 Are you an adventurous cook? If so we have just the cookbook for you. Fergus Henderson, author of "From Nose to Tail" has released the sequel: "Beyond Nose to Tail: More Omnivorous Recipes for the Adventurous Cook". The new book picks up right where the first book ended. Filled with the same humor, interesting stories and unusual recipes, Beyond Nose to Tail extends past the main course with desserts from Henderson's pastry chef and head baker Justine Piers Gellatly. As with the first book, this book has rather unusual recipes that use every part of the animal. For example, see the recipe below for Pot-Roast Half Pig's Head which, as Henderson says, "is a perfect romantic supper for two. Imagine gazing into the eyes of your loved one over a golden pig's cheek, ear and snout."!
Pot-Roast Half Pig's HeadFrom Beyond Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson and Justin Piers Gellatly, Bloomsbury 2007
To serve two
I say only half a head, as it is a perfect romantic supper for two. Imagine gazing into the eyes of your loved one over a golden pig's cheek, ear and snout.
- a dollop of duck fat
- 8 shallots, peeled and left whole
- 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
- ½ pig's head (your butcher should have no problems supplying this) - remove any hairs with a razor
- a glass of brandy
- 1 bundle of joy - thyme, parsley and a little rosemary
- ½ bottle of white wine
- chicken stock
- a healthy spoonful of Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch of watercress, trimmed, or other greens - a case of Liberty Hall
- sea salt and black pepper
Dollop the duck fat into an oven tray wide and deep enough to accommodate your half a pig's head and put it on the heat. Add the shallots and garlic and leave them to do a little sweating to improve the flavour of the dish. Shuggle the tin occasionally to prevent any burning, but you do want some colour.
When happy with these, cover the ear of your demi-head with foil so that it doesn't frazzle, then rest the head in the tin. To welcome it to its new environment, pour the glass of brandy over it, nustle in your bundle of joy, add the wine and then the chicken stock. Now, I'm sure we have covered this before - the alligator-in-the-swamp theory - what we are looking for is the half pig's head to lurk in the stock in a not dissimilar fashion to an alligator in a swamp.
Season with salt and pepper, cover the tin with greaseproof paper, offering some protection but not denying the need for the rigours of the hours to come in the oven - which is where you should now put your tin, in a medium oven for 3 hours, until the head is totally giving. Check it after 2-2½ hours; you could remove the greaseproof paper at this point and get a little colour on your cheek.
When ready, remove the head to a warm place. Whisk the Dijon mustard into the pan liquor, in which you should then wilt the bunch of watercress. Finally, on the head presentation platter, make a pillow of shallots, garlic and wilted watercress, where you then rest your head. There you have it, dinner for two; open something red and delicious: Moon, June, Spoon.
About Beyond Nose to Tail Written in the same entertaining and accessible voice that made Nose to Tail Eating a certified foodie classic, this beautiful new collection of recipes by Fergus Henderson teaches you everything you'll ever need to know to prepare even more mouthwatering, offal classics, from pork scratching, fennel and ox tongue soup, and pressed pig's ear to sourdough loaves and lardy cakes, chocolate baked Alaska, burnt sheep's milk yogurt and goat's curd cheesecake, among others. While taking you through more than a hundred simple, easy-to-follow recipes, Henderson explains why nearly every part of every animal we eat is a delicious treat waiting for the hands of a patient cook to prepare it
Available at Amazon.com
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