Move over Taco Town. The good folks at at Australia's Vomino's Pizza have cooked up a fast-food monstrosity that rivals the pizza-crepe-taco-pancake-chili bag. The mindboggling commercial desrcibes the Batterered Sav Supreme Pizza as the the ultimate fast-food pizza. This awesome new menu item was designed to appeal to customers who can't get enough of Vomino's Meat Lover's Pizza. Vomino's artery-clogging new pie is topped with a layer of saveloy's, or spicy red pork sausages, kranskies, another type of Australian sausage, nuggets and chiko rolls. As far as I can tell, the Chiko roll is an Aussie taquito filled with mutton, celery, cabbage, barley rice and carrot. Before I forget the whole affair is also loaded with "anything else left unsold from a milk bar bain marie, topped off with our fizzy cola sauce." All this writing has made me hungry. Since there's no Vomino's in the States, I'll be settling for Taco Bell.

[via: SupersizedMeals]

What's an old-school mint have to do make itself stand out from the ever-growing ranks of breath-freshening products crowding convenience store shelves? Well, it could engage in a wacky marketing campaign, or it could do something to help out its customers. Mentos seems to have done both by hiring Trevor the intern. Like most summer interns, his job is to help out everyone everywhere with everything, no matter how trivial.

Trevor, a 19-year-old student at the University of Cincinnati, started his Mentos gig this week and is ensconced in parent company Perfetti Van Melle USA's Erlanger, Ky., headquarters. Looking through his schedule for yesterday, there are a few things that fall squarely into the trivial category: "MOONWALK PLZ," "read me a fariytale," and "crank call my sister." The most serious task on the list, "write a resignation letter." Which brings to mind the obvious question is Mentos serious?

Trevor's bio mentions that he's from Owensboro, Ky., "the BBQ capital of the world." While I wouldn't go that far, it is most certainly the capital of mutton and lamb barbecue. Since that's the case, I thought I'd have him overnight me some 'cue. I couldn't get the forms on the "Give me work" page to cooperate, so I left my man Trevor a voicemail last night. Let's see if he comes through.

Update: Well, despite my East Coast elitist skepticism it turns out that Trevor is in fact a real person. And why not, I'm quite sure there have been stranger internships. He left me a voicemail this morning saying "I don't make nearly enough money to be sending things out." What an earnest young man, he actually thought I wanted him to spend his own cash to send me some Owensboro 'cue. He did, however, tell me that his favorites are Moonlight and Old Hickory. Shortly after I got the message, I called him back and told him that I wanted Mentos to foot the bill as a way to promote their product and the fine smoked mutton and lamb of Owensboro. I also mentioned that I've eaten 'cue in the Carolinas, Kansas City and Tennessee and participated in numerous barbecue competitions. Trevor told me that he'd look it into with the higher-ups at Mentos. Who knows, maybe they can send me succulent mutton in time for July 4.

Peter Menzel, author and photographer of the book Hungry Planet, has a fascinating photo essay on Time.com featuring "What the World Eats" - a look at the types of food families around the world consume, the amount a typical family will spend on groceries each week, plus their favorite foods or recipes.

The difference between countries, of course, is staggering. For instance, one featured American family spends an average of $341.98 on food each week, whereas the family from Chad spends approximately $1.23. The Japanese family lists sashimi and potato chips among their favorite foods, while the Egyptians say Okra with Mutton is one of their typical family recipes.

You can view the entire slide show at Time.com, and if you are interested in reading more, Menzel's book covers 30 families over 24 countries and 600 meals.

(thanks, angorian!)

b

I was perusing the offerings at my local Asian supermarket and some nice beef shanks caught my eye. I really enjoy long, low, slow braised osso buco for its tenderness and unctuous beefiness. It is the epitome of braising; and the perfect marriage of beef, white wine, and mirepoix.

While osso buco is normally made with veal shanks, I prefer the meatier beef shanks. I'm no animal terrorist who hates the thought of the "poor baby veals" being raised in captivity and slaughtered young. I have lived and worked on farms and helped make the useless bull calves into a plethora of meaty products. I just don't care for the taste of veal, I like bold flavors, not the restrained. (Unless it's sashimi, sushi, and some of the other delicate aspects of Japanese cuisine.)

Osso buco can be made with any type of shanks (legs/femur.) Beef and veal of course, but also lamb or mutton, venison, elk, bison; and I guess llama, camel, and any other animal that has nicely developed legs with meaty marrow inside the femur. I wonder if you could make it with ostrich, emu, or kangaroo?

It's mid-January and the winter blues have hit. I need some comfort food to make me feel that all is right in the world. Here's my recipe for osso buco on a cold, mid-winter day.

The recent arrival of temperatures in the 50s on the East Coast makes me wish I was in China Friday night partaking in a gargantuan hotpot feast that has been named the world's largest ever.

The gigantic hotpot was served up in southwest China's Chingqing, birthplace of the hot and spicy stockpot of mutton, beef and vegetables. The cauldron, which measured almost 30 feet across, held a ying-yang of broth, one side a fierce orange-red color due to the spices. The other side, contained what I assume to have been cool white broth, that was sweeter and more aromatic.

Sixty-four restaurants helped serve up the humongous hotpot that served some 100,000 diners and set a new Guinness World Record. The meal, which included five meats and five vegetables, started at 7 p.m. and continued until after midnight. What I want to know is whether they slurped up the broth afterwards! [via Spluch]

Remeber that amiable chap from the River Cottage TV series, the one with the beard who did things with meat? Ray - that's the chap. He is running a Lamb and Mutton Day at the River Cottage HQ in June and another in October. The one in June has Hugh FW in attendance as well.

 The one day event is demo based but you are encouraged to take part in the demonstrations at some point. What do you get for your £225? Basicaly how to get to grips with the carcass of a whole lambe 'transforming it into a range of delicious and manageable joints, plus meat for slow cooking, lamb-burgers etc'.

Whether you keep your own sheep (or plan to), or are interested in buying whole animals direct from local small producers, this course will give you all the basic kitchen know-how for dealing with a whole lamb, along with some delicious practical recipes too.

The day starts with two carcasses, one of a locally reared lamb, and one of either hogget (a one-to-two year old lamb), or mutton, Ray and the River Cottage team will demonstrate and explain the principals and process of butchering the carcass and how to prepare the various joints, both for the freezer and for immediate cooking. This is followed by demos for the various lamb offal cuts, as well as a slow cooked lamb or mutton casserole, and spicy lamb burgers. Half way through the day, guests will sit down to a special lamb lunch featuring recipes from the course. At the end of the day, you get to take home the lamb burgers.

 

What is mutton? Apparently a sheep is regarded as a lamb until it is about 10 months old. It then becomes a hoggett. At the age of 2 its flesh becomes mutton. I have never heard of hoggett before. Mutton is still popular in the Falkland Islands and was described as a farmer from there (on BBC Radio 4) as their "lifestyle meat."

The main problem with mutton is that is needs long slow cooking; it is not a quick convenience food. But then, we are foodies who spurn the microwave and plastic wrapped 10 minute foods!