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.
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