Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and The... (84 page)

DUCK WITH PLUM SAUCE

Serves 8

4 duck breasts and 4 thigh-leg pieces, marinated in lemon juice (see
Duck Fat and Cracklings
)

3 cups
beef stock
or
duck stock

½ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons naturally sweetened plum jam

2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with 2 tablespoons filtered water

sea salt and pepper

Dry duck pieces with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, score the fat on the breasts and thighs. Cut the meat away from the underside of the thigh bone, remove bone and open up a bit—this will facilitate browning. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, saute the breasts, two at a time, about 5 minutes per side. (Start by sauteing on the skin side, and the duck pieces will produce their own fat.) Remove to a heated platter. Pour out fat and saute the legs in the same manner. Pour out fat and add wine and stock to the pan. Bring to a boil, add ginger and jam and reduce to a simmer. Return the thigh pieces to the pan and simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes. (Keep breast pieces in a warm oven—they should be medium rare or rare.) Remove leg pieces to heated platter, bring liquid to a rapid boil and reduce to about 2 cups. Spoonful by spoonful, add arrowroot mixture until desired thickness is obtained. Season to taste.

To serve, slice the breasts thinly and distribute to individual serving plates. Cut the leg from the thigh and place a leg or a thigh on each plate. Pour sauce over and serve immediately.

Variation: Duck Breast with Plum Sauce

Prepare recipe with
8 duck breasts
. Omit thighs.

That which is produced by Yin originates in the five flavors; the five organs which regulate the functions of the body are injured by the five flavors. Thus, if acidity exceeds the other flavors, then the liver will be caused to produce an excess of saliva and the force of the spleen will be cut short. If salt exceeds among the flavors, the great bones become weary, the muscles and the flesh become deficient, and the mind becomes despondent. If sweetness exceeds the other flavors, the breath of the heart will be asthmatic and full, the appearance will be slack and the force of the kidneys will be unbalanced. If among the flavors bitterness exceeds the others, then the atmosphere of the spleen becomes dry and the atmosphere of the stomach becomes dense. If the pungent flavor exceeds the others, the muscles and the pulse become slack and the spirit will be injured.

Therefore, if people pay attention to the five flavors and mix them well, their bones will remain straight, their muscles will remain tender and young, their breath and blood will circulate freely, their pores will be fine in texture, and, consequently, their breath and bones will be filled with the essence of life.
The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine

A high-cholesterol diet is not the cause of atherosclerosis. In 50 men with a fourfold increase in dietary cholesterol, two-thirds failed to show an increase in serum cholesterol. Seven patients in another study, while consuming large amounts of beef fat and vitamin and mineral supplements, showed a decrease in average cholesterol levels. Roy W. Dowdell, MD
Health Freedom News

TERIYAKI DUCK BREASTS

Serves 4

4 duck breasts

¾ cup
teriyaki sauce

Trim excess fat off the duck breasts, score the fat and marinate for several hours in teriyaki sauce.

Pat dry with paper towels and saute in a heavy skillet, two at a time, about 5 minutes per side, starting with the skin side down. Keep warm on a heated platter in the oven while doing the second batch. To serve, slice thinly across the grain, arrange on individual plates and dribble marinade over.

Now researchers have designed rations for maneuvers and battlefield for U.S. Army infantry men that almost guarantee to undermine their health, morale and weaken them for actual combat. Their rations contain nutritional Trojan Horses: junk foods and nonfoods.

The army used to offer C-rations for eating on the battlefield. Then in 1980 they came out with Meals Ready to Eat (MRE), combat rations with 3,600 calories and, according to the surgeon general, the military daily allowance of minerals and synthetic vitamins.

Now the U.S. Army's Natick Research Development and Engineering Center has "improved" these rations by offering more of the food that GI's ate at home, along with more choices on entrees.

These dietary delights include white bread, pound cake, M&M's, Tootsie Rolls, one-inch tall bottles of Tabasco sauce and drink mixes such as Kool-Aid and even pizza crusts baked with refined sugar to keep them from growing stale. The bread is wrapped in a small packet of preservative that absorbs oxygen and moisture.

That's not all. Coming up in the next few years are battlefield burritos, hamburgers and even hot dogs with buns. The hot dogs are smaller than the nitrate and nitrite-loaded kind sold in your supermarket, but—and get this—they taste "just like ballpark franks"—although they're lower in cholesterol and sodium.

Goody! Goody! Perhaps this "Eat for Defeat" diet should be shared with the Soviet Union! James F. Scheer
Health Freedom News

PRESERVED DUCK LEGS

(Confit de Canard)
Serves 6-8

2-4 duck thighs

2-4 duck legs (see
Duck Fat and Cracklings
)

juice of 2 lemons

3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

6 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2-3 cups rendered duck fat (
Duck Fat and Cracklings
)

clarified butter
or lard (optional)

You should be able to stuff the legs and thighs into one quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar. Mix lemon juice, sea salt, garlic and thyme together and rub this marinade thoroughly into duck pieces. Place in a bowl, cover and marinate in refrigerator for 24 hours. Stuff duck pieces into the jar. Melt fat and pour into jar. The duck pieces should be completely covered—if lacking sufficient duck fat, add melted clarified butter or lard. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for 2 to 4 weeks.

