The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating is a certified "foodie" classic. In it, Fergus Henderson -- whose London restaurant, St. John, is a world-renowned destination for people who love to eat "on the wild side" -- presents the recipes that have marked him out as one of the most innovative, yet traditional, chefs. Here are recipes that hark back to a strong rural tradition of delicious thrift, and that literally represent Henderson's motto, "Nose to Tail Eating" -- be they Pig's Trotter Stuffed with Potato, Rabbit Wrapped in Fennel and Bacon, or his signature dish of Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad. For those of a less carnivorous bent, there are also splendid dishes such as Deviled Crab; Smoked Haddock, Mustard, and Saffron; Green Beans, Shallots, Garlic, and Anchovies; and to keep the sweetest tooth happy, there are gloriously satisfying puddings, notably the St. John Eccles Cakes, and a very nearly perfect Chocolate Ice Cream.

The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating

Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

To Serve Four

This is the one dish that does not change on the menu at St. John. The marrowbone comes from a calf's leg; ask your butcher to keep some for you. You will need tea-spoonsor long thin implements to scrape your marrow out of the bone at the table.

Do you recall eating Raisin Bran for breakfast? The raisin to bran-flake ratio was always a huge anxiety, to a point, sometimes, that one was tempted to add extra raisins, which inevitably resulted in too many raisins, and one lost that pleasure of discovering the occasional sweet chewiness in contrast to the branny crunch. When administering such things as capers, it is very good to remember Raisin Bran.

twelve 3-inch pieces of 1 middle veal marrowbone
a healthy bunch of flatleaf parsley leaves picked fromits stems
2 shallots, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 modest handful of capers (extra-fine if possible)

DRESSING
juice of 1 lemon
extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of sea salt and black pepper
a good supply of toast
coarse sea salt

Put the marrowbone pieces in an ovenproof frying panand place in a hot 450°F. oven. The roasting processshould take about 20 minutes, depending on thethickness of the bone. You are looking for the marrowto be loose and giving, but not melted away, which itwill do if left too long (traditionally the ends would becovered to prevent any seepage, but I like the coloringand crispness at the ends).

Meanwhile lightly chop your parsley, just enough todiscipline it, mix it with the shallots and capers, and atthe last moment, dress the salad.

Here is a dish that should not be completely seasonedbefore leaving the kitchen, rendering a last-minuteseasoning unnecessary by the actual eater; this,especially in the case of coarse sea salt, gives texture and uplift at the moment of eating. My approach is to scrape the marrow from the bone onto the toast and seasonwith coarse sea salt. Then a pinch of parsley salad ontop of this and eat. Of course once you have your pile ofbones, salad, toast, and salt it is "liberty hall."

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Pot Roast Brisket

Both this and the following brisket recipe provide very good leftovers for your hash, or are excellent in sandwiches, or simply cold, thinly sliced, with GreenSauce or Horseradish Sauce. You can salt the brisket yourself for 5 days in a brine or if you don’t want to make it yourself, you can buy salted brisket from the butcher.

2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 onions, peeled and chopped
2 leeks cleaned, peeled andchopped
2 whole heads of garlic, skin on
a bundle of fresh herbs tiedtogether
10 black peppercorns
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 pound piece ofbrisket of beef
1 quart unsalted chickenstock
2 cups red wine (about 16ounces)

In a deep roasting pan, just a bit bigger than your beef, lay your chopped vegetables, garlic, herbs, andpeppercorns onto which nestle your brisket. Pour thestock and wine over it. You are looking for an icebergeffect: part of the beef is not covered but we knowthere is a lot more submerged in the stock. Cover withaluminum foil. Put into a medium oven for 3 hours,until thoroughly giving but not collapsing (keep an eyeon it; do not let it cook too fast, and turn the ovendown if this is the case).

Then slice and eat it, ladling a little of the juice over the meat (keep the remaining juice, which makes avery good base for soup). Serve with HorseradishSauce.

The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. Copyright © by Fergus Henderson. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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