Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal by Jennifer McLagan

  • Headcheese for the unconvinced

    Headcheese for the unconvinced (page 17)

    from Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal Odd Bits by Jennifer McLagan

    • Categories: Mousses, trifles, custards & creams; Main course; Appetizers / starters; Cooking ahead
    • Ingredients: pig head; pig feet; sea salt; brown sugar; coriander seeds; black peppercorns; allspice berries; juniper berries; garlic; thyme; bay leaves; onions; whole cloves; carrots; celery; fennel; lemons; parsley; quatre-épices; egg whites; whole star anise; cinnamon sticks; chives; tarragon
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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Lamb neck with quince and turnip

    • Franci on December 24, 2011

      I really, really like it. But I used 8 slices of lamb neck for 1.2 Kg plenty for 4. I add also a little more cooking liquid.

  • Slow-cooked pork shoulder with cider and rhubarb

    • KarinaFrancis on June 18, 2013

      The pork was so delicious and tender, the sauce was the perfect accompaniment. Substituted 2 pink lady apples for the rhubarb. Also took the skin off and made it into crackling.

    • jayejoyce on August 26, 2017

      Cranberries or quince might make a good substitute for rhubarb when not in season. Pork Shoulder specified is skin-on, bone-in.

  • Grilled sweetbreads with mustard seed glaze

    • bching on October 12, 2014

      Really delicious, well balanced flavor and texture. I worried that the mustard glaze might be too sweet and sour for my liking, but the bitterness added by the grill, and a good sprinkle of salt flakes made it all just right. The grilling also made for a wonderful balance of crisp and soft.

  • Peruvian heart kebabs

    • Franci on December 24, 2011

      Very nice. Made with veal heart. Also tried grill heart from nose to tail and from M. Ruhlman website. This is my favourite.

  • Salad of duck hearts

    • wester on May 27, 2014

      A nice introduction to cooking with hearts. The hearts were moist and tasty, but the salad didn't add much. Will definitely cook hearts again, but not necessarily this recipe.

  • Heart salad

    • Franci on February 03, 2012

      Very good way to use leftover heart (or tongue).

  • Moroccan-style braised heart

    • Franci on February 03, 2012

      Everybody at the table liked it. I maybe cooked a little longer than stated. Although it's very nice, we prefer the texture of grilled heart, on the medium rare side.

    • mcvl on October 12, 2018

      Blah. The vivid flavor of the dates throws the whole dish off balance. I wish I had made Paula Wolfert's Lamb tagine with carrots and celery from Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, using the heart in place of the lamb.

  • Grilled liver with red currant sauce

    • mcvl on April 28, 2020

      Excellent combination of flavors. I had never understood liver with fruit till I had it at Matt Dillon's Corson Building in Seattle; now I'm a firm convert. I used some red currants I had brandied (sugarless) in 2011. I needed more mint than the recipe indicated.

  • Tamarind glazed lamb ribs

    • Franci on February 19, 2012

      I like it. I tried in the past Mark's Bittman Tabak Maaz and I really didn't like it. Loved instead this recipe. Glaze is a winner, can see it really well with duck, wings or simply lamb chops

  • Spiced lamb shanks with gingered lentils

    • Franci on February 19, 2012

      Not bad at all. But not my favourite either, the red lentils mash, in particular, doesn't appeal to me.

  • Bone marrow and mushroom custard

    • meginyeg on May 03, 2023

      This was ok. The flavour was decent. It has the same taste and texture of canned condensed cream of mushroom soup. We probably wont make it again.

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Reviews about this book

  • Los Angeles Times

    She broaches what most might consider tough subjects, like cooking the head of an animal, approaching various organs, or how to use blood, but helps us wade into unfamiliar territory gently and slowly

    Full review
  • ISBN 10 190641761X
  • ISBN 13 9781906417611
  • Published Oct 01 2011
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 248
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Aurum Press
  • Imprint Jacqui Small LLP

Publishers Text

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the author's award-winning Bones and Fat, Odd Bits features over 100 recipes devoted to the 'rest of the animal', those under-appreciated but incredibly flavourful and versatile alternative cuts of meat. We're all familiar with the prime cuts the beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, and pork chops. But what about kidneys, tripe, liver, belly, cheek, and shank? Odd Bits will not only restore our taste for these cuts, but will also remove the mystery of cooking with offal, so food lovers can approach them as confidently as they would a steak. From the familiar (pork belly), to the novel (cockscomb), to the downright challenging (lamb testicles), Jennifer McLagan provides expert advice and delicious recipes to make these odd bits part of every enthusiastic cook's repertoire.

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