Books, Lamb Meatballs, and Rules

Greetings, everyone!  Let's head to the kitchen...after a few random thoughts.


I've been reading a few good books recently - Disappointment With God by Philip Yancey and God At War  by Greg Boyd. These books were both challenging to read in their own rights. DWG deals with a painfully honest question - where is God when trouble comes? Yancey objectively asks and examines this question by interviewing people who have lost their faith because God did not "show up" for them when they felt He would or should. I think this an important issue to consider.  Many people among us believe that if they meet some undetermined level of faith and pray hard enough, God will rescue them from difficult situations or tough times.  This belief is reinforced each and every time they hear a testimony crediting God with pulling someone out of the depths of some kind of depravity or trouble.  The jarring reality (to them) comes when God doesn't seem to do the same for them in their time of need. What is going on? DWG takes the reader inside the mind of someone who is going through this struggle, then searches scripture to see what expectations we can have of God when we are hurting. Good stuff. 


I'm still in the beginning chapters of GAW, but I'm enjoying it. Most of you who know me have heard me talk about the Patrick Mead lesson series by the same name, and this book is his source material.  Be warned - this is not a Yancey-style easy read. Boyd's main goal is to disprove the classical Christian view that God is in full, total, and ultimate control of everything that goes on, and that He has a purpose in all things. Boyd eschews this view in favor of what he calls a "warfare worldview," which supposes that there are free-acting spirits  with power that can and do oppose God.  Since this idea flies in the face of mainstream Christianity, Boyd writes in a scholarly level of detail to give credibility to his theory. This makes GAW read like a textbook some of the time, but it is compelling nonetheless. I am inclined to agree with Boyd's theory. There are too many intellectual roadblocks involved with trying to find "God's good will" in the evil acts of evil men.  Better to believe that there is a real enemy with real power to effect our world.  We know Satan has control/dominion over this earth, as we are told multiple times (Jn 12:31, I Jn 5:19, Mt 4:9, among others), so why wouldn't he have the ability to fight against God's people with real power? I can discuss this at length in another post if anyone is interested. 


I've been thinking about some of the rules and laws we Christians impose on one another.  It seems to me that a law of love ought to have the opposite effect.  We should understand that we are free from law and rules but bound by something stronger - a love that compels us to sacrifice and bend over backwards to serve others.   Last year's journey through the Daily Bible rammed home a very important point to me - the New Testament is not in any way, shape, or form a rulebook. Leviticus is a rulebook, and it reads like one. I'll bet the bones Ezekiel saw raised weren't as dry as Leviticus is.  Why, then, do we treat our new covenant like the old one men already failed at?  How many man-made regulations and procedures do we hold people to and defend to the point of separation, all in the name of a God who came to earth to free us from such things? I've heard of an interesting test for our "laws," and it makes sense to me.  If you were able to read the New Testament as though you had never seen it before and had no previous teaching or influence of any kind, would you infer from your study that your rules should apply? Try this with all aspects your religion.  By the way, absence of permission for an action does not mean that action is wrong.  If it did, we might need to reevaluate staff ministers, church buildings, and elders elected by the congregation.  Try it out - it's just another part of "working out your own salvation."  


Do you remember the time I devoted an entire post to the practice of chopping/grinding beef at home? Today I found this article, which supports my theory with some exhaustive research. Notice how pale that store-bought patty looks? Grind your own meat, people.


Tiffany and I have recently taken up attempts to eat in a more healthy manner in preparation for our summer vacation. Generally, this means cooking meals out of her litany of South Beach Diet cookbooks. Surprisingly, most of the entrées don't taste like "diet food" in the typical sense. The meal plan is mostly devoid of carbs and sugars, but you get to eat hearty meat-and-veggie style meals which fill the stomach. Am I ready to abandon 12-layer lasagna (we'll get to that one later), pancakes, and hearty, delicious burgers forever? Of course not, but as lean eating goes, the meals in these cookbooks are more than bearable. Plus, you trip across a gem every now and again. 


