Attention meat lovers: prices are falling!
Farmers don't have it easy, and we sympathise. Droughts are depleting feed reserves for livestock that they would rather send to the slaughterhouse than fatten up at great expense. For consumers, this glut means falling prices.
Before the vegan activists and other animal rights activists cast aspersions on me, I'd like to make it clear straight away that meat is a luxury product that comes from energy-hungry farming.A million litres of water are used for one cow and at least as many kilos of methane are released into the atmosphere. Despite this, should we put an end to meat production? That's not the right way to go either. Let's face it, who doesn't enjoy a nice piece of fillet in a pan or on the barbecue? Those who don't eat meat can move on...
A hell of a piece
The fillet is not my favourite because it's too lean. For me, fat is a flavour enhancer. But since it's cheap, I might as well treat myself to a piece or two. After all, it would be a shame not to succumb to a Chateaubriand - the noblest piece of meat there is - accompanied, of course, by a little Béarnaise sauce. The name Chateaubriand refers to the French writer and politician François-René de Chateaubriand. If he'd been a shoeshine boy, I'd have revered him just as much, because to be able to name a piece of meat after him is to realise a lifelong dream. Generally speaking, I like my meat simple, grilled, salted, peppered, accompanied by a sauce - either chimichurri, or yakiniku, a sauce straight from the land of the Rising Sun - which will replace the atrocious bottled ketchup.... You can also take a leap back to the 70s with the horrible "beef Wellington", which I detest, a fillet wrapped in a duxelles of mushrooms, bacon and puff pastry.
Italian know-how
I love pizza, I love pasta. But the star of Italian gastronomy is bistecca alla fiorentina, which is usually more than a kilo of meat on the bone. Normally it's a thick steak, the t-bone (fillet and sirloin around a t-shaped bone) for at least two people, but I'm not afraid to tackle it on my own. Bistecca is simply eaten seasoned with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. As a side dish? A few fagioli all'uccelletto, and you've got my favourite Italian dish. Another treat, but from France this time? The côte de bœuf", a cut of beef a little more marbled than the "bistecca alla fiorentina".
The less noble cuts
In Switzerland, we're so finicky that many cuts of beef don't make it past the stall, but end up straight in the dog's bowl. Whose fault is that? According to this report, the economic growth of the 1980s. It's been decades since we shunned mitre and flank steak, cuts that we'll avoid buying in trendy, overpriced butchers' shops because they're a rip-off, but which we'll pre-order from any self-respecting good butcher. I've tasted these delicious, juicy cuts that find no favour with the Swiss meat industry, and I haven't been able to do without them since.
Do yourself a favour and go out and buy some beef! Prices this low, you won't see until next summer.
When I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.