Recipes

Recipes blog posts

Duck breast

Posted 2023-11-11 by Gary

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

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Yummy Lummy. Yummy Lummy is a blog for people who live alone and are keen to cook meals for one. If you’re part of a couple, I hope the recipes are adaptable for you, too.

I also share my opinions on topics others may (or may not) be interested in. With my recent change in diet (SAD→CSIRO TWD→LCHF), the blog’s emphasis is shifting to sharing my opinions on some food and non-food-related topics. Comments are welcome, even if I disagree.

I cite most journal articles or books I’ve read and mentioned. You can see the citations at the bottom of the post.

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My mobility is improving. I managed a walk to the Belconnen Owl this week. The first time since the accident. I’ve also got more strength-building exercises to do. I can see my quadriceps becoming more pronounced.

While I’ve been working full-time, I’ve been doing it remotely from home. I’m undertaking a graduated return to the office. Sitting on a proper office chair and using my desktop computer with two large monitors is good.

Today is Remembrance Day (originally Armistice Day) here in Australia and other Commonwealth (formerly the British Empire) countries and Veterans Day in the USA. Forgetting the service and sacrifice of defence force personnel is never an option.

Something curious

I also noticed something curious about my blogging statistics. It’s uncommon to see a spike like this. I think I know what is behind it. New readers, you are welcome even if you’re here for a single visit.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)

In light of Kathleen’s generous gift of Patrick Stewart’s memoir, I am continuing my rewatch of TNG. I’m now into season four. I’m reminded of how much I enjoy the characters of Captain Picard and Dr Crusher.

While Star Trek: Enterprise (nee Enterprise) is my favourite series, TNG built on Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) in a way that opened the Star Trek realm to so many more people.

While I have no interest in Shakespeare, aficionados of TNG will be familiar with S3:E10, “The Defector” and the connection with Shakespeare.

The more I watch TNG, the more I appreciate Stewart’s stage acting experience. It doesn’t give me any desire to attend stage plays or the like. My desires lay elsewhere.

What have I been reading?

If you are over 60 with high cholesterol, you have nothing to fear from it.

Fellow blogger, Katharine from Diabetes Diet recently shared an article, viz., “Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review”. (Ravnskov et al., 2016)

Most people in middle- and high-income economies receive a common message that elevated serum cholesterol is associated with poor health outcomes. Like most messages from so-called communications experts, the information is shortened and simplified for broader appeal. Sadly, this often means the removal of important nuance, context, and detail. As more was learnt about serum cholesterol, attention turned to low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The popular yet mistaken label for LDL is “bad cholesterol”. The result is a poor understanding of the role of LDL in human physiology.

One outcome of this simplification of a complex message is that medicine has turned its focus to lowering serum cholesterol and LDL through the use of medications. These medications are valuable to manufacturers and fund a huge aspect of the pharmaceutical industry. The focus has swung from health and wellness to prescribing drugs for disease.

Needless to say, all registered therapeutic agents undergo regulation for safety, efficacy, and effectiveness; however, all drugs have a side effect profile.

Before taking any medication, patients should be informed and made aware of the drug’s intended and unintended effects.

The key idea from the article is that for older people, a serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein greater than the higher value of the population reference range is not associated with death at rates any more than any other factor.

This article is aimed at older sapiens. For younger humans, the interpretation will be different. Like a lot of nutrition epidemiology, nothing can be said in terms of cause and effect.

If you are concerned about your own serum cholesterol and LDL, please speak with your general practitioner. Your general practitioner is the best person to guide you.

What human pathogens are transmitted by wild ducks?

I was reading about ducks this week and thinking about ducks as vectors for human disease.

Wild ducks can transmit several pathogens to humans through direct contact, contaminated water, or undercooked or contaminated meat consumption. Some of the notable pathogens transmitted by wild ducks include:

1. Avian Influenza Virus (AIV):

Transmission Route: Direct contact with infected birds or their droppings, contaminated water, or surfaces.

Potential Impact: AIV can cause severe respiratory illness in humans and has the potential for pandemic outbreaks.

