5 Things Le Petit Cochon’s Derek Ronspies Wants You to Know About Offal
By Seattle Mag March 20, 2014
!–paging_filter–pDerek Ronspies is hosting a href=”http://www.gettinpiggy.com/#!events/c1syy” target=”_blank”an offal dinner/a at his Fremont restaurant stronga href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/article/excellent-eats-fremonts-le-petit-cochon” target=”_blank”Le Petit Cochon/a/strong next Tuesday (March 25) and he wants us all to get over ourselves when it comes to eating the less popular parts of the animal./p
pHere are 5 things he wants you to know about the dirty bits./p
p1) strongLamb testicles are really delicious.br/strong“Once you get it out of your head that you’re eating testicles…and I think that’s the problem with most people — you get up in your head and you’re like, ‘Oh, shit. I’m eating testicles,’ and you make a bigger deal out of it then it is.” He compares them to scallops, “but with a meaty flavor instead of ocean flavor. They’re incredibly tender and creamy.”/p
p2) strongRonspies has a soft spot in his heart for hearts.br/strong“I think the hearts are really good. The hearts are under utilized and very delicious, very meaty, not gamey at all. We do a duck heart salad and people dig it.”/p
p3) strongIf you don’t like blood sausage, chances are you’re the victim of bad preparation.br/strong“Blood sausage is something people are afraid of, like, ‘Oh, I’ve had such a bad experience.’ It’s like everyone’s had a bad experience with blood sausage. And then they try it here and they’re like, ‘This is the best blood sausage I’ve ever had.’ And I think it’s like that with a lot of food. At stronga href=”http://artofthetable.net/” target=”_blank”Art of the Table/a/strong (his brother Dustin’s restaurant, where he previously worked) it’s foie gras. People are like, ‘I don’t want to eat foie gras,’ but then they give it a try and think it’s really delicious.”/p
p4) strongIf you’ve never had offal, by all means, don’t start with pig liver.br”/strongI’m really afraid of pig liver. I like it in things, but I can’t figure out how to cook it where it tastes good on its own. If you put it in pate and stuff, you get a little bit of it and it’s good because it’s mashed with everything else.”/p
pemWhat does it taste like?br/em/p
p“Iron, piss. I don’t know. Pig has got a strong flavor, that piggy flavor. The liver freaks me out still, but I’m working on it! The pig liver is my trial and error. It’s my Everest.”/p
p5) strongNext Tuesday’s offal menu:/strong/p
ul
liTrotter tot, smokey tomato jam/li
liGrilled duck heart and crispy duck tongue, wild bok choy salad, mint, crispy shallots, cilantro yogurt, black bean nuoc cham/li
liLamb fries with poblano butter, chimichurri, lacinato kale, chick pea fritters, orange confit vinaigrette/li
liAlaskan weathervane scallop, octopus head ragout, squid ink gnocchi, tomato butter, olive tapenade/li
liIntermezzo/li
liBlood sausage and foie gras biscuits and offal gravy, maple parsnips, collard greens/li
liChocolate lardo pate, strawberry, candied ginger, chicharron, choco/coffee ice cream/li
/ul
pThe seven-course meal is $69 —nbsp;$99 with wine, beer and spirits pairing. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. Call to reserve your seat: (206) 829-8943.nbsp;/p