Recipe report: Rethinking meat

To ease customers into plant-forward eating, don’t eliminate the meat—just use less. These five recipes focus on global preparations and other dishes with smaller portions of meat balanced by vegetables, fruit and other ingredients.

Pho has expanded from a Vietnamese street food into a comforting Asian soup embraced by American consumers. At Saigon Sisters, one of Chicago’s most authentic Vietnamese restaurants, the kitchen simmers roasted beef bones with aromatic spices, charred onions and a piece of brisket to give the broth a rich, meaty flavor. To serve, the soup is ladled over rice noodles and topped with a small amount of cooked brisket, fresh herbs, scallions and bean sprouts.

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Taste of Texas Restaurant in Houston offers a new take on the walking taco to create a classic. Corn chips form the base of this pie that’s topped with the restaurant’s signature Texas beef chili. Avocado crema and candied jalapenos add color and textural contrast. The pie is a customer favorite, served regularly at the restaurant’s beer dinners and anniversary parties.

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Chef Sasloe of San Diego State makes savory pulled pork by tossing it in a mixture of teriyaki sauce and coffee-flavored liqueur. A shredded cabbage trio, fresh mango, grilled pineapple and coconut not only add tropical flavors to the salad, but also extend the meat with an abundance of produce. A passion fruit vinaigrette ties the salad together.

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Veggie lovers will appreciate this unique take on osso bucco—a dish that is usually composed of braised cross-cut veal shanks. Instead, chef Troy Guard of Tag Restaurant in Denver hollows out a potato to resemble the shank bone, fries it until lightly crisped and fills it with a small amount of braised oxtail. It makes for an elegant small plate.

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Downsized portions of meat adapt well to small plates and appetizers. At Cattivella restaurant in Denver, chef-owner Elise Wiggins marinates an underutilized and more economical cut—lamb spare ribs—then bakes them until the meat is tender and infused with flavor. A sweet-sour glaze completes the recipe. The ribs are served with a dollop of goat cheese and sprinkling of chopped walnuts.

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