2. Campylobacter spp.:

Transmission Route: Consumption of undercooked duck meat, especially contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria.

Potential Impact: Human Campylobacteriosis can lead to gastroenteritis with symptoms like diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and fever.

3. Salmonella spp.:

Transmission Route: Consumption of contaminated duck meat or eggs and direct contact with infected birds or their environment.

Potential Impact: Salmonellosis infection can cause gastroenteritis with symptoms similar to Campylobacteriosis. Severe cases may lead to more serious complications.

4. Cryptosporidium spp.:

Transmission Route: Contaminated water sources, including those frequented by wild ducks, can lead to Cryptosporidium infection in humans.

Potential Impact: Cryptosporidiosis causes gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and dehydration, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.

5. Escherichia coli (E. coli):

Transmission Route: Consumption of contaminated duck meat or water, especially in settings with poor hygiene.

Potential Impact: Certain strains of E. coli can cause food poisoning with symptoms like diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

It’s important to note that the transmission of these pathogens can be mitigated through proper cooking practices, good hygiene, and avoiding direct contact with wild ducks or their habitats.

Australians are unlikely to give up meat and become vegetarian to help the environment.

I read a media article published on Monday focusing on a survey conducted by a pair of academics from La Trobe University who asked 700 Facebook account holders about their beliefs on climate change, meat consumption, and the effect of meat consumption on the environment. (Rattenbury & Ruby, 2023)

It seems most respondents, who were all residents of Australia, didn’t believe reducing meat consumption affected climate change.

It reminded me of Jayne Buxton’s arguments in her book, “The Great Plant-based Con: Why Eating a Plant-Only Diet Won’t Improve Your Health or Save the Planet”. (Buxton, 2022)

I don’t think this response is because Australians aren’t concerned for planetary health. Quite the contrary. I think Australians know that intensive farming practices damage the soil and the land. Intensive farming also kills many animals, mostly insects and small mammals, which are ecologically valuable species. Regenerative farming practices that allow primary production on non-arable land help the soil and the land and supply nutrient-dense food for the community. It makes for good land care and carbon dioxide sequestration.

What have I been listening to?

Making It So: A Memoir by Sir Patrick Stewart

I completed the book during the week. (Stewart, 2023)

I loved listening to Stewart’s reflections on his time making Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series and movies and his recent work in making Star Trek: Picard.

Stewart also described his three marriages and other romantic relationships and how those relationships influenced his attitudes. I particularly enjoyed the end, where he tied his emotional maturity to the final scenes, he had planned for Star Trek: Picard.

Thanks, Kathleen, my love, for this beautiful gift.

Recipe

It’s been a while since I’ve cooked any poultry. Given a choice, I think I’d eat beef and lamb most days. I don’t really need variety to keep me happy. However, since I was reading about ducks, I thought I would cook duck breasts this weekend.

Equipment

Precision cooker
Water bath
Frypan
Gas torch

Ingredients

Duck breasts
Iodised cooking salt to season the duck breasts.

Instructions

Score the skin of the breasts with a knife.
Season the skin and flesh of the breast with salt.
Allow the meat to dry brine, uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
Sear the skin in a hot frypan. I do not always sear meat before cooking it in a water bath. I wanted to try a pre-water bath searing phase.
Place the breasts into a vacuum bag.
Cook the breasts at 57 °C for 2 hours. This will ensure a medium cook and sufficient time and temperature for pasteurisation.
Remove the meat from the bag and dry the skin with a paper towel.
Sear the skin in a hot frypan and finish with a gas torch if necessary.
Serve the duck with vegetables or eat them alone. If you’re following a meat-only, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. If you’re low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating, the meat and some plant-based “real foods” like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination. Potato mash would go well with the duck if you’re not concerned with carbohydrates. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this duck won’t be suitable.
Always give thanks to the Lord.
Eat with whatever implements you prefer. Eating with your fingers is okay, in my opinion. For this meal, I used a knife and fork. I could have used chopsticks. 🥢

Dry brined duck breast cooked by sous vide and seared in a frypan.

