Isn't it funny that some of the best recipes are made with some of the weirdest ingredients? Who would have thought people would prefer pork fat over actual pork.
It's something my grandmother used to make and then my mother (it's always used to be a jar in old fridge "Oka" for emergency fuel for a growing kids.. You can't get good pork dripping with bits in it so we'd make our own. It's a staple of most Polish restaurants and all the ones that serve traditional Polish food give you a portion of "lard with bits in it" with a few slices of rye bread with finely chopped raw onion sprinkled on top, and a fresh grind of black pepper. Nothing like common culinary history in Russian times eh? Apples in this recipe are optional… Pork drippings can be poured over boiled salt cod fish and potatoes. It can also be added to just about any dish that starts with sautéing ingredients in oil. You just start out by frying the pork fat first. Great taste!

1. Dice the pork fat in small cubes, depending on how small you want your final greaves to be. Keep in mind, that they will shrink during the process just like breakfast bacon does. Put them in a large pot and render the pork fat cubes over medium heat, occasionally stirring. As the cubes release more and more fat, the rendered fat tends to splatter quite a bit and a few cubes even jumped around like they were popcorn. Cover the pot with a lid to prevent your kitchen from getting all greasy, but leave open a small gap on the side.

2. Meanwhile finely dice the onion and prepare the apple. Peel it, quarter and core it, then cut the quarters in very thin slices. When the cracklings turn slightly brown, add the prepared onion and the apple. Be careful, as the whole mixture will foam vigorously at first, but will quickly calm down again. Season to taste with salt and pepper (don’t burn your tongue when tasting!), but remember you can always add spices later on your slice of bread as well. If you want to add additional seasoning like bay leaves, majoram, thyme or garlic, this is the right time to do so (I prefer mine pure, just salt and pepper).

3. As soon as the onions and the apples gained a nice golden brown color (my onions got a tad too dark I might add - yummy nevertheless), remove from the heat and take the firm parts out with a skimmer to stop the frying process. If you leave them in the fat, they will get darker while filling them in the sterilized jars. Besides, it is easier to first fill the glasses with the firm ingredients and then cover them with the rendered fat.

3. Close the jars immediately - watch your fingers, they are hot! Let them cool down and keep them in the fridge, they should be fine for a couple of weeks also I’m sure ours won’t make it through the first week…

4. Have it as a spread on slices of fresh sourdough or rye bread, sprinkled with some coarse sea salt and don’t even dare to think about the calories!

Enjoy!