Meat processing scandal (minus the nightmare-inducing videos)

If like me you've been hearing about the animal abuses secretly filmed by a Humane Society employee at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. which resulted in the largest beef recall in US history but (also like me) don't have the stomach to actually watch the videos, this article from Salon which reports the story unemotionally and without requiring you to view photos may be helpful. (There is a link to the videos, but it's clearly labelled and you can simply not click on it.)

From the article:

Since the scandal broke, industry groups, such as the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, have sought to assure the public the problems were an isolated incident. "This recall is happening out of an abundance of caution because the company did not follow regulations for handling non-ambulatory cattle," James O. Reagan, chairman of the Beef Industry Food Safety Council, said in a statement. "We support USDA's recall as a precautionary measure. At the same time, we can say with confidence that the beef supply is safe."

But Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, has his doubts. The Humane Society, he attests, had not been tipped off to abuses at the plant. "This plant was selected at random," he says. "There are 6,200 facilities across the country that USDA inspects. We chose this one and found egregious abuses. There is no way that these groups can say that everything is safe."

Raw milk and lactose intolerance

Finally there's some evidence to back up all the anecdotal reports that raw milk can be consumed by those with lactose intolerance.

According to a study underwritten by the Weston Price Foundation,

"Some 2,217 Michigan consumers of “fresh unprocessed milk” (the Michigan study's term for raw milk) were surveyed, of whom 155, or 6%, said they had been “told by a healthcare professional they had lactose intolerance.” Of those 155, some 127 have no symptoms of lactose intolerance when drinking the fresh unprocessed milk—which is 82% of those with the lactose intolerance diagnosis."

In case you needed another reason to avoid supermarket chicken

In a recent study, Consumer Reports found that 83% of chicken from the big chicken-processing companies is contaminated with campylobacter or salmonella. This is an increase over 2003, when 49% of chicken tested was found to be contaminated. Chicken tested was from Tyson, Perdue, Pilgrim's Pride, and Foster Farms and was purchased from supermarkets, mass merchandisers, gourmet shops, and ­natural-food stores in 23 states last spring.

Woodstone Creek Vodka

As soon as I found out we had an actual microdistillery here in Cincinnati -- the only one in Ohio! -- making boutique liquors, of course I had to track down their product. It turned out to be easier than I anticipated: after reading Woodstone Creek's website, I discovered their very first batch of vodka had been released. I called my local wine-shop-cum-liquor-store this morning to inquire and by gosh, they were already carrying it! Snow day be damned, I ran out and bought a bottle and stuck it in my freezer.

I am not really a vodka fan. When I drink liquor, I drink gin (straight up and very very cold) or single-malt whiskey (neat). I'm not a mixers person, and as a sipping liquor vodka is not many folks' first choice. The flavor doesn't generally support lingering. It's often referred to as tasteless, but it isn't really -- it's often just blah, with more liquor burn than actual flavor when drunk straight. There's a reason college kids pour it into tubs of Kool-Aid and Dixie Cups of Jello: the taste is easily hidden. There's a reason few people bother to order top-shelf vodka in a mixed drink: when added to even mildly-flavored mixers, the taste of one vodka is difficult to distinguish from any other. And there's a reason some vodka producers offer it in ten different flavors: the flavor of the vodka doesn't interfere.

However. I am sitting here sipping a glass of very very cold Woodstone Creek vodka, and I have to say it's the best vodka I can ever remember sipping. It's just clean tasting. I can imagine myself doing this again. This is definitely my new brand of vodka.

Gyro burgers with tzatziki on home-baked buns

At the Oxford Winter Market this past Saturday we found that Morning Sun Farms had ground lamb. We are not lamb eaters at my house. Neither my husband nor I grew up eating it, and in general I find it lamb dishes gamey and not to my taste. But I do like gyros, so I decided to give lamb another try. I'm glad I did! I adapted a gyroburger recipe I found online, made some tzatziki sauce, and gave homemade hamburger buns a whirl. What a great sandwich! We decided this recipe would also be good formed into flattened meatballs and stuffed into pita with tzatziki and chopped lettuce.

GYROBURGERS
Serves 8

1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, grated
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 c panko bread crumbs
1 t dried savory
1 t allspice
1 t ground coriander
1 t salt
1 t ground pepper
1/2 t ground cumin

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir gently until ingredients are well-mixed. Shape into 8 patties. Heat a large oven-proof skillet on high and coat lightly with olive oil. Set burgers into skillet and cook 2 minutes per side, then place skillet into oven for 10 minutes. Place cooked patties into sandwich buns, top patty with tzatziki, and serve.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

1 c greek-style yogurt (or drain 1 1/2 c regular plain yogurt overnight)
2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 c fresh dill, minced
1 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and chill. Makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce for dipping vegetables or topping sandwiches. And, no, the cukes weren't local -- don't I wish!

