Day 12: In Search of Testicles

I’ll admit it; the last couple of days have been full of fatty meals.  It doesn’t matter how much you cook those cuts of pork down, in the end you’re going to end up with a fatty flavourful mess, but fatty nonetheless.  So while my small breakfast included bits of crispy skin from the leftover pork hocks from last night, the dinner selection I pulled from the freezer plan involved some more typical and boring parts of the pig…chops.  I still need to talk to my butcher to see if I can get my hands on some “reproductive parts”… I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m a little uncomfortable asking.

I managed to avoid the rush of cooking oats at breakfast by making them last night and reheating them this morning; I didn’t really notice any difference.   I attempted to remedy my suspected lack of vegetables by chomping down on a head (or do they call them spears?) of Belgian endive.

Lunch consisted of the rest of last night’s hocks and a radicchio salad.  Some people hate the bitterness of radicchio, but bitter is one of my favourite tastes…Campari and soda anyone?

Some books I had ordered late last week arrived at the office.  “Odd Bits” and “Bones” both by Jennifer McLagan would prove helpful in the next few weeks and “The Whole Beast” by Fergus Henderson is widely recognized as the go-to book for nose to tail eating.

Inspired by my new books I stopped in at my butcher on the way home and talked to one of the guys behind the counter.  I’m not the shy type, but I didn’t want to be so bold as to tell him that I was looking for testicles…I simply asked if they sold reproductive organs.  I know I said it clearly, “reproductive organs”, but his brain must have subconsciously blocked out the “reproductive” part and he asked me which kinds I wanted: kidneys, spleen, liver?  I switched gears and told him I needed “reproductive organs…you know, like balls?”  It took a few seconds for my request to register and before he could ask his next question I explained what I was up to.  “I’ll have to get Sam” he said.

Sam didn’t end up being an expert in pig balls, but he did explain that he couldn’t get them because he wasn’t allowed to sell them.  I’d have to find another way I suppose.  I could see that Sam was interested in why I needed some “odd bits”, so I briefly explained my month of pork.  When he heard that I was going to need a head, he said that I’d have to move quickly since his Mennonite pig farmer source was going “off season” (don’t ask me, I don’t know how these things work) and he could only get me heads this week.  I made arrangements to pick one up on Thursday.  My weekend looks like it will include eyes, tongue, snout, cheeks and brain.

Thin rib and loin chos with Turkish spice paste... ready for the BBQ

Whoa baby!  That's one monster slab of salo.

Sliced salo for the white beans

Lemon on pork...always good

Dinner was thrown together fairly quickly, but I was really pleased with the result.  I had a few thinly sliced loin and rib chops that I dressed with some of the now familiar Turkish spices which I had turned into a paste with some olive oil.  I placed them on the BBQ while I made some white beans with prosciutto and fatty salo, and a salad with Belgian endive, avocado and shredded carrots.

I’m thinking that Elvis should pay a visit tomorrow for breakfast…but with a twist.