I love lamb. No, not the cute and cuddly versions which generally accompany Western paintings of Jesus. I'm talking lamb meat. Succulent and flavorful with wonderful texture and mouthfeel, lamb is truly awesome. Last night, we prepared lamb meatballs from the aforementioned South Beach cookbook. Actually, I adapted the recipe to a meatball application - the original called for leg of lamb. I'm sure the leg would have been delicious, but these meatballs were out of this world. They were hearty, full of flavor, and very filling all by themselves.  I plan to use them (sans mustard) in future spaghetti applications as well.  They'd also be incredible mixed with dill, feta, and cumin and made into Greek burgers. Kroger sometimes offers quality ground lamb for half price, so keep your eyes peeled at the grocery store and buy that stuff up when it's on sale. Store it in the freezer until it's time to cook. 


Lamb Meatballs 


Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground lamb 
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp parsley, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (a microplane zester is great for this)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• Dijon Mustard, to coat

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 


In a large bowl, combine lamb, egg, parsley, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and mix with fingertips until combined. Try not to squish the meat. Form meat mixture into decent-sized balls-You should get 5 or 6 meatballs out of the mixture. 


Preheat the oil a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the meatballs with plenty of space in between. Cook the meatballs on one side for three or four minutes, or until a nice sear develops. Using tongs, flip the meatballs over and sear for another three or four minutes. If you want to be really fancy, braise the meatballs by tilting the pan slightly to the side so that the oil and juices pool. Using a spoon, pour the hot oil over the tops of your meatballs. 


Once the meatballs have developed a good sear, coat them in dijon mustard,  move to the oven, and bake until they hit an internal temperature of 160, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the meatballs and allow them to set for five minutes so that the juices redistribute. 

The Finest Burger in the Land

Greetings, one and all. As promised, I'm going to try to blog more often, at least once a week or so. Of course, this presents the small challenge of coming up with interesting content to write about. Sometimes that's difficult, as routine life here in central Arkansas can become a bit droll. Days run into days, as they say, and I just don't always feel like I've got pertinent information to share with you all. Every once in awhile, however, something jumps up and surprises me. Let me tell you about a meal I had this weekend. 

If you're like me, the act of eating a hamburger has degenerated from a memorable affair (remember "burger night" when you were a kid?) to something much more plebeian. As an adult, the thought of eating burgers conjures up images of endless drive-through lines, dollar menus, and barely palatable patties of pitiful construct. The great hamburger experience has truly fallen from its once lofty perch in my mind. I just don't expect that much from dine-out burgers anymore....frankly, I can do it better at home.  So then, I'm really not sure what motivated me to choose the burger from Capital Bar & Grill last Friday night. Maybe the unusual side of Parmesan fries caught my eye. Maybe I was just in the mood. Who knows? Boy, am I glad I did. 

The Capital Bar and Grill, located inside the Capital Hotel in historic downtown Little Rock, is a local institution. Alongside its sister restaurant, the exclusively expensive Ashley's, the Capital Bar and Grill (henceforth CB&G) is home to critically acclaimed dishes of all shapes and sizes. Knowing as much, I went in expecting good things from them. I ordered an Old Fashioned to start dinner and began perusing the menu. A few delicious-looking items caught my eye. The ham sandwich with house cured and smoked ham looked spectacular, as did the roasted chicken. Above all, one entry reached out and grabbed me. Simply titled "The Burger," it was a 7-oz. patty of all-natural local Arkansas beef, topped with house-made pimento cheese,  house-made pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion, and served with a side of freshly cut Parmesan fries. Despite my instincts, I couldn't resist the pull. I ordered The Burger. Brilliantly, I was asked how I'd like it cooked. "Medium rare!" was my reply, and the excitement began to build. Could I finally have found a burger worth paying for? My mouth continued to water as I munched on complimentary deep fried black-eyed peas (oh yes) and sipped my drink. After a moderate wait, it arrived. The Burger, oozing with that homemade pimento cheese, looked as though it had been prepped for a photo shoot. I topped it with onion, lettuce, and mayonnaise (house made, naturally) and took a bite. 

