Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Favorite meat meals


stuartlikesstrudel

Recommended Posts

Hi all,

I've been vegetarian for the past 5 years but have decided to eat meat for a month (perhaps 2) to observe its effects on my body and health - if I feel better, more energy etc. I expect to either return to vegetarianism or probably a low-meat diet afterwards, but we'll see...

Anyway, for this month, I'm going to eat what I think is a "suitable" amount of meat without changing the rest of my diet too much, but at the same time, i'm looking forward to trying a few delicious meals that used to be off the menu.

And so, I come to you all for some suggestions of delicious tasting, standout dishes that I should make!

So far it's been a week and mainly just some simple preparations - grilled fish, some lamb backstrap, the other night I tried brining on some chicken breasts, which turned out excellently.

I'd love to try a few long-cooked things, perhaps some kind of beef stew or curry... And fish is a bit of an emphasis so any killer preparations for that would be welcome.

Hit me with your best!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suggest you get thyself to a Persian restaurant and clean out the house on kababs. Mmmm

Whole small fish, whether grilled, fried, or otherwise. Properly fresh shrimp, grilled. A seafood stew of any kind.

Another vote for a good burger

And a lamb or even chicken karahi.

But definitely do the kabab thing :biggrin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A nice ragu, roast ('fast' or low and slow), chilli, those big French classics like coq au vin and cassoulet, a lamb tagine, braised shanks or osso bucco, a smoked lump of chuck or brisket or short rib, ma po tofu, really good sushi, paella, butter chicken, the wonderful family of pies and dumplings, tacos et al, chicken soup, duck in any and all forms, pork belly, the world of charcuterie.

Chris Taylor

Host, eG Forums - ctaylor@egstaff.org

 

I've never met an animal I didn't enjoy with salt and pepper.

Melbourne
Harare, Victoria Falls and some places in between

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The two things that come to mind first are a steak frites with bernaise and green beans and roasted crisp-skin pork belly seasoned with fennel and garlic and eaten with rice and steamed greens.

And I love Fuschia Dunlop's red cooked beef in her Sichuan cookbook.

And kaarage chicken.

And maybe get 'the best' fish and chips you can. I'm fond of flake and flathead.

So more than two things...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The two things that come to mind first are a steak frites with bernaise and green beans and roasted crisp-skin pork belly seasoned with fennel and garlic and eaten with rice and steamed greens.

And I love Fuschia Dunlop's red cooked beef in her Sichuan cookbook.

And kaarage chicken.

And maybe get 'the best' fish and chips you can. I'm fond of flake and flathead.

So more than two things...

To foreigners, 'flake' probably means nothing at all. Which is sad. As shark is nice, nice, nice.

Chris Taylor

Host, eG Forums - ctaylor@egstaff.org

 

I've never met an animal I didn't enjoy with salt and pepper.

Melbourne
Harare, Victoria Falls and some places in between

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a friend who will eat fish, but no meats. He admits that the smell of bacon is still mightily attractive.

Does a BLT sound good? How 'bout a Croque Monsieur?

I was a vegetarian for several years, in part for financial reasons. I started with meals that I had made vegetarian, and could add meats. Spaghetti, chili, re-fried rice, burritos, ragouts, etc. For some of those, long simmers made everything better (chili needs at least 3 hours.)

In terms of nutrition, learn to make a good stock. If you have a pressure cooker, it makes it easier/faster. If you start buying poultry, save the carcasses. Some markets sell beef and pork neck bones. A good stock not only has so much flavor, but the gel that is melted out of the scraps is a good protein by itself. Be really economical. Give chicken bones a second boiling, and use the stock to make rice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pulled pork on a bun with fried onions, B-B-Q sauce with suitable sides according to your preferences.

DH and I were vegetarians for about 30 years until his B levels were unacceptable and now we are what Mark Bittman calls 'Lessmeatarians'. It suits us well.

My parents were both vegetarians but fed me meat because the pediatrician refused to care for me unless I were fed meat. Every night, until I left home, a grilled T-bone or Porterhouse steak/ aka dead shoe leather. No, I still don't eat steak. No way.

As for pork. I had never eaten it until two years ago. And then the heavens opened up. And it was good.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To foreigners, 'flake' probably means nothing at all. Which is sad. As shark is nice, nice, nice.

Eat more shark! Except for endangered species. It is delicious. But Stuart's in Melbourne, so flake should be easy. :biggrin:

Back to the OP, a charcoal-grilled pork chops, on the bone, would also be fabulous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brazilian shrimp in coconut sauce. With lime and cilantro. Yum.

Any gumbo -- you can choose the pork, chicken, seafood you want/have.

Puerto Rican asopao, ditto above.

Richard Olney's chicken baked with whole lemon slices and garlic, truly sublime.

Chicken parts coated with poblano/jalapeno/lime/cilantro/garlic puree and broiled. Especially good with breast strips. Great leftovers.

A rich beef stew with red wine, garlic, carrots, onions and celery. Then make the best beef/barley soup in the world with the leftovers.

Ymmmmmm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good fried chicken is high on my list: marinated in buttermilk (or equivalent, yogurt's a good sub; you need the enzymes), then double coated in seasoned flour and shallow fried. This is acutally probably my number one favorite.

Sausages are important. Double cooked pork belly. BLT. Hamburgers. Big chunks of braised beef (something like brasato al Barolo or boeuf bourguignon). Roasted chicken.

