Lard and why I love it

A few days ago I made lard. Unlike vegetable shortening (such as Crisco), lard has no hydrogenation.  The problem with hydrogenation is that it generates trans-fats.  Trans-fats are worse for one's health than cis-fats (like those found in lard) because trans-fats are not found in nature so the body processes them differently.  Although the new Crisco formulation claims 0 trans-fats, it actually contains 0.5 grams of trans-fat per serving (less than the required amount for labeling). I looked at the Crisco food label and noticed that the total fat was 12 grams, but when I added up the fats they list it only adds up to 11.5 grams, leaving out the 0.5 grams of trans fats (below I added them back in). I was surprised to learn that other than Crisco having trans-fats, lard and Crisco are relatively similar in nutrition:

Vegetable Shortening			Lard
1 tbsp			1 tsbp
113 calories			115 calories
Total Fat	12 grams		Total Fat	12.5grams
Saturated Fat	3.0 grams		Saturated Fat	5.0 grams
Trans-Fat	0.5 grams		Trans-Fat	0    grams
Monounsaturated	6.0 grams		Monounsaturated	6.0 grams
Polyunsaturated	2.5 grams		Polyunsaturated	1.5 grams

Ingredients			Ingredients
SOYBEAN OIL, FULLY HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM AND SOYBEAN OILS, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (ANTIOXIDANTS).			LARD

Another great thing about lard is that you can make it at home, with just one simple ingredient (according to Michael Pollan's food rule: don't eat anything with more than 5 ingredients).  Plus by making my own lard I can support small farmers instead of big agribusiness. My adventure in lard-making started at Whiting Meat in New Wilmington, PA where I asked for 4 pounds of pork back fat. I intended to make a small batch, to last a few months.  The man at the counter went into a cooler and returned with a long piece of fat he folded in half on the scale.  The meter read 18 pounds and he murmured "if you don't use it all just throw it out" and charged me about $15.  The chunk I took home was over 2 feet long and 2 inches thick with bumpy pale skin on one side and a few long streaks of pink muscle left on the other.  I cut half of it into cubes (the rest is in the freezer) and put the cubes into a glass Pyrex dish and cooked them in the over for about 3 hours at 250 degrees.  Then I let it cool for 10 minutes and poured it through cheesecloth and into mason jars.  It was so easy and the final product is wonderful.  Tonight I used my lard to make a fantastically rich and flaky pie crust for quiche.


For more about lard check out these articles:

Lard: the new health food? in Food & Wine

High on the Hog in The New York Times

Who Killed Lard?  in NPR Blog

Farm to Table Conference Pittsburgh

Upcoming Event:

7th Annual Farm to Table Pittsburgh Conference

March 22-23, 2013

David H. Lawrence Convention Center

Pittsburgh, PA

One day tickets are $10 and include admission to see farmer's market and health vendors, live cooking demonstrations, and expert presentations about health and local food.  Check the Farm to Table Pittsburgh website for more details.

Spicy and Sour Bok Choy Noodle Soup

Servings: 4
Total Time: 45 minutes

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp powdered ginger (or fresh ginger)
2 small hot peppers or 1 tbsp hot pepper flakes
2 large carrots (optional), peeled and cut into small pieces
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 pound bok choy, coarsely chopped into pieces
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame paste (or substitue natural peanut butter)
1/2 pound rice noodles

Heat oil in a medium stockpot, add onion and cook until translucent.  Then add garlic, ginger, hot pepper and carrots and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.  Next add broth and bring to a boil.  Cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.  During that time, bring water to a boil and cook rice noodles per instructions on package (not cooking rice noodles separately will thicken the soup).  Drain noodles and add to soup once the carrots are cooked.  Then stir in bok choy, rice vinegar, soy sauce  and sesame paste.  Simmer for another 3 minutes, until bok choy is wilted but still crisp.

Shepherd's Pie

A hearty dinner for a cold winter night.

Shepherd's Pie

Servings: 6-8
Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Mashed Potatoes:
3 lbs potatoes (about 8 medium, peeled if desired)
3 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon minced horseradish
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
1 cup of milk

Filling:
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lbs ground beef or lamb
1 tablespoon cumin
3 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups of red wine (or beef stock)
1 cup peas
2 lbs turnips, peeled and chopped into small cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces

Put potatoes in a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, on medium/high heat saute onions until translucent (about 3 minutes) then add garlic and stir for an additional 1 minute.  Add beef/lamb and stir, breaking up pieces, until the meat is fully cooked.  Add cumin, salt and pepper and stir until well mixed.  Stir in flour.  Add wine or broth, peas, turnips and carrots.  Turn to low heat while preparing potatoes.

For mashed potatoes, pour off water when potatoes are tender.  Add milk, butter, salt, pepper and horseradish.  Mash until smooth.

Add beef and veggies to a 9 by 11 inch glass oven-safe dish and top with mashed potatoes.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until mashed potatoes are golden grown.


I sourced onions and garlic from Mott Family Farm, beef from Burns Angus Farm, turnips from Clarion River Organics, potatoes form Penn's Corner Farm Alliance, and butter from Minvera Dairy.