With all of the news of food recalls due to potential risk food-borne illness, the world seems like a scary place. It seems like a place where you can't even trust the government to protect us from bad food. Some would argue that is the case. Well, a group of cattle and beef producers have gotten together to ensure that you can trust your food, at least your beef and they have created a label to prove it.
The VeriPrime group is a new organization of independent ranchers and farmers that have established a rigorous new set of rules and procedures for raising/producing cattle and beef. They claim that their certification process is much more thorough and exacting than current government regulations. The rules were developed by veterinarians and nutritionists, and are ensured by "independent third-party audits." VeriPrime hopes to expand the label to cover other meats, poultry, dairy, and vegetables in the future.
If you see this label on beef products in your supermarket, you're supposed to know that it's totally safe. Call me cynical, but just because they say it doesn't make it necessarily true. I do think that any extra level of certification is a good thing. Isn't it also usually the case that industries which police themselves are generally more trustworthy (seriously, I'm asking)? All I can say is that, while I hope that this is a good thing, no label can be a 100% guarantee.
Between beef recalls and threats of mad cow disease, the simple action of eating is quickly becoming less of a pleasurable activity and more of a chore, or, in some cases, a big wager.
Think you know your salmonella from your E.Coli? Feeling bored? Test your smarts with National Geographic's food safety quiz. Yes, I know, online quizzes are pretty nerdy, but this one actually provides you with decent information. After you answer each question, the site gives you a brief synopsis of the topic, so you can bulk up on your food safety knowledge for your next dinner party.
Or, even better: when the weather gets warmer and you attend a picnic, turn to your friend as she takes her first bite of chicken salad and bust out with, "Did you know that food borne illnesses are more common in warmer weather?" and watch her spit out her food and glare at you. If nothing else, your new found knowledge will provide you with hours of entertainment.
First we hear that the USDA has recalled 143 million pounds of beef, then that the recall extends as far back as two years. Now this news: a fourth herd of cattle in Minnesota has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to bad beef now. Though it is unlikely that humans can contract tuberculosis from beef because "any animal showing these signs is withheld from the food supply. In addition, adequate cooking destroys the bacteria. Further, the milk pasteurization process at processing plants destroys any potential bacteria," still, it makes me wonder if I should just swear off red meat for a while.
I'm just going to think about that while I finish the last few bites of my steak.
The USDA is investigating the Hallmark slaughterhouse in California, the subject in videos released by The Humane Society of the United States after a six-week undercover investigation. In the video, workers at the meat processing plant repeatedly kicked cows and rammed them with the blades of a forklift. The cows were also said to be sick, which is a major health concern. Sicks cows could be carrying Mad Cow disease or e Coli.
When it comes to the meat for your chili, you have a lot of options, and even options within options. Chili can be made with beef, poultry, or it can eschew meat altogether and go vegetarian. Turkey, chicken and vegetarian chilis are all fine, but I am a beef girl when it comes to chili.
A lot of people use ground beef for chili, which produces a very uniform, somewhat "fine" chili, but since ground beef cooks rather quickly, there is less of a reason to use a slow cooker. I prefer my chili a bit chunkier, so I buy a large piece of any of the less expensive, slightly tougher cuts of beef. Does that make me a cheapskate?!?! Maybe a little, but the reality is that the tougher cuts of beef are flavorful and hold up well during the slow cooking process that allows flavors to develop.
Preparing the Meat for Chili: I bought a 2 lb rump roast, partly because I love the word "rump," but mostly because that's a good cut to use for chili. Rinse the meat, pat dry, and cut into ½" cubes. Dredge the cubes in about ½ c flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and shake off as much of the excess flour as you can.
Heat 2-3 Tbsp canola oil over medium high heat and brown the coated beef on all sides. Set aside.
Before I talk about this video from PETA, can we just settle down and understand that I'm not taking sides in the debate by posting about it here? I have no axe to grind or bone to pick or anything else, I just think it's a clever video that has talking food in it.
The video is titled "Road To The Greenhouse," and it shows the Presidential candidates answering questions about meat and it's effects on health and the environment. I mean, come on, how can you not laugh at the names Dijon McCain and Celery Clinton? I particularly like how Fruity Giuliani always talks about "7/11."
But wait a minute...Sam Donaldson?! What is this, 1988? I guess they wanted to get something to rhyme with Spam.
