Martini’d Lamb’s Kidneys
Cooking The Dark Side ...
It’s
time to change for the sake of change! Devilled lamb kidneys is a fossilized
old cliché that I believe may now be put out to pasture after decades of loyal
service. Shocked Conservatists will probably bite chunks out of their brandy
snifters and desperately clasp stodgy steak & kidney puddings to their
breasts, but – alas – so be it.
Lamb’s
kidneys are mild flavoured, have a wonderful texture (unless over cooked) and
are nutritious to boot, despite general public opinion. Granted, I wouldn’t eat
them on a daily basis either as they do have a unique taste (as all organs do)
that requires a bit of pre-emptive planning to deal with. However, I wouldn’t
describe lamb kidneys – which are the mildest tasting of those of beef, lamb
and pork – as an acquired taste. They are quite elegant, in fact.
And
no, fresh kidneys do not reek (nor taste) of piss or dank alleys. But, they are
highly perishable and should not be left to languish in the refrigerator. Fortunately
they cook very, very fast, so there’s no need for allowing them to wallow in
the fridge until an appropriate opportunity presents itself.
Paradoxically,
it is this very ability of lamb’s kidneys to cook so fast that makes them ideal
for a lazy, stay-in-pj’s-&-slippers Sunday breakfast in the company of your
languid better half. Who knows what might follow after such a luxurious,
elegant start to the day?
Needless
to say, but kidneys deserve a bit of respect and should be combined with
ingredients that celebrate their uniqueness, not suppress it. We shall explore
this concept in future posts.
In
this recipe we dress sautéed, quartered kidneys with a reduction of mild
flavoured gin and a dash of lemon juice. A smidgeon of Dijon mustard and a spot
of cream gently bind all the loose strands together and thicken the sauce into
savoury, liquid velvetiness that just calls out for excellent toast and creamy
scrambled eggs. Crème fraiche or sour cream works better in this setting (in my
opinion) than fresh cream. And yes, the recipe for excellent toast is here on this blog.
A
word of caution: Absolutely resist the
temptation to flambé the boiling gin. Gin contains a shocking amount of alcohol
that results in a massive fireball on igniting the pan. Subsequently it only
subsides into a vigorous column of careless, blue tinged flames that happily
singe the extraction hood filter covers until you manage to slap a shocked lid on
the sauté pan.
That
initial fireball, however, is a real dozy: briskly removing arm hairs, trimming
eye brows and frightening the seven sorts of bejesus out of unsuspecting
bystanders. Unfortunately your vengeful fire alarm will not appreciate your
sense of humor.
MARTINI’D LAMB’S
KIDNEYS
– PRINT RECIPE –
Recipe yields:
2 Portions
|
Preparation time:
± 20 minutes
|
Cooking time:
± 20 minutes
|
Difficulty level:
Easy peasy!
|
Special Equipment Required:
1
x Spiral type wire whisk
Ingredients:
Fresh kidneys, halved &
cleaned
|
4
|
Butter
|
5ml
|
Medium onion, finely diced
|
½
|
Sugar
|
7.5ml
|
Butter
|
5ml
|
Mild flavoured gin
|
80ml
|
Lemon juice
|
15ml
|
Fresh or soured cream
|
15ml
|
Dijon style mustard
|
2.5ml
|
Salt
|
2.5ml
|
Freshly ground black pepper
|
1.2ml
|
Method:
1. Halve each kidney half. Rinse
under cold, running water and leave to drain.
2. Melt the butter in a sauté
pan over medium high heat. Add the kidneys in one batch when the butter is hot
and bubbling. Sauté until the kidneys stop throwing off liquid, 5 – 6 minutes.
Check that the kidneys are still pink in the centre. It will cook through in
the final step. Transfer to a heat proof bowl, cover and keep warm until
needed.
3. Melt the second portion
of butter in the same pan until hot and bubbling. Add the onions and sauté
until soft and translucent. Add the sugar, turn the heat down to medium and sauté,
with frequent stirring, until the onions start to caramelise. Watch the onions
closely to prevent it from burning. Transfer it to the kidneys when ready.
4. Add the gin and lemon
juice to the same pan and stir – using the spiral wire whisk – until boiling.
Scrape the pan to lift any stuck or caramelised bits. Reduce the liquid until
about two tablespoons (± 30ml) is left.
5. Add the cream, mustard,
salt and pepper to the pan and stir until thoroughly mixed. Return the kidneys
and onions – and any liquid collected in the bowl – to the pan, mix through and
heat until the sauce just start to bubble.
6. Serve immediately on hot,
crisp white bread toast and pimento olives – if you dare...
Preparing kidneys
for cooking:
7. Bean shaped, intact kidneys need to be prepared for cooking
by removing the white, fibrous section found in the ‘eye’ of each kidney. This
white part is called the hilum and
can be easily removed with a sharp, small utility knife or a pair of sturdy,
medium sized scissors. Beef kidneys will require a pair of kitchen shears. The hilum is composed of tough, fibrous
tissue that will cook into hard, sinewy sections. Not nice!
8. Wash the whole kidneys under cold, running water and dry
thoroughly. Place a kidney on a dry cutting board with the ‘eye’ facing
directly downward. Using a sharp chef’s or butcher’s knife, halve the kidney by
slicing lengthwise through the ‘back’ so that you are left with two halves that
separate into a butterfly shape. The white hilum
sections will be clearly visible in the ‘eye’ section of each half.
9. Turn each half over and rotate it so that the ‘eye’ of the
kidney faces you. The protruding hilum
should be visible in the curve of the ‘eye’. Pin it down on the cutting board
surface with the index finger of your non-dominant hand. Insert the front third
of the utility knife’s blade between your finger tip and the halved kidney onto
the hilum.
10. Firmly and slowly push
the blade away from your finger tip while pressing down gently onto the hilum and scraping along it. A slow to-and-fro,
sawing motion with the knife will help to separate the hilum from the kidney proper. Don’t press down too hard with the
knife while ‘sawing’ or the hilum will
be shredded, making it difficult to remove. The hilum will separate from the kidney tissue revealing five white
‘strands’ of hilum tissue extending
into the kidney half.
11. Sever these strands,
remove the intact hilum and discard. Wash
the prepared, halved kidneys under cold running water and use as instructed in
the recipe.
12. Alternatively, use the
scissors to trim away the white hilum
section. Be careful not to trim too vigorously or an excessive portion of
kidney tissue will be lost.
Comments:
¨ Kidneys are generally supplied whole and may be fresh or
frozen. In more up market chain stores, the clean, fresh kidneys will have been
halved and prepared for immediate cooking prior to packaging. Alternatively,
purchase – or order – fresh kidneys from your friendly neighborhood butcher and
ask him to prepare the kidneys for you. The butchery sections of many franchise
supermarkets will also have butcher’s staff on duty that will perform this small
service on request.
¨ Two kidneys per person should be enough as they are quite
filling.
© RS Young, 2017
– RECIPE INDEX PAGE –
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Note:
Post
updated on 2024.03.14 to include:
1.
The updated Recipe for downloading as a PDF file, and
2.
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