Organs and offal

[lagatta]

Gertie, I have a friend who moved into a studio in Barbès, and the landlord told her she could do just about anything there but please not grow any potatoes. A previous tenant had actually done so, in a big vat of earth. Given the cost per m2 of any Paris real estate, even in more popular districts, them was mighty pricy potatoes...

I've had most types of offal except for the truly rare such as cow udder, but I'm not a huge fan of most of them; I'm not particularly much of a meat-eater in any event. I do very much like lamb's liver and kidneys, and duck livers. I've never eaten testicles (not counting the stuff that gets into sausages) but I see them all the time at Maghrebi butchers.

kerouac, obviously the pancreas is best known for producing insulin.

[Don Cuevas]

Ah: Tacos de cabeza. (Beef head). The cachetes (cheeks) are good, I like lengua, but I've never eaten a taco de ojo. (eye)

[Deleted]

I'm making kidneys tomorrow. Will I photograph them? What do you think?

[lagatta]

Whose kidneys were they?

[bixaorellana]

Re: my grumbling about the anyport search engine in another thread ........ here's an old but good thread on offal I found while rummaging:

anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=discussion&action=display&thread=1557&page=1

[Deleted]

Errr... I had already discovered that there were different threads about offal, but Dr. Alzheimer and I were hoping that nobody would notice.

[bixaorellana]

Oh, I just resurrected it because it's a good thread and might as well be stuck in here. (Although this thread is better. I can remove it if you think it confuses things.)
As I said, the search engine is hopeless. In the Supermarket thread, LaGatta asked if there were a similar thread. I knew there had been a thread called "Where we shop", but I defy you to make it come up in the search engine.

But back to offal ............. I blathered about this somewhere else, but feel it bears repeating. I made a version of the Roman Kidney Stew (see recipe index), but with sliced beef liver. Because the beef was cooked first, then set aside to the very end of the cooking time, it retained its pink center and was extremely tender and moist. I made the stew part more elaborate, with peppers and carrots. Mushrooms would have been good, too. It also made a fine leftover.

[Deleted]

Well, as planned, I had an offal meal tonight. Cooked some lardons in butter and olive oil and then added the kidney pieces rolled in peppered flour and butter. Sliced mushrooms were added. Once it had all sizzled properly, I added a dash of red wine and let it simmer covered.

Meanwhile, I boiled some potatoes.

Combined the two elements on a plate once the potatoes were done and added the parsley garnish which my grandmother taught me was obligatory.

[hwinpp]

Do you cook for yourself only?

[Deleted]

Generally, I cook just for myself.

[gertie]

That looks pretty good to me, k2, are you sure there isn't an extra plate for me? ;D

[kerouac2]

I figured it would be safer to put my photo of calf's brain and mushrooms here rather than shocking people on "what's for dinner tonight?"

imageshack.com/a/img923/782/fAzsdA.jpg

[bixaorellana]

I've never been able to make myself try brains. Your picture doesn't help.

[kerouac2]

I fully admit that it is difficult for most people to find the look very appealing unless they have already eaten brains. I think that if I had to serve brain to neophytes, I would preslice it, roll it in flour, and cook pieces to golden brown.

[mickthecactus]

Wossa neophyte?

[bixaorellana]

It's a person who loves new-born babies, who finds them cuddly and adorable. I think it is in extremely bad taste for Kerouac to have used it in this context.

[kerouac2]

Don't let Bixa screw with your mind. A big helping of brains would certainly stimulate both of you.

[mickthecactus]

Why do you think we need stimulating?

[cheerypeabrain]

ew ew ew

I quite like pig's liver occasionally. But it has to be slow cooked.. first sign of any tubes tho and I'm done.

OH used to like lamb's liver..when he was in Saudi he liked eating a meal called kibdah or something, green peppers, lamb's liver and onions...altho I've never found the right recipe to recreate it for him.

[lagatta]

The Moroccan butcher nearby has very good lamb's liver, and it isn't expensive. Also hearts. I find beef heart takes metallic, but not lamb's heart.

I think the brains I had - many years ago - were disguised. I still found them squidgy. I'd certainly eat them if I was hungry and there were no other choices, but see no need to eat them. Doesn't all this stuff find its way into sausages or pet food if there is no retail market?

One of the Bamboe instant bumbu (Indonesian instant spices) packets I bought is called Sambal Goreng Ati (Liver in chilly gravy). If I do make it with liver, I might buy the lamb's liver, or else duck heart and gizzard from the Vietnamese grocery. However, I might simply make it with tempeh, in case I have vegetarian guests. I like tempeh far more than tofu...