Thoughts on the meal

Duck breasts are not like chicken breasts. The meat is darker and usually more tender. Sous vide duck breast ensures a consistent result. I like the flavour and the texture of duck meat. Given a preference, I’d prefer duck thigh, but I rarely see duck legs at the supermarket. I’m curious about buying a duck thigh, putting it into a vacuum bag with ample olive oil and cooking it in a water bath to simulate a confit duck thigh.

If you don’t have a precision cooker and water bath, duck breasts can be easily cooked in a frypan. With care and attention, a suitable result is achievable.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Buxton, J. (2022). The great plant-based con: Why eating a plants-only diet won’t improve your health or save the planet. Piatkus.

Rattenbury, A., & Ruby, M. B. (2023). Perceptions of the Benefits and Barriers to Vegetarian Diets and the Environmental Impact of Meat-Eating. Sustainability, 15(21), 15522. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115522

Ravnskov, U., Diamond, D. M., Hama, R., Hamazaki, T., Hammarskjöld, B., Hynes, N., Kendrick, M., Langsjoen, P. H., Malhotra, A., Mascitelli, L., McCully, K. S., Ogushi, Y., Okuyama, H., Rosch, P. J., Schersten, T., Sultan, S., & Sundberg, R. (2016). Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: A systematic review. BMJ Open, 6(6), e010401. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010401

Stewart, P. (2023). Making it so: A memoir. Simon & Schuster Australia.

Legend

BMI = Body mass index.

CGM = Continuous glucose monitoring.

CSIRO TWD = Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Total Wellbeing Diet.

LCHF = low-carbohydrate healthy-fat eating.

Red meat = is the meat of mammals, including pork.

SAD = Standard Australian diet (rich in carbohydrates, poor in healthy fats, and heaving in processed and ultra-processed products).

T2DM = Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

TOS = Star Trek: The Original Series

TNG = Star Trek: The Next Generation

Beef chuck steak

Posted 2023-11-04 by Gary

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Yummy Lummy. Yummy Lummy is a blog for people who live alone and are keen to cook meals for one. If you’re part of a couple, I hope the recipes are adaptable for you, too.

I also share my opinions on topics others may (or may not) be interested in. With my recent change in diet (SAD→CSIRO TWD→LCHF), the blog’s emphasis is shifting to my opinion on some food and non-food-related topics. Comments are welcome, even if I disagree.

I cite most journal articles or books I’ve read and mentioned. You can see the citations at the bottom of the post.

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

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My week was mostly enjoyable. I’m more mobile, and I’m able to exercise more. I attended a follow-up consultation with my surgeon, and he is delighted with my progress. He was complimentary of the physiotherapist I am attending.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Considering Kathleen’s generous gift of Patrick Stewart’s memoir, as I was listening, I developed an urge to rewatch TNG.

Watching "Encounter at Farpoint". I've been listening to "Making It So" by Patrick Stewart, and I experienced an urge to begin a Star Trek Next Generation rewatch.
— Gary (@garydlum) October 29, 2023

What have I been reading?

Blood biomarker profiles and exceptional longevity: comparison of centenarians and non-centenarians in a 35-year follow-up of the Swedish AMORIS cohort (Murata et al., 2023)

The authors hoped to better understand ageing by comparing a set of biomarkers.

The authors sought to:

describe and compare biomarker profiles at similar ages between 64 and 99 among individuals who become centenarians and shorter-lived peers,
investigate the association between specific biomarker values and the chance of reaching age 100 and
examine to what extent centenarians have homogenous biomarker profiles earlier in life.

Participants came from a study spanning 1985–1996 and were followed for up to 35 years.

The authors considered biomarkers of metabolism, inflammation, liver, renal, anaemia, and nutritional status.

One thousand two hundred and twenty-four participants (84.6% females) lived to their 100th birthday. There were 44,636 participants in the study.

Higher levels of total cholesterol and iron and lower levels of glucose, creatinine, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and total iron-binding capacity were associated with reaching 100 years.

The authors suggest that genetic and possibly modifiable lifestyle factors reflected in these biomarker levels may affect longevity.

The paper describes an observational study and cannot make claims about causation.

