Delicious kitty cat tongues, shared by Matthew's Grandma Ilse. She brought them home from the last trip to Vienna to visit family there. Quinn was thrilled to have a few after the rest were shared with other great grand kids.
Now seriously, all you vegetarians and vegans and folks who don't eat pork, you might want to skip this post.
My friend, Jen, and I have split various bulk local foods over the years. When a family we know in Lyons, CO had pigs available, we decided to split one. We have gotten beef and lamb from our CSA (community supported agriculture), but this was my first experience getting pork from a farm.
We asked the butcher to give us all the parts. Aside from the bacon, chops, ham roasts, and other usual pork parts, we also got the head, tail, and trotters. I've witnessed roasts of young pigs raised by uncles in Louisiana. The body of the pig was cut open to lay flat, then hung and turned rotisserie style over an open fire for roasting over several hours. A cousin fashioned a turning device using a windshield wiper motor once. I'm not sure what they did the head and legs though. I'm curious now, so I will ask!
These photos are from the last pig roast I attended in 2005, when Quinn was 8 months old. My cousin, BooBoo, and her husband, Michael, hosted pre-Christmas family gatherings at their home each year for a while.
From inside the barn where we stayed warm, ate, drank, laughed. And closer up...
A Cajun "snow"man...
Family and friends on a hay ride about to head through the woods, driven by my brother, David, and his dog, Cinnamon. RIP Cousin Bubba. Miss you!
For lagniappe, one of BooBoo's rescued horses. So pretty! BooBoo has adopted many rescued animals of all kinds.
Back to this weekend and the more recently deceased pig...
Jen's husband, Aris, is Filipino, and they decided to use the head for making Sisig, a somewhat spicy dish of diced meat. I used the trotters to make a dish from Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating of chicken and trotters (with bacon, red wine, lots of garlic, shallots & other good things.) We made Crispy Pig Tails from the same cookbook. The butcher gave us a bonus tail, so we had two - enough to taste. We also had a salad with oranges and pomegranate seeds. It was an interesting weekend of new cooking and a lovely evening spent with friends. The food was delicious! Jen & Aris said the Sisig tasted just like the Sisig they ate in the Philippines.
The other three kids seemed to eat everything. Quinn ate some rice and salad, but I don't think she ever tasted any of the pork. She hasn't been interested in eating meat lately, other than bacon.
I baked some gluten free fudgy brownies from a Boulder company for dessert. They weren't terrible, but they were sweet, sweet, mouth puckering sweet. Now I know why they had miniscule tasting samples at the farmers market. Another gluten free baking attempt to scratch off the list. I think I will stick to cookies for a while.
Jen is cooking what was left of the head and trotters to make a broth. I suppose the end result will be Head Cheese. Another something new to try!
I'll spare you the photo Matthew took of the parts. He was a bit freaked out by the skinned head. Quinn was not bothered by any of it. She was curious. Dealing with the hair on the trotters and tails was a bit tricky for me. I was only bothered by the thought of having any of the hair in my food. I spent a lot of time trimming and shaving it. It seemed like too much to singe off. Any tips for next time would be much appreciated!
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