I'm Not Sheepish At All

Saturday, September 26, 2009

I'm Not Sheepish At All

That's right--few people who know me know that I am a capable butcher. I mean, I know my way around with a carving knife, possessing skills far beyond simple trout-fishing and gutting, having raised and slaughtered both chickens and pigs while growing up. Above all, I am not afraid of "parts:" as in animal parts most Americans won't eat or even know where to buy if they wanted to eat them. You find yourself in need of parts? Pigs snouts, chicken feet, sheep heads? Call me. Not a voodoo must-have shopping list but great food sources, and I know where to buy them! Yes, top-rate parts.Mark--brainstorming aloud as he is wont to do--"animal jawbone" was murmured as a possible prop, and I cheerfully volunteered to bring in the necessary soon-to-be witch wand after clarifying: "goat," "sheep," "cow," or other? I left before "other" became a feasible option.
Sheep heads, sheep heads roly-poly sheep heads--I just had to get a sheep's head to see me through the week.
Off to North Park Produce on El Cajon Blvd. It was a hot day, and I passed on the succulent rognons blanc (lamb's testicles) in the case and opted for one sheep head and a pound of rognon d'agneau (kidney) for our dinner: Rognons à la crème. Now it just seems more appetizing in français, non?Feeling rather French, son Ted and I opted to stop by St. Tropez in Hillcrest for lunch and brought "Agnes" and her kidneys in their meat-paper-wrapped glory to sit in the air-conditioned chair next to us as we ate no doubt a cousin or other relative. Mmmh!Home again and Simmertime! Tongue(delicacy) eyes(not my fav) and buccal meat--mmh! Soon my kitchen was fragrant with Agnes cooking away. Unfazed, my children filtered in and out of the kitchen, lifting the pot lid and saying, "When is dinner?" one right after the other. They have seen worse--and eaten it with Béarnaise.A few hours later, sinew scrapped and loosened teeth collected, I e-mailed Mark and Mel--"Mission Accomplished--jawbone ready for Tuesday."Just to be on the safe side, I buried a little part of Agnes along with a little prayer and thanks for serving us so well, resurrected so to say as a theatre prop.

Lisa Burgess, costumer--and animal lover--so please
no nasty e-mails!