The Butcher's Guide To Well-Raised Meat

"We never forget that animals die for our business and your dinner." (p.12)

It is no secret that I love the taste of meat, from simple cows and pigs to more exotic yaks and llamas. A thick, juicy hamburger, some crispy bacon, a tender veal cutlet, an oven-roasted lamb, and so much more. Yet the typical factory farms that raise many of our animals are producing meat that lacks much flavor, and that is not even addressing the greater issues of pollution, cruelty, chemicals, food poisoning, and more. There are solutions though, such as small, local independent farmers that are raising more sustainable, and much tastier, animals. But people need more information about such matters, to help them make proper decisions.

"Where you shop is as important as what you shop for." (p.220)

An excellent, new resource for consumers and others is The Butcher's Guide To Well-Raised Meat: How To Buy, Cut, and Cook Great Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, and More ($27.50) by Joshua & Jessica Applestone and Alexandra Zissu.  The book was just released today by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, and is a hardcover of 240 pages. It is also available for the Nook, though not the Kindle yet. This is a book that meat lovers definitely need to read. 

"We don't sell meat, we sell trust." (p.25)

The Applestones run Fleisher's Grass-Fed & Organic Meats, an old-school butcher shop in New York that sources and sells only grass-fed and organic meat. That is especially interesting as Joshua had previously been a devout vegan, for sixteen years, and Jessica had been a sometime vegetarian (except for bacon). They know consider themselves ethical carnivores. Alexandra Zissu is a writer and her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Green Guide, Cookie, Details, Bon Appétit, Self, and Health, among other publications. I previously reviewed her book, The Conscious Kitchen.

"Pork is the sexiest of all meats...Pork is a meat so purely sensual that it has become a verb. No matter the cut, if you ask people what really rocks their world, the answer is always the pig." (p.130)

The book is part memoir, history, cookbook, and reference guide, with a mission of promoting local, sustainable meat. You will learn much about the art of butchery, proper cooking techniques, the differences of heritage animals, uses for offal, how to shop, and plenty more. There are a number of receipes, from Quick Lamb Meatballs to Japanese Fried Chicken, from Bite-Your-Tongue Tacos to Chicken Liver Pate. The final chapter, Sourcing, contains great information for consumers, providing assistance in understanding the labels on food, and what specific phrases actually mean, from cage-free to free-range. There is so much valuable information within this guide.

"The local slaughterhouse is a farmer's best friend." (p.43)

The book limits itself to lamb, pork, beef and poultry, ignoring the more exotic meats as well as most charcuterie. This is mainly because the focus of their butcher shop is the same, and they desire to concentrate on making a small line of products in an excellent manner. As the vast majority of consumers eat only these four types of meat, that is not much of an issue. If you seek a more specialized meat topic, there are other resources available to you.

"Love it or hate it, a whole, skinned animal is striking." (p.108)

Though there is lots of information in this book, not all of it might be directly useful for many home cooks, such as butchering a lamb. But, I still think it is good to read such sections, to gain a better comprehension of the meat on your plate. We sometimes get so separated from the animal and our food, and it is good to understand the entire process, even if we might never butcher an animal ourselves. So don't be sequeamish and read through the entire book, just so you will know how that animal ended up on your plate.

"The farmer and activist Joel Salantin belives that what America needs is glass abbatoirs, and we agree." (p.51)

Do not gloss over the sections on slaughterhouses or the history of butcher shops. Delve into the uses of offal, which they make easy with a two-page chart of the best ways to cook all of the various offal.  Enjoy the vivid butchery photographs. There is even a diagram of a person, showing where the primal cuts would be, ostensibly to give customers a better idea of the primal cuts on an animal. (Cue up the long pig jokes!)  For the more adventurous, willing to practice some home butchery, there is plenty of good and practical advice, from the type of equipment to use to how to separate the animal.

