HOME DELIVERY
DONATE
Current Issue

Bizarre food?

In the coming weeks, Xpress will explore the world of offal, sample insects and strange fish parts and go on a wild-foods walk with local expert Alan Muskat.

Are the foods we'll try really all that bizarre? Perhaps to cultures that can afford to be picky. But in many areas of the world, people don't balk at things like grubs and beef heart — they regard them as valuable sources of nourishment and protein. Also, you may be surprised how many foods that are typically discarded are actually delicious.

That being said, if you tend to have squeamish sensibilities, it might be wise to skip this three-part series we're offering. But, if you're interested in lamb "oysters" and the taste of shirako (look that one up at your own risk), then read on.

Whole lotta heart

"Heart is different from liver and kidney,” says Brian Canipelli. “It's just a muscle — that's all it is. It may have a little bit of extra iron flavor at the very end. If you can get past the stigma of eating heart, it's really very good — and not that hard to make." Another unique property of heart, says Canipelli, is that it doesn't contain the ropelike muscle fibers of standard cuts that make it necessary to slice against the grain for tenderness. "You can cut it however you want,” he says. “The muscle fiber structure is different, so you don't even have to let it rest."

Beef heart recipe courtesy of Cucina 24. Local beef heart is available through Hickory Nut Gap Farm for $2 a pound. For more information, visit hickorynutgapfarm.com.

Serves 5-8 people
Ingredients:
1 beef heart
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp crushed red pepper
zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:
When working with a beef heart, cut it into smaller, manageable sections. Work with each chamber of the heart individually, slicing off the pockets of fat and the layer of tissue and silverskin on the exterior and trimming the gristle within. Further portion beef into approximately four-ounce servings. Marinate with combined ingredients for three hours. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until rare. Slice thinly and serve.

Tongue and cheek

Chef Brian Canipelli of Cucina 24 makes a dish that he refers to as “pork tongue and cheek” on his menu. "I call it that just to give it a funny name, but it's basically a pig's head,” he says. Canipelli gets his heads from Hickory Nut Gap Farm and goes through a process that he says is very similar to making a head cheese. Here’s how he describes it:

“I rinse [the heads] out and soak them in water overnight, boil the blood out and put them in a stock pot with mirepoix and spices, like I’m making a stock. I simmer it for three hours, then let it cool. I pull all of the meat off, cheeks and neck, all of that. Then I take a little bit of the fat and skin, then take the tongue, peel it and chop it up. Then we put it all into a bowl. There's so much gelatin that your fingers are sticky with it, and the gelatin is what will help everything stick together — like meat glue, almost. What we do is season that up with toasted garlic and salt and pepper and roll it up like cookie dough and refrigerate it. The gelatin makes everything set up. We cut it off in pieces, bread it up and fry it."

Canipelli serves the dish at his restaurant with pickles and local mustard.

It’s excellent.

Xpress will also present some rather PG-13 multimedia, including video of brave eaters trying daring local offerings. Keep an eye on mountainx.com/dining.
—Mackensy Lunsford

15 Views

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we’ve never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster

Twitter

View all posts by Webmaster

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Comment

this is a test alt text from Mark 2/28/25

You may also like

More Xpress

Follow Xpress

Contact
Advertise
Terms & Privacy
Mountain Xpress © 1995-2024
logo-round-purple

User Login