Pan Seared Foie Gras With Puy Lentils & Creamed Leaks

Gordon Ramsay's family fare cook book challenge day 32:

*Pan Seared Foie Gras With Puy Lentils & Creamed Leaks


 Today's cooking gave me really mixed feelings, I am kind of angry actually, let me explain:

The major ingredients in the pan seared foie gras dish is the foie gras. I was not sure what it was at the beginning, so I tried to find out online, but what I found out was astonishing:

"foie gras is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage (force-feeding) corn...The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a long tube (20–30 cm long), which forces the feed into the animal's esophagus; if an auger is used, the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds....these birds are typically housed in individual cages or small group pens" -- From wiki pedia.

And these pictures:



A lot ducks throw up after the force feeding.

This one had a broken beak after feeding, but guess what tomorrow he will get more food thovel down his throat ignoring the broken beak.

Look at your pet, now can you imagine someone do this to your pet? I will probably found whoever did this and do the same thing to him/her.

Gordon Ramsay was very critical on the shark fin issue, which I respect very much. It had quite a impact on the shark fin situation. When he talks, people listen and some restaurants that sold shark fin stopped selling it. People were educated about it and of course we have much respect to the person who contributed to this.

This dish is exceptionally dangerous. People have good faith with the stars or idols they trust. Most people probably won't even think about what is the story behind this fatted liver, because it must have been all well thought though. When they write a recipe, Gordon Ramsay, Jimmy Oliver or Martha, there will be millions of people cooking these recipes. The celeb chefs guide people what to eat and how to eat. It should be a chance for a wholesome, environmental friendly and more respectfully eating habit to be introduced.

Foie gras has been a old tradition in french cooking, but maybe it is time we move on to a more civilized way of treating the animals that devote their lives to us. Could you imagine  gorvenments still using an iron lady to get information out of people?I am from Asia, but I see shark fin as wrong and cruel to the animals, I hope Gordon Ramsay can provide geese the same sympathy he gave to sharks.

I used tofuky(a turkey flavored tofu ham) to replace foie gras, it worked good and tasted fine. If you want a closer substitution, try local made bologna, they usually have a fatty and soft texture. I loved the lentils though, it is boiled with herbs and then fried with diced veges and bacon, very yummy, I can just eat that alone. The creamed leak had a refreshing taste despite that it was cooked in butter and cream, I guess the garlic and minty flavor of leak really compensated it well.

Today's post probably left a bad after taste, but that is good sometimes I think.