It's been said that great food does more than fill the stomach or satisfy cravings. Truly great food takes you places, brings back memories, and evokes feelings that had previously been dormant. I'm going to tell you people something....from the very first bite, The Burger yanked me from my seat at CB&G and sent me to a time, years ago, when I loved burgers as much as anything. A time when a trip to McDonald's was a happening (these were much simpler times), and when ground beef smothered in cheese was my very favorite food in the whole wide world. The beef, seasoned with steak spices, was incredibly crisp on the outside, yet tender, juicy, and perfectly medium rare in the middle. The bun was toasted perfectly and added another level of crunch. The pimento cheese....well, the cheese was sublime (I'm running out of adjectives here). The locally-sourced veggies and homemade pickles were as flawless a compliment as could possibly exist, and the real mayo added a tiny bit of tang that blended right in. Every single ingredient was delicious in its own right, and when combined became an orchestra of contrasting flavors and textures. I enjoyed about eight perfect bites before the end came and I had to return to reality. The poor fries, tasty in their own right, were an afterthought. I munched on them for awhile, but I'd have traded three plates of fries for another mouthful of the Burger.  I could not think of a single other thing I'd have rather eaten at that moment.  As the check arrived, I realized that a cheeseburger had just vaulted itself to the very top of my list of memorable meals. Just like old times. Thanks, CB&G.

http://capitalhotel.com/CBG/

Guinness Chocolate Cake

Wow....I'm not all that diligent with this blogging thing, am I?  I'd love to blame this on my nonstop, too-busy-to-think schedule, but the truth is that I sit at a desk at work for eight hours a day and have more than enough time to punch up an entry now and then. Shame on me...I'll try to do better. Who knows, all this writing may come in handy someday. But enough talk. Let's get down to the business of baking. 


I have waxed poetic at the joy of baking on these virtual pages before. I love the technical, nit-picky nature of weighing flour down to the gram and carefully mixing everything together. It seems the quality of one's baked goods are directly proportional to the amount of obsessive-compulsive detail that goes into them. Give your cake, bread, or muffins a bit of time and effort, and they'll reward you with moist deliciousness. Baked goods truly come into their own during holidays, when the baker can fashion themed treats based on the occasion. Christmas obviously takes the cake (haw haw) on this topic, but I think that some of the "lesser" holidays deserve some baked respect. And since it's March 17 and your writer is fair-skinned, red-headed, and a lover of stout Irish beers, let's give some love to St. Patrick's Day with a fantastically moist creation called Guinness Chocolate Cake. 


Beer in cake? Yes, it's unorthodox. But as we have shown here before, beer is great at providing a yeasty backnote that is right at home in a variety of dishes. In this cake, the rich chocolaty Guinness brings a complex twist to an otherwise standard cake batter. I expected that, but I did not expect the incredible moistness this cake packs. Wow.  The "frothy" cream cheese icing is a perfect complement to the cake's yeasty sweetness. I took the cake to our church's small group and people were blown away by the moisture and pleasantly unexpected flavors. This one was an unqualified hit, and I'll absolutely make it again. Trust me, give this one a try. If you have friends/acquaintances who are teetotalers, just tell them the alcohol cooks out.  I think that it does, anyways. 


Guinness Chocolate Cake 


Ingredients:

• 1 cup Guinness stout 
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed 
• 3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa 
• 2 cups superfine sugar (pulse regular sugar in a food processor if you don't have any) 
• 3/8 cup plain yogurt 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

For the topping:

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake and serve.

Food, Inc.

Hello loyal readers, and thank you for checking back in.  Today's post is going to be a change of pace as well as a first for me - I'm going to do a movie review! Please hold your applause until the end.

While at home last Saturday night, Tiffany and I were browsing our Netflix "watch instantly" queue (just about the best thing ever) when we came upon a recommended documentary called Food, Inc.  Having recently watched Super-Size Me, we were in food-doc mode.  The film's description promised to expose the disturbing underbelly of the food industry as well as the detrimental effects that mass-produced chickens, pigs, and cows have had on America's health and economy.  As a cook as well as a person who eats food regularly, this interested me.   I clicked play and off we went. Ninety-four minutes later, I was genuinely disturbed and disgusted.

Side note - I don't really know how to frame this, since I'm covering new literary ground here. Do I recap the movie book report-style or leave the plot uncovered so that the reader can be shocked/surprised as I was?  I'll try to stay somewhere in the middle, just in case the movie isn't available to some of you.

We start things off with a few statistics and an overhead shot of a "corporate" cow farm. It seems that things have changed since the old days, when cows (and chickens, pigs, and so on) were raised in wide open fields, allowed to forage and grow naturally, and only slaughtered when the time came. The obscenely high supply of beef, poultry, and other foodstuffs required by the McDonald's (they seem to keep popping up in these things) and Burger Kings of the world has forced the food supply industry to adopt a factory-style approach to farming. Cows, chickens, and pigs are packed into tiny shacks or fences, fed food engineered to fatten them up at twice the rate nature intended, and processed as quickly, efficiently, and effortlessly as possible.

