Mincing meat and fast food matters
In my old age, I have become a food geek, even more than when I was a cowboy chef. Nowadays, I insist on making my own minced meat. “Because I know what goes in it!” Not a single mouthful of Bolognese will cross my lips if I haven’t produced the main ingredient with my own hands. If I were a touch younger, I could perhaps go to the extreme of owning my own cattle farm to be totally in charge of the provenance of the meat on my plate.
A bit drastic, I know, but I seem to have developed a deep aversion to processed foods made with contents over which I have no control. Yes, I do eat cheese and other processed things because, let’s be honest, I can’t make everything. But, as a form of silent protest, once a week or so, I get out the mincer that I bought from eBay a few months ago and let it do all the hard work. Well, I have to assemble the machine, cut the meat into manageable pieces, feed them through it, and, when I’m finished, disassemble it, wash and thoroughly dry all the separate components, clean the chopping board, bench, knife and I’m done. “See, I have enough mince for at least a panful of Bolognese and half a dozen genuine burgers, you know!” I get the same reaction as when I walk on a freshly mopped kitchen floor.
The dish might taste exactly the same as when I used to cook it with shop-bought minced meat, but with every mouthful, my taste buds will be singing in praise of my hard work and the knowledge of what went into the mince. You see, in my retirement, I have to fill my time with other pleasurable pursuits apart from cycling or singing bass with Hartlepool Male Voice Choir. Have I mentioned that I won the Choir’s meat draw a couple of Fridays ago for the second time in two years? The piece of beef was far too small for a Sunday dinner, so out came the mincer!
I understand that not everybody has the time to do things from scratch in this busy world of ours. Society has made it so easy to grab a few ready meals off a supermarket shelf or simply call a takeaway delivery service. I know that I am fighting a losing battle against so-called progress, but revolutions have always started when a few people have risen against the march of time. Am I starting to sound like a Luddite?
When it comes to takeaway meals, although I have had a few; in the past, I rarely think of ordering any these days. If I am hungry, I open the fridge door and, depending on what is in, within less than fifteen minutes, I will be sat in front of the telly, enjoying some satisfyingly fast food. The alternative, just as speedy, is to fish out something from the freezer. I usually cook large meals and freeze the excess in individual portions for emergencies or for when I cannot be bothered to cook.
Another bugbear of mine not to say extreme pet hate, while we are on the subject, is ready-sliced bagels. Whoever started the trend of pre-slicing those delicious pastries must have decided to shield people from the dangers presented by sharp breadknives. Come on!