Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Should You Ever Get Lost In The Woods...

The scrambled brains recipe got me thinking that, in the spirit of the season, I should gift the internet with an heirloom recipe for cooked porcupine. A description of this delicacy and its exquisite preparation was related to me by a partly psychotic Belgian ostrich farmer who often gets hungry whilst rambling through the woods. Upon capturing the unfortunate creature, he packs it thoroughly in mud (the soil in the Belgian Ardennes is clay-based). Place the package in the fire; after an hour the ball will have hardened, and you can set upon it with a stick or rock. When it breaks open, the spines and skin will stick to the clay, leaving the steaming viscera ready for finger-licking consumption....

Continue reading »

2 Comments | Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 16, 2007 at 2:52 PM
Tagged: Belgium, foodways of the inbred, ostriches, porcupines

What's YOUR recipe for cooked pig's head?

Here's "Granpa's": 1 hog's head 1 hog's tongue salt and pepper sage or chili powder Clean and scrape hog's head and wash thoroughly. Wash and trim tongue. Cover head and tongue with slightly salted water and simmer until meat falls from the bone. Drain meat, shred, and season. Pack tightly in bowl, cover, and weigh it down. Let stand 3 days in a cold place. Slice. Makes 6-8 pounds. The site also has recipes for scrambled brains, cheddar coffee ("when the coffee is gone, slurp the glob of melted cheese", and a "banana worm bread" that calls for 1/4 cup of dry-roasted army nuts. At last, some hors d'oeuvres ideas for my next book club meeting......

Continue reading »

Post a Comment | Posted by Nathalie Jordi, January 16, 2007 at 2:34 PM
Tagged: banana bread, coffee, foodways of the inbred, grandpa, headcheese