I’ve been thinking about my grandfather a ton recently. He popped into my mind today while I ravaged of one of my favorite combos, beets and blue cheese.
10 years ago or so, my then wife Lisa and I were leaving my grandfather’s house in Los Angeles. As he often does, he stopped us on our way out the door to pawn off an item from his home he no longer had use for. It might be a putter from an old golf bag, perhaps a baseball cap from a garage sale. This special afternoon would go down in history as the day we knew he was wittier (or crazier) than us. On this day, Grandpa emerged from the kitchen with a third of a block of moldy cheese.
Inside the safety of our ride, Lisa and I cried laughing, then we threw that shit away.
It would be many years before I was able to fully appreciate the power, strength and pungency of a rich blue cheese. Perhaps my grandfather was teaching me a lesson about how some things get better with age. He certainly has. Now, I’m deeply moved by the flavor and pleased by the health benefits. From livestrong.com:
Blue cheese contains a number of essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin D, retinol, sodium and zinc. Although not necessarily a significant source of many of these, blue cheese also contains beneficial amounts of other minerals and vitamins. One oz. of blue cheese contains 7 mg of magnesium, which strengthens bones and serves other important functions. Blue cheese also contains beneficial amounts of vitamin B-12, which aids in the proper function of the nervous system.
Here comes my grass-fed pitch, folks. You’ve heard it before. You know what they say about teaching. Repetition, repetition, repetition. From whfoods.com:
Grass feeding is a practice not yet familiar to all consumers. To clarify this for you, 100% grass-fed cheese comes from cows that have grazed in pasture year-round rather than being fed a processed diet for much of their life. Grass feeding improves the quality of the cheese and makes the cheese richer in omega-3 fats, vitamin E, and CLA (a beneficial fatty acid named “conjugated linoleic acid”)
Don’t you hate it when you’re skimming (see what I did?) a piece looking for muscle building tips and all you get is the stuff about the vitamins and healthy fats? Once a meat-head, always a meat-head.
Grabbing ample protein to support muscle tissue is always on the minds of us dudes and gals. When I get home after a tough workout, I can either get 24 grams of protein from 4 eggs, or I can get creative and add a pop of smoky, salty flavor. I whip up three eggs in a pan, omelet style, and spread an ounce of stinky blue across the top. It is the same 24 grams all in, but with a bolder taste. Let me give your brain a break, whiz kid. An ounce of blue cheese has roughly the same amount of protein as an egg.
Lest you think I would write a post without mentioning my lactose intolerant and dairy free friends, you know me better than that. Box. Checked.
Kap
Kap-
Big fan of your writing. It appears we have the same interest. I was curious if you have any general books you recommend? I am going camping next week and we agreed all electronics will be locked in truck. Sad to say I haven’t read a book in years so I’m looking for some ideas
General? Anything Malcolm Gladwell. For your camping trip, how about “What the Dog Saw”? You can bounce around. Enjoy.
Sadly I did not taste blue cheese until I went to college. My mother hated the taste so she never used it in meals. I had no idea what I was missing. I love the bold flavor of blue cheese over broccoli and kale.
Thanks for making me hungry kap!
-Kelebek
Thank you, Kelebek.
Reading this article inspired a few questions. I was wondering if anyone happens to already know the answers to them:
If a food item says it’s a product of 100% grass fed, does that mean the animals whole life has been grass fed? Or is there a time limit, like say 1 year prior to “harvesting” the product?
We all know the increased nutritional density for grass fed meats and dairy, but do we know if there are varying degrees, or if it’s negligible when comparing say a 100% lifetime grass fed animal, to products that were only grass fed for the last year, or two years, prior to production?
Thanks for the inspired writing.
Blue cheese in the middle of a burger on the grill…Heaven!!
Thank you for the post Kap!
Indeed, Duane. Love it.
You and my wife have similar tastes…stinky bleu cheese and Malcolm Gladwell. I just can’t get on board with bleu cheese, sorry, but keep up the fantastic work!
(And yes, my wife IS one helluva woman!)
– Dan
I’m a BIG fan of blue cheese, BUT, dairy messes up my allergies, running nose, sneezing. It can be bad, but sometimes I’ll have it & be okay. I guess it depends on how much I consume.
Anyways, Blue cheese olives with a top brand of vodka on the rocks is the BEST. Also on a Ted’s Montana bison burger. OH YAH!
Great ideas to use blue cheese, any good brands you recommend?
” An ounce of blue cheese has roughly the same amount of protein as an egg.”
You just made my son’s day.
Gabe, if you like blues, the true international heavyweight (but not for everyone) is Spanish Cabrales.
Not expensive.
Enjoy