[Correct Dining by Wilfrid: October 12, 2007]
Charcuterie in its various forms may require relatively advanced cooking skills, but anyone who can season, flavor and shape ground meat can make...what shall we call them? Sausages? Rissoles? Faggots, even? How about crepinettes?
Now any of these can be made to hold their shape, and be cooked, without any skin or casing, although of course you lose some texture, some snap that way. Sausage casings are inexpensive, but you are also going to need some gadget to stuff them and a good deal of patience. Easy solution?
Caul-fat. A "lacy membrane" it says here, which holds certain internal organs together. A butcher should be able to source pig caul, and it's cheap and surprisingly easy to handle.
I happened to turn some up on my last trip to Arthur Avenue: Pete's Meat Market, $2.99 a pound. And a pound of thin, stretchy caul goes a long way.
That is by no means a pound; just a thin layer. If you're unfamiliar with it, don't be misled by the picture into thinking that those are holes. It looks like a web, but in fact it's a continuous membrane, so there is a thin, sheer layer of fat between the thicker white threads. And although it looks fragile, it doesn't tear easy. Now you need some meats.
Ground veal. A little more ground pork. And a piece of calf liver; you don't need much, but the liver component reminds me of the "faggots" of my British youth (although those would have used pig's liver). Flavoring ingredients? Up to you. Spicy, sweet, floral: sausages, in the broadest sense, are a canvas for your imagination. Within reason.
Classic: garlic, onion (red in this case) and flat-leaf parsley. I prepped random amounts: I wouldn't be using all these in the proportions shown. The pine kernels will just add a bit of texture. I could have used some chopped walnuts. The only ingredient which needs a little care is the liver. Grinding or hand-chopping raw liver can be a tedious chore, because the smaller the pieces you try to create, the more it tends to turn into hard-to-handle liquid mush. Since you're going to cook it right through anyway, it makes the task simpler if you just very slightly cook it before hacking it up. Confession: I just gave this a quick turn in the microwave, about ten to fifteen seconds each side. Just to achieve a little bit of firmness. Not a bad idea to splash some brandy or wine over it at this point. Oh, salt of course, and pepper "if liked". Then we mix it up.
The liver is just chopped into rough pieces: they'll form little smooth nuggets of flavor when cooked. Then the wrapping. Form a ball of the mixture between your palms. Drop it near the edge of the caul sheet. Give it a roll, so that it's wrapped right around. Then just use the tip of a sharp knife to cut around the outside, and lift it away from the sheet. Very easy.
They almost look prettier raw, with the marbling of the caul fat. You can cook them gently in a greased pan on stove-top or in the oven. You don't want them rare in the middle, so I'd cook slowly, then turn the heat up and brown them at the end.
Hot appetizers. Cold even, with some crusty bread, red wine, cornichons. The caul is not merely functional: it melts around the filling, without quite melting away, adding flavor and also basting. Worth taking off any excess grease after cooking, as above.
Yes, if I'm going to post about food, there is going to be a certain amount of offal, fat and strong-tasting meat. This is the foundation of the meal, which you are welcome to surround with the fripperies of soup, salad and dessert. Don't eat too many.