To serve, place jar in pan of hot water and allow fat to melt. Remove duck pieces and pat dry. (Reserve fat for another batch of preserved duck legs or use it to saute potatoes.) Saute duck pieces gently in a heavy skillet, about 10 minutes per side.

Almost all traditional cultures prize organ meats for their ability to build reserves of strength and vitality. Organ meats are extremely rich in fat-soluble vitamins A and D, as well as essential fatty acids, important very-long-chain superunsaturated fatty acids and the whole gamut of macro and trace minerals. Wild animals eat the organs of their kill first, thus showing a wisdom superior to our own. The first solid food that native African mothers give to their babies is raw liver, which they thoughtfully chew for them. Folk wisdom throughout the world, including Europe, values brains as a food for babies and growing children.

American cookbooks of a century ago contained plenty of recipes for organ meats, and any authentic cookbook for ethnic cuisine—French, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern or English—will feature several recipes for liver, kidney, heart, sweetbreads and brains. What a pity these delicious and nutritious foods have disappeared from our tables.

Many of our grandparents will remember the days when liver was served once a week. Establishment nutritionists now recommend we discontinue this healthful practice in order to avoid cholesterol! Others have stopped eating liver fearing toxic substances, which can accumulate in the livers of all animals. As the function of the liver is to remove toxic substances from the blood, this is a legitimate concern. For this reason, it is best to buy organic liver now becoming increasingly available in supermarkets and health food stores. Even organic liver may contain some toxic substances, but its nutritive value outweighs the dangers of any toxins it contains. Not only does liver provide copper, zinc, iron and vitamins A and D in abundance, but it is also a rich source of antioxidants—substances that help your own liver remove toxic substances from the body.

If you are not used to eating organ meats but wish to reinstate this healthful practice, start with sweetbreads (part of the thymus gland of the young calf), which do not have a strong flavor—breaded sweetbreads taste just like chicken. You can then graduate to liver, kidney, heart and brains, all of which have stronger flavors or more exotic textures. These meats all benefit from strongly flavored sauces featuring onions, wine, balsamic vinegar and that magic elixir—homemade beef or chicken stock.

If you cannot get your family to eat organ meats when served as such, there are plenty of ways to add them to their food without their knowledge. All ground meat dishes can be made with a combination of ground heart and ground muscle meat. Poached brains can be chopped up and added to any ground meat dish, as can grated raw liver. A spoonful or two of grated liver added to brown rice as it cooks results in a flavorful casserole that is a complete meal. (See
coconut rice
.) You can serve rice this way, without any other meat dish, and know that your family's requirements for high-quality animal products are being met.

PREPARATION OF SWEETBREADS

Sweetbreads need careful advance preparation before they can be cooked up for a final dish. Allow one pair of sweetbreads for two to four people, depending on appetites. They must be very fresh. Wash the sweetbreads, cover with cold filtered water to which you have added a little vinegar and soak for about 2 hours, changing the water once or twice. This extracts the blood and helps remove any impurities. Remove, rinse and place in a saucepan. Cover with filtered water or
chicken stock
, add 1 teaspoon of salt, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from poaching liquid (which can be reserved for another use) and allow to cool. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove all loose tissue, skin, fat and membranes. Place on a plate or platter, cover with parchment paper (See
Sources
) and place a weighted flat plate or cookie sheet on top. Let the sweetbreads flatten in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Until recent years, it has been common knowledge among the superintendents of large zoos of America and Europe that members of the cat family did not reproduce efficiently in captivity, unless the mothers had been born in the jungle. Formerly, this made it necessary to replenish lions, tigers, leopards and other felines from wild stock as fast as the cages were emptied by death. . .. The story is told of a trip to Africa made by a wild animal specialist from the London zoo for the purpose of obtaining additional lions and studying this problem. While in the lion country, he observed the lion kill a zebra. The lion proceeded then to tear open the abdomen of the zebra and eat the entrails at the right flank. This took him directly to the liver. After spending some time selecting different internal organs, the lion backed away and turned and pawed dirt over the carcass which he abandoned to the jackals. The scientist hurried to the carcass and drove away the jackals to study the dead zebra to note what tissues had been taken. This gave him the clue which, when put into practice, has entirely changed the history of the reproduction of the cat family in captivity. The addition of the organs to the foods of the captive animals born in the jungle supplied them with foods needed to make reproduction possible. Their young, too, could reproduce efficiently. As I studied this matter with the director of a large lion colony, he listed in detail the organs and tissues that were particularly selected by animals in the wilds and also those that were provided for animals reproducing in captivity. Weston Price, DDS
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration

BREADED SWEETBREADS

Serves 6

2 pair prepared sweetbreads

1 cup unbleached flour

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole grain bread crumbs

½ teaspoon fine herbs

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Mix salt and pepper with flour and fine herbs with bread crumbs. Slice sweetbreads at
³
/
₈
-inch intervals on the bias. Dredge first in the flour mixture, then in eggs, then in the bread crumb mixture. Saute a few at a time in butter and olive oil. Keep warm in the oven while completing the remaining sweetbreads. Serve with
ginger carrots
or
raisin chutney
.

