Over the last few days, I've been going back and forth on what I'm going to serve for my holiday dinner. I really want to do something different and special this year. Something that would not only WOW people, but something that would be fun and a challenge for me to cook as well.
So, I've decided I'm going to tackle some uber fatty Mangalitsa Pork. I did a video a few weeks back profiling a small farm out in New Jersey that raises this special heritage breed pig for restaurants and farmers markets in New York City. Then, when reading Ruth Reichl's Gift Guide Blog, I discovered that her very 1st suggestion on Day 1 of her gift guide was Mangalitsa Pork. In her own words she says, "Trust me: if you send this to a friend, he will love you forever." So I thought, ok, this is a sign...
Anyhow, what I learned is that you have to be a little more thoughtful when applying heat to this type of pork meat. It's got almost double or triple the amount of fat than what you typically find on pork at the butcher shop or supermarket. But, this is a fat you want to savor. This is what makes the Mangalitsa Pig so special, people eat it for the clean, herb-y flavor of its fat.
So to make sure I cooked it correctly, in a way that preserved the quality of the fat, I asked Executive Chef Daniel Angerer of Klee Brasserie in New York City how he likes to cook Mangalitsa. His restaurant is one of the few in town that serves Mosefund Farm's pork on their menu. So, enjoy the video tutorial with Chef Angerer and hope you consider cooking Mangalitsa Pork for the holidays too!
Mosefund Farm will now be selling at The Foodshed at the Commons in Brooklyn on weekends. You can also contact them online: MangalitsaPigs @mosefund.com