3 Meaty Recipes From Two Rivers Specialty Meats

Chef Tony Starratt of Two Rivers Meats shares his recipes for ramen bowl, chicken dip and beef tartare

On October 13th, Two Rivers Specialty Meats celebrated the one-year anniversary of The Shop—their public-facing butcher shop and eatery—with the launch of a new menu.

Two Rivers has been supplying restaurants and retailers across B.C. with quality local, natural meats since 2007. Since opening The Shop in North Vancouver in October 2017, consumers can now purchase hand-crafted sausages, dry-aged beef and hand-tooled cuts by head butcher Pasqual Stufano and his team. The adjacent take-out deli counter also stocks house-made artisanal salumi and charcuterie.

Under the same roof, Chef Tony Starratt’s kitchen and family-style eatery works with the butcher shop to highlight the best preparations for a multitude of products.

In celebration of their anniversary, Two Rivers will be offering new dishes on the menu, including the Crispy BBQ Pork Bites, Boss Burger made with two 65-day dry aged beef patties, a Natural Beef Foot Long Hot Dog, the return of their popular Ramen Bowl served with either pulled chicken or crispy pork and more.

In honour of the anniversary, Tony Starratt has shared three meaty recipes, so you can enjoy Two Rivers’ quality and flavours at home…

 

1. Chicken Dip

Broth Ingredients

• 1 roasted chicken (store bought will do or roast your own)
• 1 medium cooking onion
• 2 large carrots, peeled
• 2 ribs of celery
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 tsp black peppercorns

Garlic Aioli Ingredients

• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise for each sandwich (store bought will do)
• 1½ cups red onion, sliced
  
• Salt & pepper to taste

Pickled Onion Ingredients

• 1½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1½ tbsp salt
• ½ tsp peppercorns
• 1 cup white vinegar

For assembly

• 1 large baguette
• 1 cup shredded lettuce

Method

1. To make the broth, separate the chicken meat from the bone (discard the skin) so that you are left with one pile of pulled chicken and one bone. Reserve the meat for assembly, making sure all bone is removed.
2. Place the chicken bones, vegetables and spices in a large stock pot. Top the bone mixture with cold water until just covered and simmer on low for 1 hour, skimming the surface as needed to remove impurities. Once the broth is fully simmered, strain out and discard solids. Reserve broth for assembly.
3. Roast garlic head with a splash of oil wrapped in tin foil in a 350-degree oven until fragrant and tender (approximately 30 minutes). Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic into the mayonnaise, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for assembly.
4. Thinly slice the red onion and peel the garlic. Place the onion and garlic in a large glass or ceramic bowl.
5. Add the sugar, salt, and peppercorns to a small sauce pot. Add vinegar and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Place a lid on the pot and bring the mixture up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, pour the vinegar over the sliced onion and garlic in bowl. Press the onion down so all the pieces are submerged, then let the mixture cool to room temperature.
6. To assemble the sandwich, cut the baguette into four even pieces and slice down the side (not cutting all the way) to make a deep pocket. Separately heat the pulled chicken and broth until hot. Add a spoonful of garlic aioli to each baguette, top with pulled chicken, pickled onions and shredded lettuce. Serve with a mug of broth on the side for dipping.

Serves 4

 

2. Miso Ramen Bowl

Broth Ingredients

• 4 whole chicken wings
• 1-pound piece of pork belly, rolled and tied
• 500 ml good-quality chicken stock
• 1 tbsp dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, thickly sliced but not peeled
• 1 tbsp kombu (seaweed)
• 4 green onions, whites only (save the tops to serve)

Chili Oil Ingredients

• 300 ml neutral oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp cane sugar (optional)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

For assembly

• 1 cup white miso
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 tbsp mirin (sweet Japanese seasoning)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 bunches of ramen noodles (fresh is preferable, but you can use dry)
• 4 eggs
• Fresh bean sprouts (as many as you like for extra crunch)

Instructions

1. To make the broth, put the chicken wings and pork belly in a large pot with the remaining ingredients and 1½ litres of cold water. Bring to a boil, skim, turn down the heat, put on a lid very slightly ajar, and simmer gently for about three hours until the belly is tender, then lift out the meat and set aside. Strain the broth of all solids and reserve for ramen.
2. While the broth is cooking, bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the eggs to the water gently not to break them. Set a timer for 6½ minutes. When done, place eggs in a bowl with ice water to cover. This will achieve a soft egg, peel carefully and set aside.
3. To make the chili oil, put the oil in a medium pan with the garlic, spring onions and ginger and cook on a medium heat until golden. Add the chili flakes and turn off the heat. Stir regularly until cool then mix in the sugar and sesame seeds.
4. Mix together the miso, garlic, mirin then fry in the oil over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Set aside for seasoning the broth.
5. When you are ready to eat, finely slice the reserved green onion and the pork belly. Cut the eggs in half.
6. Heat the broth and whisk the miso mixture into it. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. When the broth is steaming, divide the noodles between bowls and pour over the broth. Top with the eggs, sliced pork, green onion, bean sprouts and chilli oil to preference.
7. Serve very hot and enjoy!

Serves 4

 

3. Beef Tartare

Tartare Ingredients

• 1 pound quality beef tenderloin
• 3 tbsp capers, chopped and drained
  
• 2 tbsp bread-and-butter pickle, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• Kosher salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Garlic Aioli Ingredients

• 1 head of garlic
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise (store bought will do)
• Salt & pepper to taste

For assembly

• 1 fresh baguette sliced

Method

1. Roast garlic head with a splash of oil wrapped in tin foil in a 350-degree oven until fragrant and tender (approximately 30 minutes).
2. Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic into the mayonnaise, add salt and pepper to taste and set aside for garnishing tartare.
3. Chill beef in freezer for 15 minutes then cut into quarter-inch pieces.
4. Mix beef, capers, pickles, parsley, oil and shallot in a chilled large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Divide tartare among chilled plates and top with a dollop of roasted garlic aioli and serve with sliced baguette.

Serves 4

Note: It’s very important to keep the raw beef very cold at all times and serve immediately to ensure the tartare is at its freshest and is safe to consume.