Coast Packing Company Celebrates the Holidays With More Recipes that Praise the Lard (and Beef Tallow)

VERNON, Calif., Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing that busy consumers/shoppers may be stumped about how to finish off the menu for that upcoming holiday feast, Coast Packing Company, a leading supplier of animal fat shortenings throughout the Western U.S., is offering a trio of can't miss recipes for any Christmas or Hanukkah table.

"Lard, beef tallow and animal fat shortenings are so much a part of the season that the holiday wouldn't be complete without them," said Eric Gustafson, CEO of the 93-year-old company.  "We believe in natural, minimally processed food, and we're heartened that so many people agree.  Consumers are wise to avoid industrially-produced partially hydrogenated fats in favor of animal fat shortenings, which have the benefit of being consistently delicious and, in moderation, promoting health."   

With appreciation to www.samcooks.com, www.feastie.com and www.homemademommy.net, Coast wishes everyone a bountiful and memorable holiday season.  The recipes follow:

Aunt Sandy's Christmas Cookies
http://www.samcooks.com/holiday-memories-aunt-sandys-italian-christmas-cookies/

Dough:

• 1/4 pound lard
• 1/4 pound vegetable shortening
• 1/2 pound sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• Juice and grated rind from one small orange
• 4 cups flour, approximately

Filling:

• 1 pound pitted dates
• 1 pound dried figs such as calimyrnia
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• Juice and rind of one small orange
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Frosting:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 stick margarine
• 6 tablespoons or more milk
• Nonpareils (multi colored sprinkles)

For the dough, cream lard and shortening in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs, baking powder, orange juice and rind and mix well. Add flour gradually until you achieve a pliable dough. Dough should neither be sticky or flaky. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, grind dates and figs together. Put in a heavy bottomed saucepan with remaining ingredients and stir over low heat so that sugar completely dissolves and mixture is smooth and spreadable, about 15 minutes. Cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To assemble, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/8 to 3/16 inch. (If it's too soft, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes or so to stiffen.) Cut dough into strips about 8-10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Place a strip of filling down the center of each dough strip, lengthwise. Then fold dough over on either side of the filling. Press down on the seam to seal. Cut the cookies into 2-inch lengths with diagonal cuts. Bake 12-15 minutes until slightly browned. Cool.
While cookies are baking, make frosting by beating margarine and sugar together until well blended. Gradually add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a smooth, slightly runny consistency is achieved. When cookies are cool, frost with a knife and sprinkle with nonpareils.
Makes about 10 dozen cookies.  The beauty of these delicious family favorites is that they freeze perfectly. Freeze with or without frosting.

Gingerbread Slab
http://www.feastie.com/recipe/farmersgirl-kitchen/gingerbread-slab

• 125g (4oz) black treacle
• 125g (4oz) golden syrup
• 50g (2oz) butter or margarine (I used 100g butter and no lard)
• 50g (2oz) lard
• 225g (8oz) plain white flour
• 1.25ml (1/4 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
• 5ml (1 level tsp) mixed spice
• 5ml (1 level tsp) ground ginger
• 100g (4oz) dark brown soft sugar
• 150ml (1/4 pint) milk
• Makes 20 – 24 slices  

1. Grease a deep 18cm (7 in) square cake tin.  Line with greaseproof paper and then grease the paper.
2. Put the black treacle, golden syrup, butter and lard into a saucepan and heat gently until melted.
3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a bowl and stir in the sugar.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and treacle mixture.  Beat well until smooth and of a thick pouring consistency.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven at 170c (325F) mark 3 for 1 – 1 1/4 hours or until a fine warmed skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Cool in the tin for 1 hour then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Wrap in greaseproof paper and foil and store in an airtight tin for 2 days before eating.

Potato Latkes
http://www.homemademommy.net/2012/11/latkes-pancakes-3-ways-potato-kohlrabi-sweetpotato.html

Ingredients

• 3 russet baking potatoes, washed but not peeled
• 1 ½ tsp high mineral salt (like Himalayan pink salt)
• 2 Tbsp whey or lemon juice
• ¼ of a large yellow onion
• 2 pastured eggs
• Dash black pepper
• 1 Tbsp sprouted spelt flour (if grain free then you can sub coconut flour)
• 4-8 Tbsp beef tallow or ghee for frying the pancakes

Directions
Grate potatoes in a food processor using the grater attachment (not the regular blade –if you use that then you will get soup!). I have learned that I am able to better digest the potatoes when they are soaked overnight but if you are in a time pinch you can skip that step. Cover the grated potatoes with water and stir in the salt and whey or lemon juice. Cover and leave at room temperature about 7 hours.

Grate the onion in a food processor. Mix the onion with the eggs and flour and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.  Rinse the potatoes and squeeze very dry with a towel. I like to spread them out on a cookie sheet for an hour or so after this to really dry them out. Stir the potatoes into the egg mixture.

Heat up a pan until it is hot and then add about 2 Tbsp of the tallow or ghee to the pan (heating the pan up first will prevent your oil from scorching). Use a spoon to measure out batter for the latkes. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Add more fat with each round of latkes until you have used up all the batter. Drain on a paper bag and keep warm in a warm oven.

About Coast Packing Company
Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow -- in the Western United States.  The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations, leading bakeries and lesser concerns.  The company participates actively in various ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets.  Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global.  In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more.

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.

Media contact:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
[email protected]
323/469-3397

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151207/293857

SOURCE Coast Packing Company

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