Dear Reader,

Welcome to Yummy Lummy. Yummy Lummy is for people who live alone and are keen to cook meals for one.

I also share my opinions on topics others may be interested in.

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care to read my opinions.

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. Mine was great. I was engaged in a few national meetings with colleagues from across Australia and from across the Tasman Sea.

Referendum

Eligible voters in Australia are being asked to participate in a referendum to change our constitution today (Saturday, 2023-10-14). We’re being asked if we approve of altering the Australian Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

I don’t write about my political views or comment on any government work I’m involved in, so my reason for mentioning the referendum is to reflect on how many voters are voting early. I heard an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) interview with an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) official who mentioned that just over 50% of votes are expected to be entered before today. I find that an impressive figure.

Because of my reduced mobility, I’ve elected to register for a postal vote. I’ve completed this and received verification that my vote has been received.

There are also early voting booths that have been open for a couple of weeks so that voters can participate in the referendum early.

I’ve used these early polling booths for the last few elections because I don’t like standing in queues. If we’ve learnt anything from COVID-19, physical distancing, amongst other measures, effectively prevented infection transmission.

Tonight, I’ll be keeping an eye on the results. Changing the constitution is a big deal.

What have I been watching?

House

According to House, “There is no medicine like happiness.” I heartily support this. Happiness is a place—a place of joy and pleasure. Happiness is warm and moist. Happiness is a place of love.

I’m in the final season of House. I think the first two or three seasons are the best quality. The latter seasons had some cast changes, and the stories became a little outlandish. That said, as a character, there’s a lot to like and a lot to dislike about the character of House.

I’m up to the episode, which features Billy Connolly, who plays a character married to House’s mother.

Low carb down under 2023

I’m attending some sessions virtually of the Low Carb Down Under 2023 conference this weekend. It’s a medical conference for healthcare practitioners interested in low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating.

I purchased tickets intending to download and watch the videos at my leisure. I had anticipated being otherwise occupied this weekend, but my plans changed.

What have I been listening to?

Monroe Doctrine

I’m re-listening to this series of books again. The seventh and final volume has just been released as an audiobook. I thought I’d start again from volume one.

With world events as they are, it seems apt to listen to a fictional book series about World War III involving biological warfare, nuclear warfare, cyberwarfare, and conventional combat on land, on and under the sea, and in the air.

The series is set in the near future and references the conflict in Ukraine (Україна) as well as the building international tension some countries are having with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It also explores unlikely alliances between Russia and NATO countries and the involvement of Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

I hope the last volume culminates in a thought-provoking ending to a gripping series.

I’d love to see this book converted into a television (TV) miniseries or a feature-length movie.

Recipe

I’m not sharing a recipe tonight. This is more of a cooking technique to improve the quality of the cooking process by using water in a cold vessel to brown meat and vegetables.

Lan Lam from America’s Test Kitchen provides the best teaching on this. Lan is an excellent teacher. I’ve learnt much from her instruction.

I see people cooking minced (ground) meat by placing it into a hot frypan or saucepan with some form of lubricant. Often a seed oil. Inevitably, the meat fries and caramelises; in some situations, the meat burns and creates fond. The biggest problem is that the outside of the meat cooks and burns before the inside heats through to a safe temperature.

If the aim is to burn the meat, that’s fine. Most of the time, I want the meat cooked through with caramelisation but without burning. I also want my meat to be food-safe.

This technique can be used for raw minced (ground) meat and leftover refrigerated meat, e.g., after slowly cooking a joint of meat.

The benefit of this approach is the meat heats slowly and evenly while the fat in the flesh softens and melts into the cooked meat, creating an unctuous mouthfeel. Rather than being hard and dry, the meat is tender and moist, and the juices exude flavour.

Once the water evaporates and the meat starts to caramelise, the heat can be reduced, and then a decision can be made on how to proceed.

For some dishes, you could now mix in other ingredients and then bake the dish. In other dishes, the meat can be cooled and added to a salad or a holder like a lettuce leaf (for a low carbohydrate taco equivalent).

Equipment

• Frypan  

Ingredients

• Any leftover, slowly cooked meat, meat cooked in a pressure cooker, or minced (ground) meat.
• For leftover cold meat, it’s best to dice the meat into 1–2 cm­³ pieces.
• I keep the fat and never cut the fat off. I want to consume that healthy fat.

Instructions

1. Place the meat into a cold frypan or saucepan.
2. Add enough cold water to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the meat of your choice plus some iodised salt if the meat is raw.
4. Put the pan on the stovetop and turn on the heat.
5. Slowly heat until the water begins to boil, and then allow the water to simmer.
6. I use a pair of chopsticks to move the meat around.
7. As the water evaporates and when it approaches the point of the water vanishing, turn the heat down further or off and keep the meat stirring.
8. I’ve provided some photographs of the finished meals I’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks as examples of what I’ve done.
9. Always give thanks to the Lord.
10. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. 🥢🍴

Thoughts on the technique.

In my mind, this is a no-brainer. I recognise some readers may think the extra effort isn’t worth it. I get that feedback from time to time when someone says they prefer to simply cook a steak in a frypan and not use techniques like sous vide or a pressure cooker. That’s fair enough. Everyone should do what works best for them. Everyone’s tastes and preferences are theirs. I object when someone tries to assume their approach would suit me better when they’ve never tried the technique I’m describing.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog do not constitute medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience.

I’m receiving more spam comments and direct messages, so I may need to start moderating comments again.

Photographs

This is a series of photographs I shot while cooking lunch today.

Older meal photographs

These are some photographs of meals I’ve enjoyed over the last couple of weeks using this cooking technique.