IS Gordon Ramsay a neigh-sayer?
On Tuesday’s episode of his British TV show, “The F-word,” the potty-mouthed chef sent journalist Janet Street-Porter to Cheltenham Racecourse to hand out . . . horse burgers.
Police were called, viewers were outraged and what you could politely call a sewage storm ensued. Literally.
In protest of the show’s message – that Barbaro burgers make a healthful and tasty treat – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had 1 ton of horse manure delivered to the three-star chef’s London restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s.
While Ramsay revels in his publicity, his p.r. team insists the whole thing is a squall in a stable, if you will: “Gordon never advocated eating horse meat. The guest on his show was in search of alternative meat forms,” says James Curich of Susan Magrino Agency, which represents the chef’s New York outpost, Gordon Ramsay at the London. “Gordon actually only agreed that he’d tried horse meat, felt that it was slightly gamey, but did like it.”
Alas, our hopes of seeing Steak Secretariat on a Ramsay menu in the near future were dashed.
“Gordon does not serve and will not be serving horse meat at his New York restaurant, nor does he or has he or will he ever at any of his restaurants anywhere around the world.”
What’s more, you’re not likely to get a taste of it anywhere – at least in the United States. Although Americans have ponied up in the past – the Depression, World War II – we remain, like most Anglophonic nations, equine averse.
“There’s nothing illegal about consuming horse meat, but we do not produce horse meat for human consumption in the U.S.,” explains Steven Cohen of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. “There’s no demand for it.” The one active horse slaughterhouse in the country, in DeKalb, Ill., produces meat primarily for zoos, as well as for foreign export. (They like them some haute horsey in parts like France, Belgium and Japan.)
Still, there have been pockets partial to Palomino over here – like in Midtown. Back in 1982, a company called Chevalean – “cheval” is French for horse – operated a horse burger-and-sandwich cart on Lexington Avenue near 53rd Street. The sandwiches cost $1.40 and the burgers were 75 cents, 85 with cheese. Although it tried outposts in Greenwich Village and Wall Street, Chevalean closed the barn door in just six months.
To be fair – to Ramsay and Chevalean – horse meat is healthy: 175 calories, 29 grams of protein, 68 milligrams cholesterol per 3-ounce portion. The same cut of sirloin weighs in at 210 calories, 24 grams of protein, 75 milligrams of cholesterol. Pound for pound, only veal – another tasty taboo meat – is healthier. And there’s no such thing as mad horse disease.
Just don’t serve it for Passover. Horse may be cheap and healthy, but it’s definitely not kosher.
A Recipe
Want to eat horse meat yourself? Try this Emilian stew, which About.com suggests serving with polenta.
Picula de Caval
2 1/4 pounds ground horse meat
2 onions, minced
2 ½ ounces ground pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 glass dry white wine
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (basil, sage, rosemary)
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & fresh ground pepper
Heat oil, pancetta and onion in a skillet. Sauté until onion is golden. Add horse meat and brown it, stirring frequently. Sprinkle in wine, reduce heat to simmer, and cover and cook at least one hour. Add tomatoes and peppers and cook 20 minutes. Sprinkle mixed herbs, and cook 10 minutes more. Serves 6.