Cooking With Meeroos

Thanks to Mera for inspiring me to update my renowned-on-the-early-internet "Endangered Species Cookbook" for Meeroos. I admit they had escaped my attention at first. However, scientific rigor requires us to ask the two fundamental questions into the nature of any newly-discovered species:

1. Are they tasty?

2. Will they blend?

One thing must be said at the beginning: since Meeroos have so many genetic variants available, there are bound to be subtleties of flavor and texture that will be impossible to codify, so any recipies followed here must be tempered with that ultimate chef's tool, the educated palete. Please keep this in mind while experimenting with these recipies.

Early reports indicate Meeroo "tastes like chicken" so general rules may be followed: make sure the Meeroo is well-scrubbed, checking for any spoilage or discoloration and assume an average baking temperature of 350° for 25-35 minutes until reaching the USDA recommended safe internal temperature of 165° (use a meat thermometer).


Grilled Meeroo with Arugula Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds or shelled pistachios
• 1 cup packed fresh arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small pieces boneless, skinless Meeroo (tenders removed)

Heat a grill pan to high.

Toast the nuts lightly in small skillet over low heat, then add them to a food processor.

Add the arugula, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste, and pulse to combine.

With the processor on, stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to form thick pesto.

Lightly pound out the Meeroo, then rub all sides with the pesto. Spray the grill pan with cooking spray or rub with a little oil and grill the Meeroo 2 to 4 minutes on each side.

Cook's Note: Serve sliced on top of Caesar Spaghetti or, pile it onto ciabatta bread with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella for a lovely summer sandwich.

Meeroo Mocha Frappe

A great early-morning pick-me-up.

Place ingredients in blender compartment in order listed:

• 1 cup crescent-shaped ice cubes (7 to 8 each)
• 1 1/2 cups (about 3 scoops) vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 medium cocoa Meeroo, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon hot fudge topping
• 1/4 cup milk

Pulse the mix or liquify setting until all the ingredients are well-blended. Older Meeroos are a bit tough and may require extra time to blend smoothly.

Once the initial ingredients are well-blended, add 1/2 cup of water and 3 tablespoons ground espresso or other dark roast coffee. Serve chilled with nutmeg or shaved chocolate garnish.

Finally, for the ambitious among you:

Pâté de foie gras la Meeroo

Pâté de foie gras la Meeroo is considered an ultimate culinary delight, the king of pâtés. Along with its pedigree comes a hefty price tag. Foie gras is French for "fat liver," and this pâté is made from the livers of specially fattened Meeroos. If done well, this dish will impress your high-society friends with your cooking sangfroid and get you onto the Best Lists. But practice first! You wouldn't want to serve Wolfgang Puck a bad pâté!

Meeroos are combined with onion, orange juice, peppercorns, and cloves in the food processor for a delectable spread served with crusty peasant bread. May be made up to three days in advance.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Meeroo, cooked
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons drained bottled green peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons Meeroo bouillon or broth
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Crusty peasant bread as an accompaniment

Preparation:

Discard the fat and bones from the Meeroo and transfer the meat to a food processor.


In a skillet, cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until it is golden. Add it to the Meeroo with the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the orange juice, the peppercorns, the bouillon or broth, the cloves, and the salt, and pulse the motor until the pâté is minced but not puréed. Pack the pâté into a crock. The pâté may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Serve the pâté at room temperature with the bread.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 2 to 2-1/2 cups

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I hope you will have fun and enjoy gustatory experimentation with Meeroo, as this exciting new meat is wide-open for cooks of any skill level. You too can be the Julia Child of Meeroo cooking!


Next week: selecting the proper wine to serve with Meeroo.

As you see, Meeroos do blend!