Recent Posts

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Comfort Zone

Things for the restaurant are flying by at a meteoric pace right now and it seems hard to slow down enough to do anything but work and cook for sustenance; yet Christmas was such an incredible respite from hectic life. Life moves at a slower pace in the South and I will forever love that and be linked to the concept of whole animal eating due to my grand and great grandparents heritage and my mother's gracious gift of the seminal texts by Fergus Henderson "The Whole Beast" and "Beyond Nose to Tail." I grew up with fried hog jowl and black eyed peas every New Year's Eve and have now graduated to Fergus' fried pigs tails and warm pig head salad.
There is something disconcerting to the American psyche to see an animal's head sitting on a plate. I was a bit offput at times trying to cook it but it was truly an opportunity for growth and liberation. The idea that one of the most delicious salads I have ever made was born out of a necessity meat- a cut that our ancestors took great pleasure in turning into headcheese. To think something beautiful can come from a cut that terrifies so many that would ultimately agree that the end result is a success.
The peppery arugula paired with the richness of the pork and the tang of the mustard vinaigrette harmonize as much as Henderson meant it to. We must throw caution to the wind and try to cook foods out of our comfort zone. You will find yourself with combinations beyond your wildest dreams when off bits are added to your repertoire. 
Unlike my usual form of posting a recipe I am going to leave you with a final thought. Find one of Fergus Henderson's books and use it to change the way you look at waste and the way you approach cooking. May every bone have a chance for a stock and every head have a chance for a salad.
Happy cooking!

8 comments:

Ana Powell said...

What a very striking photograph.
Have a great weekend ♥

Drick said...

adventurous for sure, delectable I know but even with my southern roots, I do not think I would tackle that one - I'll leave that to others and just enjoy the results... I do like the part of practicing limiting the waste...

RamblingTart said...

Good for you being brave and adventurous! I grew up eating crispy fried pig skin that my Grandma made. Mmm, how I loved it! I remember reading Little House on the Prairie and how they would blow up the bladder like a balloon for the kids to play with, and how the pigs tail was an absolute treat. :-) I must get braver in my eating habits. :-)

Stella said...

Hey Guys! I hope all is going well with you lately.
I actually am very uncomfortable with any type of corpse (human or animal), but I'm a generally jittery person and a vegetarian. Hence the aforementioned combination creates such a reaction, however, I do strongly believe that if an animal is going to be slaughtered that nothing should be left to waste. Plus, I've heard that head cheese can be really wonderful, so I believe you:-)!!
Your salad looks absolutely delicious, and I'm sending love and and positive energy towards your restaurant. Yeah!
XO

Conor @ Hold the Beef said...

Hello! Very true words, I totally agree. This is a beautiful contrast to the total disconnect that so many people seem to have from their food sources these days.

Hope all is well!

jen said...

You are so brave!!! I don't think I can look at that pig head. Yikesssss...

Have a Fabulous day!
Jen www.passion4food.ca

pressurized said...

have a great day .. awesome pics

foodhoe said...

that's quite gruesome, but it looks like the pig's winking and sticking its tongue out...

Post a Comment