OH LARD!

The story is we were at Antidote Bar in Vergennes, VT and commented on the quality of their food (we were there this past Christmas). Lard, it turns out, was their "key" ingredient, and so we said, "Wow." After dinner walking back to the guesthouse in very frigid cold conditions, the chef (we found out later) came running out to us with a plastic bag in his hand: "This is for you, guys."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Render it in boiling water, and you'll have lard." "Right," I gasped. Vergennes is the smallest town in Vermont with the biggest heart for food-love and sharing. The fatty frozen strips in the bag were from Barnumtown Farms.    

Back in New York, I rendered my lard in corn cobs/parsley stems stock for about 4 hours under low heat. After, I let it rest on the kitchen counter overnight. The next day I put the pot in the fridge (at the lowest compartment; the coldest spot) - and two days later, I harvested my thick, waxy "white oil." The first thing I did with it was to make dough for an Ecuadorian cheese empanada I was thinking to make.

Recipe to come!