Salisbury Steak!

[hedgetrimmer]

Crappy food with a real nice name. Perhaps,a glorified hamburger. Doesn't matter, most people (myself included) won't know the history of that food nor it's importance to our culture. Most may know what it is and even be able to move that salty memory across their tongues. To me the ins and outs of politics is very much like Salisbury Steak. We know what it is (kinda) and we eat it when we have to, but we don't know sh*t about it. We can be all preachy about what onions to use, what level of fat in our ground meat etc. etc. etc. and we can all sit back and critique it. It's when you get down to make that gravy, rich, fatty, salty gravy that things get real complex. Like politics it's easier to get that canned gravy fortified with eight essential vitamins and minerals and a few ingredients that only a chemist could pronounce. But thats ok, because it's what we know, sitting on the outside of a partial blind thinking, "hmmm this is edible, kinda" while the hunters are on the inside of the blind eating beef tenderloin.
Then there are those with that killer knowledge, that can grab the frond from the bottom of the pan and whip up an amazing gravy with shallots and a bit o'wine... (hot damn, and I've already eaten). Those chefs of life can cook up storms for the masses, engage their palates to explore beyond the horizons of buy-rite's .79 cent can of brown gravy. They will tantalize, they will be boring and have their noses in books, they will know how to navigate any kitchen or legal mumbo jumbo, they as we all need to is get up off our complacent Stouffer's Salisbury Steak Dinner eating asses and whip up some mean ass gravy.



Want to know more about Salisbury? http://www.foodreference.com/html/artsalisburystk.html

[Odin2005]

1. The term originated as a patriotic euphemism for hamburger during WW1.

[hedgetrimmer]

3. Do you have a link for that?

[DeSwiss]

10. K&R

Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Salisbury

:)

[Boswell]

4. you kind of have it turned around

during WWII they called hamburgers Salisbury Steak's, sort of the same way "freedom fries" were in use. that's how I recall it anyway :)

[Mimosa]

2. Interesting article, Hedgetrimmer. (I've linked to recipe.)

I'd forgotten how good Salibury steak can be, especially made with chopped sirloin. :) That was a mainstay of the school cafeterias when i was in school. Back then they actually cooked, and cooked well. Salisbury steak is wonderful and addictive when served with homemade mashed potates. And peas and carrots are the proper 'school lunch' type accompaniment!

A recipe:

http://www.food.com/recipe/the-very-best-salisbury-steak-56694

Somebody in the comments section at the link below says you can use ground turkey with the recipe. (That would kick up up the flavour of ground turkey) The one at this link suggests serving with egg noodles, too:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Salisbury-Steak-with-Onion-Gravy

[hedgetrimmer]

5. Thanks for the speakeasy. O" yeah and those recipes, too.

[immoderate]

7. It's meat loaf...

...with a magniloquent name. :)

--imm

[Edweird]

6. Mmm. I'll take mine with mashed potatos, green beans and ice cold milk.

Yummy.

[hedgetrimmer]

8. Gravy on them taters?

[Edweird]

14. All I need is salt and pepper - unless the 'gravy' is more like 'au jus'.

If that's the case, put the meat and taters in a bowl and pour the au jus over it like cereal.....

[RKP5637]

9. Kept me alive during my college days. Back then was good and was

cheap. I got the frozen kind and popped them into the microwave,

[applegrove]

11. Yup I love it still. When I buy frozen dinners that is definitely at the top of my list.

[hedgetrimmer]

12. Don't forget fast, easy and no clean up!

[handmade34]

13. why I don't eat meat...

I know what Salisbury Steak is and where it comes from...

[Mimosa]

17. Not all ground meats are the same.

Coleman Natural ground beef is in no way comparable to the variously sourced (and many kinds of parts) 'ground beef' put out by Cargill or IPB.

http://www.colemannatural.com/

Costco's organic ground beef is a pretty clean product, too.

There was a thorough ground beef topic on D.U. a while back when a e coli outbreak happened. Here is a very good NYT investigative article which was referenced in it. This is still the best article on meat safety.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html?_r=1

Some people just can't stay healthy on a completely vegetarian diet. Good for those who can. :)

[flvegan]

15. You're right. Most people don't know shit about their food.

It's sad, really. Nothing against folks wanting/needing cheap calories/protein.

[hedgetrimmer]

20. Yep, kinda like politics!

[pokerfan]

16. Hello there children. How would you like some Salisbury steak?

[Honeycombe8]

18. I never liked salisbury steak. And now I don't eat beef at all. One more cow lives! nt

[pansypoo53219]

19. i once had a very good salibury steak at a family style restaurant

shriner's in fondu lac, Wi. i deduced cause i cook it was about 1/2 ketchup, 1/2 steak sauce and an onion baked with a 'meatloaf'ish hamburger. i have made it myself w/ a little wine, a little of this, a little of that. very tasty, tho i use my grandma's meatball recipe.
sadly i went a few years later + they had made it different + bad.

[dmr]

21. Gravy Train is what my mom called it

She'd fry up ground sirloin with onions & garlic like you would if you were making a spaghetti sauce. Salt, pepper & a dash of soy sauce.

Sometimes she'd thicken it with flour or serve on mashed potatoes au jus. She always added the potato water to make the gravy or au jus.

I make it the same way, but also add beef bullion & use a lot of onions. It's comfort food for me. I introduced it to my son's girlfriend & she loves it as much as me. She made some for her parents & siblings, & they enjoyed it.

It's poor people's food. Tasty & very filling. Mom's mom use to make it. Mom lived through both World Wars.

[hedgetrimmer]

22. Salisbury Steak and Politics, anybody hungry?