William Penn Life, 2006 (41. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
2006-05-01 / 5. szám
The Hungarian Kitchen with Főszakács Béla Variety Meats The Spice of Life FARAD JON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA. Springtime has definitely arrived, and it's a great time of the year. We didn't get much snow in New Hampshire and the cold weather left us many weeks ago. All this is good because we can start cleaning up the yard and getting ready to plant gardens. The new cookbook continues to sell very well, and Chef Vilmos and I have received many positive comments. At every William Penn fraternal event the new cookbook will be on sale, or you can get a copy by contacting the home office in Pittsburgh at 1-800-848-7366. While I am not a bowler, I always enjoy the bowling tournament, which will be held in Pittsburgh on the first weekend of May. The best part of the weekend is the fratemalism that all the bowlers bring with them. I'm sure a good time will be had by all and everyone will enjoy all the "Burgh" has to offer. My favorite attractions are the inclines, which I could ride all day long. The view is spectacular as you slowly ride up the mountain overlooking the Golden Triangle and the stadiums across the river. I wish the Pirates were in town as it would have been nice to catch a game at PNC Park. This month's topic was requested by a reader from New Kensington, Pa., who wanted to know more about variety meats, especially what we Magyars enjoy. Aprons on, into the kitchen, here we go... Let's start with two trivia questions this month. First: What is the oldest form of processed variety meat known to man? Secondly: In what baseball city did a team first sell hot dogs during the games? The answers are at the end waiting for you! VARIETY MEATS are all the animal innards and extremities that can be used in cooking or in the processing of other foods, such as sausage, deli meats or pate. This category also includes brains, cheeks, intestines, feet and ankles (pig's feet), heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, spleen, stomach (tripe, haggis), tail (oxtail), testicles, thymus and pancreas (sweetbreads) and tongue. Nowadays, when they butcher a pig or cow the only thing left is the oink, oink and the moo! While we don't eat the hooves or the bones of pigs or cows they are used up to make gelatin which is added to other foods we enjoy. Basic Terminology Let's look at some background information and basic terms. OFFAL is a term used in Europe to describe variety meats. If you read a label of any processed product, like hot dogs, and it mentions Offal, you can bet there are body parts mixed in with the regular meat mixture to get the final product. SAUSAGE is a ground meat product mixed with fat, salt and other seasonings, preservatives and sometimes fillers. This mixture is usually packed in a casing. CASING is a thin tubular intestinal membrane that has been cleaned and ready for stuffing with processed meat. Sausages are usually raw and have to be cooked before you can eat them. There is a type of sausage you can eat raw because the product has been processed by a curing method. CERVELAT is a style of sausage that combines chopped pork and/or beef with blends of herbs, spices and other flavorings. They are uncooked but have been preserved by one of the following methods: • CURING treats food such as meats so we may preserve it. • COLD SMOKING is 70-90 degree smoke that can take up to one month to cure. • HOT SMOKING is 100-190 degree partial to total cooking of the product to preserve it. • DRYING or DEHYDRATION removes the natural moisture by rendering out all juices from the product being processed. This is the original form of food preservation that prevents spoilage such as mold or fermentation. Are all these terms making you dizzy? Let me give you a few examples. Think of Italian sausage, breakfast sausage links or kolbász we enjoy. Salami and pepperoni are types 10 William Penn Life, May 2006
