THE FAT OF THE LAND
The war on fat is finally over. After decades of being told to avoid it, science has about-turned and declared animal fats to be our new best friend. Good news, because fat is where the flavour is.
Rendered animal fat should be clarified, which is no great feat of alchemy. Cool melted fat, then chill in the refrigerator until firm. The fat will rise to the top and any meat protein will sink to the bottom and set like jelly. Peel the fat off and save the meat jelly for enriching sauces and stews. Melt the fat and strain it through muslin/cheesecloth before leaving it to set again. Animal fat can be kept in a cool larder or refrigerator for weeks (some even say years). There is no tidy use-by date, but the smell and taste will tell you when the fat’s day has come.
Cooking oil can be safely re-used many times. Like animal fat, there are no hard-and-fast rules for when it’s past its best but there are signs: a layer of foam on top; smoking; a dark or dirty-looking colour; an unpleasant smell. Don’t pour fats down the sink – it can cause blockages. Cooking oil can be recycled to make biodiesel, animal feeds, detergents, and more.
Now that we can all ignore the Fat Police, it’s time to turn our attention to cutting out Evil Sugar. Or perhaps it’s time we just cut out the guilt and go back to that simple old adage: eat everything in moderation.
CHICKEN SCHMALTZ OR BEEF DRIPPING POPCORN
You can use any rendered animal fat you like to make this popcorn. Aside from chicken and beef, bacon fat is a personal favourite.
4 tbsp rendered beef dripping, chicken schmaltz or bacon fat
50g/1¾oz/5 tbsp popcorn kernels
1–2 tsp sea salt flakes
Put the fat in a deep, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the popcorn kernels until coated in the fat, then put the lid on the saucepan. Turn the heat down to low and leave to pop, shaking the pan occasionally. Once the popping stops, remove from the heat and tip the popcorn out in a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and serve immediately.
TIP: You can add a dusting of mustard or wasabi powder to beef dripping popcorn, chopped rosemary and/or crispy chicken skin crackling to schmaltz popcorn, or add a sprinkle of smoked paprika over bacon fat popcorn. Rendered chicken fat, or “schmaltz” makes fantastic roast potatoes.
You can render your own lard from the fat around a pig’s loin or back fat. It’s worth going to a good butcher for this, who may well give it to you for free if you’re cheeky enough to ask.
450g/1lb/3¼ cups strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp fine sea salt
100g/3½oz/1½ cup caster/ superfine sugar
14g/½oz fast-action dried yeast
150g/5oz/⅔ cup lard, cut into small cubes, plus extra for greasing
300ml/10½fl oz/1¼ cups warm milk
2 tsp mixed spice/apple pie spice
125g/5oz/1 cup currants
125g/5oz/1 cup raisins
Mix the flour, salt, 1 tbsp of the sugar and the yeast in a large bowl. Add 50g/1¾oz/ 3½ tablespoons of the lard and rub it into the flour until the lard is no longer visible. Leave the rest of the lard at room temperature to warm up.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in three-quarters of the milk. Take the flour from the edges into the liquid and mix until the ingredients start to form a dough. Add more milk until your dough leaves the sides of the bowl clean. You may not need it all.
Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and use the heel of your hand to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until soft and pliable. Lightly grease a large bowl with lard. Transfer the dough to the bowl, cover the top with cling film/plastic wrap and leave for 1–2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, line a deep 25cm/10in round cake pan with baking parchment and grease lightly. Knock back the dough, then roll it into a rectangle about 1cm/½in thick. Dot one-third of the remaining lard over the dough. Stir the mixed/apple pie spice into the remaining sugar and sprinkle one-third over the top of the lard. Scatter over one-third of the dried fruit. Press gently with your hands to help the fruit and fragrant sugar stick.
With the shorter end of the dough facing you, fold the top third down over the middle, then fold the bottom third up to overlap. Press the edges of the dough to seal in the fruit. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll it out to roughly the same thickness as before. Dot with another third of the lard, the fragrant sugar and the fruit. Fold and roll again twice, adding the remaining lard, sugar and fruit, then shape the dough into the prepared pan.
Cover the top of the pan with a clean dish towel and leave to rest again for 30–60 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, before turning out on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.
Cooking meat in its own fat yields irresistibly succulent results. Once cold, the fat forms a barrier to bacterial growth, ensuring the meat can be preserved for several months.
45g/1½oz/scant ¼ cup fine sea salt
6 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked (stalks saved for stock)
1 tsp juniper berries
3 garlic cloves
3 strips of orange or lemon zest, chopped
1 tsp black peppercorns
about 1kg/2lb 4oz game bird or poultry legs (such as 4 plump duck legs, or 2 goose legs) or boned pork belly or shoulder
1–1.5 litres/35–52fl oz/4⅓–6½ cups rendered fat (duck or goose fat are my preferred choices, but you can use lard or even olive oil, if you prefer)
Place the salt and aromatics in a pestle and mortar and grind to a dry paste. Put the meat in a dish large enough to fit it in a single layer. Rub the salt mixture into the meat, cover the dish with cling film/plastic wrap and leave to cure in the refrigerator for 24–36 hours.
