Beef, Pork & Veal
| ½ pound shaved dried beef | Flour |
| ½ pound dried beef slice thin | Butter |
| Milk | Salt and pepper |
Cut beef to desired size. In sauce pot, sauté half the shaved and half the sliced dried beef until the beef starts to frizzle. Remove from pot and reserve. In same pot make a quart of medium béchamel sauce adding milk slowly until desired thickness. STIR CONSTANTLY. Add all the dried beef to pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Continue stirring frequently. Add salt (carefully and just before serving) and pepper. Serve over toast with Roadkill Home Fries and, for the really big appetite, Boston Baked Beans.
Note: The amount of salt needed, if any, depends on how salty the dried beef is.
Unlike hot dogs, hamburgers have made their way into cookbooks. Some of the variations, though, are symptomatic of a scattered mind. A good hamburger doesn't have to be gussied up. All that's needed is good meat and a good roll. Do not buy the ground meat at a super market; go to a butcher shop. Ever notice how super-market ground beef is bright red on the outside and brown on the inside. Wonder what chemicals they use to do that?
Purchase ground chuck. If you can find a butcher who will grind it fresh so much the better. Next buy good rolls. If possible, get rolls that were baked with a moderately crisp crust, but soft on the inside. Check at bakeries to see if they make that kind of roll. Avoid Kaiser rolls; the crust is too soft and the inside too heavy.
There is only one method for cooking a hamburger, regardless of the season: grilling. If proof is needed, look at MacDonalds: they fry.
The below procedure is for 8 medium-rare hamburgers. Good beef was never meant to be cooked to death except in Anglo-Saxon kitchens where it's boiled all day to remove any trace of flavor. If you don't like the sight of blood, proceed at your own peril.
| 2 pounds ground chuck | Optional: |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper | 1 cup chopped onion |
| Butter | 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste |
Form 8 equally sized meatballs from the meat. Set one on the shiny side of a piece of butcher's paper or freezer wrap about 1/3 from the end. Fold the rest of the paper over the meatball. Take a large can, such as a Crisco can, and center it over the meatball, then press down evenly. Remove hamburger and set aside. When all are formed, salt and pepper both sides. Refrigerate if not used immediately.
Preheat grill to an extremely hot temperature. Place hamburgers on the grill and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn and feel cooked side with finger to see how soft it is. When the hamburger begins to get firmer, it is done. Warm the rolls while hamburgers are grilling. Be careful not to overcook. The center should be deep pink, not red, and a little blood should run onto the roll.
Optional: Before forming the meatballs, add chopped onion diced to finger nail size and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well, but don't pulverize.
Note: If you want to brown the rolls, brown them before you cook the hamburgers and set aside. Preheat the grill and proceed as above. If you want a cheese burger, put cheese on cooked side after turning. Close lid until the cheese just begins to melt.
During the 1950s and 60s the Herter's Hunting & Fishing Catalog was something to behold. Every product in it was bigger than life, the best, the very best -- according to the gospel of Herter. Since the company folded, there's never been another mail-order firm quite like them. Herters was the poor man's Abercrombie & Fitch, the internationally famous (and expensive) sportsmen's store in New York. When it came to hype, however, Madison Avenue had nothing on the Herters.
The hype led me to order the Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices by George and Berthe Herter. As it turned out, the cookbook was as much hype as the catalog. The Bull in the title was no coincidence. Gethsemene Beef, for example, was served at the Last Supper. Ol' George and Berthe must have had a research team that would rival Bill Gates or James Mitchner. Then there was Prairie Dog Bat Masterson, Fish Marie Antoinette, and Peter Saffron. Peter, of course, being the first pope.
But the all-time winner was Spinach Mother of Christ. Bet few folks know that on the night of Jesus' birth Mary's only meal was spinach. George and Berthe Herter did, or that her favorite music was from bagpipes. No wonder the Kid spent so much time hangin' out at the temple. Must have been horrible at home with the pipes blaring out of Mom's boom box -- and nothing to eat except spinach.
But, as the saying goes, somewhere under all that horse manure there's got to be a pony. Herter's catalog did have some good stuff and at decent prices. The Bull Cook Book is no exception. Despite the hype and the manure there are a couple of ponies buried within its pages. Herter Bergers (our spelling) is one. Back to eggs King Louie #9.
| 2 pounds ground chuck | Butter |
| White onion | Salt & pepper |
Chop onion to a medium dice. Sauté in a ¼ pound of butter until translucent; reserve. In the same skillet, brown the ground chuck in butter. Constantly drain the fat and water that is released from the cooking. When meat is done, add sauteéd onions and stir. Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes. Serve on a warmed hamburger bun or kaiser roll.
