Meat Fish Poultry Lab
Our lab this past week was obviously on Meats, Fish and Poultry! I know many of my readers /bloggers tend to be vegetarian ( I am slowly becoming flex-atarian) so you might not think much of this lab. However, this lab was interesting because we had to utilize different cooking methods that were appropriate for different types of meats. We used high quality meats that we had to purchase ourselves (well with a school credit card) at Whole Foods. so we knew the animals had been humanely treated, antibiotic free, cage free, etc. Other teams prepared completely different items: pork tenderloin, beef, chicken, tilapia, catfish… Our team was assigned to cook recipes that used a moist heat method (braising) for chicken breasts (lean poultry), a dry-heat method (searing) for Lamb Chops (medium fat meat) and a dry-heat method (grilling) for Salmon (a fattier fish). One student did convince our professor to try a tofu recipe, because in the field , we should be aware of how to cook plenty of “meat options”.
Looks can be deceiving though…
Tofu Marsala. It looked like it would be absolutely fabulous, but unfortunately..
This slice ended up in the trash after two mini bites. I know, tragedy. It had this odd texture, very watery and bland. I think squeezing out the excess water in tofu prior to cooking is a must, but I’m not sure if that was done or not! It would have given it a better texture and it also needed more salt. But, I didn’t prepare the recipe so I’m not sure what happened to it. All I know is that I was excited to try it but disappointed throwing it out.
Our lab team prepared this Braised Chicken with Celery Root and Garlic ( recipe link here) …and my job on the team was to do the Lamb Au Poivre. (recipe link here)
A section of the braised chicken with celery root..
I thought I would like the celery root as did my friends, but hardly any of us liked it! The chicken also turned out a little on the dry side which was unfortunate but common.
The lamb…
was moist, tender, flavorful and fun to cook! I really enjoyed the flavors of this recipe, and it was rather simple to make. You just roll the chop in crushed peppercorns and sear for two minutes on each side. You reduce the leftover juices with shallots and high-quality aged vinegar (or cognac) and voila. One issue we ran into for lab was overcooking the meat, indirectly, due to our timing /plating issue. In general, I think both teams that prepared this did a great job ( 
)
Our lab team also prepared Salmon with Mustard Vinaigrette (right , recipe link here) and another team marinated Flank Steak
The flank steak was cooked very well but I have had it before, so it wasn’t anything extra-ordinary. I think the flavors in our Salmon just didn’t mesh well for me.. although Amanda did a great job on it…
Salmon Spotlight:
another team focused on moist heat preparation of Tilapia: steamed on top of Escarole and Potatoes . ( recipe link here)
The tilapia was very moist and the greens underneath were really tasty, although quite salty. I would definitely try this recipe in the future.
Pork Tenderloin covered in Apples ( in photo below on top, recipe HERE) was amazing! The pork was cooked perfectly, juicy, tender and a fantastic job by the team! Unfortunately, no close up! Also covered in apples and in the photo below was Braised Chicken Thighs ( bottom) (recipe)
Up close: Fried Catfish (left) with Braised Chicken Thighs (right)
This chicken was much moister than our breast, obviously a contributing factor was the dark meat vs. white. The catfish (below) was outstanding! I have had freshly caught catfish before and definitely have had fried fish many times. This recipe was well balanced in saltiness, satisfying but not greasy, and really quite flavorful.
I am officially on Fall Break! It has been a crazy semester so far and I am looking forward to this break! I have lots to report but it will have to wait until this evening! I am off to the Raleigh District Dietetic Association’s kick-off dinner! I have been paired up to shadow a local R.D that has her PhD in Health Services and her Master’s in Public Health from UNC. It should be an interesting dinner and hopefully with no tofu marsala! 
