Where my fellow cooks at???

[mac5155]

Got 2 chuck del monicos from the butcher yesterday. Trying a dry age in the fridge and then going to cook them up.

[Letang Is The Truth]

regarding the double sear technique:

do you use the same pan when you sear as when you place in oven? do you turn while in oven? the top of the steak was perfect with the freeze-for-ten-minuntes and sear technique but the bottom was a little too medium well due to the heat coming off the pan

[shmenguin]

I put it on a wire rack in the oven. I get better results than leaving it on the pan

[tifosi77]

What shmenguin said, or else flip the steak after half the oven time. You can use the same pan for pre- and post-searing, as that will allow you the chance to make a great pan sauce when all's said and done.

[tifosi77]

My mise en place for ragù bolognese. (The Sam is to keep the cook motivated.)

[shmenguin]

trash can on the countertop...that would save about 100 hours a year of me running back and forth across the kitchen

ground pork, ground beef and some sort of cured pork?

[tifosi77]

Well spotted. Veal, pork and pancetta. Thinking of omitting veal next time and simply getting moo critter flavor by diluting the tomato paste in some beef broth.

Also, not shown in the photo is my secret ingredient:

Spoiler:

Fish sauce.

[shmenguin]

ahhh..was gonna say pancetta. fish sauce is a mental hurdle. if i eat it in something someone else prepared, it's fine. if i'm the one that adds it, i think it's gross.

is veal similar to foie gras, in that its cruelty is sensationalized?

[mac5155]

I don't think so but I could be wrong. Veal is just a cow killed at an earlier age, not to mention fed a much better diet. Foie gras is (viewed by some as) a lifetime of "abuse" for the animal.

[count2infinity]

I'm guessing a large amount of veal comes from the dairy industry. Only the females are really worth anything, so what to do with the 50% that aren't females? Eat them young and sell it as veal. That's just guessing though.

[mac5155]

That is correct for the most part.

[shmenguin]

i thought the issue with veal was that the cows are basically kept in impossibly small cages in order to prevent their muscles from developing. like...can barely move-sized cages

[mac5155]

Yeah,those things really only happen in factory farms though. Free range veal is in high demand.

[count2infinity]

I think that's a huge issue with big dairy in general.

[shmenguin]

Yeah,those things really only happen in factory farms though. Free range veal is in high demand.

doesn't free range veal defeat the purpose? or is it just accepted that the meat won't be as tender or whatever as the factory farms?

[mac5155]

Kind of yeah... but the main thing is the diet. they are fed special diets, just not contained to the crates.

[tifosi77]

At an industrial scale, veal cows spend the entirety of their (short) lives in pens where they are physically restrained from being able to stand. It's gross, and it takes some searching to find a source that does not use this method. The fine texture is more emphasized, but at the expense of flavor. And I don't really like anything to interfere with flavor.

Foie gras ducks are, by contrast, among the most lavishly cared for animals in the human food chain. There is a process that most farms use called gavage whereby a tube is inserted down the duck's throat and an enriched corn mash is deposited directly into the bird's gizzard. It mimics the natural act of fattening migratory waterfowl do to themselves every year, just in a controlled way to achieve a consistent result. Look at ethical producers like Hudson Valley Farms for what gavage looks like when done properly. The ducks more or less line up for it, ignoring natural instincts and approaching the human with the food. There are places where the ducks are confined for those final couple weeks before slaughter, but again, that's an industrial not an artisinal practice. Don't buy livers from those producers (none really in the U.S., but Quebec is notorious for lax standards).

[count2infinity]

We made some mushroom risotto for Valentine's day. It was our first attempt ever at risotto, and it turned out really good (I've actually never had risotto, so I'm not sure if it was right, but it tasted awesome, so whatever). We made way too much though. Had a bunch left over. Last night I took the left overs, formed them into patties, then dredged with season flour, into egg, then panko, and pan fried them. Made 4 burger sized cakes. Warmed up some marinara and topped the cakes with that and a little parmesan. Wow... they were fantastic. I don't really know if that's a thing, but it should be.

[Letang Is The Truth]

tif's risotto recipe from last year was a winner in the LITT household

[mac5155]

I couldn't wait any longer and made the chuck delmonicos last night. They were heavenly. So I started doing research on them because I had never heard of them... they have a cult like following. I guess the first rule about chuck-eyes (or chuck delmonicos) is, you don't talk about chuck delmonicos

Seriously though, best $4.99 pp steak I've ever eaten.

[columbia]

Did you get that at a butcher , mac, or was it from the half **** cow you bought?

[tifosi77]

tif's risotto recipe from last year was a winner in the LITT household

You did the tomato and fennel recipe, right?

[mac5155]

Did you get that at a butcher , mac, or was it from the half **** cow you bought?

@ the butcher (same butcher who is purveying the cow for me). Last time, I didn't get any chuck eye steaks. They made them all roasts. This time I'm going to ask for some chuck eyes.

[Letang Is The Truth]

tif's risotto recipe from last year was a winner in the LITT household

You did the tomato and fennel recipe, right?

sorta. had to call an audible as fennel was not available at my local food purveyor. we did brocolini instead

[count2infinity]

Had some short ribs in the crockpot all day today. Hoisin, soy, stock, salt, pepper. Timer turned off the crock pot at 5, was cool enough to pick the meat by 6 when I got home. Took the leftover liquid, strained the solids, then tried to pour off as much fat as I could. Didn't really taste like much but meat, so I added sriracha, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and soy. Brought that to a simmer, added the picked meat, poured it over soba noodles that were tossed with some sauteed bok choy. Was a very tasty (and easy) Tuesday night dinner.