Note: It is essential to get all the fatty liquids out of the skillet before adding the onions. Do not substitute margarine for butter; it just won't taste the same.
I don't recall ever seeing the lowly hot dog in a cookbook, probably because it is assumed everyone knows how to cook hot dogs. Actually, I never looked. I have had some pretty vile hot dogs caused by budget-minded cooks and casual preparation.
The first mistake is at the store. The original Coney Island hot dog was pork, not beef or, God forbid, turkey. So first off, if you want a good hot dog forget the eloquent variations. Stick with pork. Mistake number two is the brand. The best hot dogs that were ever made were Burke's. Unfortunately, like Strode's sausage, they're history, so we have to settle for second best: Dietz and Watson. Don't even think about Ballpark, Oscar Meyer, Hatfield, or any other brand except possibly Nathan's.
If available, buy them loose, not in that watery package. Next comes the rolls. Don't purchase cheap store-brand rolls, buy name brand, and by-pass potato rolls. If God wanted man to make rolls from potatoes He wouldn't have invented wheat.
If you like sauerkraut, it's appropriate to boil the hot dogs. Otherwise there's no reason to boil a hot dog. Grill it or fry it. To grill, make diagonal cuts along the hot dog in one direction, then reverse the angle and make another set to form an X. Roll the hot dog and repeat the process until there are 4 to 5 rows of cuts. Put hot dogs on preheated grill and cook slowly rolling them often so they cook evenly. While the hot dogs are cooking, warn the rolls.
To fry a hot dog proceed as above and make one row of Xs, turn the hot dog over and make another set on the opposite side. Next slice the hot dog lengthwise, but not all the way through. Melt a good amount of butter in sauté pan or griddle. When the butter is melted, cook hot dogs slowly starting with the inside first. Turn and cook the outside. When done place on paper towel to remove excess butter. While hotdogs are cooking, warm the rolls.
Note: A food press will help to cook the hotdogs more evenly, but use lower heat. Otherwise they will cook too quickly.
| 2 pounds combined ground beef, pork, and veal, or all beef | 2 eggs |
| 1 cup bread crumbs | Salt and pepper to taste |
| 1 cup grated Romano | Extra virgin olive oil |
| 6 cloves garlic, minced | 4 tablespoons fresh parsley (cilantro) |
| Cooking oil |
Lightly sauté minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (do not allow to brown), remove and allow to cool in pan. Combine meat, garlic and olive oil, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, and eggs in bowl. Mix well, then form into balls. In small sauté pan, heat enough cooking oil to cover meatballs half way. Add some olive oil for flavor. Quickly fry meatballs until browned on all sides. Simmer in watered-down tomato sauce for an hour, then discard the sauce; it contains too much hamburger fat. Freeze any that will not be used within 24 hours. Add the meatballs for the meal to hot tomato sauce, Italian with meat.
Note: Six slices of Italian or French bread can be substituted for bread crumbs. Soak in water, then gently squeeze the water out before using. The garlic is sautéed in olive oil so the flavor is carried evenly by the oil thoughout the meatballs and to prevent any harsh garlic bits. It is more consistent and less harsh than adding uncooked garlic. Back to spaghetti.
Most restaurants serve prime rib. Some have it on their menus all the time; most use it as a special. None that I have eaten at served it with Yorkshire pudding. What a shame. It's the traditional accompaniment to prime rib. Not serving Yorkshire pudding is like serving roast turkey without the stuffing.
| A 4-or 5-rib roast cut from the first ribs to serve 6 people | Freshly ground black pepper and salt |
Have butcher remove roast from the ribs and tie back in place. Rub meat with about a ½ teaspoon of pepper. Preheat oven to 500°. Place roast on rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast bone side down for 35 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and roast for 30 minutes longer. Test with meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the rib's eye. Remove thermometer and continue roasting, basting every 20 minutes with pan juices or melted fat. The roast may be salted after any of the bastings. Test for temperature every 20 minutes. Estimate about 15- to 20-minutes per pound. When internal temperature reaches 130°, remove to carving board. Let rest while Yorkshire pudding is prepared and bakes. Transfer the juices from the serving platter to a gravy boat. Serve with pan juices and Yorkshire pudding.
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