Whole roasted fish. Fish curry. Sashimi. Mackeral seared over high heat (or better yet, grilled), eaten with a relish of roasted peppers, tomatoes, and olives or something like that. Mackeral is my favorite go to fish-I love it.

nunc est bibendum...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to only eat meat/ fish a few times a month (mainly through choice - I prefer to eat less better quality meat, but also as I've lived with my vegetarian OH for the last 10 years and find its a whole lot easier just preparing the one meal at night). when I do cook meat I usually stick to either simple home comforts like a great roast chicken, perfectly cooked steak, bacon buttie - proper dry cured smoked bacon (rind on), or long braises where the rich meaty flavour could never be recreated from vegetables - a decent ragu, osso bucco, or a rich lamb curry. some decent sashimi or sauteed/grilled prawns and scallops wouldn't go amiss either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm another Lessmeatarian, and I eat a lot of fish and some chicken and turkey, and rarely red meats or pork. Everything in this thread is delicious, and I'll give you one more to consider if you live in a large enough center to have an Asian or Latin American grocery store.

Maybe try Maito, which I absolutely flat out love. I detailed the process for making it at this thread. The example shows Tilapia filets, which are a nice mild fish and excellent in this style of preparation, but you can do the same thing with pounded chicken breasts or any other mild fish (including whole trout if your leaves are big enough.) You can also cook sliced potatoes, manioc, and/or taro root in the leaf along with the fish, and have a "no plates" meal, which is quite nice.

And if you're craving some piggy goodness, you could also try your hand at Ecuadorian-style Fritada (which can be done with other fatty meats, but which IMHO should only and ever be done with pork). Take about 1" square chunks of pork belly, and throw them into a warm pan. Let the fat melt out, and once you've got a reasonable amount of liquid, add a clove of garlic, a chunk of peeled ginger, five or six cloves, a stick of cinnamon, and about half a pound of raw sugar for every pound of pork. Continue cooking until the fat boils and the meat sort of poaches/fries in it. Properly done (and I'm by no means a master) it should be crispy and sweet on the outside and savoury and softly delicious in the middle. This is normally served with a big pile of boullion rice and corn either on or off the cob.

Elizabeth Campbell, baking 10,000 feet up at 1° South latitude.

My eG Food Blog (2011)My eG Foodblog (2012)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And if you're craving some piggy goodness, you could also try your hand at Ecuadorian-style Fritada (which can be done with other fatty meats, but which IMHO should only and ever be done with pork). Take about 1" square chunks of pork belly, and throw them into a warm pan. Let the fat melt out, and once you've got a reasonable amount of liquid, add a clove of garlic, a chunk of peeled ginger, five or six cloves, a stick of cinnamon, and about half a pound of raw sugar for every pound of pork. Continue cooking until the fat boils and the meat sort of poaches/fries in it. Properly done (and I'm by no means a master) it should be crispy and sweet on the outside and savoury and softly delicious in the middle. This is normally served with a big pile of boullion rice and corn either on or off the cob.

Dear God, and I thought bacon jam sounded like heaven! This sounds SERIOUS! :wink:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got a picture of it being made somewhere in my foodblog, Judiu. Properly done, it's cooked in these huge brass pailas over wood flames - for this reason, I can't say I'm anywhere near a master of the art of making Fritada - that title belongs rightly to the grandmothers and their wood fires along the edges of the Panamerican highway.

Elizabeth Campbell, baking 10,000 feet up at 1° South latitude.

My eG Food Blog (2011)My eG Foodblog (2012)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chicken Fricassee, Bouillabaisse, Jambalaya, Cuban Shrimp Stew, Shrimp Creole, Coq Au Vin, Chicken Tagine, Curried Shrimp or Chicken...

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK wow! Sounds like I'm going to have to spend the next YEAR tracking down/making all this :)

Great suggestions, though... thanks everyone. There's too much to comment on it individually but there's some excellent ideas I hadn't thought of (or even heard of) and I think it's going to be a tasty month!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh yeah, and the soups! If you're going to start eating meat, there are some really stellar things that can be made with bones/carcasses/leftover bits. Cockaleekie, Scotch Broth (which is best when you use lamb bones leftover from trimming odd lamb stew meat), Hamhock and Bean, the possiblities are endless!

Elizabeth Campbell, baking 10,000 feet up at 1° South latitude.

My eG Food Blog (2011)My eG Foodblog (2012)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Three words.

Braised. Short. Ribs.

Over mashed potatoes or cooked down to a ragu over pasta. But big, beefy short ribs, braised long and low and slow in red wine, beef stock and some tomato product (with the appropriate herbage, veggies and other seasonings, of course) is probably my "Death Row" meal.

Nothing else....NOTHING else....beats the flavor and the texture.

--Roberta--

"Let's slip out of these wet clothes, and into a dry Martini" - Robert Benchley

Pierogi's eG Foodblog

My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might want to start with dishes that use meat in smaller amounts to accent the vegetables, like stir fries or stews. I think putting a wad of sausage in your stomach if you haven't eaten meat in a long time might be hard on the system. Chicken breast should be fairly easy to take.

Aside from that - head for the smoked salmon.

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might want to start with dishes that use meat in smaller amounts to accent the vegetables, like stir fries or stews. I think putting a wad of sausage in your stomach if you haven't eaten meat in a long time might be hard on the system. Chicken breast should be fairly easy to take.

That's my thought as well. I love pork belly, but wouldn't recommend anyone who has not eaten meat for 5 years to start with that. If you start with some of the rich dishes posted here, you may end up not feeling too well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...