Every time we take a pig to the butcher I always request that they save the fat for me. Not everyone likes to keep the fat, but if you do and render it yourself for lard, you’ll never have flakier pie crusts or a higher quality cooking fat. In recent years lard {make sure you’re using lard from healthy, pasture raised pigs!} has come back into many kitchens as a healthy fat for both cooking and baking. To learn more about the benefits of high quality lard and how to render it yourself, see one of my previous articles here.
Another way to use this Vitamin D packed goodness? Whipped with seasonings such as garlic and rosemary and spread on steaks, veggies, bread or anywhere else you may use butter. YUM!
We first experienced whipped lardo in a Las Vegas restaurant, served alongside the bread basket. It was rich and savory, and once we had much of our own lard, it was time to recreate that whipped lardo recipe. After rendering your lard and while it is still soft but no longer a liquid, it can be whipped into a fluffy, silky spread.
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups of rendered lard, solid but soft in texture
- 2 whole heads of garlic, minced
- 4 rosemary sprigs, needles minced
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Sauté minced garlic in a bit of lard until soft and fragrant, but not browned.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the softened lard on high until stiff peaks form, approximately 5 minutes.
- Fold in the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Spread on bread, vegetables, steaks or wherever you would use butter. Whipped Lardo makes a quick and easy farm-to-table appetizer served with bread or crackers. Your guests will be impressed! Don’t stop at just rosemary and garlic. Mix in any of your favorite seasonings to taste: chives, thyme, onion, roasted garlic, lemon zest or whatever speaks to your taste buds.
Nicole Wilkey transitioned from a corporate job to small-scale farmer in 2015. Since then she has run California based Flicker Farm to accommodate meat pigs, mini Juliana pigs, dairy goats, pasture based poultry and sells goats milk soap and lotion on Etsy.
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