Conference turris::cooks

    Probably sindge off all the hairs, boil in a large kettle of water, bay
    leaf, pepper corn, onion, etc.  Cook for three days, adding water when
    necessary.  At the end of three days, remove all the stuff from the
    pot, throw it out, and eat the pot!!

    	Which reminds me, I have a recipe for "moose nose" somewhere if you
    want me to dig it up. I really do...and no, I've never had it.

    Pigs' ears have been cooked and consumed for a very long time...
    I remember my grandmother used to make the most delicious beans and
    they had pigs' EARS in it. Don't have the recipe because either my
    grandmother or mother ever used any, but I know how they cooked the
    beans which is called "Fabada Asturiana" and besides the ears it also
    has "chorizo", "morcilla", and some "ham bones" as meats are concerned.
    It also contains onions, garlic (quite a bit), green peppers, a tomato,
    olive oil, bay leaves, a bit of oregano and 2 or 3 cloves sunk into the
    onion pieces... all this is allowed to cook for 1 1/2 hours or till
    quite tender but not mushy... (this will depend on the quality of the
    beans), add salt and pepper when it is almost done and...
    
    Be prepared to have one of the most delicious cooked beans you ever 
    had! it is a very filling and satisfying meal... 

The time life good cook series has a recipe for pig's ears in either the pork
or variety meats book.  I believe they were braised.  I'll check...

    One of the most recent shows of The Frugal Gourmet on public television
    was on Spanish cooking; at one point he showed the various dishes that
    are served as 'Tappas' (sp?) with sherry, and one of them was pig's
    ears.
    
    The recipe should be in the latest book, something about Immigrant
    Ancestors; I haven't gotten it yet, but expect to within a couple of
    weeks. If nobody enters the recipe in here before then, I will when I
    get the book....
    
    	/Harry

    
    Singe and clean the insides of the pig ears well.
     
    Cover with salted boiling water seasoned with a bouquet garni and an 
    onion stuck with three cloves.
    
    Reduce the heat at once to a simmer and cook about 50 minutes.  Skin
    the ears and cut into coarse julienne strips, or in halves.  You may
    bread them and deep fry them at 365F or pan-fry them.  Serve as a 
    garnish for a pork roast or as an entree with mashed potatoes.
    
    From the Joy of Cooking ... Larry

okay, I'll buy the breaded, deep-fried pigs ears...in fact, I'd even try them..
but NOBODY is gonna convince me that a Moose nose roast is just yummy...it
sounds really bad.

  Wanna hear something REALLY disgusting? I heard that in certain parts
  of the States, they cut the flesh off the bones of a dead bull and
  heat it up over burning wood until it turns dark and stinks. Then they
  EAT it!!!! Yukko!!!!!!! It's really incredible what some people will
  put in their mouths, isn't it?

  Re .9:

  Is this really any different from eating the skin off of a roasted
chicken or turkey?

--Sharon

    
     And let's not forget how some even eat intestines!

    Okay.... How about in the Midwest where they have...Bull Ghahonies  
    What are they called?  ( I *MEAN* on restaurant menus... )  :^)

    Prairie Oysters... Ever had them?  I did, didn't know what I was
    eating.  They were all right, but NOTHING I would ever order again.
    
    Bon

    AHHHH... I heard them called Rocky Mountain Oysters.  That's it! 
    I'm glad someone told me about them BEFORE I visited the Midwest!

    Thanks for all the replies. But, gee, somehow they still don't
    sound appetizing. I will share all of the recipes with my daughter
    who was with me to see the pig's ears in the grocery store. Luckily,
    she didn't shriek, "Ew, gross!" or anything like that. 
    
    Kate
    
    PS. We checked at Shaw's last night, and the ears were gone.
    Popular demand, I guess.
    

    RE: a few back....
    
    In Texas they call 'em calf fries!
    
    Cara
    

    re:  .9
    
    Yeah, Mike.  I heard about that, too.  Disgusting.  I think they called
    it bar-bee-cue.  Or something like that.
    
    ;^)
    

    Reading all these replies reminded me of this trip I made to Colima,
    Mexico.  We were at this Club Med for about 10 days.  They had large
    outdoor buffets every night with different themes (International, 
    Mexican, Seafood, etc....).  

    On the Mexican night I was standing in line waiting my turn when I 
    noticed this tray that wasn't being touched.  Well, being the person 
    I am, I decided to try it (My motto "I'll try anything at least once").
    
    It looked like a piece of beef rolled around a bone and was marinaded
    in some sort of sauce.  I was sitting there trying to figure out what 
    it was.  Well, I sliced the meaty part off and woofed it down tasting  
    just the marinade.  I was still chewing on it 5 minutes later after the
    marinade taste was gone.  I decided I wasn't getting anywhere with this,
    so, how does one dispose of something not wanted in their mouth.  I did 
    the only logical thing, and deposited it into the napkin.  I figured I
    was safe that no one saw me, but I had used the napkin on the place 
    setting next to me and not my own.  Unfortunately, the waiter walked 
    up and seated this woman next to me and snapped the napkin to lay on 
    her lap.  I nearly passed out when the projectile bounced off this
    persons head half was across the plaza.  With that, I left for another
    table far away from where I was sitting.

    Jack
    
    PS Now that I look back on this, I find myself laughing at my misdeeds.

    	So did you ever find out what it was you were chewing on for 5
    minutes? Inquiring minds want to know...

    Sorry, I did remember last night that I didn't report my findings

    The next day I found out over breakfast that what I was chewing on
    were marinaded pigs knuckles.  Very unappetizing, especially at 
    that time in the morning.

    Jack

    	Well, I can think of worse things...I didn't even realize that pigs
    had knuckles. Live and learn.

My dad's favorite!  It's basically the cartilaginous stuff around the feet/legs
pickled in brine.  Personally, I get grossed out just listening to him crunch
on the things.

  Hmmm, I don't understand you guys. Pig's feet have a flavor you can't
  imagine could be so good. My mouth is watering just thinking about
  them.

    WELL, I made baked beans last weekend for a cookout (by request) and
    couldn't find saltpork at the market.  The clerk suggested that I try
    pork hocks and said, "I'm from the south and that's the ONLY way we
    make baked beans." 
    
    I did, and they were good!

    re .23
    
    You're right - I can't imagine (pigs feet tasting so good)!!
    
    beth

    	While flipping through the channels on cable a couple of nights
    ago, I ran across a show about some Americans spending time in China.
    One of them, a woman, met and married a native Chinese man while there.
    At the wedding, her father-in-law-to-be decided to pull out all the
    stops at the wedding and reception. He decided on some rare delicacies:
    moose nose and bear paw. They showed the chefs in the kitchen ripping
    the fur off the bear's paw and slicing the pad into thin slices...as
    well as peeling the skin off the moose nose. The bride didn't know. She
    had a very interesting expression on her face as she tasted these
    treats while the entire room watched.

    Ew, I *saw* that show.  Then I ran into a friend whose father was
    offered a rare delicacy on the trip to the far east -- fresh cobra meat
    was the delicacy, but the Dad being the Eldest Male was offered the
    cobra EYES.  He did his international culinary duty and survived.  I
    think I'd lose a lot of weight on such a trip, being a nice squeamish
    white lady with parents from Parochial Ohio.
    
    ...and I have a pig.  I think the ears are best left on his head, where
    they are quite soft and pretty.
    
    Peigi