Whoa, Big Fella!

Well, whether you knew it or not, back in November, the US government lifted the ban on funding inspections for horse butchering.  What's that mean?  Basically it means that horse meat can be sold or served for human consumption in this country.

Now, before you go throwing up or chaining yourself to the gate of the nearest horse barn, don't worry.  Chances are you won't be seeing pony steak on your favorite restaurant's menu--at least not until there's a demand for it.

Chicago-area chefs were interviewed for an article in the Chicago Tribune about serving horse.  Most were open to the idea, but would refrain from putting it on a menu if they thought it would turn their patrons off. 

Still--as is the case with many kinds of food--the US is one of the few places in the world where eating horse meat is taboo.  In fact, according to the article, restaurants and supermarkets as close as Canada are selling it.

So what does horse taste like?  Some say it's a cross between beef and venison, with a slightly sweeter taste than either.  One chef in the Tribune article tried it when he was in Spain.

"I thought it was beef, with this wet hay flavor," he said. "If you walked into a meadow after it rained, that’s the only way I could describe the taste." 

Well, that doesn't whet my appetite.  But horse meat has more protein and less fat than lean beef.  So there are some health benefits. 

Would I try it?  Sure, why not?  I've tried alligator and ostrich and caribou.  Why not horse?  As long as the bridle's removed.

Pump Up the Flavor!

What's the most important thing about a meal?  Some might say the ingredients need to be fresh and local.  Others may say you first see a meal with your eyes, so the appearance of the plating is key.  Others still might say that nutrition is first and foremost.

In my mind--even though all these things are very important--the bottom line is flavor.  A beautiful plate of fresh, nutritious, local ingredients doesn't mean anything unless it tastes good, right?

So I thought I'd write a few posts with some tips about how to help the flavor of your foods be the best that they can be.  As usual, thanks go to my old standby, Cook's Illustrated magazine for some of these tips. 

I hope it helps!

Today, I'll be writing about things that you can do to improve the flavor of your food before you start cooking. 

• Try not to chop or mince onions and garlic until closer to the time that you're going to use them.  The odor and flavor of both these aromatics intensify as time goes on.  If you're going to use raw onions (in a salad, for example), soaking them in cold water helps to tame the strong flavor.  Cook's suggests soaking in a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda for every cup of water.  Be sure to rise before using.
• Speaking of garlic, always remove any green sprouts from a garlic clove before chopping or mincing.  It doesn't mean you can't use the rest of the clove, but the bitterness of the green part can really ruin a dish.
• Many recipes call for the removal of the seeds and that jelly-like stuff in the middle of a tomato.  Sometimes it's for good reason--usually to cut down on moisture in the dish.  But most of the flavor can be found in the guts of the tomato, so if can, use the whole thing.
• When marinating meat, poke the meat all over with a fork.  This allows the marinade to penetrate deeper into the meat--and gives flavor to the whole thing. 
• Marinating in a zip-top bag is a great way to marinate.  Squeezing out the air not only allows you to get the marinade more in contact with the food, but also gets the food flavored up in less time.  If a bag doesn't quite work for the food you're making, marinate in a baking dish covered with plastic wrap.  Either way, flipping the bag or turning the food halfway through the marinating time will help make sure the everything has been in contact with the flavor.
• You've probably heard that fat equals flavor.  That's especially true with meats.  When making stew, it's OK to trim hard fat and other tissue from stew beef.  There's plenty of fat in the meat to keep it flavorful and moist.  Pork is a different story.  Since pork doesn't have the marbling that beef does, keep a thin layer of fat on the pork.  It will melt during cooking, adding flavor and moisture.
• Other fats--such as butter, oils and nuts--add flavor as well.  But these also go bad fairly quickly.  Be sure to store them so that they stay as fresh as possible.  Store sticks of butter in a zip-top bag in the BACK of the fridge (the coldest part).  They'll stay fresh for about 2 1/2 weeks that way.  Any longer than that, keep in the freezer.  Vegetable oils should be stored a dark part of your pantry.  Nut and seed oils (like sesame, walnut, etc) should be refrigerated.  You can store nuts in the pantry if they'll be used in a month or so.  I store all my nuts in the freezer in zip-top bags.  They stay fresh longer and can be used pretty much right out of the freezer. 

Next, we'll talk about how to add flavor during the cooking process.

Smart Carnivores

I just read a fascinating article from NPR: Food for Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made us Smarter.  In it, the author talks about theories that say that when our ancestors started eating meat, the evolution of our species changed.

That period is when cut marks on animal bones appeared — not a predator's tooth marks, but incisions that could have been made only by a sharp tool. That's one sign of our carnivorous conversion.

By eating meat, our brain, which uses about 20 times as much energy as the same size muscle, thrived.  Calories and fat from meat allowed our bodies to put more energy into brain development.  Our brains grew, we started using tools and cooking and the rest is, well, history.

There are plenty of detractors to these theories--see the comments after the article, but to me, it makes sense.  What do you think?