pictures these recipes usually include (the bacon caked with brown sugar makes me feel too guilty about even thinking of trying this!), but regardless, it looks super tasty and satisfying in a not too sweet or salty kind of way.

Next up, Juice Box-Sized Stock.

I like to make my own stock whenever possible, but sometimes time just doesn't allow for it. The best option for store-bought stock is Pacific Organic Free-Range Chicken Stock (also available in low-sodium). It is organic, doesn't have any crap that I won't eat in it, and comes in the cutest 8 ounce packages. What more could you want?

...How about a Grill Pan?

I know, this is a poor excuse for an actual grill, but we live in a loft and our HOA sends mean letters for creative things like open flames on narrow windowsills...Our bulky cast iron grill pan does the trick most of the time. Currently, we have a Martha Stewart model from a few years ago (I know!! But it was 1/2 off, okay??), but I'm certain it would be ashamed to show its face around this pretty (and pricey) Le Creuset.

And lastly, Butchery as Theater!



Anyone want to sponsor a lady's trip to SF for this?

In a rare U.S. appearance, Dario Cecchini, Italy's master butcher made famous in Bill Buford's Heat and portrayed in Douglas Gayeton’s new book Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town, will give a demonstration on artisan butchery. You are invited to experience Dario up close breaking down a steer and a pig with mastery and flair at the Cowell Theater. Following his 250-year-old family tradition, Dario will share his exceptional skills with chefs, butchers of all levels, and other sustainable food industry professionals who wish to find a deeper understanding of and relationship with meat.

-meatpaper

more about dad than meat.

Yesterday's post got me thinking about all of the interesting things my dad did while I was growing up. At the time, I had difficulty understanding the way that he interacted and communicated with me. When I would get involved with whatever "making stuff" project of the moment, I would proudly show him what I was working on and usually get a raised eyebrow and "uh huh" sound. I didn't understand at the time that he instead showed his support by his actions rather than his words, which has probably shaped my expectations in my current relationships!

Many of the running jokes in our family revolve around my dad's (and later, my dad and I's) culinary adventures. When he worked for Hart Plaza in Detroit, he would bring home rescued crates of leftover ethnic festival foods that us lower-middle-class Midwestern folk would never have been exposed to otherwise in the early 80s... Along with that came Eastern Market trips, leading to the infamous vat of green, lumpy brussels sprout soup, which was mildly traumatizing for 4-year old me! And to this day, I get a little queasy at the thought of yellow curry powder because of curried eggs I remember mysteriously eating behind the door of our front porch. As unsure as I was of those meals as a kid, I am forever grateful for his ingenuity.

One morning after I had a friend sleep over, he decided to make us breakfast. We had a new food processor and he thought he'd make us hash browns, but due to some unexpected oxidation, they turned the strangest shade of purpley-grey. I thought they tasted fine, but my picky, Taco Bell-preferring friend flipped out and he took us to a smokey Coney Island instead.

Another Eastern Market expedition resulted in a five pound box of quickly wilting basil. Two days (and two blenders) later, we had dozens of jars of pesto and a house that reeked of yummy garlic. During school that year, I faced much ridicule for my green pizzas, but my Dorito and bologna sandwich-eating lunch buddies didn't know what they were missing.

Around that time, I visited my grandparents with my my aunt, uncle, and cousins and Dad had a request... He handed me a large tin to carry with me; it was to be my contribution to the group. I passed it along to my (very vocal) aunt who eagerly cracked it open, as my family usually brought giant bags of pistachios or Mom's gingersnaps to family gatherings. Much to her (and my) surprise, he had sent me with the stinkiest hunk of cheese she'd ever smelled! The lid went back on, the tin tucked away on top of the refrigerator, and back home it came with me a few days later.

When I was a little older, I took up more of an interest in his kitchen experiments. Together, we came up with amazing concoctions... Some of which are just simple and tasty, like our special orzo salad (which can be made with rice! so I can still eat it!), lavash roll-ups (these always included lots of meat and cheese samplings at the deli counter), the genius combination of salami and peanut butter, and the ultimate classic-- corn dog bread.

Cheers to my cool, supportive dad. Thanks for the phone call from New Orleans last week to tell me about alligator gumbo and the carnivorous joys of all-you-can-eat buffets. I'll visit again soon. We'll have pork chops and martinis.

zingerman's + bacon, or, another reason to miss michigan in the fall.

Came across this post on Serious Eats this morning and was immediately nostalgic. When I was growing up, my dad worked in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His job involved lots of driving, so he happened upon all sorts of amazing spots before they were discovered by most... Antique stores, ethnic restaurants, music shops. And whatever creative tangent I found myself on, he would scavenge up supplies for me. He constructed photography darkrooms, bargained for vintage guitars, rebuildt garbage-picked lamps.. I can't imagine the possibilities had I began my meat pursuits while still living near him in Michigan!

