Stating the obvious – times are hard, and money is in short supply. The pandemic continues to wreak havoc on economies around the world. Many people are out of work while others are on reduced work schedules. Disrupted supply chains, and shortages, are the order of the day with the cost of food rising.
Unlike fruits, vegetables, and some herbs, meat is not a food item that’s seasonal. This means that there is never a time to capitalize on bargain prices because there is an abundance of meat. It is the most expensive item on a food-shopping list, especially if cooking for a family of meat lovers. Ground meat, also called minced meat, can be a cook’s best ingredient – it’s less expensive than whole cuts, chops and steaks and it’s great for stretching. The many ways in which minced meat can be prepared and served up offer the variety that cooks seek when thinking, what to cook today.
Minced meat comes in variety – beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, and depending on your location fish and shrimp. Right away you can see that each day you can cook a different meat; Here are some ways you can prepare them that makes eating minced meat exciting and delicious while keeping within budget. But before I do that, let me share this thought.
The type of minced meat most widely sold is ground beef. However, if you are serious about making things easy on your wallet, get back to basics – get a meat grinder, you know, that piece of equipment you remember your parents or grandparents having. If you don’t want to go old school and get a manual one, get yourself an electrical one. Treat this purchase as an investment and it will richly reward you. Come on, you spend a lot of money on other fancy kitchen tools and equipment. Airfryer anyone? With a meat grinder, consider the variety of minced meat you will be producing, and more importantly, you will be able to do your own quality control by knowing exactly what is being ground – meat with just the right amount of fat to yield a desirable flavour and texture when cooked, or all lean for a low-fat diet. For those of you with Kitchen Aid mixers, there is a meat grinder attachment sold separately, you might want to consider getting it. Here is the other thrilling part about grinding your own meat – you can make your own sausages too! Hello!
The many ways in which to prepare and cook ground meat are not new to you but it helps sometimes to see these things laid out all in one place so that we can grasp the impact and act, in this case – cook!
Burger patties – Imagine making not just the usual beef burgers but your own lamb burgers; chicken and turkey burgers for the non-red-meat eaters. Ground up some fish and shrimp and just like that you have seafood burgers too!
Meatballs – This is one of the easiest ways to cook minced meat; each meat has its own unique flavour, but you can use a plethora of herbs and spices, singly or in combination, to make each set of meatballs stand out. Think Chinese Five-spice meatballs or Jamaican Jerk-spiced meatballs as a start. You can even make large batches of meatballs and freeze them raw, so you always have them readily available.
The meatballs when made can be eaten as is or they can be cooked in sauces, stews, and curries. They can be stuffed between rolls or bread to make subs and sandwiches; or how about layering them with pasta to create meatball lasagna? In the vein of sticking the meat together – patties, balls — let’s think kebabs, seasoning the meat and skewering it to cook on an open flame, to grill and char.
Meatballs can really go the distance when you have little by stretching them, using fillers like fresh bread does double duty by providing tenderness and adding bulk to your meatballs.
Meatloaf – Just as there is variety in the flavouring of meatballs, so too is it in the making of meatloaf. Think of how you can stretch your money and meat by making a meatloaf to feed a large family; a nice thick slice is bound to fill and be fulfilling.
Minced meat as filling – We appreciate and love the appetizing nature of a traditional Guyanese beef and chicken patty or a Jamaican beef patty, or meat rolls but think of the other variety of minced meat patties that you can create. Also, in place of a pastry casing, the meat can be stuffed into wheat flour bread dough to make meat roll balls. Embedded with seasoned mashed cassava, potatoes or other ground provisions is yet another way of eating minced meat.
We must not leave out dishes such as Shepherd’s pie or Cottage pie, traditionally made with ground lamb. Other types of ground meats work too for this type of dish.
Greek-style stuffed peppers use rice and ground meat. There are many Asian-style stuffed vegetables that use ground meat as a filling as well as ground seafood. When we need inspiration as to what to make, we can also look to other cuisines that use ingredients with which we are familiar, for inspiration, and to add more variety to our diet.
Minced meat as sauce such as Bolognese for pasta is an easy meal to feed a large family or gathering; with a serving of garden salad, you have a complete and balanced meal. Make the sauce a little tighter (thicker) and you have the perfect thing to make sloppy joes.
As a topping, minced meat is perfect on pizzas and flatbreads; and a little goes a long way. Add some veggies and fruits to complement the meat and you have something everyone will enjoy.
Are you ready to cook some minced meat? Hold on! I have a few more ideas to share.
Stir fry the minced meat with herbs or spices and serve along with rice, noodles, or ground provisions; accompany the dish with a salad or some steamed vegetables. Chow Mein with minced meat is a comforting dish. The next time you want to make some beef fried rice, try
it with minced meat. I’ve made dirty rice with minced meat in place of liver and gizzards, but hey, those are minced meats too!
Sautéed vegetables are made tastier when cooked with minced meat – bora and mince, cabbage and mince, stuffed eggplant/baigan with mince, kalounjie (stuffed karaila/bitter melon).
See how many dishes and ways in which you can use minced meat? I am telling you, it is a win-win for stretching your dollar and it is a perfect way to get the daily protein you need without consuming overly large portions of meat.
You’ll never run out of ideas of what to cook with ground meat, not the way you may with a steak, chop, or roast.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