We go to images of the inside of a typical modern chicken coop.  There are so many chickens crowded into this shed (that's all it is - a tin shed with a few fans) that one can hardly see the ground. The chickens are fed corn - something they'd never, ever eat in the wild - and are fattened at about double the natural rate.  They are engineered to grow larger than normal breasts because folks prefer white meat.  Consequently, most of the chickens shown were so top-heavy they could only walk two or three steps before falling down from exhaustion.  In addition, it turns out that a byproduct of having thousands of chickens enclosed in a small tin shed is the rampant spread of bacterial infection.  These chickens spend their days wading around in one another's filth and excrement, so bacteria has a field day jumping from bird to bird. Naturally, the solution is to pump them full of antibiotics.  The grower informs us that she is completely allergic to antibiotics due to her constant exposure to them Once the chickens have reached their weight limit, trucks arrive during the night to collect them.  The next day, we see the now-empty shed, completely barren save a few dead chickens the collectors left behind. The grower informs us she will probably lose her contract with Tyson because she let cameras in.  A postscript informs us that very thing happened a short time later.

Our next stop is a giant cornfield somewhere in the Midwest.  We are shown rows of corn stretching as far as the eye can see. What an image of Americana. Corn, it seems, has gone from the dinner plate to just about everything we Americans use in just under 100 years. Corn is in most processed food and drinks, gas, plastics, and even medicine.  It seems to be a true miracle crop.  As it turns out, corn also is the main food supply used by meat mass-producers.  There are several good reasons for this. Obviously, when animals are packed into very confined spaces, they can't forage for grass like nature would intend, so they are fed corn in troughs.  Their corny diet has the added benefit of fattening the animals up very quickly. Additionally, we are told that the United States government, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to subsidize farmers who grow corn with taxpayer money.  Several farmers report that they sell corn for far less than it costs to produce, but that they profit thanks to Uncle Sam's checks.  Finally, remember when I mentioned  that McDonald's is the largest purchaser of beef, poultry, and so on in the world? You can imagine that they would want their chicken sandwiches in Des Moines, IA to taste exactly like the ones in Ft. Lauderdale, FL taste.  This is accomplished by feeding the sandwich fodder the same food - corn. So corn, it seems, is king. Naturally, this has several side effects, but I'll only cover one - illegal immigration.  Stay with me here, because this all ties in.

Remember those government subsidies I mentioned before? Well, they make corn incredibly cheap to the final buyer. So cheap, in fact, that (thanks to NAFTA) corn can be exported to Mexico and STILL be sold cheaper than the farmers in Mexico can grow it.  Big deal, right? Well, floods of cheap American corn in the Mexican market created a new problem.  Mexican farmers began to go out of business because they couldn't price match the American corn, and the Mexican economy began stuttering from unemployment.  The meat processing industry swooped in by laying off American workers, sending buses to Mexico, and hiring the now-unemployed Mexican farmers to come work for them.  You would think that this active lawbreaking would be punished...and you'd be right, if by punished you mean law enforcement rounds up a few illegals here and there instead of punishing the company importing them. The level of corruption at work is shocking.

I could go on and on for another three or four paragraphs. The movie covers E. Coli's devastating spread (including a poor mother whose child died after eating an infested fast food burger).  It is clear the fault rests in the hands of the food producers.  We also learn that the entire soybean market is controlled by a single company that uses its power and position to strong-arm farmers into using their genetically altered beans. I could go on and on. Bottom line - Food, Inc. ought to be mandatory viewing for anyone who eats.  Think about it - how much do you know about the origins of the food on your plate?  In the old days, people either grew and raised their own meat and vegetables or bought them from someone they knew and trusted.  Modern eaters have had their eyes covered as two or three big companies have redesigned the food production industry with little or no government regulation. In fact, the government only steps in when the producers screw up on a grand scale.  This isn't acceptable.  We need to be informed as to how our food is produced, from coop to supermarket.  If you can watch this movie and still feel OK about that McChicken sandwich (or even store-bought birds) then more power to you. I can't.  I'm sold on organic now.  And those are five words I never thought I'd say.