Re: spleen recipe - for Heidi

[Guest guest]

>At that point mince to a fine paste with anchovy filets and capers to taste,

and return it to the fire, stirring constantly and moistening it with broth or

white wine as necessary until done, about 10 minutes.

Mmmm ... that does sound good! Thanks!

Re the butcher: I think one of the reasons " real " sausage tastes so good too is

that they add " filler " . I got some expensive homemade sausage that just uses

" real meat " and it wasn't nearly as good as the stuff I got overseas, where they

add the " unmentionables " (wasn't that the whole POINT of sausage?). So maybe

I'll just chop some of the stuff into cubes and grind it and no one will know

the difference.

-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

I tried the spleen today ... surprisingly, it tastes

like liver only MILDER. It has a tough outside

I didn't take off though. I think it will be

good in sausage.

Also I tried the lung. Not bad, though it is

a little like eating meat-flavored marshmallows.

I found some recipes for lung on a website a lot

of you might enjoy:

http://bertc.com/cow_lung_recipes.htm

They recommend beating them with a mallet

to get the air out (sounds like a good idea!).

Also -- the hint on getting the membrane off

the liver worked great. I think it was a good 15-20

lbs of liver! I used a rubber glove and just sort of

worked it off, then sliced it on the thickish side

(they always slice liver too thin for my taste).

The " leaf lard " really is special. Not much in

the way of membranes, it cuts like butter, and

as the killer pointed out, it is very " clean " . Not

so the fat around the stomach, which ended up

smelling very much like stomach contents. I found

out that the leaf lard is usually left ON the carcass

and sent to the butcher (where it is generally discarded).

Next few days I get to do rendering! I have about 8 gallon

baggies of leaf lard alone.

The one stomach I brought home takes up a 5-gallon

bucket, with the fat removed. And stinks to high heaven!

I'm not sure I can get away with bringing it in the house.

I think I read somewhere that you are supposed to

soak them in lye, maybe that is to remove the smell.

I can't figure out why people go to so much work.

Either tripe soup is REALLY GOOD, or the fact the stomachs

are just so big and people didn't want to throw them out ...

-- Heidi

PS. Here is one that gave me a smile:

http://bertc.com/jerky.htm

Authentic Texas Beef Jerky

Find yurself a cow. Kill it. Skin it out. Cut off a large hunk of dead cow meat

( any part you think suitable) Cut the dead cow meat up into thin, flat strips,

like you are trying to make a belt. Put salt, and cracked pepper on the dead

cow meat. ( cow meat means red beef down hear, even if it come off a steer ).

hang the meat on the top wahr of a bob-wahr fence in the Texas summer sun

(available May thru Sept. in most counties.) Let it hang thar, dryin' in the

breeze, for a day or two. When its dark, and tough as wang leather,and dry as

west Texas, she's done. Warning: don't serve to youngins nor old-timers with

store-bought teeth, without you soften it some first.

(there is more ..)