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Eating Marrow from the Beef Shank

marrow bones

As I mentioned before, one of the reasons I purchased a beef shank was for the marrow bone. Well, this beef shank did not disappoint. There was a nice sized marrow bone right down the middle of the shank, and by the time it was done braising, the bone slid out effortlessly.

I had read a lot about marrow but for some reason it was hard to visualize what it was exactly, except that it was very rich and good on toast. The best description I’ve heard is that it’s like “meat butter.” But it’s not uniform in its look or texture, like butter is. It was mottled in color – a mix of bits of white, brown, and grey colored fat. It’s a little gelatinous, too, and as I spread it on bread (sprouted sourdough toast), it eventually melted into the toast like butter.

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Braised Beef Shank

braised beef shank and asian greens

Recently, I’ve been craving beef an awful lot. It’s been a strong craving, and when I feel a tug toward a food so intensely, I go with it. I figure my body is telling me it needs something in that particular food (it also happens with orange juice from time to time – obviously that’s about vitamin C). I had recently eaten a burger at Bareburger, then another burger at Sparrow, but it wasn’t enough. So, I decided to take out the big guns – a substantial beef shank I had in my freezer.

I actually ordered it earlier this year through my CSA but was holding off on cooking it – it was a large piece of meat and I was feeling a little intimidated by it (this is my past vegetarianism rearing its head). I originally bought it because I knew 1) I could learn about braising with it, and 2) that there would be a big marrow bone in the middle. I’ve been wanting to try marrow for a while, and though I’d kill two birds with one stone in cooking this shank.

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Naturally Fermented Ginger Ale

Last week, I wrote about the ginger bug I created – this is the starter for naturally fermented ginger ale. It’s made from ginger, sugar, and water, it ferments rather quickly – really, in a matter of days. I let mine ferment for about five days (I fed it twice during that time). The next thing to do was to make the ginger ale itself!

It’s a pretty simple process. I chose to make a half batch, since it’s essentially a test batch; I’ll often make smaller batches of something I make for the first time. I started by combining 3/4 cup organic sugar and a 1 inch knob of ginger root (grated) with four cups of water. I also set aside the juice of one lemon.

sugar lemon ginger for naturally fermented ginger ale

I put the water in a pot, grated the ginger into it (I prefer to use a microplane for this task), and added the sugar. I brought that to a boil and let it cook for 15 minutes, uncovered. Then I let it cool to room temperature.

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Hellgate CSA Week 17

hellgate week 17 collage

This past week was a comparatively small share. We’re still seeing summer vegetables – tomatoes and green beans – and the onslaught of fall apples and pears is upon us. Good thing I like apples and pears!

We got:

1 bunch of mizuna
2 pounds tomatoes (not pictured)
1 bunch carrots
1 bitter melon
1 butternut squash
1 pound green beans
2 pounds bosc pears
2 pounds honeycrisp apples
1 pound empire apples

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Bareburger – Grass Fed Burgers in Astoria, Queens

classic bareburger with beef

As I eat more and more real food, I find myself craving more meat; I’ve sure come a far ways from the vegetarian days of my youth that consisted of a lot of soy. I still eat plenty of meatless meals, but meat is taking more of my attention these days. And since I’ve learned to braise tough cuts of meat until they turn into silky, flavorful meals, it will be even easier to eat meat on a budget.

I also attempt to be as thoughtful as possible when I’m buying meat. We do not cook conventionally-raised meat in this house, and instead we gravitate toward grass-fed and wild meats. They are better for everyone involved – the animal, the human consumer, and the environment – and in my opinion, these meats are just plain tastier. Sometimes I eat conventional meat, but it’s not as often as it used to be, and it’s always outside the home.

When I was a kid, I loved hamburgers; as an adult, I love them, too. I’ll admit – I like consuming meat that is ground up, including sausages. So, I’m fortunate to have a burger place that recently opened up near my apartment that serves organic, grass-fed burgers: Bareburger.

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How To Make a Ginger Bug

ginger bug

I’ve expanded my fermentation repertoire to ginger beer/ale. I love ginger and have enjoyed ginger ale in the past. I don’t care for most commercial ginger ale because it contains high fructose corn syrup. No doubt there are artisanal ginger ales, though, which probably contain sugar in place of HFCS, which would be better. But I really want to learn to make it and determine the sugar content myself.

I’m using the recipe in Wild Fermentation. The way to start the process of ginger ale is to create a ginger bug. This is pretty easy at first glance – grated ginger root and sugar (2 tsp each) are combined with water (1 cup), stir to dissolve the sugar, cover the jar with layers of cheesecloth (I did five layers), then let it sit for a day or so to ferment. Fermentation is evident by bubbles forming on the top layer of the ginger-sugar-water mix.

So far, I’ve seen lots of bubbles. I’ve been feeding it ginger and sugar every other day or so to keep the fermentation up. This week I’ll take the next step toward making ginger ale – more on that later.

This is actually my second ginger bug – two fruit flies found their way into the first one I made. I had few layers of cheesecloth on top of the jar, but I guess they wiggled their way in. Gross.

Bottom photo is the grated ginger root (I grated it with a microplane) and organic sugar. The top photo has the water added to that. I used just tap water (perhaps not the best choice, but it’s what I had). I’m excited to see if it all works out!

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

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Summer Preservation Review

lots of canningWhat a summer of preserving this was! Now that’s it’s officially fall, I thought I’d review the preservation methods I used this summer (and late spring). It was so fun to learn new ones, and refine my skills with the ones I’ve used over the years. And now I have a pantry (and freezer) full of delicious summer food to be used in winter.

There’s something very satisfying to have a pantry full of food you preserved yourself. It’s gathered when in season, so the flavor profile is going to be the best it can be. Having the taste of summer tomatoes, corn, and peppers will no doubt give us a boost when it’s dark and cold outside.

So, here is what I accomplished this year, and what you can accomplish next summer, too.

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