Another food post (with a touch of Yom Kippur)

[magid]

(Because how long can I go without talking about food, after all? ;-)

I found a chunk of cow at the Butcherie labeled "Moc (sic) Tenderloin." Anyone know (a) what this might actually be, and/or (b) how to cook it? I don't have a lot of experience cooking red meat... right now I'm assuming that putting it in a covered casserole with some root veggies and roasted tomatoes might yield something good, but perhaps that's not the right approach?

Thanks to bitty and bubblebabble, I now have actual Bendick's Bittermints! They are fabulous, the Platonic ideal of a York Peppermint Patty (think more intense mint, less sweet, and way dark chocolate). Not only were they wonderful in bringing me these, they let me try a Gingermint as well, which was rather like chocolate-dipped ginger, but with a different texture inside. Lovely.

I happened to eat Too Much Pasta Thursday, then a pre-fast meal that was protein, fat, and non-starchy vegetables (skin-on chicken thighs baked with onion, garlic, and collards, plus topped with already-slow-roasted tomatoes). It was the easiest Yom Kippur* fast I've had in a long time, though with a touch of headache once or twice. Overall, the hungries passed quickly, not getting too intense until about half an hour before the fast ended, by which time it was clearly not going to be a problem. And that was despite my stupid habit of standing for repetition and Torah reading, which ended up being 6–7 hours or so.

* Liturgically, this year I ended up leaving Tehillah YK night because it was not what I wanted (I do not want every single phrase that can be sung to a tune, however happy, to be sung, nor do I want what felt like more ecstatic forms of music either. (This on top of a space that was ill-lit, ill-ventilated, acoustically challenging, and faced west.) It was apparent that a lot of other people like this, though; I was obviously in the minority. So in the morning I went to Harvard, and was much happier with the style of davening, even though the shatz for musaf didn't do the counting part of repetition out loud, and the shatz for mincha was speedier than heck, leaving us another half hour break after mincha in addition to the two hour break before. The shatz for neilah, though not of the best voice, is someone who knows how to lead, and it was excellent, everyone coming together, finally saying Avinu Malkenu after not the rest of the day due to Shabbat, and the end repeated phrases ringing out in unison. It was wonderful.

I'm headed out to the farm to do some picking. I'll report back what I get tonight.

Comments

[mrn613.livejournal.com]

I know the cut you are talking about, it looks a little bit like a guitar pick or a fish scale, thin and tapering, right? It is the piece of meat that is on the outside of the prime rib, opposite the rib. They remove that piece and the fat to make a "rib-eye" steak. Usually it is served broiled sliced with an onion sauce ladeled over. In restaurants it is sold as "le surprise" steak.

[magid.livejournal.com]

It's more of a long roast shape, like a longer-than-tall loaf of bread, and less like a steak. Unless they've done a particularly obfuscatory job of packaging, of course.

[mrn613.livejournal.com]

hmm well braising sounds good, enjoy!

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Sounds like eye round to me, likely tenderized. The non Kosher butcher in Malden takes eye round, slices it, tenderizes the meat and sells it as 'mock tenderloin'. Texture is closer to Swiss steak than actual steak. Caveat: I have no idea if the Butcherie has decided to do the same thing.

[arfur]

FWIW, on DW I'm <user name="arfur">.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Any suggestions for how to get the most out of this?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Just to make cross-posting that much more challenging.... :-)

[(Anonymous)]

Is there any reason not to ask the folks at The Butcherie?

[magid.livejournal.com]

None at all, but I'm not there, and I get the impression that a phone question won't be as effective as asking in person.

[cellio]

Your comment about Avinu Malkeinu reminds me of a question. I heard this year (after YK) that when YK is on Shabbat one is not supposed to beat the chest during ashamnu. This was news to me. Can you confirm, and if so do you happen to know why?

[magid.livejournal.com]

I've never heard that one wouldn't beat the chest during vidui, whether on Shabbat or not. The only major differences I know of are
1. no Avinu Malkenu except in Neilah
2. added phrases in amidah about this being Shabbat
3. saying Yekum Purkan as on regular Shabbat morning services

[(Anonymous)]

Perhaps not, but I've had good luck with them on the phone for other purposes. And while you can't show them the cut as you would have had you asked while there, they are the ones who labeled it with that name and ought to generally know to what you are referring.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm hoping to get to The Butcherie today. If it's possible for me to ask, would you like me to ask for you?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Sure, thank you!

(Though at this point, I should put it in the freezer, since the one meal I'm definitely hosting for first days is going to feature fish....)

[cellio]

Thanks. Shabbat additions and no Avinu Malkeinu (until the end) were familiar to me, but not this other item. I'll ask for a source next time it comes up. :-)

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't get there yesterday but this afternoon instead.

Ralph tells me the cut is an "eye roast." I asked from what part of the cow it comes, and he told me "shoulder chuck."

His advice was: don't overcook it, it is a very lean piece of meat, not a lot of fat, if overcooked it will be dry.

His advice continued: start it on the stove, brown it on all sides, then put it into the oven, maybe 400 degrees, don't overcook, until temperature is 120 or 125 degrees.

Of course he mentioned needing a pan that could go from stove-top to oven, and when I asked, said cast iron would be fine.

Also, for anyone interested, there was a notice on the door of The Butcherie that the founder of the shop, Max Gelerman, died and the funeral would be (was, at this point) at 3:00 today, Erev Sukkot, at Levine's chapel.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Thank you for getting all the cut information! I don't have a fleishig pot that will cope with both stovetop and oven, but I should be able to figure something out. Or perhaps there is some way to cook it with some fat to preserve flavor.

Baruch Dayan Emet.