SANDWICH BUNS

This recipe is delicious and though it's labor-intensive, it's easy, even for inexperienced bakers. Definitely worth making your own if you have any inclination at all! This recipe makes 16 buns, but it doesn't take any more time to make 16 than to make 8 so I make a full recipe and freeze the extras.

2 T sugar
2 T active dry yeast
1/2 c warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 c warm milk (about 110 degrees)
2 T vegetable oil
2 t salt
1 c rye flour
1 c whole wheat flour
4 to 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)
egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 T cold water
coarse salt for topping buns before baking

In a large bowl (starting out in the bowl of your stand mixer will make this easier), dissolve the sugar and then the yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt, the rye flour, the whole wheat flour, and 1 c of the all-purpose flour to the yeast mixture. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add more all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. I find I can add about 2 more cups before setting the bowl into my stand mixer and using the dough hook, still adding in small increments and stopping often to scrape down the sides.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough, about 5 minutes, dusting the table and the top of the dough as necessary. Or, leave in the stand mixer and let your dough hook do the kneading.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly-woven dampened towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide into 16 equal pieces. (Cut in half, then cut the halves in half until you have 16 equal pieces.) Shape each piece into a ball and flatten into a disk. Place on a heavily-oiled baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes, while you preheat oven to 400.

Just before baking, lightly brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Remove buns immediately from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack to prevent the bottom crust from becoming soggy. Before serving, slice crosswise.

Local microdistillery: Woodstone Creek

A new microdistilling movement, spearheaded by the good folks at American Distillers Institute, is producing artisan distilled liquors like those made here in Cincinnati by Woodstone Creek, Ohio's first licensed microdistillery.

Woodstone Creek's planned products include blended, single-malt, and bourbon whiskeys, rum, and vodka. Their vodka (which was rated as the top vodka tasted by a CityBeat panel) has been released and is now available at local liquor stores. I just found Woodstone Creek Vodka at my local wine shop, The Wine Store in Montgomery, a great little store which makes a point of carrying items from local producers.

Woodstone Creek, like many small family-owned businesses, can only survive with help from local consumers. Ask for Woodstone Creek vodka at your local liquor store. If they don't have it, ask them to get it. If you like it, go back and tell the shopowner.

Johns Hopkins: And working in an industrial poultry-processing facility can be bad for everyone

A December 2007 study by Johns Hopkins reports that workers in US poultry processing facilities bring antibiotic-resistant bacteria home with them, and that this may be one of the primary ways in which these bacterial strains are spread into the local communities and beyond.

Their results and conclusions:

"Poultry workers had 32 times the odds of carrying gentamicin-resistant E. coli compared with community referents. The poultry workers were also at significantly increased risk of carrying multidrug-resistant E. coli. Occupational exposure to antimicrobial-resistant E. coli from live-animal contact in the broiler chicken industry may be an important route of entry for antimicrobial-resistant E. coli into the community."

Consumer Reports: Grass-fed beef really is better for you

According to a March 2008 report from Consumer Reports, grass-fed beef really is better for you. From their website (on a page which you may be able to access only if you subscribe):

"This grass fed beef could have benefits. The limited research completed to date suggests that steak and hamburger from grass-fed cattle may contain less total fat per serving, according to a review by the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists. Grass-fed steak can also have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce heart-disease risk. Grass-fed ground beef usually has more conjugated linoleic acid, which might improve the immune system and help fight cancer, atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes, lab and animal studies show. And raising cattle on well-managed pastures can lessen erosion and boost soil fertility, the scientists' group found."

Ohio wine tasting at Krohn Conservatory

Thanks to Wine Girl for bringing to our attention the Krohn Conservatory Ohio Wine Tasting event scheduled for Friday March 21st. To make a reservation, call 421-5707.

Area wineries that will be represented include my own local favorite Kinkead Ridge plus Burnett Ridge, Harmony Hill, Henke Winery, Meranda-Nixon, Valley Vineyards, Vinoklet, and Woodstone Creek.

I've already made my reservation, so see you there!

Symphony Hotel Bed & Breakfast

Over at Veggie Option there's a review for The Symphony Hotel Bed & Breakfast, another local restaurant that tries to source ingredients locally whenever possible.

Symphony Hotel, which is across the street from Music Hall, bills itself as

"the place to dine before the Symphony, Ballet, May Festival and Opera."