Waste not want not

Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

I don't think I have ever been this excited about a book. This is more than just a cook book. It is part philosophy, part lifestyle and part holy text. It would be impertinent of me to even attempt to shower praise on this one. Anyway Fergus' (yes, we are the best of friends) Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad is Anthony Bourdain's 'Death Row Meal' and I can't beat that. Thought haggis was pushing the boat out? Then you have another thing coming.

If you have looked at lamb hearts or kidneys and thought "umm yum yum", then at the risk of making this sound like some cult, this book will really make you feel like you belong. If you are anything like me then the Dried Salted Pig's Liver, Radishes, and Boiled Eggs and the Warm Pig's Head will instantly trigger a fury of what can only be described as emotions, and you will find yourself lost in thought, trying to imagine what the plate of food will smell like, taste like and most definitely, look like - the fact that the book does not have many pictures makes it much more engaging.

This is honest food. Rustic and unwasteful. And though offal is becoming fashionable (I had some rabbit kidney canapés at a restaurant Autumn menu launch yesterday), and it is most definitely fashionable to be seen at St. John Restaurant, let’s be honest, how fashionable can tripe or pigs tails actually get? And therein lies the beauty of this book and the recipes - they still excite and fascinate. It's all substance.

From a cook's point of view the stubbornness of the ingredients frustrates and humbles. I have lost count of how many times I have disappointed myself with leathery lamb livers on toast. My attempt at experimenting with cow kidneys in a beef stew was a disaster - my pride had to be let lose, and the kidneys fished out and binned. This explains what I am trying to say perfectly - "Nearly anyone - after a few tries - can grill a filet mignon or a sirloin steak. A trained chimp can steam a lobster. But it takes love, and time and respect for one's ingredients to deal with a pig's ear or a kidney properly" - Anthony Bourdain, forward, Nose to Tail Eating.

But the reason why this book really moves me is the philosophy behind the use of these, what some might deem archaic, ingredients. While the use of offal has only just seen resurgence in Britain, other parts of the world, such as most of Asia and even parts of Europe, Greece for example, never went off the stuff. This may be part frugality but something tells me it may also have a little to do with just plain and simple common sense. If it's edible, then in the words of the man himself, "it is only polite" to not be wasteful if you have killed something for food. Anyone who has ever killed one of their own animals for the table would probably know pretty darn well what I am on about here. If something is going to be raised for FOOD, EAT it. All of IT.

St. John Restaurant, London