Since we have went "paleo," a lot of things have changed in addition to simply "what" we eat. We have also been trying to source our food from reputable local growers and suppliers (the "who and where") that raise their products in a sustainable and/or humane way (the "how"). "Why?" you might ask... Well, in addition to ensuring that our bodies get all the nutrients that they need from fresh foods, we are also feeding our minds, souls, and consciences by knowing that we are helping to minimize the negatives associated with factory farming and the inhumane way animals are raised for slaughter. We are impacting our environment, too, by not buying into the rampant use of chemicals and hormones, and we are doing our part to eliminate the carbon footprint associated with shipping goods grown in Mexico or other distant locales cross country to the Midwest. But I digress...
Fear not! This post isn't going to be about me getting on my soapbox to try and sound superior in any way to the "what, who, where, why, or how" anyone else goes about living their life. If I can share my experiences and knowledge and maybe inform, that's AWESOME! but for now, I just want to tell you the story of a dinner with friends here at the Heartford Homestead.
Since we are now getting our food (more specifically, our grass-fed beef) from a local farmer, the culinary world has opened up her bosom to share with us secrets that were once well-known to our parents and grandparents but have since been forgotten in this world of commercial conformity. When Don was placing the order this Spring for our cow and the farmer asked if we wanted the organ meats, in my fervor to adopt and support this new "waste-not-want-not" caveman lifestyle, I excitedly said yes, envisioning all of the wonderful, exotic meals I would fix for my friends and family to choruses of "This is the most DELICIOUS thing I have ever tasted!" and "Having tasted this, I could die tomorrow with no regrets!" Well, it wasn't until we got the beef home and I opened the box that the reality of what it truly means to waste not hit home.
Don isn't the most adventurous of eaters and Anna is even worse so I knew I would have my work cut out for me. Upon first glance, the heart looked like a deflated meaty football, the kidney looked like something that might have popped out of Ash's chest in the sci-fi classic "Alien," and I could have sworn that I saw the tongue twitch in an attempt to slither right off the counter. Now, I'm not trying to make these sound more appealing than they were, if that's what you were thinking :) I'm trying to give you an honest account of a first-timer's impression of cooking with organ meats.
My challenges for this mission, if I chose to accept it, were:
a.) Getting Don and Anna to try something that you wouldn't find on the menu of a traditional steak and/or burger joint.
b.) Making these foods that are known to have powerful and distinct flavors palatable... nay, delicious to the average food critic.
c.) Convincing myself that I could perform what was, in my mind, a bovine autopsy in my little kitchen.
Well, you all know I am not one to shy away from a challenge :)
My first step in embarking on a culinary odyssey the likes of which I had no prior experiences to draw upon was, as usual, GOOGLE!!! Where is the fun, the skill, the challenge in looking something up and copying them? Good question. The art comes in sorting through the recipes, the YouTube videos, and the blogs and finding the ones that seem promising before switching them up and making them your own. So, after a week of research (well, a few hours of research and a week of psyching myself up for the grizzly and bloody task that lay ahead), I was ready. My goal: Pomegranate balsamic beef heart kabobs and Southwestern beef tongue fajitas. However, upon taking one last inventory of my ingredients before I began, I must say that my confidence was shaky at best.
I'll spare you the details (if you would like info on my recipes, feel free to ask) and get right to the good stuff. I had invited our friend George (who was living the bachelor life for a week while his husband Todd was out of town) over for an intimate Garden dinner party of four that was rounded out by Don, Anna, and yours truly. We settled out on the back deck after the heat of a typical Saint Louis Summer afternoon had given way to the breezy cooler embrace of evening. The fajita filling (tongue, tri-colored bell peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lime to give you a few of the ingredients) was sauteed and warming in the oven, infusing the kitchen with the aromas of a little cantina on the beach somewhere south of the border. The heart kabobs were slow roasting on the grill and I was as ready as I would ever be. You know what they say-"No guts (he he he), no glory."
Now, here is were I got a little sneaky. I may have forgotten to mention to my guests that the menu included extraordinary fare. When asked, did I lie? Of course not! I was completely honest with them all-Beef fajitas and Beef kabobs ;) I'm a bit of a stinker from time to time. BUT I know my audience well, and I wanted their honest opinions of what I had fixed and not what their minds told them they were tasting in a cloud of thoughts that included "I've always hated liver" and "This is going to taste disgusting." So, I gathered the kabobs from the grill and served up the first course, took a bite (YUM!) and waited with my heart in my throat (pun intended), for the feedback. George and Don were both a resounding YES! Anna (the archetypal hipster wanna-be), never one to act impressed or excited about anything that doesn't come from the scy-fy network or reddit.com, remained fairly quiet but ate two skewers so I counted that as a success!
Okay. Phew. With one victory under my belt, I stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen to collect round two with a bit more swagger in my step, confidence running through my veins and "We Are the Champions" ringing in my ears. I collected all of my fajita fixin's and returned to a table that was waiting to be impressed. I served up a hearty helping of tongue fajitas all around and waited for the applause.
The first bites were taken and I knew the cheers would come at any moment. The second and third bites came and went and I was still left waiting for the inevitable pats on the back and exclamations of oral bliss. It wasn't until the fourth and fifth bites were swallowed that it dawned on me... it was a SUCCESS! Their silence was a unanimous vote that rather than waste time telling me how wonderful I was for putting together such a delicious meal, they would rather not take time away from eating. I was on cloud 9 and the rest of the meal came and went, concluding with cinnamon sugar churros and vanilla ice cream as we watched the sun set over the trees.
My first attempt at cooking with organ meats will go down in my books as a undisputed victory. I can't wait to try even more recipes and see what else I can turn from a "Gross!" to a "Please, sir, I want some more." I must say that the kidney is the one that scares me the most, but stay tuned and I will let you know how that turns out the next time I decide to throw together a not-so-mundane dinner here at the Heartford Homestead.
