Make More Meals With Less Meat

Whether it’s for health, economic or environmental reasons, many Americans are trying to eat less meat. But don’t let the idea of less meat evoke images of carrot sticks, pasty gruel and hamburger helper. With an open mind and a little research anyone can come up with recipes that are so good no one will be asking “where’s the beef?’

The first thing is to realize less meat does not mean no meat. The key to cooking with less meat is to maximize flavor and use a few culinary tricks.

Here’s how:

Risotto
One of the best ways to stretch your meat is with this deceptively easy Italian classic. The main components of this dish are Arborio rice and a rich stock. This is a perfect vehicle for recycling last week’s roast chicken into a one-pot meal that will have everyone asking for more.

The first step to making risotto is making a great stock. Take your leftover chicken bones and simmer them in water along with a roughly chopped onion, leek or other aromatic vegetable. Place all your stock making items in a slow cooker, and let it work its magic. You’ll return to a rich risotto base, along with enough chicken bits to throw in.

Strain the liquid from the bones and set aside. Pick off the small bits of meat from the carcass to add later.

Making risotto is fairly straightforward. Sauté chopped onions and bits of garlic in a sauce pan with olive oil and then add Arborio rice and toast gently under medium heat for five minutes. Slowly stir in the flavorful stock, adding a cup at a time and allowing it to absorb into the rice until the risotto has a slightly toothy, texture. Prepare in advance and let it sit for several hours. The added time will even improve its flavor, allowing the elements to marry in the refrigerator before you reheat it.

Chili
Nothing is more of an American classic that a good old “bowl of red.” Best of all it is a perfect way to turn a small amount of inexpensive ground meat into a meal for the entire family.

The key to a good chili is to properly brown the meat before you set it to gently cook. Browning should be done quickly at high heat. Once browned, place in a chili pot and use the left over beef fat to sweat your onions and garlic. Make sure to turn up the heat after cooking the onions and garlic. Add a cup of water to deglaze the brown bits at the bottom of the pan by scraping it with a wooden spoon. Not only is this a good way to maximize flavor but it also makes your pan much easier to clean.

Place your beef, onions, garlic and liquid into a slow cooker with several tablespoons of mild chili powder, a can of tomatoes and two cans of white hominy. Your chili powder should list cumin in its ingredients to insure your chili will be both savory and mild. Hominy adds bulk to your meal as well as color contrast, and a bit of corny flavor. You may need to thin your chili before serving, which is a perfect time to add a bit of homemade stock instead of water. Remember! Flavor in, flavor out.

Tips for Old Favorites

Pasta: Sure everyone makes a meaty tomato sauce for pasta, but by using spicy sausage instead of ground beef (especially if you chop it up like ground beef), cooking it in a slow-cooker to intensify it’s flavor and then adding a bit of a simple cream sauce (made by sautéing a tablespoon of butter with a tablespoon of flour and then whisking in milk until thick over med-low heat) you will have a much more memorable pasta dish using 1/2 to 2/3rd the meat. Tossing the pasta with the sauce before you bring it to the table also will cut down on the amount of sauce needed.

Stews: Tricks like deglazing the pan after you brown the meat and adding homemade stock will take your stews up a notch. Keep in mind that a decent stock can be made from the ends of onions, butt-ends of carrots, celery and even mushrooms with no meat needed.

Gumbos, etc.: Rice and bean dishes like gumbo and dirty rice are another great way to introduce exciting flavors into your regular meals while using very little meat. Thinly slicing or even dicing the smoked sausage that goes into these dishes will provide a bit of meaty chew in each bite without breaking the bank.