"Ground beef should taste like earth, sun, and grass and feel good on your tongue." (p.163)

I was glad to see they even addressed the issue of the high cost of grass-fed and organic meat.  Though it is more expensive than other meat, it is still not out of reach for most people.  They suggest eating less meat and reducing portion sizes, as many Americans eat far too much meat anyways. That would then reduce the overall expense for these products. Plus, if you buy smart, you will find you can afford much more than you thought. As an example, they show how $50 can buy enough meat and eggs for ten meals, certainly a good buy for anyone.

"When you picture a steak you think of a cowboy, but when you picture chicken you think of mom." (p.192)

It was a real pleasure to have read this book and I highly recommend it. It is well written, fascinating, passionate and educational. Though it has a clear and compelling philosophy, it is not preachy, and thus may be even more convincing because of that. It will also help you appreciate the art of butchery, giving you a better sense of where your food actually comes from. This is a reference guide that belongs with your cookbooks, and one which will help you best choose and prepare the meats you eat.

"There are chefs who have built their entire reputations on serving things that some folks think should be dumped in the trash." (p.63)

Rant: The Dark Side of the Wine Spectator Grand Tour

On Friday, I posted about the Wine Spectator Grand Tour, extolling its virtues, delighted by the exquisite and diverse wines that were available at the tasting event. But there was a dark side as well, and its ramifications could reverberate throughout Boston in the future. It may also speak to the nature and extent of the Boston area community of wine lovers. I hope it was more an aberration than indicative of the norm in Boston.

Though I was very pleased at the lack of overcrowding at the tasting, that was partially due to the fact that the event did not sell out. Now, both the Chicago and Las Vegas events sold out so why didn't the Boston event also sell out?  That is a rather significant question, the crux of the potential dark side of the Grand Tour. And it has the potential to negatively affect future tasting events in the Boston region.

Some of the wineries complained and/or were angry at the low turnout, obviously as they were hoping to get their wines in front of a much larger crowd, as they had in Chicago and Law Vegas. All of the wineries incur significant costs to attend the event, including travel expenses, hotels, meals, etc.  They hope to get a substantial return on this investment, by appearing before many wine lovers who will hopefully purchase their wines, write about their wines, or otherwise spread the good word at their wines.

So why didn't the Boston event sell out? Is there a single answer, or a number of factors which contributed?  Is anyone, such as the people of Wine Spectator, trying to figure out the answer to this question? If so, will the answer be made public?  Or will all the wineries, and others, have to rely on their own suppositions? It is my belief that there is no single answer, and that multiple factors were involved, most which could be addressed if the Grand Tour returns to Boston another time. 

First, the Nantucket Wine Festival took place from May 18-22, and it seems clear that a number of wine lovers who potentially would have attended the Grand Tour were in Nantucket instead.  The Nantucket Wine Festival, held for the last fifteen years, is an extremely large and popular event.  Next time, the organizers could attempt to schedule the Grand Tour for a date that does not conflict with such a major wine festival. Though some type of conflict is often inevitable, one can minimize the conflict by noting the dates of major, local wine events.

Second, I think the marketing and pre-event publicity of the Grand Tour was lacking to some degree. I saw little information about this event, and did not receive any press release about it. I spoke to a number of other local wine bloggers and they had not received any press releases either. Where were all the advertisements for this event?  What media outlets received press releases, and which ones actually wrote about the event?  More publicity about this event would likely have sold more tickets, and that is something easy to resolve.

Third, Marie Keep, the Director of the Fines Wines Department at Skinner Auctioneers, suggested that another factor may be that Boston is slow to embrace the new. This is the first time the Grand Tour has ever been held in Boston, so some people might have been hesitant about it, unsure of what it might entail. They might have been unwilling to take a chance, especially with a $200 cost. But now, after the very positive reviews that are coming out of the event, they might be far more willing to attend the event the next time.

But another concern exists.  Could the answer be, even partially, because Boston is not as sophisticated a wine market, that consumers do not purchase as much high-end wine?  If that is the case, or even if some wineries suspect that is the case, it could have a negative impact on future wine tasting events. Some wineries could choose not to visit Boston, preferring to spend their limited and valuable time in other cities which they consider to be more sophisticated, more apt to purchase high-end wines. So Boston might see less and less high-end tasting events, and that would be a tragedy.

