Sometimes there is a need to cook something that harmonizes with toasted bread - for example, delicious or homemade lard. Read the recipe!
IngredientsLard recipe
Lard is rendered pork fat, which for a long time considered a village product. But it is not so. Lard, first of all, is national product. Many cuisines around the world cannot do without lard, and its use is varied and multifaceted - from confectionery to a base for frying.
Smalets, how natural product used in both household and medicinal purposes. When preparing lard it is usually used visceral fat, but you can also use regular lard. Properly prepared lard is not only a high-calorie dish, it is rich in vitamins and amino acids. To save all the benefits folk product, try the following recipe. For cooking we will need the following utensils and tools:
- Wide sharp knife
- Wooden cutting board
- Frying pan or saucepan with a thick bottom
- Dry glass containers
Homemade lard is a product of unusually high nutritional value Preparation
The process of making lard is fuss-free and requires a lot of time, but the result is worth it.
- A piece of lard or fat should be slightly frozen, this makes cutting the product much easier. For 1 kg of lard, 15-20 minutes are enough. If you cut frozen lard on a wooden board, the board will not absorb the fat and there will be no loss. A wooden board is not only environmentally better than any other, it is most suitable for slicing frozen fat. This point in the preparatory process can be skipped, which will not affect the taste of the final product at all.
- Cut lard or fat into small pieces. You should not grind it; accelerating the melting process greatly deteriorates the quality of the lard, giving it a slight but noticeable bitterness.
- Cut the onion into small cubes. The amount of chopped onion should be enough to completely cover the layer of chopped lard in the bowl.
- We heat the dishes well, but do not heat them. It is very important that not a drop of moisture remains at the bottom.
- Reduce the heat to the minimum, put chopped lard or fat in a bowl, and chopped onion on top. Close the lid and leave to simmer for 6-8 hours.
- If you want variety, at the very end of heating, you can add garlic, cumin, marjoram, rosemary. Each of these ingredients can be added separately, or different compositions can be made. The readiness of lard is determined by the color of the cracklings - they should turn dark brown.
- Turn off the fire. Pour the hot lard into clean, dry containers and cover with parchment. If you used spices, pour the lard through a strainer to strain it.
- After cooling, close the containers with lard with tight lids and store in a dark, cool place.
Snow-white, fragrant lard is ready!
Lard and lard - cult products of Ukrainians - have actually earned a reputation as traditional village food not only in Ukraine, but also in many other countries.
They are so well known all over the world that the question “Lard - what is it?” anywhere in the world they will immediately tell you several ways to prepare it, and at the same time give you a couple of recipes for dishes in which it is used.
Where and how to apply
So, lard. What is it and what is it eaten with? This fat, rendered from lard, is involved in the process of preparing many national dishes. For example, in Transcarpathian and Hungarian cuisine, pork lard is indispensable for preparing such dishes as Hungarian goulash, halasle fish soup, and paprikash.
Lard is widely used for baking a variety of bakery and confectionery products, as well as for frying instead of vegetable oil. In addition, they prepare a simple and satisfying appetizer, seasoned with spices and salt, lard. The recipe with garlic and black pepper is especially popular among Russians and Ukrainians, because these spices give the lard a piquant taste that goes well with black Borodino bread.
Fried mushrooms or stewed meat prepared for canning are poured with lard, which allows the product to be stored for a very long time.
A short excursion into history
Lard - what is it and what is it for? Every housewife knew this before. The universal product was used not only for food, so its preparation was a vital necessity.
In ancient times, cart wheels, locks, traps, fishhooks, metal tools, etc. were lubricated. Lard was used for lighting, filling lamps with it, and scythes and sickles were heated in it. They lubricated the skin of the face and hands with it to protect against severe frosts. Even stoves were melted with its help. Very often, lard was used in folk medicine as part of ointments for external use, and they also practiced preparing medicinal mixtures, used internally for certain diseases.
Sandwich lard with dill, cracklings, red pepper or even horseradish and radish was a strategic product in the arsenal of village housewives, the most convenient for use outside the home: in haymaking, fishing or hunting, at night. This is understandable - it will not melt and will not deteriorate for a long time.
