EST. 2011 BY LIZ RUEVEN
Mix It Up with Meat That’s Worth Eating

Mix It Up with Meat That’s Worth Eating

As summer grilling season is in full swing and 4th of July is approaching quickly, we jumped at the opportunity to check out some of Grow and Behold‘s premium ground meats. Anna Hanau, co-owner with husband Naftali, offered us recipes for burgers of all sorts, toppings and condiments perfect for summer get-togethers and plenty of tips on how to make the juiciest burgers sizzle.

While we most often cover vegetarian dishes in restaurant reviews and recipes we offer, summer feels like the right time to share some great new ideas for mixing different types of meats while using ingredients we don’t often turn to.

Grow and Behold raises animals with an extraordinary concern for a healthy ecosystem that includes healthy soil and plants, healthy animals and healthy people. Their pastured meats are raised on small family farms in the Northeast where the strictest standards of kosher, animal welfare, worker treatment and sustainable agriculture are top priority.

Anna and Naftali Hanau
Anna and Naftali Hanau

We trust that every step of the process has been cared for by this young company (founded in 2010) with a visionary young couple we have come to know. If you’re going to eat meat, this is meat worth eating.

Scroll down for recipes and use discount code KosherLikeMe if you chose to order from Grow and Behold. They’ll take $15.00 of your first order of $100 or more if you use it before July 15, 2015.

Here are some great tips Anna shared with us:

Making Patties: Be sure your meat is fully defrosted before handling. Use a light touch, being sure not to overwork or squish the meat. Patties will be dense and tough if you do. Form loose patties without concern for perfectly round or flat shapes. Uneven patties will yield crispy edges. Smaller patties tend to stay together a little better.

Serving Size: 4 oz. patties (four patties per pound of meat) means someone can opt for two and they cook more quickly. 5 oz. patties (three per pound) are best seared over high heat and then moved to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking. Kabobs will yield about 8 per pound (two oz. each).

Mixing meat with new flavors:

Lighten with veal and glaze with a fruity sauce or dip

Intensify by adding lamb, while balancing with baharat, cumin, cinnamon or mint.

Mix it up by using ground turkey and chicken, especially the dark meat which makes a rich burger without eating red meat. With ground turkey and chicken, add sundried tomatoes, chopped olives, water chestnuts, currants or cranberries to keep the mixture moist.

For more information on how Grow and Behold’s beef, lamb and Rose Veal are raised and pastured click here. Check their website for more ideas on how to use different cuts of meats, chicken and turkey. They have a recipe for every cut they offer!

Beef- Veal Burgers with Balsamic Cherries

Beef- Veal Burgers with Balsamic Cherries

This recipe allows the flavors of the meat to shine. Serve with balsamic cherries or mango salsa.

Recipe by Anna Hanau

This recipe is meat

Ingredients

Burgers
    • 1lb Ground Pastured Beef
    • 1lb Ground Rose Veal
Balsamic Cherries (or Strawberries)
  • 1 cup ripe bing cherries, washed, pitted and roughly chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine meat gently and form into patties. Grill or pan-fry.
  2. Combine cherries with other ingredients and muddle fruit slightly.
  3. Let sit 20 minutes while you cook the burgers until flavor melds.
Spiced Sliders with Date Ketchup

Spiced Sliders with Date Ketchup

Recipe adapted from Abigail Street, Bon Appetit (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/spiced-sliders-with-date-ketchup)

This recipe is meat.

Ingredients

Sliders:
    • ½ small red onion, finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 pound ground lamb
    • 8 oz. ground beef
    • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 1 tablespoon baharat (spice blend)
Date Ketchup:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted, chopped
  • ½ cup pale lager
  • 2 tablespoons Plum Vinegar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Make the Date Ketchup:
    1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5–8 minutes.
    2. Add ketchup, dates, and beer; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to prevent burning, until thick and slightly darkened, 20–25 minutes.
    3. Remove pan from heat and stir in vinegar.
    4. Let mixture cool slightly. Purée in a blender, thinning with water if needed, until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
Make the Sliders:
  1. Using your hands, gently mix onion, garlic, lamb, beef, parsley, and baharat in a large bowl
  2. season with salt and pepper.
  3. Form scant ¼-cupfuls of lamb mixture into twelve 2”-diameter patties.
  4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  5. Place patties in skillet and immediately reduce heat to medium.
  6. Cook about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.

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SIDE DISH
Photo by Jerri Graham Photography

Hi. I’m Liz and I welcome you to Kosher Like Me.

When I’m not caressing fruits and veggies at my local farmers’ market you’ll likely find me chatting with like-minded eaters, probing the scene in NYC or seeking inspiration in my spice cabinet. Life outside of this blog is all about my family, tasty travel adventures and power walks deep in the CT woods or along the shore.

Please brew a fragrant cup of tea, grab a nosh and stay a while.