Two nights ago, Geoffroy and I attended an incredible dinner hosted by Slow Food Portland. The theme centered around women ranchers from Eastern Oregon while the menu featured their grass-fed beef. Here’s the menu to whet your appetite:

Marinated, roasted skewers of beef heat with flatbread
Carpaccio of beef tenderloin with olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Poached, sliced beef tongue with salsa verde
Braised Angus short ribs with celeriac puree
Corriente beef with roasted Brussels sprouts
Warm mince tart with lightly whipped cream

Okay sure, there are items in the menu you’d probably pass over. But have you ever tried beef heart or tongue? I’m the first to admit that organs aren’t my thing, but I’m gradually changing my tune. For the beef heart, if I didn’t know what it was, I would have mistaked it for tenderloin – and I bet you would have too. The meat is very tender, has the same consistency of regular muscle and has the slightest taste of iron.

Tongue is just the same. It has a lighter texture than the heart but a great beefy flavor. If cooked just right – poaching is the best method – the meat is tender and delicious.

But let’s get to the good stuff, shall we? The short ribs were amazingly tender but what really stole the show is the Corriente beef. Corriente is a type of cow usually raised for roping or rodeos. They’re smaller than regular cattle so they don’t yield as much meat, but they’re hearty animals that thrive with a minimal amount of attention. Very few people are raising these types of cattle anymore. But I’m here to tell you the flavor is out of this world. This is what beef should taste like!

Grass fed beef is much lower in fat than its corn fed cousins. Corn isn’t part of a cow’s natural diet but it’s cheap and makes the cows fat fast. This equals rich marbling, a quality some people find very desirable. Yes fat does equal flavor and makes the meat more tender, but I find the leaner flavor of grass fed ten times better. Not to mention healthier.

At our table we had the honor of sitting with two of the ranchers, Jill and Liza Jane. Jill is a 4^th generation rancher and graduated from college two years ago. She decided to return to the ranch after school because it’s in her blood. It’s incredible to see someone with so much energy so passionate about what she does.

Liza Jane on the other hand has spent 30 years on her family’s farm. She and her husband have raised their kids and spent all their free time on the ranch. But raising cattle like the Corriente doesn’t make one rich. Lisa Jane has a full time job at the Nature Conservancy to pay the bills. After working 40 hours a week, she and her husband work the ranch, raising a heritage breed. It makes Geoffroy and I bit sad to hear it’s not possible in this country to raise amazing tasting beef and not make ends meet.

But that’s what this Slow Food event was all about – to raise awareness of what these incredible women are doing. And as luck would have it, they sell to the consumer – you and me. So if you’re interested in buying some amazing beef that’s less expensive that what you’ll find in any store, I’ve posted the information below. The smallest package you can buy is a quarter of a cow for those of you with limited freezer space, I’d suggest getting together with your friends.

I promise you won’t be disappointed! And we’ll be supporting women who make a difference not only in ranching practices but in the world at large.

Liza Jane Nichols
6 Ranch
www.6ranch.com

Jill McClaran
McClaran Ranch, Inc
mcclaran@eoni.com

Cory Carman
Carman Ranch
www.carmanranch.com

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