SWEETBREADS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Serves 6

2 pair prepared sweetbreads

1 cup unbleached flour

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups
chunky tomato sauce

Mix flour with salt and pepper. Pat sweetbreads dry and dredge in flour. Saute in a mixture of butter and olive oil. Serve with tomato sauce.

SWEETBREADS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CREAM

Serves 6

2 pair prepared sweetbreads

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound fresh mushrooms, washed well dried and sliced

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups
beef stock
or
chicken stock

1 tablespoon gelatin (See
Sources
), optional

1 cup
piima cream
or
creme fraiche

sea salt and pepper

Slice sweetbreads at
³
/
₈
-inch intervals on the bias. In a heavy skillet, saute sweetbread slices in batches in 2 tablespoons each butter and olive oil until golden. Transfer to a heated platter and keep warm in the oven. Add the remaining butter and oil and saute the mushrooms. Strew over the sweetbreads. Pour out the browning fat and add wine to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add stock and optional gelatin, bring to a boil and reduce to about half. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens further. Season to taste. Pour sauce over sweetbreads and serve.

Of all the dishes cooked by the Indians, a
beeatee
, as it is called in their language, is certainly the most delicious that can be prepared from caribou only, without any other ingredient. It is a kind of haggis, made with the blood, a good quantity of fat shred small, some of the tenderest of the flesh, together with the heart and lungs cut, or more commonly torn into small shivers; all of which is put into the stomach and toasted by being suspended before the fire on a string. . .. it is certainly a most delicious morsel, even without pepper, salt or any other seasoning.
The Journeys of Samuel Hearne
1768

Studies of Professor Fred Hale of Texas A. and M. College reveal he produces blind pigs at will by depriving healthy mothers of natural vitamin A before and after mating. Then, by placing these blind pigs on a complete ration and mating them, these blind mothers farrow healthy pigs with good eyes. It is believed that much of the poor eyesight suffered by human beings today could be prevented by eating foods that provide complete nutrition for the whole body including the eyes. R. Dean Conrad
The Great American Tragedy

SWEETBREADS ON TOAST

Serves 6

2 pairs
prepared sweetbreads

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup shallots, chopped

½ cup red wine

1½ cup
beef stock

1 teaspoon green peppercorns, crushed

2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with 2 tablespoons filtered water

sea salt and pepper

6 large
round croutons

Slice the sweetbreads at
³
/
₈
inch intervals on the bias. Saute, a few slices at a time, in 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Remove to a heated platter and keep warm in the oven. Pour off browning oil, add remaining butter and oil and saute shallots until golden. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any accumulated juices. Add crushed peppercorns and stock, bring to a boil and reduce to about half. Spoonful by spoonful, add arrowroot mixture until desired thickness is obtained. Season to taste.

To serve, place one crouton on each plate, place sweetbreads on the crouton and spoon sauce over.

Sherman, who has made many important contributions to our knowledge of vitamin A, has shown in a recent communication that an amount of vitamin A sufficient to support normal growth and maintain every appearance of good health in animals may still be insufficient to meet the added nutritive demands of successful reproduction and lactation. With the failure to reproduce successfully, there usually appears in early adult life an increased susceptibility to infection, and particularly a tendency to lung disease at an age corresponding to that at which pulmonary tuberculosis so often develops in young men and women. He states, further, that vitamin A must be supplied in liberal proportions not only during the growth period but during the adult period as well if a good condition of nutrition and a high degree of health and vigor are to be maintained.

Hughes, Aubel and Lienhardt have shown that a lack of vitamin A in the diets of pigs has resulted in extreme incoordination and spasms. They also emphasize that gilts bred prior to the onset of the nervous symptoms either aborted or farrowed dead pigs. Hart and Gilbert have shown that the symptoms most commonly seen in cattle having a vitamin A deficiency are the birth of dead or weak calves, with or without eye lesions. They report also a condition of newborn calves which simulates white scours and the development of eye lesions in immature animals.

Hughes has shown that swine did not reproduce when fed barley and salt but did so when cod liver oil was added to this food. Sure has shown that a lack of vitamin A produces in females a disturbance in oestrus and ovulation, resulting in sterility. Further, he states that resorption of the fetus may be produced by lack of vitamin A, even on a diet containing an abundance of vitamin E, which is called the antisterility vitamin.