Today this product can be purchased in almost any supermarket. However, zealous housewives assure that it is better to prepare homemade lard, that this is a task that does not require great culinary skill. For this purpose, it is not necessary to take expensive selected lard; you can use trimmings and internal pork fat.
The trimmings chosen for rendering should be cleaned of the skin and removed from the layer of meat, and then soaked in cold water for 8-12 hours to remove dirt and blood residues. To make the lard easier to cut, it is recommended to freeze it slightly. To work, you will need a thick-walled container - a cauldron or pan, into which small pieces are placed in portions. The fire should be low so that the cracklings formed when rendering the lard do not burn. They can then be used for culinary purposes, for example, mixed with lard for sandwiches or used to prepare delicious buckwheat porridge with cracklings and onions.
The resulting liquid transparent fat is lard. The liquid must be filtered through double-layer gauze, poured into jars and left to cool. Cooking lard ends when the liquid fat turns into a white mass, the consistency of soft butter.
What are the benefits of lard?
Many contained in lard useful elements when heated, they are lost, but three of them remain after culinary processing: selenium, vitamin E and choline (aka vitamin B4). Choline contained in small amounts affects fat and protein metabolism in the body, prevents sclerosis and improves the functioning of the heart and liver. Vitamin E is important for strengthening capillaries and vessel walls and preventing the formation of blood clots. Despite the existing beneficial features, lard should be consumed in moderation, as it contains a lot of harmful fats and cholesterol.
Some recipes using lard
1. Lard with garlic and onions for sandwiches. Strain the lard and put it back on the fire, then add finely chopped garlic and onion (choose the amount of vegetables to taste) and fry until golden brown. Add salt, marjoram, black pepper and stir. Remove from heat and let cool. This lard can be prepared with or without cracklings.
2. Danish lard. Fry a pound of fresh lard, cut into small cubes, until golden brown. Cut one onion into segments without peeling, put in a frying pan, add peppercorns, peeled garlic, Bay leaf, then quickly fry. Remove spices and greaves from the pan, add peeled chopped onion and sliced apple, fry until browned. Combine cracklings without spices with the apple-onion mixture, let cool slightly, puree in a blender, add salt and pepper to taste. Divide into jars and store in the refrigerator.
3. Shortbread You will need 250 g of flour, half a glass of sugar, 5 tablespoons of lard, 1 egg, 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder. Beat eggs with sugar, add melted and slightly cooled lard and other ingredients, knead the dough. Place it in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then roll out the dough, cut out the shapes and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 180 degrees until golden brown. The cookies turn out very tender, melting in your mouth.
4. Omelette "Atamansky". Take three eggs, three tablespoons of sour cream, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of flour, a little of any seasoning to taste, for example, cumin. Beat these ingredients with a mixer. Pour a handful of cracklings into the frying pan and put on fire. When the fat is released, pour in the egg mixture, add cheese, and cover with a lid. The omelette takes 5-8 minutes to cook.
Lard storage rules
I'm sure everyone will like this recipe, especially strong half humanity. After all, lard with garlic is such a “brutal” snack that goes well with green and onions, fragrant black bread, a plate of scalding hot borscht and, to be honest, a glass of vodka (a kind of aperitif before lunch on a day off). Lard and garlic are prepared through a meat grinder, the recipe for which I offer is quite simple and quick, but still this process has its own nuances. I will be happy to tell you more about them.
Ingredients:
300 g lard;
2-3 cloves of garlic;
0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper;
1 tablespoon salt (optional).
For this recipe, you can use two types of lard - with and without meat streaks. There are those who prefer the first option, there are those who do not like lard with streaks in principle - in any form... I belong to the first - it seems to me that such lard is much tastier - even just salted, or twisted with garlic. But there is one caveat - lard with meat streaks must be salted first and then twisted. There is a very simple explanation for this - after all, the meat needs to be processed at least somehow so that it does not spoil.