Nevertheless, the author’s message for me is to maintain a low-carbohydrate, healthy fat, and no alcohol diet. Another key message from this paper is that longevity is not the be-all and end-all. I’d rather live well and die without lingering and suffering than live past 100 and be miserable.

What have I been listening to?

Making It So: A Memoir by Sir Patrick Stewart

I’ve been enjoying Kathleen’s gift. So far, I’m up to Stewart’s period with the Royal Shakespeare Company. (Stewart, 2023)

It’s fascinating listening to Stewart’s adventures with the RSC. I was meant to read about half a dozen of Shakespeare’s works in high school. I never did. I was not a fan of English as a school subject. Of all the plays and books on the reading list, I only read one book. That was “The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith”, written by Thomas Keneally and published in 1972. (Keneally, 1972)

I preferred reading non-fiction, especially biology or space travel. I barely passed humanities subject examinations in high school.

The total book will take more than 18 hours of listening. I’m about halfway through. I’ve been listening in the evenings.

Thanks, Kathleen, for this beautiful gift.

Today’s lunch

I bought some smoked New Zealand Pacific salmon for lunch and added it to scrambled eggs made with butter.

Scrambled eggs made with butter and New Zealand Pacific smoked salmon

Recipe

The beef chuck is often regarded as a cheap and tough cut of meat. With beef and lamb becoming more expensive, cheaper cuts are becoming more desirable. The burden of the cost of living is especially true for people watching their pennies and keeping to a budget.

Equipment

Slow cooker
Air fryer
Gas torch

Ingredients

Beef chuck steaks — The two steaks (see photographs) cost $AUD12. I’ll get two meals from these steaks.
Iodised cooking salt — 1 tablespoon.
Tap water — ½ cup.
Salted butter

Instructions

Place the meat, salt, and water into the cooking vessel.
Slowly cook for eight hours on low heat.
Remove the meat and place the beef on a tray and into the air fryer for 20 minutes at 160 °C (320 °F). An alternative to the air fryer is a frypan. I’d use a carbon steel or cast-iron frypan to sear the surfaces of the steak.
For the air fryer choice, once out of the oven, place a lump of salted butter on top of the steak and melt it with a gas torch.
Set aside some of the beef for dinner, put the rest into a container, and refrigerate. I will use the meat for lunches during the week.
Filter the cooking liquor and add it to my perpetual master stock.
Serve the beef with vegetables or eat them alone. If you’re following a carnivore diet, just the beef will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. If you’re low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating, the meat and some plant-based “real foods” like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, potato mash would go well with the beef. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this beef won’t be suitable.
Always give thanks to the Lord.
Eat with whatever implements you prefer. Eating with your fingers is okay, in my opinion. Tonight, I used a steak knife and a fork.

Thoughts on the meal

Chuck steak has the beefy flavour of more expensive cuts like rump and scotch fillet (also known as ribeye in North America). The marbling gives the meat a rich, buttery flavour.

The melted and torched butter added a nutty flavour.

Slowly cooking the meat ensured tender muscle fibres, and the fat was nicely rendered.

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. My opinions remain mine.

References

Keneally, T. (1972). The chant of Jimmie Blacksmith. Angus and Robertson.

Murata, S., Ebeling, M., Meyer, A. C., Schmidt-Mende, K., Hammar, N., & Modig, K. (2023). Blood biomarker profiles and exceptional longevity: Comparison of centenarians and non-centenarians in a 35-year follow-up of the Swedish AMORIS cohort. GeroScience. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-023-00936-w

Stewart, P. (2023). Making it so: A memoir. Simon & Schuster Australia.

Legend

RSC = Royal Shakespeare Company.

TNG = Star Trek: The Next Generation.

CSIRO TWD = Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Total Wellbeing Diet.

LCHF = low-carbohydrate healthy-fat eating.

Red meat = is the meat of mammals, including pork.

SAD = Standard Australian diet (rich in carbohydrates, poor in healthy fats, and heaving in processed and ultra-processed products).

