Offal Good

PETA loves meat

It seems from a recent article in the NY times that was brought to my attention by serious eats, that PETA wants there to be meat, but only if it’s grown in a petri dish in a lab by doctors to feed the masses by 2012. And the best part is that they are going to pay one million dollars to the person who can produce it in viable commercial amounts.

Now isn’t this how we got into the factory farming problem that they are fighting against now, or is it just a way for them to get the bacon they all truly crave and can’t admit to eating. It is a sad day when we would rather cut down whole rain forests to produce soy beans, and waste precious dollars on fake meat production. I almost feel like we are stepping into a star trek scenario, and the next thing we know, we will only need to push a button and our whole meal will magically appear on a plate produced by scientists in a lab. Personally I would like my food to come from the farm, whether it be animal or vegetable. To me this is just a bullshit hoax for them to draw some needed attention to themselves.

For some interesting information on how fucked this process is listen to NPR Science Fridays show on the subject. Its like working with monsanto chemically altered food using artifical flavors and chemicals to make meat, yum I cant wait.
My 2 cents: take the money and spend it on stopping factory farming together with chefs that can help make that happen.

James Beard nominates offal

This past year has been a bit of fun, but when Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin came from Chow to film a video about obsessives they were all ears and, as usual, I was all mouth. Luckily, they caught every last bit of it on film. To my surprise, the video: Obsessives : Innards Working has been nominated by The James Beard Foundation in the webcast section under the Television Food Show, Local and National Category. Congratulations to Meredith and Eric for putting together a great video! As I wait with baited breath until June 6th-8th for winners to be revealed, I am honored that this has happened. Thanks to Chow for giving me a soap box to stand on and an outlet for the offal cause to be distributed worldwide. My voice may be loud, but I think we all know by now that the internet is louder.

Offal eaters rejoice…our voice is being heard.

Offal and Meat Consumption in the News

With all the recent books on meat such as “The compassionate carnivore” and “The shameless carnivore: A manifesto for meat lovers” and the recent USDA debacle in chino, I have been getting alot of calls about my beliefs on animal husbandry as well as my fondness for offal cookery. Here are two articles about meat and offal consumption that I have recently been interviewed for.

Respecting the meat you eat.

Haute cuisine, head to tail

Both of these articles are showing the growing interest in properly raised animals as well as offal cookery. Its amazing how people are changing their tune, do to the effects of mass factory farming leaving a huge foot print as well as its disrespect to the animals.

Its great to see that people want to turn the clock back and save these cuts as well as return to proper farming techniques. This is a breath of fresh air, which I look forward to seeing more of.

Brains and Eggs Music To My Ears?

My brother in law Michael Hearst and band mate Joshua Camp of One Ring Zero have written a great song for me based on a recipe that I wrote. This is a new project they are working on, taking chefs recipes and turning them into songs. This a bit similar to ” As Smart As We Are” where he worked with authors who’s writings became the lyrics and basis for his music threw the whole album. I have included the recipe below, follow along to the song and then make yourself some dinner.

A little back ground on the dish. On the south side of Chicago was the largest livestock market and meat processing center in the world Approximately one mile square, it served the nation’s great meat packing companies and many smaller ones located in the surrounding area. A dish that became very common among the butchers was brains and eggs, this came to be know as the butchers treat.

Click the title below to here the song.

Brains and Eggs “The butchers treat”

serves 4

2 calves brains

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp white wine

5 eggs

2 Tbsp cream

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp chopped chives

1 tsp chopped tarragon

4 slices of rustic country bread

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Black pepper t taste

To poach the brains, fill a large pot with water and add the salt, lemon juice, and white wine. Bring the water to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer, so the water is lightly bubbling. Gently place the brains into the water and simmer them for 5 minutes. Remove the brains from the water with a perforated spoon and place on a plate. Put the plate in the refrigerator to cool for about 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream and herbs and beat with a whisk until light. Season with salt and black pepper. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once the brain is cold and firm, dice it. Heat the butter in a sauté pan over high heat until it starts to brown. Then add the cubed brain pieces and gently stir until golden brown. Turn the heat down to medium. Pour in the egg mixture and fold the brains and eggs together with a rubber spatula until it’s all cooked; it will be light and fluffy.

While the eggs are cooking, grill or toast the bread so it will be warm when the eggs are finished. Serve the brains on warm plates with a piece of buttered toast.