Farm-fresh

TV producer finds new way to promote prairie-raised beef

The

Bill Kurtis cookbook

It’s been about five years since Bill Kurtis became a cheerleader for grass-fed beef.

He was working on a documentary when he learned about the grass-fed movement.

“I immediately said, ‘This is what I want to do,'” Kurtis recalls. “It’s good for the environment, good for family farmers and good for your health.”

So the full-time TV producer, part-time beef producer converted his 10,000-acre ranch near Sedan to a grass-fed operation and began operating under the name Tallgrass Beef Company.

And in doing so, he added a high-profile name to the list of supporters of grass-fed beef.

“I realize I bring something to the party that the ranchers don’t have, and that’s visibility and marketing,” Kurtis says. “I can be a spokesman.”

New cookbook

Kurtis, who grew up in the southeast Kansas town of Independence, has found a new way to promote the prairie-raised beef – a cookbook. “The Prairie Table Cookbook,” which he co-wrote with Bartlesville, Okla., historian Michelle M. Martin, is about to hit bookstores.

The authors will be in Lawrence on Friday to sign copies of the book.

Kurtis admits he’s still new at the cattle business, and he’s learned a lot in the past decade since buying his Red Buffalo Ranch. A graduate of Kansas University, Kurtis has spent his career in television, including serving as anchor of “CBS Morning News” and producer of such A&E Television Network programs as “Investigative Reports” and “Cold Case Files.”

“The Prairie Table Cookbook” is, in fact, part cookbook and part history book. Martin, a former faculty member at Fort Scott Community College, scoured historical resources, including military guides, women’s journals and newspapers, to get a sense for what people ate in 19th century Kansas.

Recipes and other information from her research are included in the book, as well as modern takes on recipes – mainly involving beef, though some side dishes as well – from well-known chefs such as Rick Bayless and Charlie Trotter. There also are recipes from celebrities, including Will Rogers and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

‘Great adventure’

Martin says many of the historical recipes come from the Army, homesteaders and cowboys.

“The beef that the Tallgrass Beef Company raises is exactly like the beef that would have been raised then,” she says. “(Kurtis) sent me on this great adventure to discover the beef of the past, and now we’re coming full circle and taking what was old and making it new again.”

Those preparing food in 1800s Kansas had to overcome the fact that refrigeration was hard – if not impossible – to come by.

“The Army can come up with more ways to salt, boil and preserve beef,” Martin says.

But early settlers often overcame those issues. Martin remembers finding a letter a pioneer woman wrote back to her family in the East, bragging that she could make light and fluffy pancakes – despite lacking eggs and milk.

“When people read the 19th century recipes and think about how labor-intensive it had to be,” Martin says, “they’ll be really thankful when they go into their own kitchen and have a ceramic flat-cook top and a microwave and a garbage disposal and all these conveniences we have.”

Benefits of grass-fed

Kurtis calls grass-fed beef an “alternative to the industrial agricultural model.” He also loves to tell the story of grass-raised cattle.

“There’s a trend these days into storied foods – food stories,” Kurtis says. “And we certainly have it. If you consider grass-fed beef and the story of grass-fed, and trace it back to its source, you only have to go back 60 years when all cattle were raised on grass.”

That was the case until the 1940s, when there was a surplus of corn, and the U.S. government gave the surplus to ranchers. What people found, Kurtis says, was that the corn-raised beef was marbled with good-tasting fat.

However, he says, the feedlot model led to problems with disease, and the beef wasn’t as healthy as it was before.

Kurtis rattles through the health benefits of eating grass-fed beef: It’s lower in saturated and total fat; it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help cardiovascular health; and it has higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an antioxidant.

And there’s another benefit, Kurtis says.

“This stuff tastes good, and surprisingly, because it’s kind of had a gamy reputation in the past, and tough,” he says. “But the genetics helped us solve that.”

More specifically, his ranch has focused on breeds of cattle that were historically grass-fed, which he says has helped the taste.

But he hopes people will try it for themselves – and he thinks the Lawrence market is key in spreading the word.

“We want to be part of the movement,” Kurtis says. “And KU and Lawrence is a prime target for that.”

Hearty heartland fare

Recipe from “The Prairie Table Cookbook”:

Chicken fried steak

2 pounds of lean round steak, 1/2 inch thick, run through tenderizer 2 times

2 to 3 packs of saltine crackers, finely crumbled

2 to 3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Butter-flavored cooking oil, 1/2 inch deep in skillet

Lawry’s Seasoning salt

Lemon pepper

Coarse ground pepper

Gravy:

3 to 4 tablespoons of flour

4 to 6 cups of milk

Salt, course ground pepper to taste

Start with a 2 pounds cut of lean round steak, 1/2 inch thick. Have the butcher run it through the tenderizer 2 times – this is very important. Cut steak into pieces approximately 2 inches by 3 inches. Will serve 6 to 8 people.

Put saltine crackers in a ziplock bag and with a rolling pin, roll the crackers into fine crumbs. Place the crumbs in a round cake pan.

Break eggs into a bowl, add 1/2 cup of milk and whisk until thoroughly blended.

Dip each piece of meat into the egg mix coating both sides. Then place the meat into the cracker crumb pan and press it into the crumbs on both sides with your fingers so that the cracker crumbs make a good coating on the meat. The meat will spread out to approximately 3 inches by 4 inches in size. Prepare all of the meat in this manner stacking the pieces on a platter.

In a large skillet, heat butter-flavored cooking oil at a 1/2-inch depth over a medium-high heat. Place the pieces arranged loosely in pan. Season with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, coarse ground pepper and lemon pepper. Cook to medium golden brown on both sides. Don’t overcook.

For gravy: Prepare white gravy in the skillet by removing excess oil but be sure to leave 3 or 4 tablespoons on remaining crumbs. Mix 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour in the remaining drippings until all flour is blended with the oil and reaches a paste consistency. Add 4 to 6 cups of milk and stir mixture over a medium to a medium-high heat until it reaches a medium consistency. You might need to add more milk. Season with salt and course ground pepper to taste. Will serve 6 to 8 people.

Source: Jim Sherer, mayor, Dodge City, Kansas

Beef Roll-ups with whiskey butter sauce

For roll-ups:

Flank steak (approximately 2 pounds), pounded to 1/4 inch thin

3-4 tablespoons minced garlic

3-4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 large eggs plus 2 tablespoons water to make egg wash

2 cups bread crumbs (finely processed)

1/2 pound deli sliced Havarti cheese

On each strip place a small strip of cheese, top with garlic and parsley, roll up and secure with toothpicks.

Dip in egg wash and roll in bread crumbs to coat. Deep-fry in peanut oil at 350 degrees until golden brown about 6 minutes. I keep them hot on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven while the remaining are cooking.

Serve with whiskey butter sauce topped with sprigs of fresh parsley to garnish.

For whiskey butter sauce:

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 cups whiskey

1 1/2 cups cold butter cut into pieces

In a large skillet, add garlic, shallots and whiskey. Carefully place over the flame and cook until reduced by 2/4. Allow the flames to die down. Remove from fire and begin whisking in the butter. Return to heat occasionally to heat the mixture slightly, continuing until all the butter is added and the mixture is smooth.

– Source: Judy Tolbert, Sedan