T2DM=Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Pork loin roast

Posted 2023-10-28 by Gary

Dear Reader,

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

I cite most journal articles or books I’ve read and mentioned. You can see the citations at the bottom of the post.

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

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I was meant to be in Geneva (Ville de Genève) this week for a meeting. I ended up attending virtually. It worked out that I could complete my normal work and attend the Geneva-based meetings from 1800 to 0200 AEDT for two nights. I was tired by the end of the week. It almost felt like I had jetlag without any jet travel.

The photographs below are from trips to Geneva I’ve made in past years for work.

Téléphérique Salève Cable Car Mont Salève Geneva View

Now that I can walk more with my cane, I’ve been able to visit the supermarket and purchase one or two items that I can carry home with one hand. I’ve also been able to visit the seafood shop so I can purchase wild-caught salmon rather than farmed salmon.

New exercise ball and a rubber band for physiotherapy exercises.

I was hoping to purchase a rugby league ball, however, the only ones on sale were for teams I do not support.

With more movement, my anorexia (loss of appetite) has lessened, and I’ve been eating more and gaining weight.

Weight chart showing the weight associated with muscle atrophy and the recent increase in weight.

What have I been watching?

Senate estimates (Supplementary Budget estimates)

Three times a year, Australian senators ask questions of senior officials in Australian Government departments in formal hearings at Parliament House.

Years past, I’ve sat at “the table” and answered questions posed by senators. These days, my betters appear, and answer questions posed by senators.

It’s an important opportunity in our democracy for questions to be asked in a public forum and for the government of the day to reply via its public servants.

What have I been reading?

Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males (Gu et al., 2023)

I saw some popular news services report on a paper recently published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The authors of the paper advise that red meat may raise the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Most news services did not cite the publication, so readers had to rely on journalists to interpret the journal article. When I’ve looked at some of the journalists doing the reporting, it’s not clear they have a critical approach to examining data.

Most media accounts do not provide an analysis of the paper in sufficient detail. The general reader will take away a message that eating red meat may cause T2DM. In my opinion, this is an inaccurate interpretation. This journal article raises some questions.

For example:

The journal article is observational and, therefore, cannot claim causation.
The studies assessed by the authors used food recall questionnaires, which ask participants to remember and record what they have eaten over various intervals, ranging from a couple of weeks to a couple of years. It’s difficult to believe that all the participants remembered accurately the food they consumed, including the amount of food.
The studies used by the journal paper authors include sandwiches and lasagne as red meat. I suggest the bread and pasta are the problem and not the meat.
Red meat has negligible carbohydrates and likely zero glucose, so how can it contribute to T2DM?
The absolute risk is minuscule, while the relative risk looks impressive. This style of presentation is a confidence trick of epidemiology.
Body mass index (BMI) isn’t adjusted because the authors claim BMI is higher due to red meat consumption. Yet, the BMI could be higher because associated carbohydrate consumption (the accompanying food with meat like potatoes and sweetened drinks) was higher. For example, someone who consumes too many meat pies will become clinically obese compared with someone who eats scotch fillet (ribeye) steaks without the pie casing and the flour for the gravy. I think it’s the carbohydrates contributing to an increased BMI and the T2DM rather than the red meat per se.
The journal article also suggests that women eat more red meat than men. I don’t know about that.

My concern is that meat eaters who are obese should be compared with 1. low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat meat eaters and 2. those who adhere to a standard American (or Australian) diet. If such a study was done, I’d expect negligible T2DM in the low-carbohydrate healthy-fat meat eaters compared with the other two arms of the study.

If the raw data were examined again, I expect lean red meat eaters would not feature in terms of any possible association with T2DM.

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is known for its plant-based preference. You can find a page titled “Why plant-based diets are good for human and planetary health” on their website. The page shares how one of the school’s professors was a co-author of the EAT-Lancet Commission guidelines, which are mostly plant-based.

The school also advocates for Meatless Mondays (—or more). I might change to Salmon Sundays and Meat-filled Mondays to keep the alliteration.

Do you have days of the week dedicated to a specific meal?

Blood glucose monitoring devices: current considerations

This Australian Prescriber article (Sly & Taylor, 2023), provides an easy-to-read and relatively comprehensive overview of the available blood glucose monitoring devices in Australia.

