At the end of the year, from Fiesta de San Martín, 11 November, until February, licensed butchers roam the rural regions of Andalucía for the annual matanza, the slaughter and butchery of the villagers’ pig that has been fattening over the previous year. This is a most social occasion for all the neighbours, done with ritual and much libation of rough liquor from the early hours onwards.
It is strange how, even for lovers of offal, many find brains challenging. Strange, considering it has to be the most pure of any organ in the body and the most delicate.
A Victorian English classic but not for everyone, Devilled Kidneys make an offally good start to the day. Serve on thickly buttered toast or bread fried in lard or goose fat if you are feeling up for it.
Lancashire Hotpot is thought to have originated in the 19th century for the workers in the mills of the North. It could be put on at breakfast time to be ready for tea after work. It needs long slow cooking.
Sous Vide Ox Tongue in a fruit vinaigrette