Table Talk
Grass Fed Beef
A few months ago, I read a book that will forever change the way I eat and look at food. It is called The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollen. The book follows 4 different food chains, from where the food begins, through it's care, processing, etc., and ultimately, to the author's table. All of the book was instructional, most of it fascinating, some of it was downright frightening. The care and feeding of animals that ultimately end up on our plates was one such frightening thing. I'm a pretty dedicated meat-eater, but after reading about what was fed to cattle, and the conditions in which they lived, I had to consider an alternative. By nature, cattle are grass eaters. They have a very complicated digestive system, perfectly suited to digest grass, which is just part of a cycle for a self-sustaining and completely natural food cycle. Grain-fed cattle must be taught to eat grain. It is more economical for the rancher and produces fatter cattle in a shorter period of time. And, grain-fed beef is what we are offered in the grocery store. I did some research after finishing the book, trying to find sources for grass-fed beef. The closest place that I found that sold it was 4 hours away and I would have been required to buy a side of beef. This was not a viable option for me. I talked to the butchers at the natural food stores. I was told that they sometimes carried grass-fed meat, but it was seasonal at best and their supplier was unreliable. So imagine my surprise and delight when I opened the weekly advertisement for Wild Oats this week and saw grass-fed top sirloin steaks not only listed but on sale. Here was my big chance to try it out. Here is the whole menu:
Gaucho-Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Smashed Potatoes with Fresh Marjoram, Fresh Basil & Goat Cheese
Grilled Crimini Mushrooms, seasoned with chimicurri sauce
Field Greens with Roasted Beets (and more Goat Cheese)
Fresh Peach Ice Cream
My husband was still talking about the steak this morning. He found the beef to have less flavor than he was used to; I thought it had a stronger taste (go figure) but we agreed that the chimichurri sauce, made with fresh oregano, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, olive oil & red wine vinegar, was fantastic. I used Tyler Florences' recipe for the steak:
Gaucho-Grilled Steak with Chimichurri
Chimichurri:
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 handful fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 limes, juiced
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
4 pounds skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the garlic, jalapeno and vinegar in a bowl. Stir in the parsley, oregano, and lime juice. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to marry.
Marinate the steak in olive oil for 30 minutes, turning to coat both sides.
Preheat an outdoor charcoal grill or oven broiler to high. Remove the steak from the oil and season both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper; you should see the seasoning on the meat. Grill the steaks on the hottest part of the barbecue for 4 minutes per side, until well charred. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut the steak across the grain on the diagonal and fan the slices out on a platter. Spoon some chimichurri over the meat and serve with the remaining sauce at the table.
