The Lost Art of Cooking With Lard

[yellerpup]

1. I render lard every time I make Mexican food.

For me, rendering the lard is the first step. The flavor in fresh flour tortillas and refried beans is authentic and delicious and in pie crusts lard delivers an outstanding flakiness. I store the lard that I don't use immediately in the freezer and it lasts up to a year (if you forget about it) but it's never lasted that long at my house! I am also partial to duck fat and save every drop after I cook a duck. This is great for oven roasting vegetables, sauteeing vegetables in prep for sauce-y dishes and soups because it adds depth of flavor but potatoes oven-fried in duck fat is sublime. Our bodies can't absorb most vitamins if they are not ingested with a little fat; we have evolved to be able to recognize and process animal fats, and I use them instead of fat substitutes. I also use olive oil and coconut oil. My grandma must've been very much like yours. One of my favorite breakfasts was biscuits and pork chop gravy.