Beef dishes can be found on tables all over the world. Russian cuisine prides itself on the traditional Stroganov beauf, the French invite you to Chateaubriand, the Americans are famous for their hamburgers, and in Poland we associate beef mainly with tartare. If you fancy a beef dish, see how to choose the best piece for a specific dish and favorite dish.
American beef is eaten not only by the people of the United States, but the whole world. The Americans make sure that the meat is of the highest quality. Scientists have been working on new crossbreeds of meat breeds for decades, producers scrupulously adhere to strict standards regarding the conditions in which cows are reared, the feed and medicines given, the humane slaughter of animals and the maturation, packaging and storage of meat. Cows live freely, grazing in the grass. Three months before slaughter, they are taken to spacious farms without a roof, where they are given special soy-corn mixtures. As a result, the meat has a sweetish taste and is extremely tender. According to connoisseurs, Argentinean beef is second to none. It owes its excellent taste to the breeding of a particular breed of cows that eat fresh Patagonian chemically uncontaminated grass. Breeders argue that the quality of meat is also influenced by the climate, clean air, the level of stress in animals, and even the composition of the soil. Argentineans see beef as a national good. In butcher shops, there is an image of a cow on the walls with a description of which part is suitable for grilling, baking, cooking.
The average Argentine eats approx. 70 kg of beef annually (according to some sources - 100 kg), a Pole - only 5 kg!
Most of the cows bred in Poland are dairy breeds, their meat is tough and fibrous. That is why it loses to pork on our menu. You can buy meat from overseas in delicatessen, supermarkets and online stores, but it is very expensive (e.g. 1 kg of American roast beef - PLN 80, Argentine tenderloin - PLN 230).
How do I choose the best piece of beef?
The taste, smell, tendernessbeefdepend on its maturity. After slaughter, the meat should hang in a cool place for 3-5 days (unripe is rubbery, hard to digest, hard). Intended for roasting and grilling, it must mature for 14-20 days, for steaks even 3-4 weeks.
Ripe beef has a sour smell, it is moist, when pressed, the cavity only straightens out after a while. For grilling, grilling, frying, tender sirloin, entrecote, roast beef, and sirloin are best.
Steaks can also be made from less noble parts of the carcass, if they are marinated in a marinade with lemon juice, yogurt, wine, vinegar, causing the meat to crumble. The neck and leg are suitable for stewing. Before that, fry the meat well in very hot fat - the resulting protein shell will stop the leakage of the juice.
Poor species are selected for the broth (front stripe, brisket, brisket). For a succulent piece of meat, it is best to put large pieces in a little s alted water (the protein on the surface of the meat is cut off and the leakage of the juice is blocked). For stews and roulades, a leg, back streak, entrecote, shoulder, neck are suitable. From herbs and spices, beef goes well with tarragon, thyme, ginger, nutmeg.
The most popular beef dishes
Russian beauf Stroganovowes its name to the Stroganov family. Apparently, Tsar Alexander I, who was indebted to the Stroganovs, ordered the famous chef Antoine Carème to prepare a dish in honor of the family and name it after them. He cut the sirloin into sticks, sprinkled with flour and pepper, fried in hot fat, added tomatoes stewed with butter, chopped and glazed in butter onions, watered with broth and stewed. Season everything with cream, s alt it and sprinkle with paprika. The dish is still appreciated by gourmets and chefs.
French Chateaubriandwas invented by the chef of Viscount de Chateaubriand (the creator of the romantic direction in French and European literature). A grilled piece of tenderloin 4-5 cm thick, served with bearnaise sauce or a ring of garlic butter and potatoes cut in the shape of olives, fried golden in butter.
TheItalian tournedos á la Rossini , i.e. a beef steak made of sirloin with the addition of brandy, port and Madeira, served on toasts, with truffles (apparently Rossini liked white ) and goose liver. Here, truffles are replaced with mushrooms, and foie gras - with pate.
Without chopped beef, there would be nohamburgers- round, oval or square cutlets seasoned with herbs, capers, onions, fried in a small amount of fat, served in a bread roll or with French fries, vegetables, marinades and sauces.
In many places around the world you can eatArabic kofta- shashlik of ground beef and veal with rice, chopped onion and mint, egg and lemon juice, seasonedcumin, curry and nutmeg, served in pita bread with paprika paste (ajvar).
Beef tenderloin is also eaten raw. Apart from the popular in Polandsteak tartare (tartare)(made of hand-chopped sirloin or the best parts of a leg soaked in milk, served with yolk, sardines, capers, gherkins, mushrooms, olives).
Raw beef is made withcarpaccio . The peeled and very chilled sirloin is cut crosswise into the thinnest possible slices, lightly spread with olive oil, put on a plate and served with vinaigrette, Parmesan or capers, s alt, pepper, or chopped shallots.
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