After six years testing the safety of cloning, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed cloned animals fit for consumption.
Don't like it? Well, you don't have much of a choice. The FDA also decided that labels won't have to divulge whether or not they contain parts from cloned animals, because the ingredients are no different from that of animals raised the old-fashioned way. Besides, aside from the creep-out factor, most people probably wouldn't choose to eat a cloned animal to begin with; they cost ten times as much as your average, farm-raised cow or pig.
Americans should be used to to science and industry playing a starring role in our food choices. From pesticides to force-fed ducks to hormone-laden dairy products, it shouldn't be any surprise that cloned animals were the next step.
And our food is already meddled with, sometimes without our knowledge (ever wonder how you can perfectly fresh peaches and strawberries in the middle of February?), and sometimes quite obviously (plutots, anyone?) But while this shouldn't come as a shock, this newest agricultural development does seem like an eerie foreshadowing of events to come.
It's a new new year, but the same problems persist.
Rochester Meat Company has recalled over 180,000 pounds of beef that was distributed over the past couple of months. A teenage girl in California got sick from e. coli back in December and four other people in Wisconsin may have gotten sick from the meat as well.
The beef was distributed to restaurants and other food service outlets, and officials are still trying to contact all of the places that received the meat to tell them of the recall, which was announced on January 12. Attorneys want the names of the establishments that received the beef to be named along with the Rochester Meat Company.
More than five years ago, some friends and I had a book club. Over time we abandoned the books and started just getting together every couple of months for dinner. With the focus of our gatherings strictly on food, we did all sorts of creative things like have an evening devoted solely to appetizers, theme some meals around comfort food (read macaroni and cheese) and have several soup nights.
It's the soup night where I got this particular recipe. It's a meal that my friends Erin and Jamie grew up eating and it is easy to throw together, can expand indefinitely, it really hard to ruin and always tastes good. The main flavor players are a pound of ground beef (you could substitute ground turkey, chicken or a Quorn crumbles), a can of whole plum or roma tomatoes that you crush with your hands before adding to the pot and some fresh rosemary and thyme (substituting dried herbs is okay as well). I also sometimes throw in a single beef bouillon cube, to amp up the flavor (I realize that they are filled with chemicals, and yet they are so darn handy that I haven't been able to give them up). A bunch of veggies also go in and what you are left with is a flavorful, filling soup that is ready to eat in less than an hour (the pot I made last night was done in 40 minutes). This is also one that freezes well and I often have a small bag or two of it in the freezer for a quick lunch. The recipe is after the jump.
One of my favorite books when I was a kid was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." In the beginning of the book, the main character Francie is sent to the butcher shop to buy $.10 worth of ground beef for her family's Saturday night dinner. Her mother insists that she have the butcher grind it in front of her instead of buying it off the plate, because you never know what might be in your meat if you buy it pre-ground.
I remember reading that section back in the day and thinking how nice it was that ground meat is so safe and available so that people didn't have to worry about it anymore. I went on thinking that way until Tuesday, when I read this post by the Grocery Guy. Apparently mass market ground beef isn't nearly as safe and clean as we think it is. The Grocery Guy stresses that it is important that you know and trust the people who make your ground beef, which is not always an easy thing in this day and age (especially if you tend to shop at large, chain supermarkets). He says that if you don't know your butcher that you should grind your own (and gives tips on how to go about doing just that). It's an interesting read and will definitely make you think about ground beef more critically (if you are still among the number who eat the stuff. Personally, I have a very hard time resisting a good hamburger).
Some thieves got away with a bounty of beef -- 14,800 pounds of it, to be exact. But who gets the last laugh? The beef may have been contaminated with E.Coli, so the thieves didn't get much right?
Wrong.
Timothy Biela, Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer for the company that produced the beef, says they are concerned, not for consumers who purchase beef through normal channels, but "for the safety of those people who may be persuaded to buy beef products under questionable circumstances. We do not know how this product has been handled since it left our control. The stolen truck had only a limited supply of refrigeration fuel."
The beef was produced by Fort Worth-based American Fresh Foods. The company had set the trailer of beef away to eventually be removed from commercial sale. After the trailer was stolen, the USDA issued a public health alert and is now working with local and state law enforcement authorities to recover the stolen product and vehicle.
