offal - cheap and definitely old style

Sarahsaver

There was a feature about offal and other now rarely used cuts of meet - heads and feet and so on...on the food programme, radio 4 this weekend.
What offal do you like?
Why be squeamish when it's so cheap!

I like liver when it's cooked properly, ds1 likes tripe, I also like kidney but mostly in steak and kidney pie or pudding. I have not tried pig's trotters yet but having seen how cheap they are I am going to give it a go.
ds2 wants to try brain because he has seen it in the local butchers, anyone had it and can tell me what it's like?

squeaky

I've pretty much always got some liver sitting in the freezer, and like you I like kidney in steak and kidney pud or pie. Tounge, heart and oxtail all do well, but as for the other things you've mentioned... nah... not just yet

brokenwings

sarah saver
i grew up on all the things you mentioned and would love to still eat them but some seem difficult to come across

tripe and onions is wonderful as are boiled pigs trotters served with onions - sorry if this offends anyone - but suck the marrow out of the bones for the best taste you can imagine


we used tohave brains served on buttered toast - dash of worcester sauce FANTASTIC

i have a lovely recipe for braised liver casserole with suasages, potatoes, onion and carrot which i will post later

and you cant have a proper mixed grill without a couple of kidneys!

yumm im really hungry now

brokenwings

oh and i should add that brain is simply melt in the mouth tender and very tasty - it has its own particular taste but always reminded me of very fragrant fungi. sorry that sounds weird but imagine the smell of puff balls and mushroom - to me thats what brain tastes similar to : )

foreverskint

No sorry, I've never brought myself to try brains:eek:

I do love most other types of offal though. I love lambs hearts styffed with paxo and braised for hours in gravy. Or real faggots, must dig out the recipe!.
Lambs kidneys cooked in sherry & cream sauce, served with rice, so yummy.

Chickens livers, with a fried breakfast, are a family favourite and only 50P a tub.

I have yet to try trotters, but i shall have a go when I can get hold of some.

squeaky

I must remember to check out the butchers counter at Asda next time I go... hmm... or shop on line since they deliver here now.

I'll let you know if it's worth a trip across town.

black-saturn

foreverskint wrote:

Or real faggots, must dig out the recipe!.

My kids love faggots. Are the home made ones as nice as the frozen ones.

When I went to Vietnam last year I ate some really shocking things. They believe that when you eat a part of an animal it helps that part of you. So they dish up brains, hearts, kidneys, livers and brace yourself .......... they dish up cow and pig penis to men. I couldnt wait to get home and have a good normal roast dinner. Needless to say I mainly stuck to the noodles and rice when I was there.

Gingham_Ribbon

I'm glad you've posted this, Sarahsaver. It's a curiosity of mine.

I don't eat meat or meat products, but I don't have any objections to doing so, it's a personal preference. My husband and some of my friends eat meat. But they are all squeamish about which parts of the meat they will eat. I don't get it.

When I was little, I read the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In one of them, she described having a pig that they fattened and slaughtered. She described how every single part of that animal was used and how they stored much of it to use for the months to come. They even blew up the bladder and used it as a balloon.

Now, to me, that's how it SHOULD be. I'm not saying that a person should eat offal because they eat steak, but I do wonder why some parts are off limits and others aren't. Is it a taste thing? Or are organs more squeemy than muscle?

Please don't take offence to a veggie asking these questions! I have no desire to complain about meat eating in any way! I'm just curious.

Phonix

tripe and onions is wonderful as are boiled pigs trtters served with onions

I'd eat them were it not for the fact that the pig will no doubt have been running around in its own excrement.

nabowla

I've recently started doing a lovely Italian dish (St Delia, of course) with lambs' kidneys, fresh tomatoes and basil. Goes v well with noodles - yummmm! I also did a good liver dish a couple of weeks ago - must dig it out and do it again.

SuiDreams

Someone at work suggested that I'd like Ox Tail, but don't know what to do with it so haven't bought any yet.