Message: | What I wouldn't give to have an opportunity to see Diana K. in person--she is one of my idols. I was at a cooking demonstration earlier this year given by Rick Bayless, and invited him to express his opinion about Americans' aversion to lard--his response was delightfully exasperated and articulate. Essentially, his position is that lard has less bad cholesterol than butter, and people who are prejudiced about lard are irrational and will never be able to experience or appreciate the true authentic flavor potential of Mexican food. I completely agree, and in concert with Diana and Rick, who also counsel against commercially available lard, I decided to make my own. I was unable, even with much searching, to find a source of enough fresh fat anywhere near Washington, DC. The optimal fat is that surrounding the kidneys, which is used to make leaf lard. The next best is pork belly. No butcher shop, sausage maker or meat distributer had any fresh pork belly, and wholesalers wouldn't sell to me--not that they had any either. Finally, when I was visiting friends in NYC, I found am eastern European pork store on first avenue and seventh street which sold fresh pork belly. I boarded Amtrak for my return home with a five pound slab of frozen pork fat in my suitcase. It rendered down in the oven, to delicate smooth lard with a slight roast pork flavor that I used to make the most succulent, savory tamales. There's no place to get fresh masa close by either, so I make my own from scratch with dried corn and cal. It's so much work, that I don't do it very frequently. But I can't be happy without regular infusions of authentic Mexican food. And because of where I live now, I have to make my own. |