Does that stop you eating steak? Probably not. Does it dull your enjoyment just a little bit? If so, rejoice. We’re about to show exactly why and how grass fed beef comes to the rescue. It’s actually quite healthy in a lot of ways. It may even be on the same health plane as eating fish, so you can relax and enjoy it while you’re digging in.

First, why is red meat such as steak and hamburger “bad?” A lot of the hype comes down to processed meats. Most hot dogs, lunchmeat, bacon, and other processed treats contain a lot of nitrates and nitrites. Those are bad because when we cook them at high heat (read: grill or fry) they break down into compounds that cause cancer just as certainly as ripping butts.

What about non-processed meat? There are some studies that suggest it may cause bowel cancer, mostly because of its fat content. By contrast, lean red meat is thought to be an important source of iron and other minerals.

Here’s where the rubber meats the road: There’s growing evidence that fat is actually good for you. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may actually prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and other ailments.

The key is, there’s a difference between healthy fat and bad-for-you fat, and that’s where grass fed beef comes charging in.

Why Grass Fed Beef is Healthy Beef

According to several studies, it’s not even so much that some fat is bad and some is good. It’s that our bodies evolved to eat fats in a certain balance. Without donning a lab coat and a pair of Buddy Holly specs, we’re supposed to eat a specific ratio of Omega-3’s, Omega-6’s and Omega-9’s. Most Americans get about 30 times more Omega-6 fats than they should, and a lot less Omega-3 fats.

Before we link this up to grass fed beef, here’s why fish is so good for you. The oily ones like herring, salmon, and mackerel are chock full of healthy Omega-3’s. That’s because they eat a lot of smaller fish that eat a lot of even smaller fish that live on phytoplankton, tiny sea animals rich in Omega-3’s.

Now enter grass fed beef. Our caveman ancestors ate it all the time. It’s true their life expectancy tailed off at about age 30, but then they had to work long days chasing bison without the benefit of workers comp. That grass fed meat they ate was lower in fat than ours. Better still, the fat in it contained a much higher proportion of Omega-3’s.

Fast forward to today. We’re eating grain fed steaks that deliver three times more of the bad Omega-6 fats and about 1/4 the healthy Omega-3 fats.

Now switch to grass fed and that bad equation does a somersault. With grass fed beef, you’re not only eating less overall fat, but the fat you do eat has about a third the bad fats and four times more good fats. Is it as healthy as eating salmon? Nope. But it’s about four times healthier than “normal” grain fed beef. Also, the World Health Organization can’t lean over your shoulder while you’re eating it and mutter that it “may” cause cancer. Quite the opposite, studies have shown it “may” prevent the dreaded C.

Grass Fed in a Nutshell

So there’s the rub. The grass fed option can make meat actually healthy again. It can give us the good fats we need to build a well-functioning brain and cardiovascular system. It provides protein, iron and B-vitamins as well. And it does it all while tasting downright delicious.

The post Why Your Steak Should Be Grass Fed or Hit the Road appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

“Mostly, this meal is about timing. Getting everything on the plate at the same time is the real trick, so having every ingredient prepped and ready to go is essential.”

And until a few years ago, I felt had to wait until someone splurged and took me to Craftsteak or Peter Luger to get my meaty fix. For some reason, even with all my culinary experience, I was under the impression that cooking steak properly involved crazy witchcraft, and only the best grill masters could accomplish this impossible feat.

Well, Guess what? There’s no mystery to cooking a perfect steak.

Cooking steak on your own stove is straightforward and extremely gratifying. All you need is a cast iron pan and some salt. Seriously, it’s that easy.

Mostly, this meal is about timing, because none of the components really take that long.

Getting everything on the plate at the same time is the real trick, so having every ingredient prepped and ready to go is essential.

“I’m a proud believer that pesto is always completely done to taste, as in there really is no recipe.”

For the squash fritters, take your cooked spaghetti squash and mix it in a medium-sized bowl with an egg, some flour, and salt and pepper.

You probably don’t need more than one egg because the squash is fairly dense and holds a lot of moisture, so use your flour to even it out and create a nice bond. You want the mixture to hold up in a patty shape on its own.

After the fritters are formed, start your pesto. Rip up some Lacinato kale (the flat kind, not the curly kind), and some basil and throw it in a food processor with olive oil, a clove of garlic, parmesan cheese, lemon, and salt, and blitz away.

I’m a proud believer that pesto is always completely done to taste, as in there really is no recipe. The ratio of oil to greens will help create a smoother texture, and the salt and lemon will help balance out the slightly bitter flavor of the kale.

Just keep adding the ingredients in small amounts until it tastes right to you.

Now’s the time to chop up your veggies. I prefer shallots to onions but both are great in a frying pan. Give the kale a rough chop and dice up your onion/shallot, and keep off to the side.

The order of cooking is steak, fritters, veggies. Steak must rest for at least 50% of the time it’s been cooked so make sure you give it the right amount of time.

It’s important that your steak is room temperature before you put it in the pan and that the pan is super, super hot. As you’re heating up the pan, salt your steak (liberally) and then give it a nice coat of oil.

The oil will seal in the salt which helps the steak form that tasty crust when it hits the scorching hot cast iron (no need to oil the pan.) Lay the meat in the pan salt side down and let it sit for a couple minutes, or until it’s a nice brown color, and then flip. You can tell how rare a steak is by how squishy it feels when you push on it, or you can cut into it.

Once it’s the color you’re looking for, take it off the heat and transfer to a plate covered in foil to rest. Steak must rest for at least 50% of the time it’s been cooked so make sure you give it the right amount of time.

Use a light oil like vegetable or canola to fry the fritters, with about ¼ of an inch in the bottom of the pan, on medium-high heat. Lay the squash patties in gently and be careful of any splatter.

Let them sit until the bottom is crispy and golden brown. You can also bake these if you feel so inclined.

The onions and kale can go in the fritter oil so you don’t have to use up any more equipment. Cook them until the onions are translucent and the kale is wilted and dark green.

When the fritters are done, lay them on a couple of paper towels to drain any extra oil, and then lay them on whatever plate you’ll be eating them off of. Then, cut your steak either into strips and lay them over the fritters.

Pile on the sauteed veggies, drizzle with pesto, and BINGO! A delicious, well-rounded meal that will impress any date—just do a trial run with a friend first.

The post Cast Iron Gold: Steak, Squash Fritters and Pesto appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.