Cut the lard into oblong pieces that will fit into the hole in the meat grinder. In principle, in this case, the cutting shape and dimensional accuracy have no of great importance: after all, we will still grind the lard.
Add pepper. If you take lard that is not pre-salted, then do not forget to add salt along with pepper and garlic. This time I took a well-salted piece of lard, so I no longer needed to add salt.
That's all, the lard with garlic is ready. It keeps well in the refrigerator for quite a long time. But, frankly speaking, in my family it is destroyed almost immediately - it is so tasty and aromatic!
This lard with garlic makes very satisfying sandwiches. They go especially well with red borscht. We advise you to take note of other pickling recipes for the winter. different products: vegetables, fruits, mushrooms.
Tips and tricks:
As I already said, streaky lard needs to be salted before twisting. This is very simple to do: first, wash a piece of lard and dry it with a napkin. Then sprinkle generously with salt on all sides. Don't worry, lard excess salt won’t take it (have you ever eaten over-salted lard? No, such lard simply does not exist). Wrap the lard in a napkin and leave it for a day or a day and a half at room temperature. During this time, the lard has time to salt. Don't forget to remove excess salt from the salted lard.
The taste of twisted lard depends entirely on what kind of lard you buy.
Lard must be tarred, so buy it only at the market. After all, lard is sold in stores without the skin. And at the market you take a piece of lard and smell it - you will immediately smell the smell of tarred lard.
In addition, buy lard only from the undercut, here the layers of meat are, as it were, layered with lard. The lard from the underbelly even looks stripy.
But pieces of lard are simply with a layer of meat on them inside– this is something else, the taste and structure of the lard are not the same at all.
You can add less garlic - 1 clove. Here, be guided by your preferences.
I usually buy a 1-1.5 kg piece of lard, cut it into pieces, and salt it. Then I wrap each one in cling film and put it in the freezer. Lard with garlic does not age for very long. At any time (especially when I’m about to cook borscht), I take out a piece and twist it with garlic - and an excellent appetizer is ready.
Author – Natalia Tishchenko
Interesting articles
Some people believe that animal fat has nothing beneficial. But this opinion is erroneous, because by observing the measure, you can enrich the body with vitamin B4 (choline), vitamin E and selenium. Therefore, take note of recipes for making lard.
Classic recipe at home
We take fresh lard, clean it of possible contaminants, and remove meat, if any.
Fill with water, add a little salt and leave for 12 hours. We change the water from time to time.
Now cut the lard into small pieces. Place a cauldron or frying pan on the fire, add lard and fry over low heat. Take out as needed.
As soon as there is no liquid in the pan, the fat must be strained through cheesecloth, having first folded it into 4 layers.
How to cook with milk
Milk is used to thoroughly render the lard.
Take pork lard, cut it into small pieces, put it in a cauldron.
Pour in milk until the lard is half covered.
Close the cauldron, turn on low heat and simmer the product for 2 hours.
After this, turn off the stove and let the lard cool.
There will be lard on the surface, you need to remove it, making sure that no water gets in. Place it in a jar and refrigerate.
Lard will have a special delicate taste; it can be stored for 3-4 weeks.
How to make homemade lard in a slow cooker
Take 500 g of lard, trim the skin, remove the meat.
Transfer to the multicooker bowl. Set the “Stew” mode, cooking time 4 hours.
After this, take out the cracklings, pour the resulting lard into jars and into the refrigerator.
How to make aromatic lard
The preparation will be classic, but the ingredients will be special. We cut the lard, fry it in a frying pan and take it out.
Now chop the sour apple and onion, do it as finely as possible. Next, add pepper, salt, dried marjoram. Mix thoroughly and cool until room temperature, but don’t let it harden.
Strain the finished lard through cheesecloth and transfer it to a jar. The product must be stored in the refrigerator.
For lard, it is more correct to use interior fat. Alternatively, you can choose lard from the sides or back of the pig.
Do not make lard from the peritoneum, there is no sufficient quantity fat In addition, it may contain capillaries that are not easy to remove.
The selected lard must have White color and a pleasant aroma.
Store lard after classic preparation You can go a year without additives.
