March 29, 2001

Prairie Fare: And the Winner Is…

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

There are a few perks to being a food and nutrition specialist. One of them is judging the occasional food contest. I recently was among a trio of judges with the privilege of rating ground beef creations in the North Dakota High School Beef Challenge. The event, sponsored by the North Dakota Beef Commission and the North Dakota Cattlewomen, brought students from around the state to the West Acres Mall in Fargo, leaving shoppers hungry for a taste.

It was hard to choose a winner among the novel concoctions designed by these young chefs. Among other qualities, we considered overall appearance, garnishes, flavor, ease of preparation and overall appeal. We sampled Taco Roll-Ups, Zesty Bloody Mary Spaghetti Sauce, Lemon-Lime Soda Burgers and several others. Possibly the most novel was a Beef Stir Fry Volcano made with phyllo dough and stuffed with a tasty filling. I, too, was amazingly stuffed by the time the tenth – and winning – entry came our way.

In the end, the old Midwestern standby, "hotdish," was named the winner. Taco Hotdish, created by Amber Schmitts and Lindsay Wolfe of Harvey, N.D., captured first place. Amber Reimche and Crystal Schilling, both Harvey, N.D., were the second place winners with their Stuffed Beef Logs. Rounding out the top three were Stephan Kershisnik and Matt Cuskelly, Killdeer, N.D., with this week’s featured recipe, Macho Gusto Beef Dip. A serving (one-twelfth of the recipe) contains 210 calories and 14 grams of fat. To keep the calorie content low, use light processed cheese and serve with baked tortilla chips. To round out the nutritional value of a meal of appetizers, add a colorful assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables with lowfat dips.

Macho Gusto Beef Dip

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
16 oz. light processed cheese (in block form)
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 oz. canned green chilies, chopped
1 14.5 oz. can Mexican Style tomatoes (whole)
1 cup light sour cream (optional topping)
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (optional, for garnish)
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (optional, for garnish)
Black olives (optional, for garnish)
Diced tomatoes (optional, for garnish)
Diced jalapeno peppers (optional, for garnish)

Procedure:
Brown ground beef with seasoned salt and cumin. Drain well. Crush tomatoes and add to browned ground beef. Simmer approximately 5 minutes. Cube cheese and place in crock pot. Combine ground beef mixture with melted cheese. Add green chilies. Keep in crock pot until ready to serve. Place in bowl on platter. Surround with tortilla chips and sprinkle with your choice of garnishes.

As evidenced by all the creations I judged, ground beef is an amazingly versatile menu ingredient. Lean ground beef is an excellent source of protein and minerals such as iron and zinc. Brown it without adding additional fat, and drain it well to lower the fat content of your recipes.

Color isn’t a good indicator of doneness when it comes to ground beef, so a food thermometer should be used to judge doneness. Undercooking ground beef has resulted in many well-publicized foodborne illness outbreaks. With summer grilling season just around the corner, here are a few food safety tips to prevent your barbecue from making headlines:

• Shop for meat last at the grocery store, and in warm temperatures bring a cooler to keep meat cool on the road. Use fresh ground beef within two days of purchase or freeze it.
• Thaw meat on the lowest shelf in the refrigerator -- never on the counter top. Warm temperatures allow bacteria the chance to grow to levels that could make you sick. Some can produce toxins that won’t be destroyed by cooking. If you choose to thaw ground beef in the microwave oven, complete cooking shortly after thawing. Microwaving can heat the meat to the point where bacteria can start growing.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before beginning food preparation and after handling raw meat. Scrub for at least 20 seconds. Try singing your best operatic rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
• Cook burgers to at least 160 degrees as measured with a meat thermometer.
• Place grilled burgers on a clean plate instead of returning them to the table on the original plate.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu