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March 7, 2008
Head to Tail
When one gets invited to a Head to Tail Dinner, there are things to be considered. First, there is the matter of pride (can I hang with the big dogs?). Then there is judgement. If one declines, there is talk of a weak spirit. If one accepts, there are consequences. In the case of a Head to Tail dinner prepared by Chris Cosentino (of The Next Iron Chef fame) and presented by Michael Ruhlman (renown author on all things "chef"), there will be offal, and lots of it.
This week in New York's Astor Center, David Mechlowicz (our Culinary Purchasing Manager) and I faced the consequences of our bravado -- a menu that included beef heart tartare puttanesca, fritto of honeycomb tripe with picholine olives and marjoram, Crostino of salt cured pork heart, and porchetta di testa with radish and pecorino. And those were just the "Bits and Bobbles."
Having already had an offaly good time at Cosentino's restaurant in San Francisco recently, I wasn't sure how much of the "forgotten meats" one person could handle in a year. Afterall, there may be a reason they were forgotten. But I didn't want to tarnish my reputation among my fellow diners, including the Amateur Gourmet who was likely to call me out on his web show The FN Dish if I didn't put on a good show. But after a few bites of the porchetta di testa (some deliciously unknown part of the pig), I was acting no more. This food was incredibly flavorful. There were a few mishaps, like the abundant portions of trotters (pigs foot) and a modertately over-zealous beef tendon salad, but in general my appetite only increased as I ate. By the time a plate of venison liver crudo (as in raw) with crispy sugar beets and juniper balsamic landed before me, I was genuinely beguiled. My enthusiam was rallied just in time for a huge portion of whole roasted spring lamb neck, a cut of meat usually tossed aside for the leg or chops, which was cooked low and slow until the meat melted like butter under it's crackly crust. Served with a healthy dose of roughly chopped parsley and freshly grated horseradish, it delivered on flavor and satisfaction in a way I'd almost forgotton was possible.
I'll spare my vegetarian readership the remaining details (such as how exactly Cosentino got candied cockscomb to taste like a blood-orange gummy bear), but you can get some live action on Grub Street's video feed. Back here in the kitchen, we'll put our offal affections on the back burner and continue to cook up the playful and widely lovable recipes you've come to expect from us. But we can't help but take inspiration from industry super stars when it comes to family meal (ie. lunch). This week we tried our hand at lamb's neck, cooked for 6 hours at 200 degrees, which became a tender filling for soft tacos on homemade tortillas (thanks David), grated radish and pepperjack cheese. Don't worry, we're professionals--our stomachs are built for this stuff.
Nutrition Note: In honor of National Nutrition Month, offal fans will rejoice to know that liver is an incredibly high source Vitamin A and iron, and rich in a unique array of B vitamins, folic acid and trace minerals such as copper and zinc.
Sarah Copeland, Food Network Kitchens
Posted by Food Network at March 7, 2008 4:42 PM