How to use
If you don't take into account home cosmetology and recipes traditional medicine, there are enough dishes using lard, since they can safely replace butter (both butter and vegetable), margarine and other cooking fats. For example, you can put it:
- in dough for cookies, pies, flatbreads, gingerbreads, biscuits;
— while frying potatoes, cabbage, onions, meat, mushrooms;
- for fat content and juiciness in soups, porridges, vegetable stew, fillings for pies and dumplings;
What is lard and what is cooked with lard
Healthy lifestyle is a fashion trend recent years, thanks to which we have largely changed our usual diet and way of eating. However, along with positive changes, it also brought some negative phenomena, one of which was the maximum rejection of fat. However, many nutritionists and doctors say that fat is necessary for the human body - it is an important link in the chain of absorption of many minerals and fat-soluble vitamins. In addition to the health aspect of fats, we can say that they often significantly improve the taste of food - try to compare, for example, faded and almost plastic French fries from McDonald's and a delicious, aromatic frying pan of country potatoes fried in lard.
What is lard? This is fat that is obtained from lard by slow and long simmering of the original product in a thick-walled container over minimal heat. Most often, lard is prepared on the basis of lard, however, in some regions and cuisines, other types of lard are actively used - for example, lard from nutria lard.
As a result of processing lard, cracklings are obtained (an excellent additive to mashed potatoes, stewed cabbage, dumplings and many other dishes of Ukrainian and Hungarian cuisines) and, in fact, lard itself, which is sometimes called rendered lard or lard.
Trying to avoid debates about how necessary animal fats are for humans, today I just want to emphasize that lard (and lard - the fat obtained from it) is simply very tasty. The reputation of these products is undeservedly bad - meanwhile, they are extraordinary fats, rich in the same monosaturated fats as olive oil and avocado, they have a mild taste excellent properties and texture, which allow you to prepare golden potato pancakes, crumbly dough for chicken pie and even incredible shortbread. We are not talking about eating mountains of animal fat every day, not at all. I am for a reasonable approach, and it is for this reason that I believe that a reasonable amount of lard has a place in the modern kitchen.
Where can I get lard?
To get a jar of lard, there are two main ways. The first is to go to the nearest supermarket and look for the coveted briquette with a white semi-solid mass in the sandwich butter and margarine department. The second is to go to the nearest market and buy lard, and then prepare lard at home yourself. Are arguments needed in favor of the second option? In addition to the fact that a homemade product will always differ favorably in taste qualities from industrial, we can recall such an important, but rarely mentioned aspect: as a rule, pigs raised on an industrial scale are constantly kept in indoor premises, while animals bred by farmers for personal needs and a little for sale roam in fenced areas paddocks - under the sun. Like people, pigs, when exposed to the sun, produce rare vitamin D - as a result, products obtained from such raw materials will be tastier and richer.
Another important point that I would like to mention is hydrogenation (the process of processing a product in order to increase shelf life and reduce the risk of getting a rancid taste). It is no secret that stores offer the buyer lard with a significant shelf life - precisely due to the fact that an already hydrogenated product ends up on supermarket shelves. There is nothing particularly terrible about this fact, however, it is worth remembering that during chemical process hydrogenation in liquid fats hydrogen atoms are introduced to give them a solid form. Side effect- the appearance of trans fatty acids, which negatively affect the work of cardio-vascular system and increase the risk of stroke
In addition, making lard at home is not at all difficult! Let's immediately stop at this point. Lard that has not been cooked or turned into lard is actually raw fat. Of course, you can grind it in a meat grinder and use it for further cooking, however, if you plan to do just that, keep in mind that, unlike, for example, butter, it will not melt completely, but only partially, and expect to get small pieces of solid particles along with the fat. This is not good or bad, this is a feature of the product that you should know about in order to understand why it is worth preparing lard and using it for further use for culinary purposes.
What type of lard is suitable for making lard?
To make lard at home, choose lard located in the area of the pig's kidneys. Here is the softest white fat, the lard from which is ideal for making dough - it has a special soft texture and a light aroma that is wonderfully revealed in cookies and pie dough. Lard cut from other places usually has a brighter color specific smell, and therefore optimal for savory dishes - potato pancakes, bigos, baked beans.
