This is from a girl who was, for over seven years, a vegetarian. It began because I seemed to get sick after eating meat. However as I started learning and being aware of how meat was processed, it turned me off even more. I tended to be quiet about my opinions, citing health reasons, as environmental reasons seemed to only raise ire in people who were more into arguing than discussing. Most people were pretty cool about it. A cousin, now a vegetarian herself, once asked me if I was a Vulcan. She meant vegan. I wasn’t a vegan, but I REALLY wish I were a Vulcan. (Oh Spock, our forbidden interplanetary love can know no bounds.)
Being a generally heartless and morbid individual I’ve never abstained from meat out of concern for the deaths of animals themselves. Quick and painless is the ideal, but the actual killing of the animal doesn’t really concern me. The conditions in which they are kept previous to their deaths is paramount. Aside from the health and environment risks associated with factory farming, I think that treating an animal well during its life is just the right thing to do. I mean, chickens are pretty stupid animals, but they were probably as smart as my hamster (RIP Mr.Hamilton) and I at least took the time to clean his cage out.
However my life changed significantly during my time in Vermont. Living so close to many humane organic and non-organic farms, I saw that there were situations where livestock was being raised in conditions that I agreed with. With the thought being that you essentially vote with your dollar, I decided that it was time to make a shift back to meat and a change from Vegetarianism to the life of a Conscientious Omnivore, in part to support the efforts like I mentioned. It wasn’t an especially easy change, but it was one that I’ve remained dedicated to. Also, bacon is delicious.
I used to eat a pretty wide variety of meat. Having tendency towards anemia for some reason, my diet used to be lean beef heavy. I’m also kind of a seafood junkie, although I’m also very aware of over-fishing issues. (To the point that I am REALLY annoying to order sushi with. Yes, I’m one of those wackos with a chart that tells you what fish is an eco-danger and what is high in mercury.)In the past few years many things have changed. I now live with a boyfriend who isn’t crazy for beef, though he likes it well enough, and in New York, where things are generally pricy and fish is even more so. Plus the phrase “Discount Seafood” should never be uttered.
And so, almost by default, we’ve become chicken dependant. I’ll admit it. Trader Joes sells big bags of ice-glazed chicken breasts that are hormone free (as all poultry and pork in the US are) and raised without antibiotics. Though I am currently trying to find out more information about what specific farms this chicken comes from, no antibiotics are very a good sign. If animals are kept in cramped and dirty conditions they are extremely prone to infection and antibiotics are needed to keep them from dying off in massive numbers.
That being said it leaves me with an epicurean dilemma. How do I keep making the same basic ingredient interesting when you are eating it night after night. In actuality, it’s been a really great way to expand my cooking repertoire and to break out Martha Stewart’s cook book and of course Julia Child. Last night however I had a brain storm.
While chatting online with a friend living in California, I mentioned my issue. He recommended a site where you enter a few ingredients you have in your house and it bounces back recipes that contain those items.
I typed in chicken breast, my heart a flutter with hope. It responded back with “sausage!” I shook my head. I do not have sausage you stupid recipe robot! But then it struck me. My grandparents had made sausage, why couldn’t I? I mean, granted, I didn’t have the tubes, but I could make patties! And I didn’t have a food processor but uhmm…we’ll get to that later. I found this video, which honestly reminded me a lot of my own Italian American family, and decided to try it.
Italians Making Sausage
So I went home, and despite BF thinking I was crazy I began to chop up the defrosted chicken breasts into little pieces and put them into a cleaned out coffee grinder, turning them into an almost paste. I know! I know! Coffee grinder?!? I cleaned everything out afterwards, and I know it’s not the best way but I was IMPROVISING OK. I AM THE BROKE ASS MILES DAVIS OF COOKING.
In the spirit of having a rock and roll cookbook, I have decided to recommend an album and or artist along with any recipe I post.
(This is my idea, don’t fn’ steal it. I thought of it today 10/11/10. If you do I will hunt you down!)
Due to this idea’s IA roots with a New York rock twist I have chosen Santo and Johnny. Yeah I know, it’s old. It’s not what you’d think of when you hear “Rock and Roll” but it counts and it’s my blog and I’ll do as I please. I like old music.
Buy Santo and Johnny
Santo And Johnny’s Chicken Slider Sausage
Put 2 chicken Breasts in a food processor, and by pulsing, make into an “almost paste” NOT A GOO.
1 Tsp Basil
1 Tsp Parsley
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Black Pepper (I think I usually would have done a ½ tsp but F loves black pepper)
1/3 cup of red wine vinegar.
2 Medium Garlic Cloves, minced
Then I just got my hands in there, mixed it all together and formed them into patties that were about the size of the palm of my hand. Two chicken breasts yield 4 patties.
Then I pan cooked them in a tablespoon of olive oil in a fry pan
Pretty easy all-in-all and I got to use the phrase “Help me prepare the meat paste.”
I sautéed red and green peppers (I am IA therefore all sausage must be prepared with peppers. We were out of onion.) made some brown rice as well as collard greens with ginger.
It took like, 45 mins start to finish and was a pretty tasty meal, only briefly interrupted by a hail-storm of epic proportions.
Hooray New York.
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