ma as THE FRUGAL GOURMET VEGETARIANS time seem to have an evangelistic cry that claims that red-meat eaters are vi- olent while vegetarians are gracious of heart. Well, when the vegetarians start screaming at me in public and the red-meat eaters are quiet and kind, [ have to wonder ebout the logic behind this argument. I do eat lots of vegetable dishes and | really do believe that we have all eaten too much red meat in our culture. Perhaps we should think as the Chinese do. They claim that meat, especially red meat, is to be used to flavor a vegetable dish. Enjoy these meat recipes. And please stay away from the ham- burger drive-ins; they offer too mutch fat and too little flavor. You can feed your family much better hamburgers if you grind your own beef and ccok at home. I promise you this is true! KAREN’S MEAT LOAF WITH : FOXRCINI GRAVY (Makes 2 meat loaves} Both Craig, my chef, and i were brought to the siove by our mothers. | rarely meet a chef who does not make the same claim. “My mother is an excellent cook,’? Craig claims, ‘‘and she was always taking dishes the extra mile. She stil does, Even her meat loaf is superb!” Craig served this to my mother one evening and she cialmed it was the best she has ever caten. Can you imagine? Such a remark from my mother? 1 recipe Porcini Gravy below) 3 tablespoons olive cit {recipe IN our- Wednesday, December 2, wt te * irae! NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge THE CHINESE claim that meat, especially red meat, is to be used to flavor vegetable dishes. 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and minced l cup minced celery LT eup peeled and minced carrots ‘pound mushrooms, minced 44 cup chopped parsley % cup ary red wine 1 cup fine bread crumbs, preferably freshly ground icup milk 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1 pound boneiess pork roast, trimmed and finely ground Y% pound mild Italian sausage 2 eggs, beaten 2 teaspoons sweet paprika Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste repare the Porcini Gravy and set aside. Heat a large frying pan. Add the oil, garlic and onion and saute. Cook for 1 minute and add the celery, carrots, mushrooms and parsiey and saute until lightly browned. Add the red wine and simmer a few minutes until the liquid is evaporated. Set aside and cool. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, pork and sausage hiack with the soaked bread crumbs. Add the cooled vegetable mix- ture along with the beaten eggs, paprika and salt and pepper. Work together well with your hands until all is incorporated. Cook a tiny portion of the mix- ture in a small frying pan and taste. Adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Pack the meat mixture into two non-stick joaf pans and cover with parchment paper and foil. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Serve with the Porcini Gravy. Note: when chilled, this makes a wonderful sandwich. A_ little mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, let- tuce and caraway rye bread ees PORCINI GRAVY (Makes about 32 cups) { know of no one who does noi just love a good brown gravy. This one is great with meat loaf, but it is so mich you .an get away with serving it with oast — toast with gravy, a great staple from Depression days. Your kids may wonder when you serve them a plate of toast covered with gravy, but i bet they will love it. 3% ounces dried porcini mushrooms ¥% cup hot water 2 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons afl-purpose flour 2 cups fresh or canued beef stack 4 cup dry vermouth % cup milk v2 teaspoon Maggi liquid season- ing Sali and freshly ground black pepper to taste Soak the porcini in % cup hot water in a small bowl for 45 minutes. In a 4-quart pot, melt the but- ter, Add the flour and cook together to form a roux. Do not brown. Whisk in the beef stock until smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer and whisk until thickened and lump-free. Strain ihe liquid from the soak- ed porcini into the sauce. Chop the porcini coarsely and add to pot along with the vermouth, milk and Maggi. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 or 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, 1982 ~ North Shore News - S7 LAMB WITH GREEN PEPPERS AND CARROTS (Serves 4 to 6) Lamb has got to be the most misunderstood red meat of all time. These days, young iamb is probably one of the best food values on the market because so little lamb is needed to flavor a fine dish. The young people in your clan will enjoy this dish if you do not overcook it. 1 cup peeled and jelienned carrots 2 tablespoons vlive oil 2 cloves gartic, peeled and chop- ped Ys pound boneless jamb, trimmed of fet and julienned 1 medium green bel? pepper, cor- ed, seeded and julienned Salt and freshly ground Mack pexper to taste Y, teaspoon freshiy ground cor- iander seeds Blanch the carrots. Heat a wok or frying pan and add the oil and garlic along with the lamb. Stir-fry the lamb briefly until browned. Drain the blanched carrots and add to the pan along with the bell pepper. Stir-fry a couple minutes until all is hot and teader. Add the salt and pepper to taste and the coriander. Toss the entire mixture about and serve. BEEF CHOW FUN (Serves 4 to 6) We owe this great recipe to Chef Andy Wong of the Sea Garden Seafood Restaurant in Seaitle. Andy is just great and you can always tell when he is in the kitchen. This will take some doing for the beginning cook, but if you are comfortable with a wok you are all set. ¥2 pound beef flank steak 1 egg white 1 tablespoon cosnstarch Pinch of salt 2 cups peanut oil for deep-frying 1 tablespoon fermented black beans (find in any Chinese mar- ket) 1 tablespoon dry sherry % pound fresh fea (fresh rice nootiles — find in Chinese maz- ket) Yr tublespoot dark soy sauce 1 cup fresh bean sprouts 4 scallions, chopped Slice the beef thinly across the grain and place in a small bowl. Add the egg white, cornstarch and salt. See Beef page S9 Choosing cookware means finding best pan for the job inquisitive Gook SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER MOST KITCHENWARE clerks know how various metats conduct heat. But there are also differences in the special coatings that are sometimes applied to the meta! base of cookware. Anodizing is done only on alu- minum — popular because it’s a gocd conductor of heat. Though anodized pots are often of thicker gauge metal, all alumi- hum reacts with acidic foods and corrodes easily. Thus, some cookware is treated with an electric current in a special solution that creates a pro- tective ‘ayer of oxide on the sur- face. This process is called anodiz- ing. An anodized coating bonds securely to the metal. But it’s a brittle surface so it can sometimes crack, letting liquids reach the aluminuin base. And even though anodized, pans may still need seasoning oc- casionally. Non-stick coatings are made of polytetrafluorcethylene (PTFE), a complicated name for plastic (Teflon) that can stand the high temperatures of cooking. Other brands (Silverstone, Supra) are variations of this for- mula, baked onto metal cookware. Synthetic non-stick coatings do not react with food. And toods can’) cling to their slippery surface — @ boon for cooks trying to reduce fats. . Eggs are more successful than steaks in non-stick cookware, as often nostick pans are made of materials that conduct heat weil, NES but give it the surroundings, In order to brown well, pans must hold heat and transfer it stowly and evenly to the food. Non-stick coatings scratch unless special utensils are used. Once dantaged, food sticks to the scratches. And surfaces do wear with extended use Enameled pans have a thin layer of powdered glass melted onto metal, often cast iron. These can be quite decora and they don't react with + Bul the metal in enameled «- becomes less effective in trans: ing heat because giass is not a good conductor. A hard enamel coating can also chip and become scratched. You can put your own protec- tive coating on a simple cast iron pan by seasoning it well. up quickly tc Cast iron is deceiving as its weight makes it seem incredibly solid, but its surface is really slightly porous. Simply rub the inside surfaces with oi, heal it in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 30 to 60 minutes, and then cool to room temperature before using. During seasoning, some parts of the oil burn off as smoke, But carbon-rich fragments are left behind. These join together, form- ing long molecules which adhere 4 the surface of the pan, filling in “res and smoothing microscopic ‘nps in the cast iron. With continued use, the surface darkens to a smooth patina. Seasoning creates a low-stick coating that isn't easily washed away. As oi] permeates the cast iron, it is less likely to cause rust.