Remember Cook’s Choice? It was the most dreaded day on your school lunch calendar. The lucky ones brown-bagged it; the rest of us stood in line for a meal we knew had been planned by a Lunch Lady surveying the walk-in cooler and reading expiration dates. As we bravely offered up our trays for a plop of this and a smear of that, there was always a special sort of dismay reserved for the grayish slice of undesignated meat that was served.
At a time when your world safely revolved around beef, chicken, pork, and fish stick, taking a bite of the mystery meat might have been the first indication of an adventurous life to come: one that refused to remain within the confines of a TV dinner tray, one that might someday include oysters, blue cheese, and goat tacos. Or perhaps your childhood revulsion sealed the fate of your food life to nothing more daring than buffalo wings. And that would be a shame, because most of us, in the new protein-obsessed world, actually wish for some adventure in the meat department.
Many a well-intentioned cookbook is devoted to making chicken exciting, but at what point do you break down and weep at the sight of another pale breast? Steak is no longer special, now that Taco Bell serves steak fajitas and chains are churning out steak platters faster than you can say “blooming onion.” And sure, you can always count on a good Asian restaurant to throw you for a loop—but let’s face it, for many of us, jellyfish might be going too far, too fast. What we long for is a mix of the new and the familiar—something easily identifiable as meat by its appearance and its texture, but that also delivers a strikingly (maybe not radically) new flavor. Something we can add to our repertoire without going too far out of our way or freaking out our loved ones.
Ostrich was one of the first “new” meats that sought contemporary mainstream acceptance. In the early nineties, food industry insiders in this country began extolling its virtues, pointing to its traditional role in South African cuisine (in the spicy, dried form of biltong) and more recent appearances on trendy European menus (pan-fried with leeks and smoked bacon). While ostriches are indeed big birds, they don’t produce poultry-like meat, but rather a dense, red flesh that is healthier than beef. It’s also lower in fat and calories than even skinless chicken or turkey. Add to that ostrich’s high iron and protein content, and it’s easy to see why this meat is recommended by the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.
Serving up this huge, flightless bird still seems exotic, but ostrich farms are popping up all over the country. Blackwing Quality Meats, the best known name in the industry, has been selling fresh and frozen ostrich meats for twelve years. It shuns the use of hormones and additives, and, recognizing the need to gain fresh converts, its website offers helpful cooking tips and decent recipes for an herb marinade and ostrich scallopini. Ostrich meat doesn’t shrink like beef or pork when cooked, so a seven-ounce filet will remain at seven ounces from fridge to dinner table. It can be grilled, braised, smoked, fried, or roasted, but like any other red meat it’s best medium rare. Ground ostrich can be substituted for ground beef in any recipe, and it makes great burgers. Ostrich carries a delicate flavor, doesn’t have the fatty richness of beef, and has a soft, less grainy character that’s light on the tongue. The only thing ostrich needs is the patronage of some celebrity chef to elevate it into the cult of cool food. Locally, I’d love to see what Seth Bixby Daugherty of Cosmos would do with a heavy cut.
Bison, too, has been on the cult radar for some time. (American buffalo and bison are the same animal, and in general their meat is referred to as bison.) Bison burgers are popular fare around the country—there’s even one on Ruby Tuesday’s menu, next to the turkey burger under the “Exotic” heading. Richly flavored yet lean, high-quality bison meat tends to be a touch sweeter than beef, although lesser cuts can be gamey or sharp. Beyond the ground meat, you can find steaks and roasts, as well as sausage and jerky.
Locally, bison is big business. These naturally hearty animals thrive in summer heat and winter cold. Unlike cattle, which drift with the wind, bison turn their massive heads into a snowstorm, plowing drifts with ease in the search for food. Numerous ranches in the area have revived the tradition of bison grazing on thousands of acres of prairie lands, even though their herds are a tiny fraction of those that once thundered across the prairie. At places like Silver Bison Ranch near Baldwin, Wisconsin, bison are not given hormones or antibiotics, and feed only on native grasses that grow without aid of herbicides or pesticides. Prairie Heights Bison goes a step further into the past, inviting guests to take part in day-long guided bison hunts on its acreage in the Blue Mounds area of southwest Minnesota, which was a popular hunting ground for American Indians. Like those early hunters, Prairie Heights believes the field kill produces the finest meat and is most respectful to the animal.
Rabbit is not an exotic meat by definition, but most Americans find it difficult to visualize their fuzzy bunny friends as good eats. They should meet Lenny Russo of Heartland, the St. Paul restaurant known for its fresh and seasonal Midwestern ingredients. Russo doesn’t hesitate to include rabbit on his menu when he can get it, even during Easter. Yielding a meat not unlike chicken, yet a touch sweeter, rabbit plays well with fresh fare from all seasons. At Heartland, it’s usually paired with whole grains, like an earthy barley risotto, to bring a heartier quality to the dish.
Ready to banish chicken and have a go at hasenpfeffer? Clancy’s Meats and Fish market in Linden Hills has frozen rabbit, as well as fresh bison meat in its cases. A good glass of wine may help quicken the courage. A less tannic Pinot Noir with berry tones goes well with bison, while ostrich calls for a good California Cabernet, and rabbit loves a Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. All it takes is that first leap of faith to widen your horizons.
Blackwing Quality Meats; 800-326-7874; www.blackwing.com
Silver Bison Ranch; bison@silverbison.com
Prairie Heights Bison, Luverne, Minnesota;
507-283-8136; www.buybison.com
Heartland, 1806 St. Clair Ave., St. Paul;
651-699-3536; www.heartlandrestaurant.com
Herb-Roasted Buffalo Tenderloin With Blue Cheese Butter
1⁄4 pound (1 cup) crumbled firm blue cheese
1 stick (1⁄2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons port
3 tablespoons olive oil
31⁄2 pounds buffalo tenderloin, cut crosswise
into eight or more 11⁄4-inch-thick steaks
1⁄2 cup Dijon mustard
3⁄4 cup packed freshly chopped rosemary leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees; place rack in middle of oven.
In a small bowl, mash together cheese and butter with a fork; stir in port until smooth. Form butter into a log on sheet of plastic wrap, roll up, secure and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
In a 12-inch heavy sauté pan, heat 11⁄2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot. Sear half of the steaks until browned, about 2 minutes on each side, and transfer to a shallow baking pan. Sear remaining steaks in remaining 11⁄2 tablespoons oil in same manner.
When steaks have cooled enough to touch, spread tops and sides with mustard and sprinkle with rosemary, pepper, and salt to taste. Roast steaks in middle of oven eight minutes for medium rare (tops should just begin to brown). Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let stand about three minutes. Remove butter from fridge and slice into about twenty thin pieces.
Cut each steak nearly in half horizontally. Tuck a butter slice between steak halves and top steaks with another slice.
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