The authors conclude that continuous monitoring is recommended for persons with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and those with T2DM who need daily insulin.

Some Yummy Lummy readers are interested in diabetes mellitus and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). I hope this article is of interest.

Do you continuously monitor your blood glucose?

Is snoozing losing? Why intermittent morning alarms are used and how they affect sleep, cognition, cortisol, and mood (Sundelin et al., 2023)

As part of my daily trawl through the “medical news”, this article piqued my interest. It used the term chronotype, which I’d not come across before. It refers to a person’s natural inclination for sleep at certain times. I came across this website, which describes the various chronotypes. I’m a lion 🦁 who tends to be a dolphin 🐬

Apparently, using the snooze button on your alarm clock or smart device is not a bad thing for many people.

What’s your chronotype?

The Importance of Dietary Carbohydrates in Human Evolution (Hardy et al., 2015)

The authors (one of whom is based in Sydney at the University of Sydney) propose that plant foods having high quantities of starch were essential for the evolution of humans. They acknowledge that earlier studies have highlighted a shift from plant-based to primarily meat-based diets as critical in developing the brain and other human traits. The authors argue that digestible carbohydrates were also necessary to accommodate the increased metabolic demands of a growing brain.

Furthermore, they describe the role cooking played in improving the digestibility and palatability of carbohydrates. The authors propose the auxiliary role of salivary amylase in increasing the importance of starch in human evolution following the origins of cooking. They say salivary amylases are ineffective on raw crystalline starch, but cooking substantially increases energy yield and glycæmia.

This paper, argues against a core tenant of people advocating for a low-carbohydrate healthy-fat way of life. (Noakes, 2023)

What have I been listening to?

I haven’t been listening to much because of the meetings in Geneva and watching Senate estimates hearings.

Recipe

I went for a wander through a supermarket and saw this pork loin roast and thought it would make a great meat source for this weekend and for lunch meat this week.

Equipment

Slow cooker
Air fryer

Ingredients

Pork loin
Beef, chicken, lamb, and pork stock — you can use any meat-based stock for this. You could also use a plant-based stock or a meat and plant stock. I’m using this because it’s what I have at hand.

Pork loin roast In the plastic (recycle plastic) packaging.

Instructions

Place the meat and the stock into the cooking vessel.
Slowly cook for six hours.
Remove the meat and place the roast on a tray and into the air fryer for 20 minutes at 160 °C (320 °F).
Set aside a part of the pork for dinner, put the rest into a container, and refrigerate. The pork can be used for lunches during the week.
Filter the cooking liquor and keep it as the perpetual master stock.
Serve the pork with vegetables or eat them alone. If you’re following a carnivore diet, just the pork will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. If you’re low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating, the meat and some plant-based real foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, stewed apples and sauerkraut would go well with the roast pork. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this pork won’t be suitable.
Always give thanks to the Lord.
Eat with whatever implements you prefer. This includes your fingers.

Thoughts on the meal

If you like pork with a good amount of fat, you’ll like this roast.

The loin isn’t a tender cut of meat, even when it’s slowly cooked. The fat meat was tender, but the loin meat was a little dry. Overall, the slices of pork loin roast were good and coupled nicely with the cabbage and sour cream.

Do you like pork? What’s your favourite cut of pork, and how do you cook it?

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. My opinions remain mine.

References

Gu, X., Drouin-Chartier, J.-P., Sacks, F. M., Hu, F. B., Rosner, B., & Willett, W. C. (2023). Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, S0002916523661192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.08.021

Hardy, K., Brand-Miller, J., Brown, K. D., Thomas, M. G., & Copeland, L. (2015). The Importance of Dietary Carbohydrate in Human Evolution. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 90(3), 251–268. https://doi.org/10.1086/682587

Noakes, T. (2023). Ketogenic: The science of therapeutic carbohydrate restriction in human health. Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier.