That said, Zingerman's was, of course, a staple (splurge!) restaurant of my childhood. I remember their giant cookies, tasting aged balsamic with plastic straws, and splitting chicken salad sandwiches on dried fruit bread with my mom. They have since become quite an empire and have released several foodie books, including Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating and Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service. Their newest release really grabbed my attention.

Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon

I don't have any bacon-specific memories of Zingerman's, but I think some will have to be made during my next visit to the homeland.

another reason the health care reform is a bit off base.

And now, please take a moment of silence for your heart.

Niman's fighting back.

Look what's on the cover of Time Magazine this week!

Beef. Mmmm...
While browsing the magazines today, this pile of meat caught my eye. I assumed that the article wouldn't present me with any new information, but I was happy that such a major magazine was hopefully going to hit mainsteam Americans over the head with information about what's really in their cheap meats.

Surprised was I to find (along with some lovely charts and graphs) that the article was mostly about Bill Niman and his new business ventures! Bill and Nicolette Hahn Niman are part of a movement to raise happy cows that roam freely on happy grass that 1% of happy, healthy and (possibly) wealthy Americans eat.

How lovely of them. And I'll surely seek our their meats. But that might not be as easy as one may think, if one is a newcomer to organic meat purchasing.

Many apologies, I don't want to be negative. I just have a concern about the article.

The Time Magazine article is not referring to the Niman Ranch animals and meats that you can buy (somewhat) cheaply and in bulk from your local Costco. This is Bill and Nicolette's new venture since leaving Niman Ranch in 2007. Niman Ranch products are better choices than most suppliers as they support small farmers are "natural," but they are not organic. Niman Ranch isn't trying to trick you, they say so right here.

Please, read the whole article... I'm all for educating the general public about how to better take care of themselves, our animals, and the land, but please take the initiative and do some research for yourself. Because isn't that the point? Don't just blindly buy what's being sold to you!

Marije Vogelzang, Eating Designer.

Please watch:






Will you please be my friend? I will put birds on my head and help you cover sculpture with ham or personify loaves of bread.

lady (butchers) who lunch

I've been on Project: Weight Gain for a while now. It really isn't going that well, but in the last few weeks, I've been asked by my nutritionist to keep track of my eating and calories. In beginning, it was novel, but I'm getting bored with it. And possibly obsessive.

Maybe I should combine Project: Weight Gain with Project: Food Stylist!

Here's what the project would look like in regards to today's lunch:

-organic boneless skinless chicken breast (180 calories) sauteed in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (60 calories), lemon juice, basil, oregano, and one clove of garlic (20 calories)

-1/4 red bell pepper (10 calories)

-organic green leaf lettuce with onion and white wine vinegar (20 calories)

-organic brown rice cake* (70 calories)

-1/3 cup organic frozen strawberries and blackberries with fresh mint from my windowsill mint plant that I've somehow managed to keep alive (25 calories)

Total: 385 calories (I've been trying to eat every three hours, so that's about what I can handle per "meal.")

Totally boring? Probably. But maybe I can improve my food photography and my diet simultaneously?

*I am lazy and don't often have the patience to cook a pot of brown rice, so I've become quite dependant on Lundberg brown rice cakes. Excellent and super convenient for you gluten-free people out there.

new aspirations

Food styling. Obsessed.

Finally (well, it seems like I waited longer than the masses, considering I went on a big J. Child tangent several years ago... loved My Life in France and was later inspired by the Julie & Julia book and Julie Powell's blog) saw Julie and Julia on Wednesday.

Loved the food and an totally inspired to learn to bone a duck. The man actually got really sad though, sad that I couldn't enjoy food like I once did (I think his favorite food scene was Julie making the bruscetta at the beginning of the movie, or perhaps when Julie and Eric ate that chocolate cake!). This, in turn, made me sad! I guess I really started this blog to learn to make food that I can enjoy, that we can both enjoy together, and I've felt pretty satisfied with my food experiences lately. I was pretty discouraged to realize that he has been so affected and saddened by my food choices. Don't get me wrong! He's been extremely supportive of my endeavors, from finding me piles of meat in Argentina to eating several burgers a day and to taking a SF adventure to butchery class, but sometimes nothing can compare to a grilled cheese sandwich, beer, and pint of Haagan Daz peanut butter chocolate ice cream with the one you love. Ah well. I digress. It was, after all, a Nora Ephron movie, so don't expect the food to be seperated from the relationships!

All that to say, big props to Susan Spungen , the food stylist for Julie & Julia. Awesome. Need and intern?

Here are some images from the film to inspire.

French Onion Soup

Boeuf Bourguignon

they had me at "slab of steak"

I think I've found my new favorite site. From health and wellness magazine writers comes the lovely new blog Svelte Gourmand. Their philosophy is "Eat Well. Live Well" and the posts focus on healthy living (obviously) and enjoying good food (no diet crap) but in reasonable amounts. Very inspired site with pretty, pretty photography, much of which of wine, steak, strawberries, and coffee. Perfect. Perhaps they need a contributing writer! Ha.

