Cattle Work and Lunch

This has been the season for cattle work as the calves and their mamas find new pastures with fresh green grass. As the ranchers, my husband and daughter, spend their days in the pens, I prepare lunch with beef from our ranch. Here are two favorite recipes made with ground beef.

Ground beef is so easy to prepare in a variety of ways, and I usually request a big portion of a beef carcass be ground and packaged into 2-pound packages for our use. Recipes often call for 1 pound of ground beef; I use a 2-pound package after removing enough for 2-3 patties that I freeze for later use. Ground beef, often called Hamburger, has been associated with less expensive budget meals and perhaps a less tender or tasty cut, but we have it made 90/10, so there is very little fat to drain. The origin in the hamburger is not very clear, but the prevailing version is that at the end of the 1800's, European emigrants reached America on the ships of the Hamburg Lines and were served meat patties quickly cooked on the grill  and placed between two pieces of bread.

Mexican Cornbread                                                         

1 ¾ ground beef

1 onion, chopped

Brown in skillet. Add hot sauce or picante sauce to taste.

1 (Jiffy or Martha White) cornbread mix

Ingredients to make mix (egg and milk)

Mix as if making cornbread and add
1 can creamed corn

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

To assemble: Put ½ of cornbread mixture in bottom of oiled iron skillet (must be oven-proof). Add ground beef mixture. Add cheese. Add remaining cornbread mixture. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Mixture should appear set, not runny. Serve with picante sauce and/or sour cream.  

Cavatina

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks - Essence of Kansas, Taste 1. The Kansas 4-H Foundation did a series of 3 cookbooks several years ago. It is fun to use the recipes and see where they came from. This one was submitted by a Greenwood County 4-Her, who is now a 4-H mom herself! 

8 oz curly noodles

2 pounds ground beef

16 oz spaghetti sauce

8 oz tomato sauce

1 (4 oz) can mushrooms

2 oz pepperoni, chopped

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Cook noodles using package directions. Cook ground beef in skillet until brown and crumbly; drain. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, mushrooms and pepperoni. Heat until well mixed. Mix with noodles in large casserole dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 350° F. for 20 minute or until cheese melts.

Restaurant Crawl - Harry's

After the Pork Belly and wine at Four Olives our Restaurant Tour of Manhattan'a Aggieville continued onto Poyntz Street to Harry's. This downtown landmark is familiar  to everyone who has spent any time in Manhattan, Kansas. Build in 1925 by Harry Wareham as a theater, hotel and lavish apartments, it was the town's first tall building with 6 stories. It was know for it's beauty, history and fine dining. The flood of 1952 damaged the building as well as much of downtown Manhattan. In 1984, the building was renovated and has since then reclaimed the glory of past years. The website (http://www.harrysmanhattan.com) lists many awards of state, regional, and national acclaim.
The chef explained to us that he has been with Harry's for 25 years and assists with the other 2 locations associated with Harry's - Harry's Deli and Bourbon and Bakery.

Glenn is handing out business cards
to direct people to his blog, newscolumn
and ranch. 

At this stop it was fun to see another friendly agriculture producer pair, Glenn and Jennifer Brunkow. Glenn worked with K-State Extension for 19 years and was known by many of us. He has become an advocate for agriculture through his newspaper, his blog, and Farm Bureau work. He and Jennifer shared their passion for farming and ranching and family as they told of the importance of bridging the gap from farmers to consumers. Their farm includes cattle, sheep, soybeans, wheat, hay and lots of 4-H projects. Glenn explained the importance of the Beef Quality Assurance program, a training and certification process for cattle producers to assure animal health and well-being as well as provide a safe, quality product. My rancher husband and daughter have taken this program and found it reassuring to realize the practices they were using were those recommended by BQA.

For this food tasting we were served Prime Strip Beef Loin marinated in herbed olive oil and roasted. It was beautiful and delicious.

Restaurant Crawl - Four Olives

A few weeks ago I went on a "Restaurant Crawl", or "Restaurant Tour" in Manhattan, as I chose to call it to my family who must have had personal memories of "Pub Crawl" from their times in Manhattan, while at KSU! I assured them the focus was on food, drink was only a small part of the menu.
The event was planned by the Kansas Nutrition Council and I thought it would be fun to attend and also to learn some updated information about food, nutrition, and food trends. The Crawl/Tour was sponsored by the Kansas Farmers and Ranchers to tell stories of agriculture and where our food comes from. What a good idea it was to partner with the Kansas Nutrition Council which includes many food professionals who make food decisions for schools, hospitals, and other groups as well as many who teach food and nutrition in Extension or classrooms.
I wasn't familiar with the Kansas Farmers and Ranchers organization, and as we have several membership and information from various farm and ranch groups, I was also curious. The KFR is an umbrella group to include several agriculture organizations. Thank you to the Kansas Farm Bureau, Ks. Wheat, Ks. Pork Producers, Ks Soybean Commission, Ks. Common Ground, Ks. Beef Council, and Midwest Dairy.

The first stop for our group was Four Olives, an upscale contemporary restaurant and wine bar. (http://www.fourolives.biz). The chef explained the entree we were served - Pork Belly braised in root beer spice with wilted spinach and polenta (a cornmeal sort of mush). Since the featured food was pork, two couples who were swine producers told us about their operations. Greg and Amy Goode supply pork to speciality markets and chefs. Besides Four Olives, their pork goes to California and the East Coast. They have developed their swine operation to produce a leaner belly hog with high meat quality. One of their goals is to have a relationship with the end users and they have sponsored farm tours for chefs. Pork Belly as we were served is cured and similar to bacon. The root beer spice gives a spicy flavor to compliment the pork.
Also at that stop Kristy and Michael Springer from southeast Kansas explained their swine operation. Their operation employs 30 people besides their family which is the third generation in the operation. Springer Swine produces 80,000 hogs a year, with about 1500 pigs born each week. When Don and I were first married, we had a small hog operation, so I have a bit of a sense about how much work that involves! Kristy and Michael shared their pride in agriculture and family as they spoke. It was extra fun to learn that Kristy grew up in Eureka!

The chef at Four Olives
explains the entree.

Pork Belly braised in root beer spices
with spinach and polenta.

Next blog will tell of the other two stops on the Restaurant Crawl.