Trends
Food
by J. Michael Wheeler
Great American Meat
One of those important things about our rediscovery of eating is food. While that might sound like a duh! kind of statement, think about how great that roasted chicken tasted in France, or that very simple pasta tasted in Italy. You returned home with the recipe, prepared it with care, and sat down in front of that dish with anticipation glory, only to be disappointed. What did you do wrong?
Probably nothing. You have the recipe, you have the skills, and you had the chicken. But you didn’t have that fresh French chicken. Or the olive oil from that small farmer. Or the butter from those Norman cows. Here in the States it’s been hard to find the same quality ingredients.
We’re rediscovering the importance of quality in food: the best ingredients make the best meals. And now we are entering, as Esquire’s Food Editor Francine Maroukian calls it (4.09), “The Golden Age of American Meat.”
Randall Lineback Cattle A breed of cattle, listed as “critically rare,” is being revived at Chapel Hill Farm in Berryville, Virginia, by Joe Henderson. His cattle are direct descendants from the breed originating in New England. His cattle range free and the herd is multiplying. A small supply of his veal (named rose veal for the color of the meat produced from the open-pasture diet) is offered as entire calfs to “nose-to-tail” chefs. Randall Lineback meat will be introduced to Manhattan in 2010. More info at Randall Linebacks.
Lava Lake Lamb Forage-finished, dry-aged lamb. The sheep are grazed on wild grasses, herbs, and pasture, producing an entirely range-fed meat with terrior. Lava Lake Lamb & Livestock is one of the largest conservation projects in the West. More info at Lave Lake Lamb.
Artisan Salumi La Quirkier of Iowa are the makers of the first organic prosciutto in America. Esquire calls it “some of the finest cured meat in our charcuterie-crazed country.” Their pigs are free range fed on vegetarian, grain-based diets. La Quercia’s lardo, called Iowa White, is cured back fat seasoned with clove, coriander, nutmeg pepper and bay. More info at La Quercia.
James Beard Foundation
Cookbook of the Year 2008
The River Cottage Meat Book"This book aims to help you find good meat, understand it better, cook it with greater confidence, and eat it with much pleasure." "It first of all covers the basics -- everything you'll need to know about choosing the very best raw materials, understanding the different cuts and the cooking techniques associated with each of them. I've then given what I hope are foolproof recipes for 150 meat classics from both British and foreign food cultures -- shepherds pie, steak and kidney pie, roast pork with perfect crackling, glazed baked ham, Irish stew, roast grouse with all the trimmings, toad in the hole, oxtail stew; plus definitive, authentic versions of pot au feu, cassoulet, choucroute, steak tartare, coq au vin, bolito misto, pasticcio, jerked pork, feijoida, cozido, curried goat, satay and chilli con carne." "I would like this book to be your first stop on the shelf whether you seek either inspire
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