BEEF PRICES ON THE RISE – Plus Stew and Beef Recipes

I hate to be able to say “I told ya so!”when it’s a negative thing, but, hey, “I told ya …”often in the past few years that beef prices were going to go up. A week ago the government made it official. There was a brief announcement buried in non- prime time newscasts, but on all the networks, that the cost of beef was going to “sharply rise” in the next month or so. The statement blamed it on the price of feed resulting on a culling of the herds, which left me wondering.

Two years ago, when the drought killed the grain crops, feed became scarce and expensive, causing the herds to be culled. The prediction then was that by now they should be in partial rebound. Unfortunately, grain prices, like most that go up, have not come down, making cattle ranching more costly and consequently, keeping the meat prices high. However, there may have been a second period of culling too, rather than one of concentrated breeding, because statistics show that the herd populations in the U.S. are lower than at any time since 1950.

At the same time, the population of the country is much higher. Thus, the law of supply and demand enters into the equation of pricing. This is very bad news for a country that considers beef its national meat, especially as the major grilling season approaches. Seafood and poultry aside, the only other meat many Americans eat is some form of pork. Beef costing double what it did just a few years ago is going to be a big problem.

I suddenly remembered a time I was packing for a trip when my daughter was young. Her suitcase had transitioned well from infant’s bibs, bonnets and booties to toddlers’ overalls, hard soles and play clothes, but she was in Nursery School and as she had grown, so had her clothing sizes. The larger garments overflowed the space. I had three options: ONE I could just take the bare essential for her, but that wouldn’t be fair. Children spill, get dirty and need clothes changes. TWO: I could use a second suitcase but with our luggage, the toys and sports equipment the car was already crammed.  THREE; I could adjust her father’s and my things to cover her needs.  This was the best solution, in fact, the only one until I could get her a new bag.

So it is with the beef dilemma. There are three options. ONE: severely cut back on consumption. TWO: brace up and pay the extra, hoping the budget won’t break, or THREE adapt. Once again, I favor the third option but that will involve expanding your cooking knowledge. We’re lucky that we live in a country with such ethnic diversity. It’s easy to find recipes from other cuisines where beef is not so plentiful, which have developed dishes economizing its use. Oriental stir fries are a perfect example of this. The Germans make Rouladen and the Italians Braciuolini of thinly sliced beef filled with vegetables, both very satisfying dishes. I’m including several recipes that do so as well.

Another way to use less beef to good advantage is to cut back on portion sizes. I fell in love with the Beef Stroganoff as served in one restaurant. It was prepared tableside using thin slices of fillet mignon. In another, I was disappointed to be served a plate of noodles, covered in sauce with strips of well cooked beef. I realize that this is another, more common, classic version of the recipe using chuck or round steak and simmered for a long time. I also know the prices were equal, and the  second restaurant had served a larger quantity of meat, but it was tougher, seemed over cooked by comparison and the presentation was lacking. The first restaurant could have served a smaller amount or a lesser cut, but the presentation made it seem so much more. I knew it was freshly made just for me which added to the flavor and the treatment kept it tender. I mention this because I have learned to make Stroganoff in a chafing dish using sliced top round London Broil and won raves. The secret is to make it quickly to keep the meat rare. This is a proof that smaller amounts and/or lesser cuts can still achieve satisfying results. The attention paid to the preparation can compensate for many things.

Pasta sauces are another great way to stretch meat, as are risottos. I’m shying away from mentioning the old stand-by hamburger, because there are so many recipes to “stretch” meat content by using hamburger that they can be found everywhere. Moreover, the price has risen for that faster than for other cuts and it’s rarely on sale in less than “family pack” quantity. On a weekly basis, the individual packages of round or chuck are more reasonable.

I deal with choosing beef in the meat selection section of my menu-cookbook Dinners With Joy, and again in my book How To Control Food Bills: The Diet for the Food Dollar Plan, which contains charts and options for using different cuts. I also address the subject in a book about to be released specifically on the subject of meat selection, uses and treatments of different cuts. The first two books are available on this web site. The cookbook is also listed on Amazon, and the one on controlling food bills on several venues through Speedy Publishing.

 

German Rouladen: Serves 6
1 ½ lb. flank steak- or slices of round
16 oz. jar dill pickles
Whole grain mustard to taste
½ lb. bacon or at least 3-6 thick slices
1 envelope beef bouillon powder
2 1/ 2 cups  water
2 large onions – sliced
2 Tbs. butter
Cut fillets into thin steaks about 1/4 inch thick  x 3 inches wide by 4 inches long. Spread them with mustard to taste. Divide onion, pickle and bacon between fillets and roll. Secure with toothpicks or skewers. In a large pan melt the butter over medium heat and brown the rolls on all sides.  Add water and bouillon simmer for 1 hr.. Serve with the sauce.
Italian Braciuolini: Serves 6

• 11/2 lb. flank steak or slices of round in slices
• 2 medium tomatoes sliced thin
• 1 large onion sliced in julienne
• 1 bell pepper sliced in julienne
• Dried basil and oregano to taste
• 1 Tbs. oil
• 1Tbs. butter
• 1 envelope beef bouillon powder
• 1 cup white or red wine.
• 1 ½ cups water

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Cut the meat into fillets ¼ inches thick x3 inches wide x 4 inches long. Layer the tomato then the vegetable slices along the length of the fillets, and roll up, securing with toothpicks or skewers. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and brown the rolls adding oil as necessary. Add the wine, bouillon and water and simmer for 1 hr. Serve hot with the sauce.

 

Thursday Stew: Serves 4*

• 1lb. lean round or chuck steak cut into 1inch cubes
• 1green bell peppers in large dice
• 4 medium potatoes in quarters
• 3 carrots sliced
• 2 medium onions in quarters
• 1 large stalk celery sliced
• (1) 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 envelope powdered beef bouillon
• 1 Tbs. margarine or oil
• ½ cup water + more as needed
• 11/2 cups frozen cut green beans – optional
• ¼ cup chopped parsley—1 Tbs. reserved for garnish

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil and dried oregano or thyme to taste.
Heat the margarine or oil in a stock pot over medium heat and brown the beef, using the water to prevent sticking as needed. Add all the other ingredients, cover and simmer for 1 hour until meat is tender. Uncover to allow sauce to boil down and thicken a bit. Adjust seasonings and serve.

 

Curried Beef and Potatoes: Serves 4 *

• 12 oz. round steak sliced in thin strips – easier if slightly frozen
• ½ lb. potatoes sliced and cooked- or (1) 15 oz. can sliced potatoes
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 medium tomato diced
• 1 Tbs. oil
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• Salt to taste
• Cooking spray
• ½ cup beef broth
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Mix the cornstarch, broth and salt. Spray a large skillet and over medium heat, stir-fry the onions 2 min. add the peppers and cook 2 min. more. Remove, add tomato and reserve. Add the oil to the pan and stir-fry the meat and curry powder until nearly done about 2 min. Remove and reserve. Stir the broth mixture to combine well, add to skillet and stirring constantly boil until thickened- about 2 min. Stir in the vegetables and reheat, about 2 min. Add the meat and stir until rewarmed, about 1 min. Serve at once.
*These 2 recipes are adapted from ones in 501 Recipes for a Low-Carb Life by Gregg R. Gillespe nd Mary B. Johnson