Sly, B., & Taylor, J. (2023). Blood glucose monitoring devices: Current considerations. Australian Prescriber, 46(3), 54–59. https://doi.org/10.18773/austprescr.2023.013

Sundelin, T., Landry, S., & Axelsson, J. (2023). Is snoozing losing? Why intermittent morning alarms are used and how they affect sleep, cognition, cortisol, and mood. Journal of Sleep Research, e14054. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14054

Who to follow.

Zoë Harcombe, PhD

If you’re interested in food and nutrition, I suggest following Zoë at her website and on X (nee Twitter).

Dr Harcombe reviews published nutrition articles and provides a critical analysis of the quality of the data and the recommendations and/or conclusions of the authors.

Zoë describes herself as “…a real foodie first and foremost. I’m passionate about real food. What do I mean by that? Oranges grow on trees; cartons of orange juice don’t. Fish swim in the sea; fish fingers don’t. Cows graze in a field; Peperoni sticks don’t. Hopefully, you’ve got the idea. Food should come from fields, not factories.”

Legend

BMI = Body mass index.

CGM = Continuous glucose monitoring.

CSIRO TWD = Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Total Wellbeing Diet.

LCHF = low-carbohydrate healthy-fat eating.

Red meat = is the meat of mammals, which includes pork.

SAD = Standard Australian diet (rich in carbohydrates, poor in healthy fats, and heaving in processed and ultra-processed products).

T2DM=Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Two types of beef ribs

Posted 2023-10-21 by Gary

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Yummy Lummy. Yummy Lummy is a blog 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. With my change in diet, the emphasis is shifting to my opinion on some food and non-food-related topics.

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

Lake Ginninderra on a cloudy but warm day

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. Mine was great. I continue to recover from my injury. My surgeon is happy for me to see a physiotherapist, and I’m doing some range of motion exercises thrice daily.

My bare legs sans leg brace with my new stick between my legs. I’m happy that with physiotherapy, I can bend my knee to about 70°.

What have I been watching?

The Equalizer trilogy

There used to be a TV show from the 1980s called “The Equalizer”. It starred Robert Woodward as Robert McCall. McCall is a retired intelligence agent who helps people with trouble coping with life.

The movie series starred Denzel Washington as McCall. The third and final movie was released a couple of months ago. I like Denzel Washington as an actor. He also seems like he’s a decent bloke too.

A new TV series has been produced. I don’t think I’ll watch it. The movies are sufficient for me.

The Continental: From the World of John Wick (TV Mini-Series 2023‑2023)

Set in 1970s New York City, The Continental explores the origin of the hotel-for-assassins focus of the John Wick movie series seen through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott.

The biggest star of the John Wick movies for me was the 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, which featured a 428 in³ big block V8.

What have I been reading?

Life expectancy associated with different ages at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in high-income countries: 23 million person-years of observation. (Kaptoge et al., 2023)

This study looked at the effect a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has on longevity. This observational study was conducted using information from 19 high-income countries. The authors calculated age-adjusted and sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality according to age at diagnosis of diabetes using data from 1,515,718 participants, in whom deaths were recorded during 23.1 million person-years of follow-up.

Every decade of earlier diagnosis of diabetes was associated with about 3–4 years of lower life expectancy.
The main message

While longevity isn’t my most important goal, I’d like to keep living if I’m happy and living happily. Avoiding T2DM will help achieve this. Rather than my end of life being a medical intervention, I’d like to use nutrition for the same outcome. Avoiding unnecessary carbohydrates (noting that no dietary carbohydrates are necessary) by focusing on real foods seems to make the most sense.

A bench seat on Lake Ginninderra with SAD written on the armrest. It reminded me to avoid the Standard Australian Diet.

What have I been listening to?

Monroe Doctrine book series

I’m now in volume VI and hopefully get to volume VII this weekend.

As a book series, I think this is a series I could easily re-listen to annually.

Making It So a Memoir by Patrick Stewart

Kathleen gave me a copy of this book to listen to as a gift.

The title refers to similar words one of Sir Patrick’s best-known characters says in most episodes of that TV show. If you’re not familiar with Sir Patrick and the roles he plays, I’m guessing you may not be interested in this book.

