Four companies own nearly 80% of the plant-based meat market.
“Plant-based meat brands are hardly an alternative to the current system if they continue to entrench corporate power,” concludes the Food & Water Watch report. “It shows the futility of voting with your dollar,” Starbuck said.
It’s a concern echoed in the IPES-Food report, which says corporate control threatens to undermine gains from reducing reliance on animals by replicating some of the problems of the traditional meat industry, including mass-produced, monocultured ingredients and energy-consuming methods. Increases in meat alternatives could “reinforce the power relations that keep current systems in place, and fail to address the question of how systemic changes will be achieved,” notes the report.
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RECIPE: Jacques’s Boeuf Bourguignon (from Fake Meat by Isa Chandra Moskowitz)
Is Julia Child smiling down on us for this one? Probably not. But damn, it’s delicious. All the wine-kissed smoky satisfaction that you want in boeuf Bourguignon. Jackfruit is grilled and charred to rep the meat, along with its trusty sidekick, porcini mushrooms. Lentils add beefy body and smoked paprika brings that bacon kick that vegans love so much. Toasting slices of garlic for this stew creates big, garlicky bites that really make it, so don’t you dare mince it instead. Pearl onions are an iconic component to Julia’s recipe, so I use them here. They’re cooked on the grill right after the jackfruit so that you aren’t using too many dishes. But if you leave them out, no big deal. Julia is already disappointed in us so it can’t get any worse. Serve over ridiculous amounts of mashed potatoes.
Serves 6 to 8
2 (20-ounce/570 g) cans green jackfruit, packed in water
6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil
Salt
2 cups (260 g) pearl onions
2 cups (230 g) sliced shallots
¼ cup (35 g) sliced garlic
2 cups (280 g) peeled and sliced carrots, in ¼-inch coins
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ cups (360 ml) dry red wine
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup (95 g) uncooked green or brown lentils
1 ounce (28 g) dried porcini mushrooms
5 cups (1.2 liters) vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (13 g) chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
HOT TAKE
Double-check that the jackfruit is canned in water, not in syrup. You don’t want any sweetness here; even if you wash it off, it would still be super weird.
Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Pat dry. Remove and discard the core from the jackfruit pieces; it looks kind of like a seed. Toss the rest in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and a big pinch of salt.
Preheat a cast-iron grill over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place the jackfruit in as much of a single layer as possible. You will need to do this in two batches. Grill for about 5 minutes, until charred and smoky, then use a thin metal spatula to toss and grill again for 3 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to add back later. Repeat with the second batch.
In the same bowl used for the jackfruit, toss the pearl onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt to coat. Place them on the hot grill. Let cook until softened and charred in some spots, flipping occasionally, about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat a 4-quart (3.8 liter) pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the shallots and a pinch of salt in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and sauté for about 5 more minutes. Add thyme, bay leaves, smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt and toss around for a minute.
Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spatula, and bring to a boil. The liquid should reduce in about 3 minutes. While it’s reducing, grind in ample amounts of fresh black pepper.
Add the lentils, porcinis, broth, and tomato paste, cover the pot, and bring to a full boil for 5 minutes or so. Lower the heat, leaving the lid ajar for steam to escape, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
In a measuring cup, mix the flour into ½ cup (120 ml) water with a fork until no lumps are left. Slowly add the water-flour slurry to the pot, mixing it in well. Let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. If it appears too thick, thin with a little water.
Mix in the reserved jackfruit and pearl onions and heat through. Shut off the heat and let the stew hang out for about 15 minutes, for the flavors to marry. Serve with mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley.
Bestselling author Isa Chandra Moskowitz shows you how to create your own vegan meats, like deli slices and ground beef, that will satisfy every craving
“I’m an animal lover and that love doesn’t end when I get hungry. Do I miss meat? Not really. But here’s what I do miss: Aromas. Experiences. Methods. Traditions.
“I remember all the tastes and sensations from my omnivore days, even though they were so long ago. My grandmother’s meatballs, burnt on one side. Slurpy seafood pasta at a café along the bay, my teeth scraping against the hard oyster shells. My favorite pizza burger from a diner underneath a Midtown office building, the feel of the vinyl seat as I bounced with excitement at the sight of the melty mozz arriving at the table.
“These are the moments you could say I miss. Maybe you do, too. But we don’t have to.”
—from the Introduction
Fake Meat is packed with 125 recipes that will satisfy every kind of meat craving, from a vegan Philly cheesesteak and a basket of wings to a rich, gooey lasagna.
For more information, click here.
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