Sweetbreads

If you like the flavor of veal and the texture of grilled beef fat...  

Try these Sweetbreads!

There are two types of Sweetbreads. One is stomach Sweetbreads and the other is thalmus gland Sweetbreads. They both come from cows, pigs or lamb and are very flavorful. They taste just like good veal and have a creamy texture that lies somewhere in between grilled beef fat and an extremely tender fillet mignon. The flavor lasts long the meat has been chewed and swallowed, so pair it with something that will help finish the flavors in the mouth instead of letting them linger. Lemon and capers, egg or even a simple salad will pair nicely with Sweetbreads. They can be prepared almost any way you like and are hard to overcook but the best, according to me, is either grilled or sauteed in butter.

SAUTEED SWEETBREADS & EGGS

1/2lb.     Sweetbreads

1-2C.     Buttermilk

1/4C.     AP Flour

1 1/2tbl.     Butter

1     Egg

1tsp.     Chili Sauce

1     Heirloom Tomato

     Olive Oil

     Balsamic Vinegar

     S&P

- If there is a membrane on the Sweetbreads, peel it off

- Cut the Sweetbreads into 2 inch sections

- Soak the Sweetbreads in Buttermilk for a couple of hours

- Dredge the Sweetbreads in the Flour seasoned with S&P

- Get two saute pans hot

- Add 1tbl. Butter to one pan and the other 1/2tbl. to the other pan

- In the pan with 1tbl. Butter, saute the Sweetbreads until they are nice and golden-brown

- In the other pan cook the egg andy way you like. (I prefer basted or over easy)

- Slice the Tomato, place on a plate, drizzle with a little Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

- Plate the Sweetbreads & Egg next to the Tomatoes

- Add a few drops of Chili Sauce and serve

Chicken Feet

For those who cut their nails and wash their feet before cooking...  

Taste these Chicken Feet.

Don't run for the hills because these chickens won't chase you. Chicken Feet are a tasty part of an animal that, here in America, we don't take very good care of. Though many chickens that are bred, in America for food, can not walk, their feet are certainly a delectable appendage. On the contrary, the best chicken feet come from healthy, heavy, chickens who have large, muscular feet to hold those heavy bodies. Many countries serve chicken feet as a regular, every day meal. Although the Chinese take the cake, or should I say take the toe, on regular feet feeding, there are many other cultures that enjoy this wrinkly, jointed delight. Other countries that like their feet on a plate include Jamaica, The Philippines, Brazil, South Africa and many members of the Jewish community. Chicken Feet are cooked in a variety of ways. They can be marinated, boiled, grilled, fried and pretty much prepared any way you like. Most often they are used in soups, stews, spiced and grilled or simply boiled. If you're worried about someone at the office eating your lunch out of the community refrigerator, fill your lunchbox with feet and you won't have to worry! On that note, next time you drive by an Asian market, do yourself a big favor, stop in and grab a bag of chicken feet for whatever meal awaits you.

I give you this recipe because, honestly, I believe that the best part of Chicken Feet is the skin. Well, its almost the only part once you get past the bone and tendons.

CRISPY CHICKEN FEET

4     Chicken Feet

1-2     Garlic Cloves (crushed and minced)

2tbl.     Olive Oil

3tbl.     Clairified Butter

             Salt & Pepper

- Mince Garlic

- Marinate (overnight) Chicken Feet in Garlic, S&P and just enough Olive Oil to coat the feet

- Boil the Chicken Feet and Marinade in water for about 15-20 minutes

- Remove the Feet from the Water

- Get a sautee pan hot, add Butter, S&P and Chicken Feet

- Saute until the skin gets crispy

- Remove from pan, season with a little more S&P or your favorite seasoning/dry rub

- Plate & Serve

(for extra crispy Chicken Feet they can be deep fried)

Lutefisk

For those who enjoy odiferous edibles...
Welcome Lutefisk to your holiday menu.

Lutefisk or lye-fish is air dried and salted cod whose origin goes back as far as the 15th century. With it's firm yet gelatinous texture lutefisk smells terrible but, like a fine cheese, tastes great. This translucent delight was not invented by the Norwegian or Swedish because they loved the taste and smell, but because there was no way to refrigerate food in the day of it's invention. Salted and air dried fish were made to preserve the meat for long periods of time for travel or long winters. The lye or caustic soda, which is often used in the making of soap, comes into play after the fish is salted and dried. It is used to re-hydrate the fish for consumption. After the fish is re-hydrated in the lye, which takes several days, it is baked, broiled or steamed and served with salt and pepper along with a butter, mustard or cream sauce. Traditionally this dish is served toward the end of the year over the holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Long ago it was eaten during times of fasting because of its high protein content. For many Swedes, Norwegians and true mid-westerners, lutefisk takes the place of a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham. Lutefisk is usually accompanied by whipped potatoes, peas and lefse (Swedish potato flatbread) and sometimes goat cheese. Although lutefisk has migrated from Sweden and Norway to America, there is a town in Minnesota called Madison that claims to be the lutefisk capital of the world.

LUTEFISK

&

GOAT CHEESE POTATOES

1lb.     Lutefisk

1/4C.  Butter

1/2C.  Green Peas

1C.     Whipped Potatoes (make your favorite way)

2tbl.    Goat Cheese

2pcs.   Lefse

           S&P

- Soak fish in cold water overnight (changing the water a few times)

- Season and cover fish with foil and bake @ 400degrees for aprox. 20min.

- Melt Butter

- Steam Peas

- Heat Whipped Potatoes

- Warm the Lefse

- Top Lutefisk with Melted Butter

- Top Potatoes with Goat Cheese

- Plate all ingredients

- Try not to sniff the fish and eat

Braunschweiger

For those who are liver lovers...  Welcome braunschweiger to your diet.

Braunschweig is a city in Germany where braunschweiger is a general term for liver sausage and is the culprit for creating this delicious, brownish-pale delight. Braunschweiger, liverwurst or liver sausage is a cured or smoked sausage made traditionally of pork livers and hearts. Tripe, pig's feet, jowls, skin and even chicken livers are often used alongside the pork. Other liverwurst are made of beef, veal, bison or goose, though almost any liver can be used with the exception of overly gamey meats, which most people simply do not like the flavor of.


Here is one of my personal favorite ways to eat braunschweiger. Enjoy!

BRAUNSCHWEIGER SANDWICH

2slices     Home-Made Rye Bread

4slices     Braunschweiger

1tbl.        Yellow Mustard

1-2tbl.     Blue Cheese

1tbl.        Grape Compote or Jelly

-  Lightly toast Bread

-  Smear one slice of toast with Mustard and the other slice with the Grape Jelly

-  Top the toast with the Braunschweiger and the Blue Cheese

-  Put together and enjoy