With the last batch of pigs we had processed, there was an option for having some fresh lard made. The pigs produced a fair amount of lard that has a beautiful white color, is full of flavor and adds a real depth to dishes.
“Most of us long for the authenticity of old-fashioned recipes, in which farm-fresh ingredients contribute honest flavors. Free-range eggs, with their sunny, orange yolks; freshly churned butter sparkling with the last drops of its briny whey: This is the way food ought to taste.
Thoughtful shoppers can resurrect some of those flavors by shopping carefully at farmstands and farmers markets. But one great heritage ingredient missing from most tables today is lard. Used in kitchens for centuries, lard (rendered from pork fat) has a unique mix of different types of fats that give it wonderful qualities, especially for baking and frying. If you’ve never eaten foods cooked with lard, you’re in for a lovely surprise when you do.
Like most animal fats, lard is higher in saturated fat than most vegetable oils. Lard’s reputation was tarnished decades ago when manufacturers persuaded us that Crisco and Parkay, which are vegetable oils that are “hydrogenated” using chemical processes to change the oils to solids, were better choices than traditional animal fats. Then, in the ’90s, when the medical establishment began to hammer on saturated fats as the culprits in heart disease, lard’s shunning was complete.
But maybe it’s time to return to those time-honored foods. As the editors of Grit magazine explain in the forward to their new book Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking With Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient, lard contains less saturated fat than butter. The fat composition of lard rendered from pigs raised on pasture is better for you than lard from pigs raised in industrial confinement. Not only are the industrial hogs fed antibiotics and growth stimulants, but commercial lard is bleached and deodorized.
New research shows that saturated fat is not the heart-slayer it was once deemed to be, whereas the trans fats found in hydrogenated fats are worse for us than we realized. (Learn more in The Fats You Need for a Healthy Diet.) It turns out that the trans fats in hydrogenated vegetable margarines and shortenings are lopsided in their ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, and those ratios have been linked to heart disease.
Most of us enjoy food for its flavor, however, not just for its nutritional value. As the 150 recipes in Lard demonstrate, this truly natural fat can contribute delicate flavor to any meal. Look to lard for flaky, tender biscuits and pie crusts, and discover how its high smoke point (370 degrees Fahrenheit) makes it ideal for frying. Grit magazine’s lard book includes information on how to locate sources for lard from pastured pigs and instructions to render it yourself.”
Now…on to Lardy Cake
Lardy Cake is a traditional cake originating in England. One of the main ingredients is freshly rendered lard giving it a rich flavor.
Source: motherearthnews.com
Ingredients
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450 grams (1 lb) of pre-prepared white bread dough
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175 grams (6 oz) lard
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Granulated sugar, to taste
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175 grams (6 oz) mixed sultanas and currants (optional)
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50 grams (2 oz) chopped mixed peel (optional)
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Mixed Spice (optional)
Directions
- Make and prepare the white bread dough.
- Roll the dough on a floured pastry-board to about 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) deep.
- Put dabs of lard (about the size of half a walnut) on the dough, spaced at about 2.5 cm (1 inch).
- Sprinkle with granulated sugar and spices (if used) and a third of the mixed fruit, peel and spices (if used).
- Fold into three from the ends and then into three from the sides.
- Turn the dough through 90° and roll it out again.
- Repeat this process twice, each time putting on dabs of lard, spices, sugar and dried fruit.
- After three foldings and lardings, roll out and shape to fit the size of your baking-tin.
- Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise.
- Score across the dough with a knife, and bake in a moderate oven (220°C / 425°F / Gas mark 7) for 30 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.