20th August 2008
S.O.L.E. is the buzz food term of 2008, but eating well with the keys words - sustainable, organic, local and ethical - in mind can be a challenge.
Red meat, though we know it’s good for us doesn’t typically lend itself to the SOLE movement but excitingly, kangaroo meat does.
Now forget the mental ‘Coat of Arms’ stigma, even a Greenpeace sponsored report, is in favour of eating our favourite cute and furry. Kangaroos eat the same foods as cattle and sheep (and less of it); yet produce no nasty methane gases that warm our planet and their soft feet don’t damage the land either. Now if that wasn’t enough, the meat is also incredibly good for us, and what about the fact that it’s also organic… sounds too good to be true, well eat up, because it isn’t.
Kangaroo meat is high in protein, iron and zinc, and also has a mere 2% fat content that makes it one of the leanest meats available. Kangaroos are wild harvested in Australia, not farmed and are therefore free range and typically organic (you can not curtain wild kangaroos so, grazing on sprayed fields may occur). In 2007, 70% of kangaroo meat classified for human consumption was exported to game loving European plates such as Germany and France, were excellent flavour and the health qualities of the meat are important. Luckily for the Australians who are savvy enough to already appreciate our native game meat; it is inexpensive in comparison to other meat products, at just fraction of the cost for kangaroo cuts, which boast a third of the fat.
All lean, wild meats can be challenging to cook, yet two easy rules apply; either cook it long and slowly or very quickly and serve rare. I’ve taken the first tact.
Kangaroo Bolognese
I tweaked a traditional Bolognese recipe to take advantage of some cheap and healthy kangaroo mince at my local butcher, yet loved the subtle gamey flavour better than the original beef recipe.
500g kangaroo mince –available from butchers and supermarkets
100g smoky pancetta, cut into a small dice
1 lg onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, chopped
3 sticks of celery, chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 glass of red wine
1 cup of chicken stock
2 tbsp of tomato paste
I can tomatoes
A handful of chopped parsley
Sprigs of thyme
Bay leaves
A grind of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Parmesan for grating
Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the olive oil until just soft, add the pancetta and bay leaves cook until the fat melts
Add the kangaroo mince and lightly brown
Deglaze with the wine allowing it to evaporate and then add stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, nutmeg and herbs
Mix well, cover and gently simmer for at least an hour, checking that it doesn’t get too dry.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with al dente spaghetti and a generous grating of parmesan cheese
Unpublished to date
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