I do not believe that this is a significant factor, and the Skinner wine auctions are indicative that Boston is a sophisticated wine community, with plenty of people interested in purchasing high-end wines. For the last five years, I have seen as each new auction has been larger, with more lots, and nearly all of the lots get sold. At the recent spring auction, with over 700 lots, they brought in $1.8 Million, which is certainly plenty of wine.  The Boston Wine Festival also offers a series of high-end wine tastings, many which also seem to sell out. There is definitely an interest in Boston for events like the Wine Spectator Grand Tour so I believe this time was more an aberration and that future such events will sell out, if the issues I previously mentioned are addressed.

As I mentioned in my other post, the Grand Tour was a superb event, and well worth its $200 price. It is an event which should have brought out lovers of high-end and high quality wines. So it is puzzling why it did not sell out.  Does anyone else have any insight into this conundrum?

Secrets of a Sake Label

Wine can be intimidating to many people, but sake is even more intimidating. Most of the time, a sake bottle is not consumer friendly and too many wine stores lack any signage to describe the sake.  If you look at the label on a sake bottle, you will find numerous kanji, the Chinese characters used in Japanese writing. I can't read those kanji, and probably most other American consumers cannot do so either. It often can be an obstacle preventing people from buying sake. But, I have a way to decipher the kanji, a cheat sheet that will allow you to understand much of what is listed on the label.

I am going to share some of the most common kanji you will find on sake labels, providing you a way to understand the strange characters. Just think of the kanji as a small picture and then all you have to do is to match that picture to the list I have provided below. I have not provided all of the potential kanji you might find, just some of the most important ones. This will allow you to better understand any sake bottle you find, making it less intimidating.

You can print out this cheat sheet and carry with you to the wine store, and then compare it to sake labels you find there. If you find a kanji not listed below, just ignore it as it is probably not something important to you. You can find the meaning of all of these sake terms on my blog.

Sake  酒

Junmai:　純米
Honjozo:　本醸造
Tokubetsu:　特別
Ginjo:　吟醸
Daiginjo:　大吟醸
Nigori-zake: 濁り酒   
Koshu:　古酒
Genshu:　原酒
Nama:　生
Yamahai:　山廃
Kimoto:　生もと
Nihonshudo:  日本酒度
Seimaibuai:  精米歩合
Percentage of alcohol: アルコール度数  

Wine Spectator Grand Tour: Treasures of the Vine

Nearly every day you can find a wine tasting somewhere, from small wine stores showcasing a few wines to large trade tastings with hundreds of wines. Plenty of free tastings can be found, while others charge only a nominal fee. You'll also find high-end tastings with a significant entry fee, and such events will cause almost everyone to ponder carefully whether the event is worth the high price. Would you pay $200 to attend a wine tasting?

On May 19, the Wine Spectator Grand Tour was held at the Marriot Copley, after having held sold-out events in Chicago and Las Vegas. As the tickets were $200, I was hesitant of purchasing one, unsure whether I would get my money's worth. In comparison, tickets to the Grand Cru Wine Lounge at the Boston Wine Expo cost $175, and they have less than half the amount of wines as the Grand Tour. I attended a few previous Grand Cru Wine Lounges, and felt that their quality and diversity had diminished over time, so I stopped going to them. Thus, I was reticent about shelling out the cash for the Grand Tour.

When making such a decision, numerous factors come into play, such as the number of wines being tasted, their diversity, quality and rarity. It also matters whether food will be served, the amount of tickets that will be sold, and even the nature of the venue. My dilemma became moot though when a friend provided me a complimentary ticket to the event. And after attending the event, after such an amazing experience, I won't hesitate next year in purchasing a ticket. The event is well worth its $200 price, and it is sure to please any wine lover.

Prior to the event, the Grand Tour website merely listed the participating wineries, which though it was an impressive list, the specific wines that were to be tasted were not listed. You had to do more work, to check out reviews of the prior events held in Chicago and Las Vegas.  The website did mention that you would get to taste over 200 wines, accompanied by a light buffet and also receive a souvenir Riedel glass. So, the event had potential, though their website could have been a bit more forthcoming in specific details of the event.