How to cook lard at home?
The main and, perhaps, the only secret of successful lard that needs to be understood is quite simple: you don’t need professional skills, you don’t need special technological techniques, you shouldn’t complicate it and look for ways to improve what’s good. All it takes is time and patience. You will get tasty, high-quality, milky-white lard without a pronounced smell if you stock up on a second one and don’t regret the first one.
So, in the morning we go to the market, choose the “right” lard, come home, wash it, clean off everything unnecessary and ugly and cut it into arbitrary small pieces. If you plan to use cracklings in the future, it is better to cut the lard into neat cubes of the same size. If not, you can simply grind it with a blender or twist it through a meat grinder.
Shredded and chopped? Now throw everything you got into a saucepan with a thick bottom, add a little water and turn on the heat to low. After the water has evaporated (and it is necessary for the lard to begin to warm up evenly and not fry from below, the lard will begin to give off fat - to melt out. Depending on the amount of the original product, it may take 1-3 hours for all the fat to completely “leave” the lard .
In the process of preparing lard, the fat will acquire a beautiful amber, cracklings - rise to the surface of hot fat. Using a slotted spoon, remove them and gradually transfer them to a plate. When the bulk of the cracklings are visually “empty”, golden and light, turn off the heat
All that remains is to pour the lard into a jar - this must be done through a fine sieve or gauze. Ready.
Once cooled completely, cover and use as needed. Lard can be stored in the same way as vegetable oil, on a shelf in the closet, or you can put it in the refrigerator
Cookies with lard
As a small bonus for those who read the article to the end, I offer a proven recipe for lard cookies - this is how my great-grandmother cooked, my grandmother delighted her grandchildren with these simple cookies, so on a quick fix My mother baked sweets for tea, and that’s how I spoil my family sometimes. Having tried it at least once, I’m sure you will also return to this recipe from time to time - it’s special! An incredible balance of salty and sweet, crumbly and melting, tender and brutal - the cookies are very, very tasty.
My grandmother wrote in her culinary notebook that you need “as much flour as the dough will take.” She kneaded the dough by hand - and this formulation meant that you need to add flour until the dough begins to stick to your hands and holds its shape relatively well. I tried to roughly estimate how much flour it took me, however, everything is quite approximate, because initially a lot depends on the quality of lard: watery, liquid pork fat and thin sour cream, of course, will “take” more flour than hard lard and homemade sour cream.
Ingredients:
150 g sour cream;
150 g lard;
1/2 tsp. soda;
1/2 tsp. salt;
350 g flour;
200 g of powdered sugar.
Mix sour cream, lard, salt, soda, add flour, knead a soft elastic dough that does not stick to your hands. Divide in half, form a rope, cut into pieces about 2 cm long.
Bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes - the cookies should not fry too much.
We take them out while they are hot (!), and immediately place the cookies in a bowl with powdered sugar.
The finished cookies are very crumbly and melt in your mouth.
If you want to use it everywhere, both for cooking and baking, then NO. If you plan to use it as an appetizer, it is better to add garlic to the already prepared lard, especially if you leave cracklings in it, you can also add any spices and herbs. It is better to make a separate jar for appetizers, or several small ones, with different additives. Adding garlic at the very end of heating practically does not change the aroma. Also take note, the season is starting now. colds. If you manage to get the interior fat in a whole layer, carefully remove the film. It is applied to the breast at night, covered with wax paper or foil, and a handkerchief at severe cough. You can make compresses from melted lard, but it must be prepared in a water bath for these purposes. It is good to add aloe juice, garlic juice and honey, just a little, a teaspoon, per serving of fat, about 100 grams. If these ingredients are not available, you can do without them, just rub your chest and wrap it up at night. It helps better than any pill. At the same time, it is good to add 1 teaspoon per glass to hot milk, 3 times a day.
The film works better, it dries by the morning and is almost invisible. But you can’t completely remove the fat from it. I treated my infant son with bronchitis.