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Offal is the entrails and internal organs of an animal, including liver, kidney, sweetbreads, and heart. I eat offal around once a week, but when I mention it to people they often shudder and look like they're about to throw up. I don't really understand this reaction as these same people would be unlikely to turn their nose up at a sausage casserole, yet sausage skins are often made from intestines.
In my opinion, we've become too accustomed to neatly packaged, boneless and skinless cuts of meat that we pay through the nose for at the checkout simply to help us forget what we're actually eating. If an animal is to be slaughtered for meat shouldn't we eat the whole animal? Offal is highly regarded and widely consumed across Asia, Africa and Latin America and I'd love to see Brazilian beef stomach stew or Kenyan spiced goat tongue on the menu of our local bistro - what a gastronomic adventure that would be.
Why eat offal?
Offal is a cheap source of animal protein. Chicken liver is around a third of the price of chicken breast fillets and lamb kidney is £10 per kilo cheaper than lamb mince at my local supermarket right now. Offal is budget-friendly, so don't let a bad experience in the past put you off trying it again. I can't stand the taste of kidney, mostly because it brings back memories of a terrible pie my mum used to force me and my sister to eat, but chicken livers melt in your mouth and are so mild and almost creamy.
Offal has an impressive nutritional profile. Liver is an excellent source of vitamin A, which promotes healthy eyes. It's also rich in vitamin C, zinc and B vitamins. Heart is high in iron and a good source of niacin and phosphorus, which plays an important role in bone health. Kidney, tripe and sweetbreads are all good sources of vitamin B12, which is need for normal functioning of the brain and nervous system.
Tips for disguising offal
If you're just starting to eat offal or have family members who aren't too keen on the taste you can disguise the flavour by cooking with spices. Start off with quite mild organ meats such as chicken liver and use it in a homemade curry with aromatic cumin and chillies.
Replace up to half of the meat in your recipe with minced offal. Beef heart actually tastes like beef mince and has a similar texture when ground, so this would work well in cottage pies and Bolognese.
Make a pâté with lots of herbs and citrus zests and then serve with strongly flavoured accompaniments such as sourdough and gherkins. You can also use giblets to make a rich, meaty gravy or add organ meat to bone broth.
Braised mutton hearts (serves 4)
As I mentioned, heart has a similar texture and taste to mince and this recipe involves slow cooking the offal to ensure it's nice and tender. You can use lamb hearts if you can't get hold of mutton hearts, but your butcher should be able to source them for you. My organic mutton hearts were 90p for two.
Ingredients:
4 mutton hearts
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 teaspoon of olive oil
4 spring onions, roughly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
100g of mushrooms, sliced
400g of chopped tomatoes
200ml of chicken or vegetable stock
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of black pepper
Handful of chopped parsley
Creamy mash or boiled rice to serve
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1 teaspoon of olive oil
4 spring onions, roughly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
100g of mushrooms, sliced
400g of chopped tomatoes
200ml of chicken or vegetable stock
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of black pepper
Handful of chopped parsley
Creamy mash or boiled rice to serve
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, lightly coat the hearts in flour and place in the pan. Brown the hearts on both sides and place in a large casserole dish.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the casserole dish, cover with lid and place in a preheated oven at 180C / gas mark 4 for 2 hours.
3. Remove from the oven, season to taste and serve immediately.
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