From left: La Quercia’s
Herb Eckhouse and the “Prince
of Pork” Matt Steigerwald. |
Cochon 555 — Des Moines
chefs go whole hog
The Taste Network brought Cochon
555 to Des Moines recently to
explore the culinary glories of
heritage pigs — pure breeds that
have been part of American farming
for centuries. Five Iowa chefs
prepared feasts from five different
breeds of hog paired with wines
from five family vineyards.
A sold-out crowd of more than
200 dined tail-to-snout on Guinea
Hog, Tamworth, Mulefoot, Hereford
and Duroc pigs. Jasper Winery
of Des Moines joined two vineyards
from Napa Valley, one from California’s
Central Coast and one from Oregon.
Chefs Matt Steigerwald of Mount
Vernon’s Lincoln Café,
Jamie Monaghan of The Embassy
Club, Andrew Meek of Sbrocco,
Bill Overdyk of Centro, plus Tag
Grandgeorge and Cyd Mull representing
Le Jardin competed for the title
of Prince of Pork.
Meek used a Hereford to braise
shoulders in orange juice and
fennel, which he served on polenta
on rosemary rolls. He also prepared:
sliced, skin-on caramelized belly
with smoked sea salt; smoked loin
with a cider glaze; and a liver
mousse with diced hearts paired
with Templeton Rye mustard. The
latter dish drew the most raves
from judges.
Monaghan’s Tamworth was treated
to an all Cajun fest that included
a marvelous citrus salad with
rubbed, marinated pork belly;
an étouffée with
dry cured sausages from selection
of cuts, half ground, half whole;
a butter lard sandwich with slow
cooked hams; Bourbon brined loin
stuffed with apple pear sausage,
in a Bourbon sauce and fatbacks
smoked BBQ style.
Working with a Guinea Hog from
the famous Maveric Ranch in South
Dakota, Overdyk prepared rillettes
with a relish of cranberries and
Cote de Rhone; a crisped tail-to-snout
terrine on a frisee salad with
a dressing of vinaigrette, mustard
and ver jus; porcetta sandwiches
of braised shoulder, crisp skins,
pickled peppers and green garlic
butter; handmade liver tortellini
with wild nettles, grated Parmessano-Reggiano
cheese, 12-year-aged balsamic
vinegar and Sicilian olive oil;
a cotechino modena served with
bone stock reduction, green garlic
puree and home made marscapone;
a carrot cupcake with lard cream
cheese icing and home cured bacon
bits. Overdyk’s cotechino, a sausage
made with rind, fatback and other
pork parts, was a revelation that
even impressed master of charcuterie
Herb Eckhouse (La Quercia). Overdyk
promised to add it to Centro’s
menu.
Grandgeorge and Mull (Cyd’s Catering)
teamed up with a Duroc to create
the most comprehensive menu of
the day: a bloody mary of pork
consommé, tomato juice
and Ciroc vodka served in a glass
with an apple-smoked salt rim;
shoulder rillettes served with
fresh chives on baguettes; fried
belly served with a boysenberry
jam; a brain mousse, delicate
enough to dissolve on the tongue,
spiked with an acid bath of fresh
lemon, anchovy and capers; potato
salad with trotters and shallots;
an Iowa wine-braised leg mixed
with cooked greens and hot vinaigrette;
truffled loin with a sensational
aspic; smoked shoulder that had
been rubbed in cocoa nibs and
“spooned” on a edible utensil
with strawberry reduction; lard
cookies with goat cheese frosting.
They placed second.
Steigerwald drew a Mulefoot, a
non-cloven, fatty Spanish breed.
Together they won the day with
a platter of homemade charcuterie
that featured a headcheese of
distinction, mortadella and other
salume; a deeply flavored pozole
made with hard corn hominy and
paired with chevre and radishes;
a pork belly confit on Carolina
golden rice with Sea Island peas
and ramps; a larded “angel biscuit”
(that blew away all previous lard
biscuits) under mustard seed slaw;
and “East Carolina BBQ,” which
is itself a euphemism for using
the whole hog. Steigerwald is
a Carolina transplant if you haven’t
guessed.
All these heritage pig dinners
can be replicated for private
parties; contact the restaurants.
Cochon 555 head-to-tail honcho
Brady Lowe said he plans to bring
the event back to Des Moines next
year. First, it’s on to Chicago
and San Francisco.
Side Dishes
Scientists isolated and successfully
treated the parasite that has
been depopulating honey bee colonies
in Iowa and the nation… An association
of pesticide producers lectured
Michelle Obama on her lack of
“crop protection products” in
the organic White House Garden.
CV
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