Happy Cows

I'm not a political person, but if there was anything that could get me to be political in any way, it would most definitely be food. The book I am reading right now, The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, is threatening to do just that--turn me into a foodie with a cause! Well, maybe not quite that extreme. I'm certainly not going to be lobbying outside of any capitol buildings anytime soon, but the in-depth look at where our food comes from that Pollan is espousing has definitely heightened my awareness about the foods that we eat. Or rather, is this really food that we're eating? After thinking about all of the processing and synthetic additives that go into some of our more modern "convenient" foods, I'm beginning to wonder.

You may be like me in assuming that beef and most other meats are one of the few "unprocessed" food items left in the grocery store. After all, a cow is a cow, right? Well, wrong. Sure they all look the same, moo, produce milk and a lot of manure, etc., but not all cows are created equal. Pollan's account of his exploits into the industrial world of "Making Meat" truly frightened me. How is it that we turned this peaceful, dopey, ruminant from a grass eater into a depressed grain eater? Cattle are not supposed to eat corn; their digestive systems can't handle it. The other thing they can't handle is swimming in their own shit, which is why they are constantly sick and therefore pumped full of antibiotics and other chemicals. As a veterinarian said at one of these industrial meat factories "Hell, if you gave them lots of grass and space, I wouldn't have a job."

What I've decided after reading this eye-opening book so far is that not only do I want to avoid putting nasty chemicals into my body, but I most certainly don't want to support those who profit from these meat factories. Enter grass-fed beef. Argentina has been doing it for years, and finally a few small farmers here are realizing that letting cows eat what they're supposed to eat is actually a good thing. They don't get sick and therefore they don't need drugs. The cows are happy, the farmers are happy, I'm happy. So you can imagine my extreme delight when I stumbled into the "grass-fed beef" guy at the farmer's market this past Saturday. A small production based in Colville, Washington, he's probably been there all along but I just didn't notice. "Grass-fed" previously meant about the same thing to me as "organic"; a bit healthier and a bit more expensive. This Saturday was different. I was so excited that I quickly scooped up some "spud nuts" (tiny, thumb-nail sized multi-colored potatoes) to go along with my pound of frozen stew meat ($7) and rushed home to make a soul-warming stew. Was the meat all that extraordinarily different? Not necessarily, although a stew may not be the best vehicle for comparing quality of meat. It was, however, noticeably tender and very flavorful. Do I feel better knowing that I'm supporting happy cows? Absolutely.

Grass-Fed Beef Stew

1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds
2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the back of a knife
1-2 serranos sliced thinly (if heat is desired)
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef broth
1/2 pound small potatoes (or large ones) cut into 1 inch pieces

1 delicata squash
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large pan over medium low heat. Add onion and cook with the lid on for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions begin to brown slightly around the edges and turn translucent, remove the lid and turn the heat to medium. Continue cooking and stirring frequently until the onions are brown throughout. Remove onions to a place and return the pan to the heat.

While the onions are browning prepare the beef. Using a spice or coffee grinder, grind the whole coriander and cumin. Add the beef to a bowl and toss with the flour, ground spices, chili powder, and salt and pepper until all of the dry ingredients are absorbed by the beef.

After the onions have been removed, heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and add the beef. Cook over high heat without stirring for about 5 minutes. Turn once, and cook until the other side is mostly brown, another 4-5 minutes. At this point the flour mixture and onion goo should be getting nice and gummy on the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1-2 minutes or until you begin to small the garlic and chilies. Add the wine and quickly scrape the bottom and sides of the pan as the wine deglazes that wonderful goo--that's what gives it all of the flavor! Once the bottom of the pan seems mostly clean and the wine has thickened and reduced, add the stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour, making sure that it is at a very slow simmer throughout.

While the beef is cooking, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds. Sprinkle both halves with salt, pepper and olive oil and rub it evenly over the fleshy sides. Place the squash flesh-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes or until a fork is easily inserted into the flesh. Once the squash is cool enough to touch, cut the ends off and peel back outer skin with a knife. Then cut the flesh into 1 inch pieces.

To serve, add the squash to the finished soup and enjoy. This stew, as with all stews, is best cooked a day or two before it is enjoyed which makes it the perfect weekend project which can then be enjoyed on a busy weekday!