Culinary Historians: Odd Bits with Jennifer McLagan, 3/17/12

Culinary Historians of Chicago

“From Haggis to Headcheese — The Fall and Rise of Odd Bits”

Presented by
Chef/Author Jennifer McLagan

Saturday, March 17, 2012
10 a.m. to Noon
Kendall College, School of Culinary Arts
900 N. North Branch Street, Chicago
(Located just north of W. Chicago Ave. at N. Halsted St.)
Free Parking

Odd bits, offal, or variety meats, whatever you call them they have had a chequered history. Prized by early man, enjoyed at Roman banquets, feted by the Elizabethans, and viewed today, in most of the English-speaking world as not worth cooking or worse still, too disgusting to eat. Why did they fall from pride of place on our table into Fido’s bowl?

Those who champion these varied and delicious morsels hope that their renaissance is underway. Economic, social and political forces that once worked against odd bits are now helping to promote them. Is the tide really changing or is it just another tiresome trend? Will it be tattooed chefs or parsimonious habits that will be odd bits saviours?

Jennifer will discuss the past, present and future of odd bits while explaining headcheese, Alice in Wonderland’s mock turtle, and the true lineage of haggis.

Jennifer McLagan is a chef and writer who has worked in Toronto, London, and Paris as well as in her native Australia. Her previous books, Bones (2005) and Fat (2008), were both widely acclaimed, and each won Beard and IACP awards. Fat won the James Beard Cookbook of the Year. Jennifer is a regular contributor to Fine Cooking and Food & Drink. She has lived in Toronto for more than thirty years with her sculptor husband, Haralds Gaikis, with whom she escapes to Paris as often as possible. On both sides of the Atlantic, Jennifer maintains friendly relations with her butchers, who put aside their best fat, bones, and odd bits for her.

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Cost of the lecture program is $5, $3 for students and NO charge for CHC members and Kendall Faculty and Students.

To reserve, please e-mail your reservation to: Culinary.Historians@gmail.com.

PLEASE NOTE: RSVP Encouraged.

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HI,

As a decorator centerpiece, I will order a roasted pig head from Sun Way BBQ.

I am thinking of making headcheese, too.

Regards,

Hi,

I visited Peoria Packing House yesterday. I bought several pounds of pig ears: some will go to a pig ear salad and others to dog treats. I bought six pig trotters and had them slice in half lengthwise. I bought two pig heads, which I had sliced in half. I bought a few pig tongues just in case. On the almost conventional side: 10 pounds of oxtail cut into 2 inch sections.

It was a great day to play, "Guess what I have in my cooler?"

Regards,

Hi,

I just made a brine, where the heads, trotters and a few ears will bask for a few days. These will be two variations of headcheese: one for the non-adverse and another to pig ears, tongue and some skin mixed in.

To avoid everything have a similar taste, I simply salted a stack of pig ears. They will eventually be a pig ear salad.

Regards,

Hi,

Cook's treat: pig brain fritters. These brains collected from pigs heads before brining.


3-12-12-pork-brain-fritters by cal222, on Flickr

Regards,

Cathy,

Will anyone be recording or videoing this presentation?

Unfortunately, I will not be available to attend as I am doing a Western Michigan road trip this weekend.

Hi,

Yep. WBEZ's Chicago Amplified will be there.

Enjoy your trip.

Regards,

Hi,

For two days, a stack of pig ears have been brined in salt.

I just made court boullion, I am now starting a two hour cook of the pig ears. Once cooked, they are flattened and weighted for an overnight chilling. All this for a delightful dish of pig ear salad!

Regards,

Hi,

My refrigerator is a regular pig part party. Deboned from the head and trotters plus tongues and ears. There is also 1-3/4 gallons of gelatinous pork stock that needs to be reduced to a gallon and two cups. Porcine perfume is in the air.

Nibbled on an extra pork tongue yesterday, the brine did a great job of making it exceptionally flavorful. I like tongue anyway, never had one so good as this one.

Regards,

Hi,

I just got off the phone with Laura from Sun Wah BBQ. I have my centerpiece roasted pig head for tomorrow! Pick up at 9 am for the princely sum of $3.!

Regards,

WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified partners with Culinary Historians by recording our programs and making them available for broadcast on demand at their website or downloadable to an iPod.

Our most recent program:

From Haggis to Headcheese — The Fall and Rise of Odd Bits with Jennifer McLagan.

These are references to quotes from Jennifer's talk:

Carroll, Lewis. The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1949.

Glasse, Hannah. Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (By a Lady. London: 1747.

Hartley, Dorothy. Food in England. London: Little, Brown, 2003.

Leipoldt, C. Louis. Leipoldt’s Cape Cookery. Cape Town: W. J. Flesch, 1989.

Luard, Elizabeth. The Old World Kitchen: The Rich Tradition of European Peasant Cooking. New York, Bantam, 1987

McNeil, F. Marian. The Scots Kitchen. Edinburgh: Mercat Press, 2004. This book contains my Meg Dods references but her book is online

link to Meg Dods Cook and Housewife's Manual
http://books.google.ca/books?id=c_AGx2L ... &q&f=false

Markham, Gervase. The English Huswife. 1615

May, Robert. The Accomplisht Cook. 1660

http://www.fromoldbooks.org/LewisCaroll ... 4x1696.jpg

http://utdallas.academia.edu/MatthewBro ... al_Failing