How to Eat for Less: The Secrets of Organ Meat Cookery
(Page 2 of 7)
May/June 1976
By Lucille Sivley
The trick to preparing superb kidneys consists of [1] rinsing the vitamin-rich organs in cold running water and then [2] soaking them in chilled salt water—made by adding one teaspoon of salt to each quart of water—for one to two hours prior to their use. The two-part procedure removes the strong, bitter taste (which has given this delicious and healthful meat such a bad name) that is so common to improperly prepared kidneys.
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If you buy your kidneys frozen (perhaps from an "organic" food store) instead of fresh, soak them in a bowl of cold, salted water—use the same formula given above—until they thaw. Then rinse the organs in cold running water and, finally, soak them in fresh salt water for another hour.
There are two ways to clean a kidney before it's cooked. You can cut it in half lengthwise and remove—from the inside—the tubes and fat that it contains. Or you can slice into the organ from the outside and cut away sections of the meat a chunk at a time until nothing is left to throw away but a pale core of tube-threaded tissue. I've found that the first technique works best when I'm preparing smooth pork kidneys but—thanks to their irregular shape—I prefer to use the second approach when I'm cutting up beef kidneys. Give both methods a try and establish your own preference in the matter!
Once your beef kidneys have been rinsed, soaked, and trimmed, you're ready to whip them up into a tantalizing dish. I suggest starting with the following recipe . . . which makes a fine late breakfast or early lunch for four:
BRAISED KIDNEYS WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON
4 strips of bacon
2 beef kidneys, sliced
6 mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons of water
Fry the bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp and then remove it to a warm place. Next return two tablespoons of the grease to the frying pan and quickly brown the kidneys and mushrooms. Then add the water, lower the heat, cover the skillet, and simmer gently for five to ten minutes (or until the kidneys are tender). Serve at once with the bacon, and salt and pepper to taste.
KIDNEY AND POTATO PIE
2 strips of bacon, chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 beef kidneys, sliced
flour
1-1/2 cups of water
4 medium potatoes
Fry the bacon in a heavy pan until the chopped pieces of meat become transparent. Then add the bits of onion and stir until they've become limp. Next roll the strips of kidney in flour, add them to the pan, and brown them. Finally, pour in the water, stir everything well, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for an hour and a half (or until the kidneys are tender). Salt and pepper to taste.
Half an hour before the above mixture has finished cooking . . . boil, drain, and whip the potatoes. Then grease a casserole or pie dish and—when the skillet of kidneys is done—pour the pan of meat and onions in, top with the beaten potatoes, and make a small hole in the center of the "cover". Brush the layer of potatoes with oil or milk (for a crunchy crust) and bake the dish in a 375° Fahrenheit oven until its top is golden brown (about 15 minutes). Serve with young carrots. This recipe feeds four and its potato topping makes the savory pie both a delight to eat and a snap to prepare.
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