6 amazing recipes showcasing nose-to-tail cooking
Lesser-loved cuts of meat are often cheaper, more sustainable and, when given the right treatment, packed with flavour. What's not to love? If you're not sure where to start, we've looked at some nose-to-tail-inspired recipes that celebrate the whole animal.
6 amazing recipes showcasing nose-to-tail cooking
Lesser-loved cuts of meat are often cheaper, more sustainable and, when given the right treatment, packed with flavour. What's not to love? If you're not sure where to start, we've looked at some nose-to-tail-inspired recipes that celebrate the whole animal.
Though the conversation around nose-to-tail eating has certainly shifted the dial, it's yet to completely transform the way we cook. Offal has fallen back in favour, more of us are in the routine of using bones for stock and once unpopular cuts like oxtail have become regular buys. But nose-to-tail cooking means consciously adopting that mindset, and making decisions informed by it; asking our butchers for lesser-known cuts, buying bigger joints and breaking them down, swapping more mainstream cuts for alternatives. Time and convenience means there are always limits to what we can do at home, but when cuts considered less desirable are more budget-friendly and equally as delicious, it makes a convincing case to consider if we could be doing more.
Family-run butcher HG Walter's ethos centres around nose-to-tail cooking. Its butchers buy whole carcasses to avoid waste, and they make their own bacon, burgers, pies and sausages, as well as curing and smoking their own meats. They advise the country's top chefs, and share their top tips with home cooks, trying to spread their message of celebrating every part of an animal. We worked with them to create this guide to nose-to-tail cooking at home here and, below, we've pulled together some of our favourite nose-to-tail recipes for inspiration.
Calf’s foot curry noodles
This stunning dish from Luke Farrell makes the most of rich and unctuous calf's foot, which coats the egg noodles beautifully. Their gelatinous nature makes calves' feet great for using in stocks, where they deliver not only amazing flavours but a great consistency. Luke's dish is an incredible example of how ingredients are celebrated for their texture in Chinese cuisine, as well as the heat and aromas of Thai cooking.
Mafalda corta with duck liver and pancetta
Matt Beardmore's mafalda recipe cooks duck livers in a generous amount of butter to make an indulgent, rich sauce, which is combined with pancetta, marsala and sage and finished with a generous amount of Parmesan. It's a dish which would be ideal for people who aren't as confident with offal.
Wagyu tongue huarache
Tongue is a nutritious offal cut with a rich flavour that definitely shouldn't be overlooked. In this recipe, chef Santiago Lastra uses tender wagyu beef tongue in his huaraches, a Mexican dish made with corn tortillas in the shape of sandals, from which the dish takes its name. Santiago uses three types of corn masa to achieve the striking, striped huarache, filling it with the tongue, as well as a creamy camelina seed purée.
Rognon de veau sauce Madère – Veal kidney and Madeira sauce
This simple dish from Henry Harris combines veal kidney with a Madeira and rich, reduced veal stock sauce for a fantastically comforting dish. Though we might associate kidney with steak and kidney pies, it's a truly underrated ingredient which, whether it's sourced from cows, pigs or lamb, adds a huge depth of flavour (and is usually very affordable). Henry suggests serving his take with a butter pomme purée (you can find the recipe for that here).
Calf brains on toast
Brain might seem daunting for the offal novice, but after some preparation (ask your butcher for pointers) you'll be rewarded – they're delicate, sweet and creamy in flavour. In Merlin Labron-Johnson's beautiful recipe, the brains are caramelised, soaked in a simple lemon, parsley and refreshing sauce and served on toast.
Lamb heart sandwich with mint and anchovy dressing and aioli
Lamb heart has a deeply savoury flavour which, in this recipe, is complemented by a sharp mint and anchovy dressing and a punchy aioli. You can see our tips on how to prepare to lamb heart here, and get to celebrating this under-used, but delicious, offal cut. You'll soon be mopping up the buttery pan juices!
Inspired? See our offal collection for even more delicious recipes.
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