Pork tongue salad

So, once upon a time, Bill & I purchased a hog with 7 of our friends. We knew we were in for something else, but we didn’t know exactly what.

One thing no one anticipated was exactly which “weird” cuts we’d get. I figured we’d end up with a heart, maybe a couple of kidneys. And we did. We also got the tongue, which was not something I had ever considered eating before.

This is funny, once you stop to think about it. A tongue is just a muscle, and a well-used one at that. It’s probably damn fine eating. But not once in my time on this earth had I ever considered the possibility that animal tongues might be food.

Now, of course, I realized when I saw it that there was no guarantee we’d end up with the tongue.… Continue reading →

Salad help, anyone?

Okay, I have a few Thanksgiving entries to make, but nothing huge. Mostly an entry with a photo or two, and to tell you all about our two new recipes.

For the moment, though, I’m here to ask a question. I need help. Help with salads. Or even just the green things that go into salads.

Bill and I, as we’ve mentioned, are members of a CSA most of the year here. This year, it started in mid-April and will last until mid-December. It’s pretty darn good for us, and it results in our having a lot of food that’s healthful for us around & to be eaten.

The downside, though, is lettuces. Lots and lots of lettuce. Lettuce invades our home, takes over our fridge and makes us crazy.… Continue reading →

[54] Greek-Style Cooked Greens

Cover of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman

For the record, we had this as a side dish to the “beer-glazed beans.”:http://metacookbook.com/archives/101-51-Beer-Glazed-Black-Beans-with-Bacon-and-Tomatoes!.html It’s just that it took me awhile to remember what the side dish/recipe was.

In addition, we very much did not have the 1 – 2 lbs of greens the recipe called for. However, I was not about to let THAT stop me. I’ve been struggling for most of our CSA to figure out how to properly store turnip greens for eating, and I’d found this recipe one week when I thought I had managed it. I was wrong that week, but it meant this was up my sleeve when I did finally get it right.

I really have never had collards or turnip greens or anything like that before this CSA.Continue reading →