The phone rang while I was away at a conference recently. It was Giuliano. “Lael,” he said, “why is there a box of beef at our door”?  Oops…

Social media is a great thing!  Through twitter I had met the director of Rocky Mountain Organic Meat, our tweeting each other had led to a phone call where I learned about his mail-order-only grass-fed beef.  Rocky Mountain Organics is based near the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming and the company works with the “tribes” to make sure that their cows are certified organic.  A certified organic cow is one that has been raised on land that remains in its natural state.  In addition, the cattle are tracked from birth to consumption and there is a long list of what the cattle may not eat.  Upon learning that this meat is VERY lean, I was a bit skeptical.   I like marbling on my meat; I wasn’t sure how I was going to like meat this lean.  Rod generously offered to send me some.   Hence the phone call from my husband.

We were sent “one of each”.  There was some ground meat, some tenderloin, a flank steak and a NY strip.  There were even samples of jerky.  I had grandiose ideas of a feast, but Giuliano looked at me bemusedly and told me that each cut would just about feed our family of four.

The arrival of the meat coincided with a family gathering.  My in laws, Victor and Marcella Hazan were coming over to celebrate Michela’s 7^th birthday and Labor Day.  We had asked Michela what she wanted to eat in celebration and she had said, “broccoflower pasta and meat”.   We were happy to oblige.  Giuliano grilled the flank steak and made a tagliata out of the NY strip.

The verdict was positive.  The meat had a rich flavor and a firm texture that spoke of the place where it was raised: much like a wine, its terroir.  Victor was reminded of a neighbor he had who was from Argentina.  Apparently the neighbor had always complained that American meat was too tender, and that a good steak in Argentina, considered the capital of flavorful beef, was something you could sink your teeth into. Victor was confident his neighbor would have enjoyed this meat.  Marcella who is soon to be 87 proclaimed that one needed “50 year old teeth” to chew this meat.  Indeed, it didn’t just melt away, it had texture and flavor.

A few nights later, Giuliano made meatballs out of the ground meat. Meatballs in Italy are not served “on top of spaghetti”, but as their own dish.  In our house, we serve them with rice. Creating meatballs is a great family activity, so our children joined in which also helped to vary the size.  They were very flavorful and we all gave them a thumbs up.

In addition to providing the meat for our tasting table, Rocky Mountain Organic Meat generously offered to sponsor our first giveaway.   This contest ran from September 27- October 12, 2010 when we had  our daughter, Michela, pull out a name.  The winner  received a 10-pound box of beef from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats.  Please read until after the recipe, the post has been updated to announce the winner and gives her views on the meat.

Meatballs with Tomatoes and Peas

@Giuliano Hazan

These tender, delicate meatballs are comfort food at its best.  This recipe, with minor variations, has passed from generation to generation in my family.  I learned it from my mother, who learned it from her mother, and it is a favorite of our children, who already make it with us.

Preparation time:  35 minutes

Total time from start to finish:  one hour

Serves 4 (makes about 20 meatballs)

1 slice plain white bread

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 tablespoon finely chopped yellow onion

1 pound ground beef chuck

1 large egg

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice

1 1/4 pounds fresh peas in the pod or 7 ounces frozen peas

1. Cut away the crust from the slice of bread and put the bread and milk in a small bowl.

2.  Peel and finely chop the onion.  Mash the bread and milk to a pulp with your fingers and put it in a large bowl with the ground meat, onion, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and nutmeg.  Season with salt and pepper and thoroughly mix everything together with your hands.  Form the mixture into small compact meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

3.  Put the breadcrumbs in a small shallow bowl and roll each meatball in it until coated on all sides.

4.  Put the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan that will accommodate all the meatballs snugly and place over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot carefully slide in about half of the meatballs using a large spoon.  Lightly brown them on all sides and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining meatballs.

5.  Pour off most of the oil from the pan leaving just enough to coat the bottom.  Return the pan to medium heat and add the tomatoes, breaking them into small pieces with the spoon.  Lightly season the tomatoes with salt then return all of the meatballs to the pan.  Adjust the heat so that the tomatoes simmer and cover the pan with the lid slightly askew.  Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the meatballs once, after about 5 minutes.

6. If using fresh peas shell them.  Add the peas and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes if using frozen peas, or 20-25 minutes if using fresh peas, until they are tender.  Serve hot with good crusty bread or rice.

Note: These meatballs can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.  If reheating over the stove, add a couple of tablespoons of water to prevent them from drying out.

*** YEAH We have a winner!  Allison Silver of Sarasota won our FIRST ever giveaway!   Thank you to Grassfed organics for making this possible.