Local. Sustainable. Humane. Grass-fed.
Those are some of the buzz words foodies throw around these days when discussing what beef to eat or whether to eat beef at all. A new cookbook, Pure Beef: An Essential Guide to Artisan Meat with Recipes for Every Cut, is the go-to book for people having those kinds of conversations.
Food writer, Lynne Curry, herself a former vegetarian turned grass-fed beef aficionado, wrote Pure Beef as the definitive resource for those devoted to – or just curious – about cooking and eating more pasture-raised meat. Curry explains everything from the science and nutrition of grass-fed beef, the terminology, the different cuts, to how to thaw it, to how to cook it, and what side-dishes to make with it.
Curry begins each recipe chapter with a "learning recipe" to provide a foundation for cooking basics like meatloaf, grilled steak, stir-fry, roast beef, or stock with grass-fed beef. She follows these with more recipes for elaboration or variation for each beef cut. The recipes range from tasty basics like Cowboy Coffee Beef Stew to more exotic offerings like Feta-Stuffed Sliders with Tahini-Yogurt Sauce. She even includes a chapter on making some simpler homemade charcuterie such as summer sausage, chorizo, and corned beef.
Pure Beef would make a great gift book because it is as attractive as it is informative and user-friendly. Its bright, grass green cover has a lot of design appeal and there is a section of color pictures, as well as a pleasing layout with plenty of useful and attractive illustrations.
NOTES
Lynne Curry also has a terrific blog, Stories that Feed You, that is chock-o-block full of all kinds of interesting recipes and information about many sorts of food.
OTHER REVIEWS
Good Food Neighbor
Oregon Wine Press
The Kitchn
If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.
WEEKEND COOKING
There is a farm that was offering grass-fed beef CSA's at the farmer's market this year. Sounds like this book has some really nice recipes to use it in.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing a beef feedlot, this book holds a certain appeal. Just because beef can be cheap in the grocery store, it doesn't mean it's good. Thanks for sharing this book
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting! I just finished making one of my family's favorite beef meals - Beef Bourguignonne.
ReplyDeleteSue
Book By Book
Janel: Our farmer's market had a lot more GFB this year too. Either right there or through CSAs. It's getting to be more available.
ReplyDeleteHeather: And GFB can be economical if you buy a 1/4 or 1/2 a cow and put it in the deep freeze. Surprisingly economical.
Sue: Yum! That's one of my favorites too. Sounds great for a cold rainy weekend like this one!
Oh dear, i should have included those details in my post. the 1000 Santas had the choice of running, 1 ,3 or 5 kilometres. The suits were part of their entry and they had to wear the complete outfit including the beard. i will update my post with that information. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is new to me. But I'm a big fan of locally raised, grass-fed beef so I should give it a read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read. I buy 1/6 of a grass fed cow once a year through a small, local farm in my best friend's neighborhood (2hrs from me, but down the street from her) for several years now. Peace of mind and the best tasting beef I've ever had.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a good gift for my boyfriend! It is incredibly hard to find grass fed beef around here. The farmer's market has been our only option but it's not nearby and the times aren't convenient. We just got a Whole Foods though, so maybe that will be an option, now!
ReplyDeleteInteresting book. We changed our eating habits after watching Food, Inc. and now only by beef from the Amish farmers in our area.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ManOfLaBook.com