Check out Slashfood's interview with the founders here.

book giveaway submissions and winner!

Here are the finalists for the first annual Lady Butcher book giveaway...

First submission is from the multi-talented spunkster Diana, who wrote me some wonderfully personalized haiku:

bacon, check
hamburger, one, two
on the mic

what is that?
jewels of pretty veg
top my meat

blogging food
eat, blog, eat, doodle
wine cheers too

gluten free
isn't hard to be
fruit and meat

And speaking of guns, here's a video from the tryharder wonder machine.
Tryharder also gave me a mystery bag for inspiration.



Contents of mystery bag:

swiss chard
heirloom tomatoes
pluots
bag of mystery spices (coriander, mustard seeds, anise, cloves, bay leaves, red peppers, some other stuff)

with which I made this oddly shiny mystery meal:

Pork steak (I wanted this veal osso bucco I had spotted over the weekend, but settled for pork steaks that the butcher recommended) with pluot and balsamic reduction over swiss chard steamed in white wine and garlic, roasted heirloom tomatoes with olive oil and fresh thyme, and sauteed red skin potatoes with mystery spices.
We also had some strawberries with fresh mint in a little yellow bowl on the side. Unfortunately, the man said he was craving pizza about an hour after said meal. Can't win 'em all. I thought it was lovely though, and I am inspired!

And now for the winner: (drumroll, please)

A meat drawering from Robin of One Sheep Hill. Isn't she a lovely drawer??? I really enjoy that it looks like it was done on butcher paper. Thanks, Robin, for the inspiration and continued meat support!

And did I mention her husband taught me how to shoot a gun?

Please step forward to pick up your prize.

staying cool with the kitchn!

Looking for tips to stay cool while cooking this summer? Apartment Therapy's site The Kitchn has some great tips, including some insight from a Lady Butcher...
Check it out here!
Thanks guys, for the post and link! It is sure to brighten my slightly dreary summer day.

lady meat-book giveaway!

Guess what? I've decided to do a little contest. Remember this wonderful book that I recommended back in February?

Amazed was I to find this lovely little book! My super-thoughtful man gifted it to me for Valentine's. A neat read, actually. Amidst the cutesy details I found a wealth of meaty goodness, written by ladies but tasty to all!

Anyway, turns out great minds think alike. The folks were in town last week and brought my man an incredibly decadent piece of lemon cake from Sweet Lady Jane, and since I couldn't partake in that sweet treat, they again came across this book and thought of me.

I suppose I could have a kitchen and dining room copy, but I'd rather have a little contest to spread the love.

Here's my thought. Surely not many people are following my little journey, but those who are might have noticed that I've been low on inspiration as of late.

So.

Comment and inspire me.

Write me a haiku, send me a recipe to try, get me an apprenticeship to write about (ha!), and I'll try to be unbiased and pick a winner.

Let's say, by 12pm (West Coast Time!) on Friday.

still cooking the goods...

Yes, I still have meat left from butchery class.
Here are a few fun meal shots. Yum!


Yet another tasty lamb burger!


Lamb steak with garlic and onion rub.


And with added mint sauce.

remember this?

Oh boy. Remember these pictures from the London Science Centre?

Turns out there's some activity on the meat-for-energy front! Check out this article about Tesco's new ideas about converting meat to electricity. Warning: not safe for vegetarians... but better for the environment than wasting meat meant for eating, right?

On another note, Tesco really seems to be doing some cutting-edge (for a grocery store) things so I'd hate for squeamishness about this particular issue to take away from the good. Although they are a UK chain, they have opened a string of markets in California, Nevada, and Arizona (Fresh & Easy, anyone?) in borderline/low-income areas that sell inexpensive produce and "whole" foods for those of us on a tight budget. What they sell isn't always "organic," but is sure a heck-of-a-lot better and more well-intentioned than other chains that love the low-income neighborhoods.

Just sayin'.

further reading:

From time to time, I will continue to update this when I find something that peaks my interest, and it looks like today is the day!

So, if there are still any meat-readers, specifically, hamburger readers, out there, here are my picks--

The Hamburger by Josh Ozersky

"...this fast-paced and entertaining book unfolds the immense significance of the hamburger as an American icon...This is the story of their sizzle and their symbolism, where they came from and how they conquered the world."

In-N-Out Burger: A Behind the Counter Look at the Fast Food Chain that Breaks All the Rules by by Stacy Perman

"Perman casts an affectionate and admiring eye at In-N-Out Burger, the family-owned, Southern California chain that has become a cultural institution without franchising, going public, changing its menu or precooking its burgers..."

Any other suggestions?