I may have said this before, but I used to be able to buy reasonable quantities of duck livers, hearts or gizzards, but now they are only sold (frozen) in very large packs suitable only for restaurants or other collectivities. I can still buy a mix of duck livers and gizzards, but find it difficult to tenderise gizzards. The duck bits are similar to chicken, but more flavourful.

[whatagain]

My brother doesn't eat industrial sausages anymore. I asked why and he said don't ask trust me.
He is a vet and works some time in a slaughterhouse.
I trusted him.
I only eat sausages from the butcher.
Mostly.
And I don't eat brains nor liver nor kidneys or andouillettes tripes tongues or even pork feet.
I tried all of those one time or another though.
I hope to try crickets soon.

Fricandelle ?

[bixaorellana]

Dec 24, 2018 15:23:28 GMT whatagain said:

I hope to try crickets soon.

You are coming to visit me?!

[Kimby]

I spent the night on a train barfing my guts out after a meal of ground tripe in Istanbul. Was so weakened by the ordeal that I couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes in the museum in Ankara, and grabbed respite in the guards’ chairs whenever I saw a vacant one.

[kerouac2]

I'm sure you knew better than to accuse the tripe for your condition although I will understand if you acquired an aversion from the experience.

[Kimby]

Not fond of the whole idea of eating “guts” anyway. Not sure what made me sick, as others ate the tripe, too.

[bixaorellana]

© 2003 Peter Gordon. All rights reserved

Sautéed Kidneys with Leeks, Gin, & Cream on Pasta

In my opinion, veal kidneys make a nicer meal than lambs’ kidneys, bat they aren’t so readily available. However, if you do have them, just cut the walnut-sized pieces off the main ‘flump’ and use as for lambs’ kidneys.

15 lambs’ kidneys, peeled
200 g(6 ½ oz) pasta or gnocchi
1 tablespoon light oil
60 g(2 oz) butter
1 medium leek, washed and finely sliced
180 ml(6 fl oz) cream
6 tablespoons gin
salt and pepper

First clean the kidneys. Hold one between your fingers on a chopping board with the white gristle facing up. Using a sharp knife, cut down, avoiding gristle. This will give you two flattish kidney-shaped halves, one with gristle attached. Cut gristle out using the point of a sharp knife. Do the same for remainder, to give you 30 kidney halves.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook pasta. Drain, toss with oil and keep warm.

Heat a large frying pan and add half the butter. Cook until almost nut-brown, then add kidneys, cut-side down, and fry 30 seconds. Turn over, fry another 20 seconds, then tip into a bowl with their juices. Keep the pan hot and add remaining butter and when it’s melted add the leek and cook until wilted and beginning to colour. Add cream and gin and boil to reduce, adding kidneys once it begins to boil. Cook until kidneys are just losing their pinkness. Check seasoning and spoon over pasta while still hot.

[tod2]

I found something interesting about beef tripe. I have never eaten it or prepared it so this was a kind of guide if I ever chose to do so in the future.

Not all tripe is equal as a cow has 4 stomachs. I found that Honeycomb tripe is the best. Comes from the 2nd stomach called the Reticulum. Then, the next choice would be Seam or Belly, from the 1st stomach, the Rumen.
After that, Ladies Tripe from the Omasum or third stomach. This is the best tripe to fry and eaten with chips/ frites. Abomasum or Reed tripe is seen less frequently, owing to its glandular tissue content.

I read that Tripe and Cowheel are, or were should I say, popular in the North of England around the Preston Market. One would go the a stall that had a Tripe Dresser - The tripe has already been cooked by him and you select the amount you would like.

Now, Cowheel sold alongside tripe is simply a boiled cows foot. The foot exudes a lot of gelatine. Cowheel jelly adds substance to a stew, a steak pie or Lancashire hotpot.
In Victorian times calves feet jelly was a restorative remedy served as a broth. As a matter of fact in 1760 Paris, a Monsieur Boulanger sold a bouillon made of sheep's trotters with the specific purpose of serving a restorative. He called his establishment a Restaurant - a place that would restore good health. So there is some interesting information you may not have known.

[kerouac2]

Meanwhile I had breaded pigs' feet the other day after spotting a deeply discounted package in the about-to-expire refrigerated case. They were some of the best ones I have ever eaten and I will gladly buy them again in the future, even without the discount.

[kerouac2]

In Lorraine the honeycombed tripe is called gras-double and is fried in butter and garlic cut into little strips. In the rest of France, tripe is stewed. I didn't look at the earlier pages here, but I'm sure I've explained this in the past.

[bjd]

My daughter-in-law's father makes good stuff like foie gras, pâté, but also weird stuff. Reading Kerouac's post, I just discovered what 'gras double' is. Fortunately I never opened the can that sat in my cupboard for a long time. I gave it to my son-in-law who will eat weird things like andouillette.