Eat.Live.Blog.

The gauntlet has been thrown down. A challenge has been issued. I have accepted. Have you ever seen Back to the Future? You know when Biff calls any of the McFlys a chicken, they immediately have to do the challenge…well I am kind-of like that.

Luckily the challenge is nothing silly or endangering. It is actually an enlightening challenge for me as a “foodie”. Rod from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats and I decided that a great way for me to really understand the importance of grass fed organic meat was to do something I have been avoiding for ages…watch the dreaded Food, Inc.

I have been doing everything in my power NOT to watch this documentary. I kind of like the “ignorance is bliss” motto when it comes to my food. That goes for the cleanliness in restaurants, the ingredients in hot dogs, and lots of other things we don’t like to discuss. However, after one conversation with Rod, and hearing his passion for organic, grass fed beef, I knew this was the right time to take my blinders off.

So, fair readers, I am preparing myself for the emotional impact I expect this movie to make. I know I will cry when I watch it. I know I will feel nauseous. I know I will be enlightened.

Rocky Mountain Organic Meats sent me a “care package” of their organic goods for research purposes in this project. I plan to do some comparing, and lots of cooking! Look at the coloring of this ground beef, this is not your major grocery store ground beef!

I plan to have my next post about this up next Friday, so make sure to come back and I will enlighten you with all that I have learned! Until then, I leave you with this recipe that is perfect for highlighting the natural flavors of this high quality, healthy meat…

Recipe: Organic Pan Seared Meatballs w/ Pan Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 lb Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef
• 1 small onion
• 1 large garlic clove (peeled)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup beef broth

 

• Place onion, garlic and parsley in food processor and pulse until finely chopped (if you don’t have a food processor, finely chop these ingredients by hand)
• In a mixing bowl, place ground beef, parsley mixture, egg and bread crumbs
• Mix with your hands until well blended, but do NOT over handle
• Form meat into 4 -5 thick patties (flatter than a meatball, thicker than a burger)
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight
• Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Once oil is hot, place meatballs in the pan.
• Cook until the downside is brown, then flip and cook until that side is brown (about 5 minutes per side)
• Remove from pan and cover with tin foil
• In a seperate dish, mix together cornstarch and beef broth
• Pour broth mixture in the hot pan and bring to a boil, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the drippings.
• Let simmer until gravy is the desired consistency. Season to taste.
• Serve meatball with gravy on the side and mashed potatoes.