I arrived at the event a little early, and waited in line for the event to open.  They opened right on time, a positive sign that matters were well organized. Within the large hall, there were over 200 tables, each representing a single winery and each winery could only present a single wine. As we entered the hall and received our wine glass, we also got a spiral bound book listing all of the producers and their wines. Each page listed the producer, their contact information, a label shot, and room for your own tasting notes.

Interestingly, though all of the wines at the event were supposed to possess high point scores from Wine Spectator, the spiral bound book omitted all scores. You could hear about the scores from the producers, but I liked the fact that the book did not contain them. That made the event more about the wines rather than the scores.    

The 200+ wines offered plenty of diversity, including whites, reds, roses, sparkling, fortified and dessert wines. There were wines from 21 different countries and states, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, California, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, New York (Long Island), New Zealand, Oregon, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Virginia, and Washington. You don't often see this much diversity at a single tasting event. All of this variety was great, and really appealed to my adventurous palate. To me, it also seems to indicate that Wine Spectator feels great wine is made all over the world, and not just in the classic winemaking regions.

These were many phenomenal wines, including numerous high-end, expensive and rare wines which are rarely seen at local wine tastings. It was probably one of the top collections of wine I have had the opportunity to taste. I certainly could not have tasted all of them, even if I had spit all the time. Some of the wines were just too sublime to spit, and I had to savor a few sips of such exquisite nectars. These were wines to enjoy, not merely to taste.

First Growth Bordeaux and other top Bordeaux including 2004 Chateau Margaux, 2005 Chateau Mouton Rothschild and 2005 Chateau Lynch-Barges. California Cabernet such as from 2008 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection. Italian Barolo and Amarone,  Australian Shiraz, Argentina Malbec and much, much more.  There were good Champagnes such as Henriot Brut Rose and Louis Roederer Brut Champagne Premier but my favorite was the 1996 Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne Femme, an enticing sparkling wine with lots of character and pleasant flavors of apple and citrus.

Of the white wines, one of my favorites was the 2009 Ken Forrester "The FMC" Chenin Blanc, a top notch South African Chenin with smooth, clean fruit flavors, great acidity, and a long, satisfying finish.  As for dessert wines, the 2000 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos ($75-$90/500ml) from Hungary was outstanding. A single vineyard wine, it had great balance, plenty of acidity offsetting its sweetness, and was a rich, elegant wine. Such a compelling wine, I would have loved to pair this with some foie gras.  Though I tasted a few vintage Ports, my favorite was the NV Ramos Pinto Tawny Port 20 Year Old Quinta do Bom-Retiro ($60-$70). A seductive nose led to an alluring taste, complex and sublime, with a long and lingering finish. Produced from 40 different vintages, including as far back as 1818, this carefully crafted Port doesn't seem like it could have been any better.

I was impressed by the elegance of several Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon.  The 2009 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley was an ethereal wine, with delicious red fruit flavors and underlying spice notes.  In contrast to each other, the 2008 Ponzi Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Reserve was elegant but more red fruit dominant while the 2008 Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills was also elegant yet more spice driven. All three of these wines, though different in some respects, were excellent representations of Pinot Noir.

Spanish wines thrilled me as usual, including some old favorites like the 2004 Fernando Remirez de Ganuza Rioja Reserva and 2007 Bodegas Alion. As a big fan of the El Nido Clio, a Monastrell based blend, I was excited to try the 2008 El Nido El Nido, a more Cabernet based blend. It was a big wine, very spicy, but the tannins were moderate and it had a strong hedonistic side.  The 2009 Bodegas Avanthia Godello was a killer white wine, which I had tasted recently before this event. My friend Adam, of Wine Zag, had first introduced me to both the Avanthia Godello and their Mencia, both superb wines. I was excited to learn they are available in Massachusetts through Wine Bow.

