The local food scene in Baton Rouge features some devoted young farmers and Galen Iverstine is the meat guy, passionate about feeding the community delicious pasture-raised beef, pork, chicken and turkey. He thinks on his feet, always ready to adapt to any situation. I met Galen the week after I relocated to Louisiana, calling him as a complete stranger to ask about getting involved with flood relief in the Baton Rouge area. He was serving barbecue to the residents in his parents’ neighborhood while they cleaned up from the 2016 flood. I offered that my daughter and I could come out and make pancakes and our friendship was forged.

For this interview, Galen and I met for a cool drink at French Truck Coffee. He had just done a next level hand-washing tutorial with his staff at the butcher shop and met with me before heading home to make dinner for his kids while his wife went to girlfriends’ night out. Each day since, he and his staff have devised and revised plans to continue to serve their loyal customers during this unprecedented time. I’ve stopped by their fan favorite shop each day this week to find them doing brisk business a few customers at a time while also packing bags for home delivery. In a time when hugging isn’t advised, it’s really great to shake the hand that feeds you!

What’s your 20 minute recipe? 20 minutes is the time period I have to cook! Every recipe in my house starts with 1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice. I slice Bavette steak from the shop into really thin strips across the grain, do a quick marinade and stir fry it with vegetables. This one’s my go to and I change it up with different spices

What’s your favorite city? Lahaina, Hawaii on Maui. I worked there for five months when I took a hiatus from school at 21. It was the perfect time to do it. I went back and visited with my wife for our honeymoon.

What’s your favorite restaurant in your current city? This is so hard, I don’t wanna make anybody mad. We always go to Beausoleil. They were my first customer. Service and menu are great. They have great classic cuisine and great cocktails and it’s always well executed.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? The liquor that’s left from a pickled something. The Cultured Guru pickle brine is really good. It’s fermented so it adds depth and funk to whatever I’m cooking. I like to pour a little in a pot of soup.

Who taught you to cook? My parents taught me the basics and I have learned from a lot of the best home cooks in Baton Rouge.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Spaghetti and meatballs cuz I make a damn good spaghetti and meatballs! I do some bone-in meat that falls off in the red gravy that takes all day to cook. I do the meatballs 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork and 1/3 Italian sausage. Please don’t put sugar in your gravy! I follow it exactly the way my grandmother made it and put a whole carrot in to sweeten the whole pot while it simmers.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Guy Clark.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? Coffee. 100 percent! French press. I brew the Parish State of Mind from Titan Coffees. We sell it in the shop.

Date night—at home? or out? Out if we can pull it off. We have designated the first Friday night out with another couple. We go try out the new place in town.

Most stained cookbook? I have a couple of really stained pages in John Folse’s big book. The carrot cake and Gumbo Tips are great. I don’t use a lot of recipes, I’m just looking for guidance.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Chef’s knife, tongs and a good spatula.

Staple childhood comfort food? My grandmother’s roast, rice and gravy. Or her spaghetti and meatballs. If she invited you for dinner you would drop everything and be there in five minutes. She always made this great salad with a minced-to-powder blend of celery, parsley and green onion tossed in. I still make it today.

Go-to olive oil? I like the ones from Red Stick Spice for finishing. Most of my high temp cooking is done with avocado oil. I really like a good butter.

Ideal grilled cheese? The one from Chelsea’s circa 2006.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? Thomas Jefferson. He’s an agrarian, so smart. It’s really cool touring Monticello.

How do you like your toast? Medium/just browned with an uncomfortable amount of Kerrygold butter.

Favorite pizza topping? Italian sausage.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Don’t overcomplicate it. The most sustainable way to cook is to buy ingredients you can use in multiple platforms throughout the week.

Three things next to your stove? Salt, spoon rest and a big Boos Block cutting board

What’s your favorite sports team? I ride dirt bikes, that’s my sport. Just started back this year. I do enjoy an LSU baseball game.

Freestyle stir fry! This one features what I had in my produce drawer: mushrooms, red bell pepper, carrot, green onion. Cilantro and broccoli microgreens make a fun and flavorful garnish.

Galen’s Bavette Beef Stir Fry with Basmati Rice

Galen describes the bavette steak as ‘such a great cut of meat that nobody knows about’ and after testing the recipe as he suggested, I’m a believer! I will now be stocking 1 pound bavettes from Iverstine’s Butcher Shop in my freezer. He tweaks the recipe to match the veggies he has on hand and spices the stir fry accordingly. Galen confessed he doesn’t have room for the clutter of kitchen gadgets. I did test this recipe using my birthday gift rice cooker for the rice and I am hooked. The ingredients here are as I tested

1 1/2 cups Basmati rice (cooked according to package directions)
1 pound bavette steak, frozen/partially thawed and thinly shaved across the grain in diagonal slices
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided use
2 fat garlic cloves, minced
spoonful of hot chili oil or good pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 carrots peeled and cut julienne (there’s a peeler for this and it’s a great kitchen gadget!)
2 green onions, sliced
chopped fresh cilantro for flavorful garnish
broccoli microgreens for garnish, optional

START the rice. After it boils, reduce heat to simmer and cover. it will be ready to fork fluff when your stir fry is done. Or let the rice cooker do the work for you.

TOSS the sliced beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the minced garlic and the chili oil or crushed red pepper. Set aside for a few minutes to marinate while you prep the vegetables.

HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and cook for about a minute, then toss and stir fry another minute or until the meat is mostly browned. Using tongs, remove to a bowl, leaving the juices in the skillet.

ADD the mushrooms to the skillet and cook stirring for a few minutes until just tender, then add the bell pepper and carrot. Cook another minute or three until the bell pepper softens. Add the 1/4 cup soy sauce and scrape the pan to get all the good bits incorporated.

ADD the cooked beef back to the skillet and stir in the green onions.

SERVE over rice, garnish as desired with cilantro and microgreens, more chili oil or crushed red pepper and a squeeze of lime if you like.