When it comes to these short, dark winter days, there's nothing better than putting a little effort into a dish and then have it spend the rest of the day filling your home with the delicious smells of cooking. The weekends are perfect for these long braises, soups and stews. Many of these dishes don't need a recipe and can be created by feel. However, for those of you who need a little inspiration, here are eight recipes that are perfect for this time of year.
1. The Minimalist makes Beef Bourguignon from chuck, reminding us all that the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat have the most flavor. 2. Food and Wine offers three recipes for winter stews. For those of you who don't actually have all day to let your dish cook, these recipes are for you, as they all should be ready in about an hour. 3. Florence Fabricant went to Greece last year and brought back with her a recipe for Slow-Cooked Beef with Cracked Wheat. It gets browned on the stove for flavor and does a long, slow braise in the oven. 4. Elise has a gorgeous looking recipe for Spicy Lamb Stew with Butternut Squash. 5. Want a rich, veggie-filled chicken stew? Try this one from Orangette, it sounds quite yummy! 6. I love white beans. And I really love roasted garlic. So I do believe that I will adore this Garlic Lovers White Bean Soup from the Farmgirl. 7. I still have a single pomegranate rolling around my kitchen, which may inspire me to try this Pomegranate and Spice-Braised Pork from the The Splendid Table (even though the recipes doesn't call for fresh pomegranate. I could always use it for garnish). 8. Eclectic Edibles invented this Roasted Root Vegetable Stew as a way to use up already-roasted veggies. However, roasting veggies is so easy that it would be a simple thing to do in the stew making process.
I was going to link to a bunch of recipes for cheeseburgers, but honestly, if you're reading this you probably know how to cook a cheeseburger to your liking, right?
Instead, I'm going to show you a poem I wrote, entitled "Ode To A September Day."
Nah, just kidding. Happy National Cheeseburger Day. Or as they used to say on Saturday Night Live, "Cheezburgah, cheezburgah, cheezburgah!" We all know how we like our cheeseburgers (mine is well done, with American cheese, on a hamburger bun), but why don't we get a little adventurous with help from cheese-burger.net? How about a Cola Burger, or maybe some Red Wine Burgers. I like pepper on my burgers so I'm going to try the Black Peppercorn Burger.
When I saw a post on ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal about chitlins my first instinct was to exclaim, "Korean soul food? Say what!" Then I thought about it a little more, and I realized that with its hearty casseroles and stews, Korean cuisine has a lot in common with American soul food. It's just that the above dish of gobchang gui is, how to put this, a bit more soulful than other Korean fare I've encountered.
Technically, they're not chitlins, since they're beef, not pork, intestines. Either way, the dish sounds delicious. Some of you out there might be grossed out by the concept of eating a cow's small intestines. Not me, especially when I read that they taste like bacon and are stuffed with Korean pâté. Drool. To complete the organ meat orgy there was Makchang (sliced large intestine), beef heart and tripe smothered in pâté.
ZKFJ's author is lucky to be based in Korea. I've enjoyed Korean blood sausage in my native Queens, but have yet to encounter what amount to pâté-filled sausages. I gots to get me some gobchang y'all.
Meatpaper is the self-proclaimed "journal of meat culture," and judging from what's up at their site, they're correct.
The site is filled with several articles on the "arts and ideas about meat," including pieces about the dry-aging room at New York's Master Purveyors, pig slaughter in Italy, why Filipinos eat Spam, and getting over the guilt of eating meat. There are also links to various food blogs.
The site itself says that they "like metaphors more than marinating tips," which I take as an indication that they're going to be talking about the world of food and not recipes and kitchen advice. They're taking subscriptions now, so you might want to check it out.
With all of the news of food recalls due to potential risk food-borne illness, the world seems like a scary place. It seems like a place where you can't even trust the government to protect us from bad food. Some would argue that is the case. Well, a group of cattle and beef producers have gotten together to ensure that you can trust your food, at least your beef and they have created a label to prove it.
In two different articles, two sets of schools -- one set of 
Before I talk about this video from PETA, can we just settle down and understand that I'm not taking sides in the debate by posting about it here? I have no axe to grind or bone to pick or anything else, I just think it's a clever video that has talking food in it.
It's a new new year, but the same problems persist.
Some thieves got away with a bounty of beef -- 14,800 pounds of it, to be exact. But who gets the last laugh? The 
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
