Lady Gaga's meat dress sent the world into a tizzy last year. Maybe you noticed. Maybe you didn't. As a professional observer of human action and reaction, I noticed, and found the varied responses fascinating. (I also loved the meat shoes and matching meat hat and handbag.)
Starlets and singers are supposed to show up at awards ceremonies with designer frocks and big rocks. "What is Gaga doing?" people wondered. "What is she trying to say?!" The stunt unnerved many (as things off the norm scale sometimes do).
Was Gaga making a pro-vegetarian statement? Or an anti-vegetarian statement?
Ellen DeGeneres, a fan of Gaga's (and a vegan like Gaga herself), officially presented the singer with a vegetarian version of the outfit: a bikini made of kale and skirt made of bok choy. (Could be some celery in there, too. You be the judge.)
In the end, Gaga said the dress meant many things, among them, an ironic statement about not being seen as just another piece of meat. (Pretty clever, actually.)
So why am I sharing this with you today? Because blogging about a big hunk o' beef, let alone cooking it publicly, will make some people a little bit nervous and others a little bit crazy. (I'm sure Gaga herself would not be happy with me.) My advice: ChillAx.
While Marc and I thoroughly enjoy vegetables, fruits, and legumes, all of which are superbly healthy; and while we have friends and family members who are vegetarian (and we absolutely respect that choice and are grateful for the many culinary ideas that we hear from them), we also enjoy meat.
Eating, of course, is not always about health or politics. From the bison ribs at Tocabe, a Denver eatery run by Native Americans, to the roasted lamb at one of Astoria's many family-owned Greek restaurants, meat is often a part of a culture's culinary heritage; and the cooking and consuming of meat dishes can be a wonderful celebration of tradition. If you are an omnivore, then this post might be of interest. And for our vegetarian friends, our Homemade Horsey Sauce is a delicious dip for raw veggies, too. :)
Eating, of course, is not always about health or politics. From the bison ribs at Tocabe, a Denver eatery run by Native Americans, to the roasted lamb at one of Astoria's many family-owned Greek restaurants, meat is often a part of a culture's culinary heritage; and the cooking and consuming of meat dishes can be a wonderful celebration of tradition. If you are an omnivore, then this post might be of interest. And for our vegetarian friends, our Homemade Horsey Sauce is a delicious dip for raw veggies, too. :)
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| To read my Poor Girl's Hot Butt post, click here. For a downloadable PDF recipe on how to prepare a mini ham click here. |
A brief note
on today's recipe...
A fresh roast beef sandwich is a thing of beauty to us, but with deli prices so high, we've taken to roasting our own beefs--and mini hams.
Last fall, I blogged about making these little hams (see the caption at right for links to the recipe).
I love how the slow roasting process warms our cozy Queens' row house on chilly fall days, and I often serve these beef and ham roasts with a creamy, tangy horsey sauce, which also livens up our sandwiches.
A Note on Meat Cuts
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| A roasted beef eye round encrusted with sea salt and two peppers. See recipe below... |
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| Cleo Coyle, who does not own a single little red (meat) dress, is author of the Coffeehouse Mysteries |
Cleo Coyle’s Pepper-Crusted Roast Beef with Homemade
Horsey Sauce
Tip: Cook two roasts at a time. Serve one for dinner and use the second for a week of sandwiches and snacks.
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Eat with joy!
~ Cleo Coyle author of
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Now a national bestseller
in hardcover
To purchase the book,
click here or here or here.
Audiobook produced by AudioGo (BBC Audiobooks America) Available at iTunes and Audible.com
I've got to try this recipe as I love horseradish and pretty love that you call it roast beast. Perfect for xmas and Grinch connotations.
ReplyDelete-Sonia
Now you've got me wondering: "Take two yards of bias-cut rump roast and..." What kind of thread do you think she uses? Or would it be staples?
ReplyDeleteI'll confess I'm scared of cooking big lumps of meat, mainly because I like my beef bloody rare, and it would break my heart (and my wallet) if I overcooked it.
The roast beast! Love it. :) I also love your step-by-step guide here...I'll admit to being like Sheila and being a little intimidated by large lumps of meat.
ReplyDeleteYeah, not sure what goes through Gaga's mind--but she's a marketing genius, for sure.
Reply to...
ReplyDelete@Sonia - Yes! Dr. Seuss's Grinch That Stole Christmas is exactly the source of my "Roast Beast" reference. (Ted Geisel was a genius, and I had the great pleasure of helping his publisher bring one of his books back into print, once upon a time.) Cheers for getting that! :)
~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
Cleo Coyle on Twitter
Replies to...
ReplyDelete@Sheila - Ha! Yes, I have speculated on how the dress was made. Given the politics of meat these days, everyone was nervous about commenting at the time--although many pronounced it a piece of modern art. I do know it was made of real meat, so I doubt the Smithsonian will be able to keep it in the same vault as Dorothy's ruby slippers.
@Elizabeth/Riley (and @Sheila) – On cooking big lumps o' meat: An instant read meat thermometer makes the process pretty foolproof. Digital thermometers are nice. Alton Brown uses a cool-looking one in every other Good Eats episode on the Food Network. But these can be rather pricey. We simply use a $5.00 stick thermometer. Does the job just fine.
(E & S) - Thanks to you both for your honesty about cooking roasts at home. That’s exactly why I thought a post like this might be of help. Home cooks of yesteryear used to make things like this every Sunday. Take-out and delis have made the very idea of roasting your own beef a rarity (get it “rare-ity”-–hey, no groaning, puns are my business). Anyway, I do find roasting “big lumps o’ meat” easy and economical, and I’m happy to bring a step-by-step method to anyone who wants to give it a try, too. :)
Cheers,
~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
Cleo Coyle on Twitter
I am a beast for roast beast ( cold beast sammies), although I draw the line at wearing it. Can't wait to try this! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteReply to...
ReplyDeleteMJ - LOL. Eating roast beast is a much better idea than wearing it, especially if you have hungry dogs in the house!
~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
Cleo Coyle on Twitter
Cleo, I never saw the Lady Gaga thing but not being considered another piece of meat is funny and poignant.
ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favorite meals is roast beef. Love this and the way you take it through step by step. Nice!
~Avery
I love roasts. I'd rather roast meat than cook it any other way. It's always so lovely and juicy. And there's something so Father Knows Best about carving it at the table.
ReplyDeleteHowever, given the way I clean after raw meat touches anything in my kitchen, I can't imagine the impracticality of wearing raw meat. I'd rather wear veggies!
~ Krista
I am a huge fan of big hunks of meat! Beautifully roasted, and the horsey sauce would also go well with some lovely ham slices. mmmm
ReplyDelete