With all of the available wines, it was good to have a large food buffet to help soak up some of the alcohol, as well as accompany the wine. There were even a fair number of tables and chairs where you could sit and enjoy the food.  This was far more than mere cheese and crackers, adding to the value of the entry ticket.

The event had a very manageable crowd, and you rarely had to wait long at any table. This also provided the opportunity to speak with the wine makers or winery representatives, to hear more about their wine. I had plenty of enjoyable chats and my wanderings down the aisles were casual and unrushed. I bumped into some other bloggers, including Catie, Fiona and Robert. I also saw folks from Lower Falls Wine Company, Skinner Auctioneers, The Urban Grape and several local distributors.

Overall, this was a very well run and compelling wine tasting event, well worth the $200 cost. With a great number and diversity of high quality wines, plenty of delicious food, and a very manageable crowd, this event possessed what you would desire from such a tasting. And when you compare it to the Grand Cru Wine Lounge at the Boston Wine Expo, the Grand Tour is the vastly better of the two. If the Wine Spectator Grand Tour returns to Boston, I strongly recommend that wine lovers try to attend it. You won't be disappointed.

For another view on the Grand Tour, please see fellow wine lover Robert's overview on his blog, The Wellesley Wine Press.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
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1) What happens when crops fail, fields erode, temperatures drop, or when the center of power shifts and cultures descend into dark ages of poverty, famine and war? Find out at Book Ends, located in Winchester, on Tuesday, June 21, during a free book signing event of “Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations” with Co-Author & Editor of the Improper Bostonian, Andrew Rimas, and Chef Paul Turano of Tryst restaurant. From 7pm-8pm, Book Ends will host an intimate discussion with Rimas as he speaks about his second book while guests enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres from Chef Paul Turano of Tryst.

Nominated for a James Beard Award, and the recipient of a Kirkus star, “Empires of Food” and its account of the history of food and its trade, has been featured on the 2010 end-of-year lists for The Financial Times, The Atlantic and Kirkus. Using the colorful diaries of a sixteenth-century merchant as a narrative guide, “Empires of Food,” written by agricultural expert Evan D.G. Fraser and journalist Andrew Rimas, vividly chronicles the fate of people and societies for the past 12,000 years through the foods they grew, hunted, traded, and ate—and gives fascinating, and devastating, insights into what to expect in years to come.

Fraser and Rimas argue that neither local food movements nor free market economies will stave off the next food crash, and they propose their own solutions. A fascinating, fresh history told through the prism of the dining table, “Empires of Food” offers a grand scope and a provocative analysis of the world today, indispensible in this time of global warming and food crises.

Join Chef Paul Turano of Tryst and Andrew Rimas at Book Ends as he discusses the relationship between climate change and food prices, obesity and starvation, gluttony and food shortages, and sustainability during Winchester’s exclusive book signing event.

Free to the public with RSVP to press@trystrestaurant.com. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.

2)  Some of the region’s most influential members of the food industry join forces with nutrition experts, cookbook authors, scientists, and farmers for a day of education and entertainment. Chef participants include: Joanne Chang (Flour and Myers+Chang), Chuck Draghi (Erbaluce), Jody Adams (Rialto), Dante de Magistris (Restaurant Dante), Todd Heberlein (Wilson Farm), and Frank McClelland (L'Espalier and Sel de la Terre). State and City Officials in attendance include City of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

Other notable food and nutrition experts include: P.K. Newby (Boston University School of Public Health), Tara Mardigan, (nutritionist for the Boston Red Sox), Sally Sampson, (Chop Chop Magazine), Ellen Ecker Ogden, (author, The Complete Kitchen Garden), Eva Sommaripa (Eva’s Garden), Didi Emmons (Author of Vegetarian Planet) and Jeff Potter (author, Cooking for Geeks)

Let’s Talk About Food, presented by Whole Foods, is the daylong food and nutrition-oriented festival taking place on Saturday, June 25, from 10am-5pm. Members of the community, along with farmers, chefs, scientists, policy makers, healthcare professionals, performers and artists, will gather along the Charles River for this one-day event. Highlights include the "the Endless Table," a 600-feet long table around which festival participants and guests will gather; a Food Truck Food Court; an Edible Garden; Activity Booths and Exhibitor Tents; and Food Sampling Stations. The Main Stage with CLARKE/Sub-Zero Demo Kitchen will feature keynote talks, interviews, and Q&A sessions with nutritionists, farmers, fishermen, and gardeners. There will also be a kitchen stage where celebrity chefs will join together with special guests to demo and teach cooking techniques.

