"First of all, the first thing we have to do is remove the lard..."
"Film-wrapped lard is the most neutral of all fats, which means it doesn't have much flavor. Although it is only used in European cuisine for pie crust, lard can actually be said to be
Great choice for stir-fries…”
As Elena spoke, she easily took out the thick layer of suet from the belly of the pig that was cut in half.
Traditionally, with the exception of a very small number of people, most Europeans and Americans choose to use suet from pigs to make "shorten" - mixing it with hydrogenated oil and vegetable fat for processing
Pastries or fried foods.
The shortening formed by rapid cooling and kneading has undergone industrial processing and is generally not suitable for direct consumption.
This is undoubtedly a very shameful waste in Elena's opinion.
You should know that lard is different from ordinary vegetable oil or other beef and mutton fats. It has a mild taste and a unique fat aroma. It can not only stimulate appetite and moisturize the intestines, but most importantly, it will not interfere with the original taste of the dishes.
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"I see, is Elena planning to make lard herself?"
Tina Scamander nodded thoughtfully, then frowned in confusion and continued.
"However... in my impression, there is always a pasty smell in the lard that is cooked, and the oil looks very turbid. Compared with olive oil, to be honest, hand-cooked lard does not seem to be the same.
It doesn’t make much sense.”
"It doesn't make much sense? It's turbid and smells like paste? That must be because there's something wrong with the technique and usage..."
Elena raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. She skillfully broke off the pieces of pork suet fat between the Yorkshire pig's pork and visceral layers with her hands, and laid them neatly on the wooden workbench next to her while explaining.
road.
"Theoretically speaking, if the lard is successfully cooked, it will be as clear as stream water when it flows, and when it solidifies, it will be pure white, with a mellow and bland taste, without any peculiar smell. In fact, this is not complicated -"
"You only need to add some water when the suet is put into the pot, cover the pot, and be sure to simmer over high heat. After about five or six minutes, the suet will slowly begin to turn yellow, and lard will begin to appear around the pot.
At this time, be sure to stir with a spatula and don’t stop. When the suet completely turns golden brown, you can pour out the oil one after another..."
Elena paused for a moment and licked her lips gently.
"Of course, lard is only one aspect. By the time you have dinner, you will understand that the real treasure is the 'oil residue' left over when the lard is boiled. Those dried meats that have been squeezed out of the oil are definitely your
Irresistibly delicious.”
"Eh? The scraps left over from cooking lard?"
Newt Scamander's cheek twitched and he waved his hand with no interest.
"As I get older, I won't try new things like this. If you are interested, just eat it yourself."
In his long life experience, one of the lessons he learned was - restrain your curiosity as much as possible, and don't easily try some weird things you have never heard of.
Even though he temporarily established a cooperative relationship with Elena, Newt has not forgotten the "grandpa" behind the girl.
Maybe Elena will keep her promise and live in harmony with him, but if there is a chance to tease him a little, Newt doesn't think that this little witch who has inherited "Grindelwald's will" will show mercy.
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As for Newt, although Elena's true identity is not yet known, judging from Tina Scamander's slightly helpless expression, it is obvious that this kind and gentle old lady also thinks so in her heart.
"Oh? Really?"
Elena raised her eyebrows and glanced meaningfully at the Scamanders.
"Anyway, let's talk about it when the time comes. Anyway, I will leave you a small portion...well, two portions."
Not to mention lard bibimbap and lard stir-fried vegetables, the "Crispy Whisper", "oil dregs tofu", "oil dregs cabbage", and "green pepper oil dregs" based on lard residue are all in the list.
A delicacy sought after by millions of people in the Eastern Continent.
There are soft whistles made from pork belly, crispy whistles made by squeezing out the fat meat, "jingshao" made from lean meat, and "lean pork whistles" made with a little fat... These are crispy and delicious
, fragrant but not greasy oil residue, it is definitely the so-called magical food of British wizards who grew up in food deserts, or American wizards who grew up in fast food continent.
Elena doesn't think that Scamander and his wife can resist the temptation of delicious food.
You know, even Grindelwald, who almost unified the European wizarding world, not only resisted symbolically for a day or two when faced with the delicious food she made, but then said "really delicious" with great honesty.
Sound?
"After taking away the suet, the first thing we have to do is remove the internal organs..."
Without further explanation to the Scamanders, Elena continued her work of dismantling the whole pig.
If the proper use of lard is a blind spot in the European cooking world, then the lack of ways to develop various pig internal organs is another place that makes Elena feel like a waste of resources.
In the minds of most Europeans, offal such as pork kidneys, pig heart, pig liver and offal are usually minced directly into meat fillings, stuffed into sausages or made into various pies... Of course, there are also similar
Yu Haggis’s dark cooking methods.
More often than not, these offal are used to feed dogs or make bait, or are directly used as agricultural fertilizer.
In fact, this was the reason why she insisted on letting Mrs. Scamander purchase whole pigs.
If not, all she could buy at the butcher shop might be a few lonely pork kidneys and a bunch of sausage-stuffed pork offal medley that tasted weird and made people feel extremely sad.
European chefs really waste ingredients!
"Pork kidney, pig heart, pig large intestine, pig small intestine, pork liver, pig lung, pork belly..."
While Elena softly introduced the names of various organs, she carefully removed them from the body of the big white pig and arranged them neatly on the large workbench, as if she were the surgeon performing a precise operation.
Various delicious recipes have begun to appear in her mind.
Pork belly with pickled pepper, nine-turn large intestine, stir-fried bitter sausage with sharp pepper, hot kidney, pig heart soup, husband and wife lung slices...
Compared with the European and American definition of "edible" offal, in the eyes of Eastern foodies, especially in the eyes of offal enthusiasts like Elena, these "treasures" grown in pigs can be regarded as the most delicious.
Great stuff.
Along with Elena's happy expression, the Scamanders, Hannah, and Luna's expressions also became more and more frightened and panicked - judging from the white-haired dumpling's drooling look, these things were obviously...
It is one of the ingredients.
Fortunately, after briefly handling the internal organs, Elena did not explain in too much detail.
After removing these slightly dark-looking parts, everything seemed to have returned to the familiar territory. Mrs. Scamander even took the initiative to put on an apron and help Elena start processing the remaining pork parts.
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After all, this is a large white Yorkshire pig weighing over 600 pounds. Elena alone is still a bit too slow.
Even if she is not good at butchering and dismantling, just by following Elena's movements, Mrs. Scamander can still slowly take out various types of pork from the pig on the other side, and learn relevant knowledge by the way.
.
After the "Senbonzakura" treatment, some parts that were originally difficult to remove have become easier to deal with.
A few minutes later, Newt and two other little wings curiously joined in the process of dismantling the "building blocks".
A somewhat special small class on slaughtering and pork dismantling knowledge officially began.
"...the loin meat can be removed slightly, which will help to remove the complete tenderloin smoothly..."
"...We move the fifth and sixth ribs so that we can remove the shoulders..."
"...Don't cut the belly too short. The belly can be turned into bacon. This is a food that everyone likes. Separate as much bacon as possible. This is just a place to test the skills of a butcher. But I have already cut it this time.