His Wikipedia entry mentions a bit of trivia I wasn’t aware of. Sir Patrick holds a world record for longevity performing a character.

Recipe

The dietary lifestyle I’ve now adopted is mundane regarding recipes. While it remains spring in Australia, and noting that Canberra isn’t the warmest place in the country, I’m still using my slow cooker and air fryer for indoor cooking.

I hope as summer approaches, I can use a frypan more. I don’t have a very efficient exhaust system in my flat, so unless I open windows and doors, the smoke from cooking meat easily triggers the smoke alarm. I can get good airflow in the flat when the windows and doors are open.

I see outdoor cooking in my future, but more about that when we’re in summer.

I chose two styles of beef short ribs for this recipe because I wanted to eat the meat directly from the smaller ribs and keep the meat from the short rib fingers for later in the week.

Equipment

Slow cooker
Air fryer

Ingredients

Beef short ribs (3 ribs)
Beef short rib fingers (2 ribs)
Beef, chicken, lamb, and pork stock — you can use any meat-based stock for this. You could also use a plant-based stock or a meat and plant stock. I’m using this because it’s what I have at hand.

Instructions

Place the meat and the stock into the cooking vessel.
Slowly cook for eight hours.
Remove the meat and place the ribs on a tray and into the air fryer for 20 minutes at 160 °C (320 °F).
Set aside a portion of the ribs for dinner, put the rest of the ribs into a container and refrigerate. The rib meat can be used for lunches during the week.
Filter the cooking liquor and keep it as the perpetual master stock.
Serve the ribs with vegetables or eat them alone. If you’re following a carnivore diet, just the ribs will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. If you’re low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating, the meat and some plant-based real foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, mashed tubers like potatoes or sweet potatoes would work well, as would mashed pumpkin. You could make a roux with flour, oil, or butter to make a gravy. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, these ribs won’t be suitable.
Always give thanks to the Lord.
Eat with whatever implements you prefer. This includes your fingers. I like holding the rib in my fingers and gnawing the meat from the bone. I ate the prawns with chopsticks. 🥢

Slowly cooked beef short ribs and short rib fingers **prior** to the air fryer

Thoughts on the meal

As far as slowly cooked meat goes. Ribs are great. I don’t seem to be able to get beef cheeks delivered. I think as I become more ambulatory, I’ll make excursions (also known as hobbling) to the shops to buy cheek meat.

Refreshment from Kathleen

Kathleen introduced me to a new drink. Kathleen suggested a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of sparkling mineral water. Occasionally, I’ve enjoyed morning lime juice and tap water, but the ACV and mineral water drink is next level. It tastes good.

I also like that the ACV will possibly help stave off dementia so I don’t lose my mind too early as we grow old together. 🤪 (Tripathi et al., 2020)

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.

References

Kaptoge, S., Seshasai, S., Sun, L., Walker, M., Bolton, T., Spackman, S., Ataklte, F., Willeit, P., Bell, S., Burgess, S., Pennells, L., Altay, S., Assmann, G., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Best, L., Björkelund, C., Blazer, D., Brenner, H., Brunner, E., … Kromhout, D. (2023). Life expectancy associated with different ages at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in high-income countries: 23 million person-years of observation. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 11(10), 731–742. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00223-1

Tripathi, S., Kumari, U., & Mitra Mazumder, P. (2020). Ameliorative effects of apple cider vinegar on neurological complications via regulation of oxidative stress markers. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 44(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.13504

Cooking leftover meat and mince

Posted 2023-10-14 by Gary

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.

Leftover slow cooker lamb shoulder and speck, with coconut cream, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower

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

Place the meat into a cold frypan or saucepan.
Add enough cold water to cover the bottom of the pan.
Add the meat of your choice plus some iodised salt if the meat is raw.
Put the pan on the stovetop and turn on the heat.
Slowly heat until the water begins to boil, and then allow the water to simmer.
I use a pair of chopsticks to move the meat around.
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.
I’ve provided some photographs of the finished meals I’ve enjoyed over the last few weeks as examples of what I’ve done.
Always give thanks to the Lord.
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.