Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (58 page)
Read Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans Online
Authors: Michelle Tam,Henry Fong
Tags: #Cookbooks; Food & Wine, #Cooking by Ingredient, #Natural Foods, #Special Diet, #Allergies, #Gluten Free, #Paleo, #Food Allergies, #Gluten-Free, #Healthy
Ryan Farr and Kent Schoberle of San Francisco's 4505 Meats taught me and my pal Dallas how to butcher a steer!
I LOVE ANIMALS. THEY’RE DELICIOUS.
Scientists agree: humans evolved to eat meat. So for optimal health, I include a healthy amount of it in my diet.
Eating meat isn’t just good for you; it can be ethical and sustainable, too. Just try to stick to the highest possible standards that your pocketbook can accommodate. Buy your meat from local farms and farmer’s markets, or join a cowshare or a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that offers farm-fresh pick-ups or deliveries. After all, the food we put in our bodies has a huge impact not just on our health, but on our environment as well.
If you’re prioritizing your protein purchases, put grass-fed, sustainably raised beef, lamb, goat, and venison at the top of your list. Whenever possible, make sure your grass-fed meat is grass-finished, too; otherwise, “grass-fed” could just mean that the animal was fed the unholy triumvirate of soy, wheat, and corn as soon as it was old enough to be crammed into a feedlot at a factory farm.
The meat of grass-fed ruminants can be pricy, so when you spot a sale or discount, stock up on as many different cuts as you can haul away in the trunk of your car: steaks, ribs, roasts—you name it. Tougher cuts are cheaper, and can be slow-cooked or pressure-cooked to tender perfection. Make sure you have plenty of ground beef, too. It can come in handy when you need to whip up a quick dinner.
Pigs aren’t “grass-fed” because they aren’t vegetarians, but with a bit of extra effort, you can find pasture-raised pork. Avoid pigs that are raised on garbage and chemical injections, and get the ones that eat what nature intended.
Do your best to get the good stuff, but if you’re stuck with conventionally-raised, grain-fed meat, don’t freak out. Just choose lean cuts and trim off the excess fat. (The fat profile of factory-farmed animals is less than optimal.)
O
ne final tip: get yourself an extra freezer. A big one. 
POLPETTE DI VITELLO
C
lose your eyes and imagine a meatball. Are you picturing a humongous orb of “imbreaded” meat drowning in spaghetti sauce? Well, don’t. Classic Italian
polpette
are typically enjoyed as-is—no toppings required. Rather than relying on tomato sauce to punch up the flavor, these veal meatballs are seasoned with fragrant spices and subtle herbs. Sure, you can still enjoy
polpette
with some marinara sauce on the side, but the meatballs themselves are the main attraction.
Unfortunately, traditional
polpette
recipes call for adding milk-soaked bread crumbs as a moist, spongy binding agent. What are gluten-free, dairy-free cooks to do? Many turn to almond flour or coconut flour as a substitute for the bread crumbs, but more often than not, they wind up with dry, dense, overcooked lumps of meat.
Luckily, I’ve uncovered the secret to making tender meatballs without bread: mashed cauliflower. A bit of mash binds the ingredients together while adding just the right amount of lightness. But don’t tell anyone, or I’ll track you down.
| Makes 48 meatballs | 2 pounds ground veal |
| Hands-on time: 30 minutes | ½ cup minced fresh basil |
| Total time: 30 minutes | ½ cup minced fresh Italian parsley |
| 2 teaspoons kosher salt | |
| 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 cup Garlic Mashed Cauliflower | |
| ½ medium yellow onion , finely minced | |
| 2 garlic cloves , minced | |
| 1 cup ghee , for frying | |
| ½ cup marinara sauce , warmed (optional) |
DO THIS:
- U
sing your hands, gently combine the veal, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, mashed cauliflower, onion, and garlic in a large bowl. Form the meat mixture into
1
½-inch balls. - H
eat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure there’s enough oil to reach halfway up the meatballs. Once the oil’s hot and shimmering, fry the meatballs, turning occasionally, for
2
minutes or until cooked through. - T
ransfer to a wire rack to drain off any extra oil, and serve with marinara sauce, if desired.
I
n Abruzzo, meatballs are rolled out to the size of marbles, about ½ inch in diameter. They’re called polpettine (not to be confused with Palpatine, the evil Emperor from Star Wars).
