Today, I used some fresh meat handed to me from a food supplier - one of the goods they supply is amazing meat from a local butcher shop.
At first, I was suspicious because of the plastic packaging, but this is the second time I've tried their meat, and it is actually surprisingly good and fresh - I guess it's because it's from a butcher shop. I don't know the diet of their cows or how they're treated, or where their meat comes from.
It comes in this unique little plastic white-and-red bag true to the brand -- I'm not a fan of plastic, so I decided to borrow from Vital Farms' eggs ethos, and innovated by wrapping my leftover unused meat in 2 air fryer sheets (they are made of unbleached parchment paper), then securing them with rubber bands from my rubber band stash (ideally, I'd use red & white butcher's twine to package for aesthetic effect, inspired by the film Fantastic Mr. Fox) and stored them in the fridge.
Update (1 day later): This is the 2nd time I've found a scrap of iron wool in the ground meat, so if you do source your meat from a small mom-and-pop place, be sure to inspect the meat - quality control is not always guaranteed at such places. The first time, I thought it was a fluke, the 2nd time, I know it's not a coincidence. Please take care!
Sometime within the past week, I had been inspired by watching this video:
And, although I'm not Jewish, nor raised in that religion, his message really resonated with me, and made a huge influence on me, probably deep within my subconscious. So much so, that, I've decided to try to make more conscious decisions in my life, to try to do what's good with what I have, and continuing to take inspired action.
I made my own version of Swedish Meatballs as I'd been craving them!
I would have preferred to have used those spiral-shaped egg noodles, but what I had on hand was fettuccini, but I made do with what I had, and it still tasted -- by God, amazing.
How I made it:
Can of condensed cream of bacon soup by Campbell's (first time trying it, it's very rich and flavorful! Also, by the way, I don't own a can opener, but I've been making do by using this screwdriver and just repeatedly brute-smashing onto a ridge near the rim, then, once a hole is formed, then I take the serrated, somewhat dull edge of a knife - and wedge it into the hole, and work my way around like a can opener does, which works. So, I've learned to really appreciate canned food with tabs on them! I almost want to only work with canned food that has tabs, but that would be limiting my options, so.)
Fettuccini pasta
Freshly melted beef from a local butcher shop
A few small slices of butter
Freshly grated black pepper
In a Belgique stainless steel pan, I boiled water in, and added salt - then added some fettuccini noodles.
In a separate bowl, I had added some of my favorite Italian Seasoning Blend (so far) by McCormick, Condimento Italiano - I think it's pretty old, it's from Costco, which has the ingredients: Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Savory, Sage, Oregano, and Basil -- to some of the ground beef, then added freshly cracked black pepper and a bit of salt. I made some Swedish meatball-sized balls, then put my carbon steel pan on high heat and added them in -- the fat will render out and they get a beautiful sear - I roll it around a bit to get as much of the surface of the meat browned as possible, and then put the heat on low, and it's done!
In a separate pan, I added some small spoonfuls of the condensed cream of bacon soup, the couple slices of butter, black pepper, and stirred it around to incorporate and homogenize the mixture. Then I added the noodles and tossed to get them all evenly coated in the sauce, maybe adding some of the pasta water. I added the balls all on top, and presto! Meal was made.
Next step is with the beef I'm going to make:
Loco Moco (for the first time)
Sweet Beef Teriyaki-Style Meatballs over Rice
Featured Song: I Won't Share You by The Smiths
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