Heat the oven to 130°C/265°F/Gas 1. Rub off as much of the salt mixture as possible using paper towels. Rinse the meat under cold water to remove the rest. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Put the meat in an ovenproof dish large enough to fit it snugly in a single layer. Pour over the rendered fat so that all the meat is fully submerged. If the fat has set, gently melt it over a very low heat.
Cover the dish with baking parchment and kitchen foil and cook in the oven for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender. It should come away from the bone easily but not fall off unprompted; the juices should run clear.
Carefully lift the meat out of the fat and place it in a large sterilized jar (see page 53). Strain the fat through a sieve/fine-mesh strainer lined with muslin/cheesecloth into a jug, then allow to settle so the meat juices can separate from the fat. Carefully ladle the fat over the meat, seal and leave to cool completely. Once cold, you can store the confit meat somewhere cool and dark for several weeks, or even months.
The meat juices will be left at the bottom of the jug. Once cold, they will turn into a thick jelly, which you can use to boost flavour in sauces or soups, or for fondant potatoes.
Confit birds can be oven roasted in a hot oven, 200°C/400°F/Gas 6, for about 30 minutes (less for smaller birds, or if using wings) to crisp up. They are delicious served with Puy lentils or sautéed potatoes, cooked in cassoulet, or simply shredded and strewn in a salad. Confit pork can be roasted in the same way, or you can shred it and mix it with some of the warm confit cooking fat to make rillettes. Serve with crusty bread and cornichons as a delicious starter.
I like to toss spätzle in a sauce made from chopped bacon, shallots and garlic fried in duck fat, then cook with chopped chestnuts, white wine vinegar and a handful of chopped sage.
2 eggs
4 tbsp duck or goose fat
250–300ml/9–10½fl oz/1–1¼ cups milk
400g/14oz/3 cups plain/all-purpose flour
1½ tsp fine sea salt
Whisk the eggs, fat and 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup of the milk until smooth. Sift over the flour and salt and mix together to a thick and sticky batter, adding extra milk, if needed. Leave to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Squeeze little worms of batter straight into the hot water using a spätzle press or by pushing the mixture through a colander or steamer with well-spaced holes. Cook for 2 minutes until the spätzle float to the top. Simmer for a further 2 minutes, then drain.
If you do not want to eat immediately, plunge the dumplings into cold water to prevent them from cooking any further, then drain again. Roll the spätzle in more duck or goose fat to prevent them from sticking together and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, you can reheat the spätzle in duck or goose fat in a frying pan, add them to a sauce or boil them for 1 minute, just to heat through.
SUET CRUST PASTRY
Suet is the hard white fat on the kidneys or loin of any animal, but beef suet is my go-to choice. Leftover pastry makes delicious jam tarts – perfect for children to make.
500g/1lb 4oz/3¾ cups plain/all-purpose flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
125g/4¼oz/1¼ cups shredded beef suet
125g/4½oz/heaped ½ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Put the flour, salt, suet and butter in a bowl and rub between your thumbs and fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add about 275ml/9½fl oz/generous 1 cup cold water a little at a time, mixing with a butter knife until the pastry starts coming together, then gently kneading on a lightly floured surface to a soft dough. Wrap in cling film/plastic wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out and using as indicated in the recipe.
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
120ml/4fl oz/½ cup warm, rendered bacon fat (preferably from smoked bacon)
¼–1 garlic clove, finely grated, to taste
1 handful of basil, leaves chopped (optional)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the ingredients into a jar, seal the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Taste and adjust the garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
SCHMALTZ & TARRAGON DRESSING
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bunch of tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped
6 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp warm schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the shallot and tarragon in a bowl and pour over the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and leave to one side for 5 minutes. Whisk in the schmaltz until fully combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Use immediately. Great for a chicken salad with pumpkin seeds.
WARM BEEF DRIPPING & MUSTARD DRESSING
3 tbsp warm beef dripping
1 tsp English mustard powder, grated horseradish or wasabi
6 tbsp red wine vinegar
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Simply whisk all the ingredients together until fully combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Use immediately. This is particularly good with rocket/arugula or watercress.
BACON FAT MAYONNAISE
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
150ml/5fl oz/scant ⅔ cup rendered bacon fat, cold
juice of ½ lemon (optional)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Use a stick blender to combine the egg yolks, mustard and salt and pepper, before adding the bacon fat. Blitz until thick, smooth and creamy. If the mixture does not thicken, chill, then whisk again. Taste and add lemon juice and more salt and pepper, if needed. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. This is perfect for potato salad or a BLT.
