Easter was almost two months ago, but the fat from the stuffed ham I made has been living on in my kitchen. After rendering lots of lard of varying purity, I’ve learned just how much flavor it can impart when used for sautéing, and how the very faint meatiness actually adds welcome complexity to a flaky tender pie crust. My allegiance to butter is in question – at least until I’ve worked my way through the last of my home-rendered lard.
The rendering process left me with a bowlful of finely-ground pork cracklings, too small to snack on but suitable for cornbread.
The recipe I chose comes from a typewritten manuscript found at the American Antiquarian Society, and available digitally, entitled “Cookbook of Maryland and Virginia Recipes.” This mysterious manuscript contains some recipes that appear in other collections like “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland,” plus others that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Culinary Historian Karen Hess took a look at the manuscript and wrote some notes about its possible date of creation, but she did not recognize the book as anything that had seen publication. That was in 1981 – the year I was born. I’m no Karen Hess but I have the advantage of the digital age. I’ll save my research into this interesting little book for another post.
I chose this recipe primarily because it had a huge ratio of cracklings – maybe impractical for other uses, but this cornbread was for topping chili.
Cookbook of Maryland and Virginia Recipes, American Antiquarian Society