Ears, tongue and snout? Our favourite delicacies! How do they prepare them in Kantýna and U Kalendů?

A restaurant and bakery on the right bank of the Vltava

The U Kalendů pub has occupied the site of the former settlement of Podskalí since the turn of the century. Today, they serve food without pizzaz and carefully treated beer, blurring the line between bakery and restaurant. Chefs make use of yesterday's bread, and the bakers experiment with unexpected ingredients – pick up a crusty loaf or something swet from the bakery, or sample fried kvass in the restaurant.

Pork tongue

In the U Kalendů restaurant, they are fond of animal processing from snout to tail and one of the specialties here is pork tongue. They offer it all year round. In the past it was served with different side dishes and in a slightly different preparation, but they work with it practically since opening.

"The tongue is first boiled in a strong broth with spices, onions and other herbs until tender. It is then peeled, the membrane is removed and the tongue is lightly lost to give it a distinctive smoky flavour,' he describes the preparation Ondřej Landa, deputy chef at U Kalendů.

After smoking, it is grilled and then heated in a sauce of demi-glace, miso and dried rose. This process produces a delicate and rich flavour that is perfectly balanced by the a sour herb gremolata with gooseberry flavour. The sour flavour is important here because it breaks up the meat's density.

Although the restaurant also works with other offal, such as veal thymus which is Ondra's favourite dish, the pork tongue is a real delicacy. Once a month they also have veal tongue. The emphasis on careful preparation of the harder parts, such as the tongue, is the key to making the dish easy to eat and not too tough.

TIP: Prepare smoked beef tongue according to a recipe from Kantýna.

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Snout

Another dish that the guests of the U Kalendů restaurant like is the snout. "We process forty pieces a week," says Ondřej. First, they are tanned and washed, then confitted in lard with garlic and onions. "We confit them at 100 degrees, and this for six to eight hours depending on the size.Then the cartilage is removed, which would be difficult to get out when raw, and the gill is easily lost,' he explains.

Before serving, this speciality is grilled over charcoal and served with mustard and fresh horseradish. The result is a smoky, peppery and collagenous flavour that will win over those who have tended to shy away from such sides. 'Almost everyone who has tasted the snout has said that it is very good,' confirms Ondřej, adding that today people are not so sceptical about tripe and are more inclined to try new things.

Pork ears

They may surprise you at first sight, but you will love their taste. Pork ears are a regular at Kantýna. Around eight kilos, about 50 pieces, are processed here every week.. Over the last year and a half, the ears have been made more and more often in Kantýna. "People are more familiar with them and order them more often. It's a delicacy," says Kantýna's chef Jakub Hlávka.

At U Kalendů, the ears are confitted directly in the oven, in lard, slowly and for a long time, around five to six hours. The temperature has to be exactly right, to soften the cartilage but so the skin remains intact and the ear retains its fat. After the confit, the ears are grilled, salted, peppered and done. Just add horseradish and mustard.

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Pork ears from Kantýna

For 1 serving:

• 1 pork ear
• 25 g truffle mayonnaise
• 20 g parsley salad
• wild spices - whole pepper, allspice, bay leaf
• salt
• parsley
• pickled red onion

1. First, sear the raw ears to remove the bristles.
2. Then put it in a paper towel - along with the wild spices and salt.
3. Cook for about an hour and a half to soften the cartilage.
4. Leave to cool.
5. Place in a frying pan, drizzle with a little lard and put a smaller pan on top to flatten the ears. Put a casserole dish on top to weigh it down even more.
6. The result is a thin patty which is browned on both sides.
7. Cut it into fine noodles.
8. Serve with truffle mayonnaise and parsley salad with pickled red onion.

"It may sound eccentric - tongue, heart, ears... but you just need to rewire your thoughts," advises chef Kuba Hlávka. As a result, it's like eating crispy chips, but from a slightly different origin.

And other ways to process the ears at home? They're great for example in a mustard and horseradish sauce.

Source: Ambiente chefs