WHERE: Cambridge Parkway on the banks of the Charles River, Cambridge, behind the Royal Sonesta and adjacent to the Museum of Science.

The event is free to the public. For more information, please log onto www.letstalkaboutfood.com or follow them on Twitter at @LTAFood or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LTAFood.

3) Basho Japanese Brasserie is proud to announce the addition of Kaiseki, a traditional, multi-course Japanese dinner, to their menu. Kaiseki consists of a sequence of dishes, each often small and artistically arranged.

Basho’s seven-course dinner, created by executive chef Youji Iwakura, is considered an art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. To this end, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor.
The seven-course menu, plus dessert, includes:
§ Zensai: Chef’s starter
§ Sashimi: Trio of seasonal fish from the sea
§ Wan: Snap pea “surinagashi” soup with lobster and takenoko tofu
§ Agemono: Shrimp with lotus root “hasami-age” style tempura
§ Sushi: Chef’s innovative sushi
§ Yakimono: Sizzling Kobe beef with chef’s original sauce
§ Oshokuji: Kurobuta belly “kakuni” style on steamed sweet rice in Japanese leaf
§ Dessert: Creamy pear panna cotta and apple chip

WHEN: Ongoing
COST: $120 per person

4) Softshell from Maryland, King from Alaska, sweet, lump Dungeness from Washington state and big-clawed Jonah from New England. Each of North America’s four major crab species has its own characteristics, and its own rabid fans, but Turner’s Seafood Grill & Market celebrates all four species with Crab Fest, a culinary celebration that runs throughout the month of June, during both lunch and dinner.  

The menu includes:
Jonah Crab: Locally caught, this species is found throughout the Northern Atlantic. Their larger,
stronger claws are prized along with their sweet and tender leg meat.
Chilled Jonah Claw Cocktail $13.99 (Cap off sweet cocktail claws served with lemon and mustard sauce)
Hot Jonah Crab Claws $13.99 (Cooked in our steam kettles with garlic and butter)
Stuffed Jonah Crab $11.99 (Seasoned crab stuffing baked in a crab shell)
Jonah Crab Pie $26.99 (Half pound of Jonah Crabmeat baked with butter and Ritz cracker crumbs served with choice of potato and vegetable)

Dungeness Crab: Named after Dungeness, Washington, these crabs are found throughout the Pacific
Northwest. Along with leg and claw meat, these produce an incredibly sweet lump body meat.
Steamed Dungeness Appetizer $13.99 (Half pound, served with lemon and Old Bay butter)
Steamed Dungeness Entrée $27.99 (One pound, served with lemon, Old Bay butter, corn on the cob and parmesan potatoes)

Maryland Soft Shell Crab (Subject to availability): Blue Crabs molt, or shed their shell, as part of their growing process. Before the new shell begins to form, these crabs are at a stage when they are entirely edible.
Fried Soft Shell Crab Appetizer $12.99 (Served with a Cajun rémoulade)
Fried Soft Shell Crab Entrée $27.99 (Served with a Cajun rémoulade, choice of potato and vegetable)

Alaskan King Crab: The largest of the world’s commercially harvested crabs, they are found in the cold Pacific Northwest waters off the Alaskan coast and Aleutian Islands. They are famous throughout the world for their large legs that produce a firm sweet meat.
Steamed King Crab Appetizer Mkt price (Half pound served with lemon and Old Bay butter)
Steamed King Crab Entrée Mkt price (One pound, served with lemon, Old Bay butter, corn on the cob and parmesan potatoes)