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Slow Cooking Gets a Health Makeover

Dillon, MT (PRWeb) January 26, 2007 -- Propelled by a desire for back-to-basics foods and the hearty flavor of ingredients gradually intermingled in a lengthy cooking process, slow cooking is booming, especially at this time of year as the bone-chilling temperatures of late winter increase interest in homier, heart-warming fare.

As evidence of the trend, Rival, the nation’s leading manufacturer of crock-pots, reports that sales increased a record-breaking 20% over the past four years, hardly surprising, considering that this cookware has literally come to define what slow cooking is all about.

But while slow cooked foods certainly make one feel good, it’s only recently that home chefs have begun to look to make these dishes healthy for you, too. With beef stews a mainstay of slow cooking, consumers are starting to marry the technique with another important food trend – grass-fed Angus beef.

The result is easy to prepare dishes that have the enhanced real beef flavor of 100% grass-fed beef along with the significant nutritional advantages that the product offers compared to grain fed beef.

“Grass-fed beef lends itself exceptionally well to slow cooking,” says Chef Peter Hoffman, owner of Savoy restaurant in New York and Master Chef for La Cense® Beef, the leading brand of grass-fed beef. “The lower temperatures and extended cooking time of this technique are perfect for bringing out the true beef flavor offered by this product and transforms stews not just into a gourmet meal, but also into one that delivers distinct nutritional advantages over grain fed beef.”

Produced in Dillon, Montana, from select Black Angus cattle, La Cense Beef is not only all-natural and hormone-free, but also provides excellent nutritional value. Lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than grain fed beef, La Cense Beef is also higher in beta-carotenes and Omega-3 fatty acids.

And this winter, with consumers increasingly looking to buy grass-fed beef online, La Cense Beef is offering consumers a special opportunity to see what grass-fed beef is all about with the “Football Sunday Party Pack” which includes 24 Black Angus steak burger patties for the exclusive price of $63.60. Also, for a limited time, all customers will receive free shipping on any orders of $125 or more.
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La Cense Beef is delivered directly to your doorstep from the La Cense Montana Ranch by ordering online at www.lacensebeef.com or by calling 1-866-442-BEEF.

To help you get started in the slow cooking trend, and to transform your beef stews into both a gourmet and healthy treat, Chef Hoffman has developed this special slow-cooked stew recipe, created exclusively to highlight the flavor of La Cense Beef:

Spanish Style Braised La Cense Beef
Ingredients
2.25 lbs of La Cense Beef for Kabobs
1 bottle red wine
2 oz pancetta cut into small rectangles

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 large carrot cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 celery rib cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves of garlic fine sliced
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon fennel
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
1" cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon peppercorns
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon pernod
2 tablespoon port

Preparation

Marinate the beef in red wine overnight. During the marinating process, turn the meat at least once. After marinating, drain the beef and reserve the wine. Dry the meat with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a Dutch oven or any other large heavy bottom pot to medium-high and add olive oil. Add the pancetta to the pot and sauté until golden. Remove pancetta from pan and set-aside.

Turn the heat up to high and add your cubes of beef. Cook the meat until it is brown on all sides. Remove beef and hold with the pancetta.

Add the vegetables and the spices. Brown lightly. Pour off almost all the fat. Add the flour and allow to brown. Deglaze with the vinegar. Add the red wine from the marinade. Add the meat and the pancetta. Bring to a boil. Cover and lower the temperature.

Then allow the meat to cook very slowly for 3-4 hours. Check whether or not the meat is tender by inserting a paring knife into the meat. If the meat still grabs onto the knife it needs more time. But, if the knife pulls away and leaves the meat it should be done. Remove the meat. Strain out the vegetables and hold them.

Skim the sauce of its fat and reduce to a nice sauce consistency. Add the port and the pernod. Reduce again and balance the flavors with a bit of red wine vinegar and salt. Serve with roasted or boiled potatoes.

Contact: Bill Daddi
Daddi Brand Communications
(212) 404-6619
(917) 620-3717

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