Ode to Offal

QuakerBear · Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:05 pm

For the first time ever I had haggis this Friday. It's really yummy! I've not had offal before so was very surprised. I might even start trying other types.

Offal has struck me as a good idea on several points:

1. It's cheep, even if it's organic and free range so you get to have meat more often.
2. A larger market for offal will mean each animal can produce more products and so each animals sale will bring in more money for a farmer (might be wrong on this one, do correct me if I am).
3. If one is to be less wasteful it makes sense to get back to using all of the animal. Something along the lines of, "the only part of a pig you can't eat is the squeek".

So... any ideas for tasty ways to cook offal?

I'd also be interested to hear of other peoples ideas about eating offal.

Offal fact:
Scottish haggis is illegal in the USA on two counts; One, it contains British beef products which are all illegal because of BSE. Two, it contains lung which the government of the USA deems unfit for human consumption! Well my haggis was very fit for consumption, indeed, we fried the left overs the next day and had it for breakfast with potatoe cakes and eggs.

eccentric_emma · Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:13 pm

i've heard that Inuits are healthy and less susceptible to illness because they eat the entire animal and the offal is rich is lots of nutrients that often the 'better' cuts are not. So you can add that to your list of benefits!

Jarmara · Post: # 82594Post **Jarmara** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:29 pm

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http://www.offalgood.com/site/

red · Post: # 82597Post **red** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:04 pm

they say you should only eat liver once a week... but apart from that its a great cheap food - really you can buy more liver than you need for two adults for 80p..

Milims · Post: # 82619Post **Milims** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:52 pm

One of my absolute faves is kidneys in red wine and I have also enjoyed mock goose - which is stuffed ox heart. Liver is good too. Sadly too few people eat it these days

Although I do draw the line at tongue - my mother used to boil and press these regularly and they are just aweful!

Stonehead · Post: # 82624Post **Stonehead** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:16 pm

We eat kidneys, liver, trotters, ears, heart, and more. Skin left over from sausage making is rendered down and turned into lard, plus scratchings. Excess fat is rendered down as well. Unfortunately, different interpretations of the law means we don't get everything back (particularly blood, intestines and lungs) while a pig's head is too big for our biggest pot (and the cooker).

With sheep, specified material has to be removed by law, but there' still a lot to work with.

red · Post: # 82625Post **red** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:17 pm

we were going to have a go at making our own haggis this year.. but the butcher did not have any plucks... still nevermind.. *if* we get any lambs we might have some of our own.

i like lvier and kidneys. i cant stand tripe....

Thurston Garden · Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:35 pm

Stonehead wrote: a pig's head is too big for our biggest pot (and the cooker).

Would it fit is if was halved/thirded? Our butcher halves ours - although it is a while since we have made brawn. Most of the cheeks just go for sausages atm.

Stonehead · Post: # 82634Post **Stonehead** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:37 pm

Thurston Garden wrote:
Stonehead wrote: a pig's head is too big for our biggest pot (and the cooker).
Would it fit is if was halved/thirded? Our butcher halves ours - although it is a while since we have made brawn. Most of the cheeks just go for sausages atm.

It would have to go in a couple of pans and we have one of those horrid, modern, small ceramic hobs. Previous owners of the croft put it in to replace a big, solid-fuel rayburn. Sigh.

snapdragon · Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:51 pm

glad you enjoyed your haggis :) I generally remove the casing and slice it up and either fry it or bake in a dish (as it cooks quicker)

liver bacon and onions - fry onions first and then throw in liver and bacon cut up in small pieces - sort of like stir fry - serve with mash of choice (my latest fave is tatties, celeriac and swede)

stuffed hearts (sheep hearts) take scissors and snip out the tubes from the centre - stuff with standard stuffing mix or your favourite mixture, stitch the top with string or stick with a small skewer , dust with seasoned flour, fry to seal, remove, add stock and stir til the bits are in the jiuce and not stuck to the pan, add whatever root veggies you like, and the hearts (at this point I cook in a pressure cooker) - but otherwise braise in oven

snapdragon · Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:55 pm

ooh and devilled kidneys - split, remove tubes, dust in seasoned flour ( with mustard) fry, add vinegar (cheep balsamic is good) to thicken gravy

serve on toast -
or not
or just eat out of the pan

(oops

did I really say that

)

QuakerBear · Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:18 am

Excelent.

I like the idea of stuffed heart and devilled kidneys. They sound really tasty. Is heart quite tough?

I've just been speaking to a couple of friends who are vets and they've expressed reservations about eating the filter organs, especially the liver because they say toxins accumulate there. They say with modern farming methods many animals recieve allot of antibiotics and other drugs which accumulate to such high levels that they wouldn't feel comfortable eating liver. Hhhmm. I suppose those of you who keep your own animals don't have such a problem. I might have to try heart as my second foray into the world of offal.

Offal fact No. 2: Polar bear liver can be fatal to humans because it contains toxic levels of vitimin K.

ina · Post: # 82681Post **ina** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:45 am

Has anybody eaten testicles? I had occasion to see some not long ago (sheep's), and I thought they looked like really nice, clean, white meat. (And that's coming from a veggie!) Some said they wouldn't eat it when they thought of what their function is - but heck, is that worse than the function of liver and kidneys?

mrsflibble · Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:55 am

I was brought up on offal; hubby doesn't like much but what i can hide in stuff he doesn't know about lol!
I don't like the taste of liver, but if it's in hagis I'll eat it 'cos it's not overpowering. hubby doesn't like the taste either, but was willing to try it. my mum loves liver, especially chicken livers. but after her third bout of compilobacter (stupid moo) she wont eat them now. she likes liver pink, but chicken livers need to be cooked until they are rubbery to kill anything nasty living in them. she sticks to calf's liver now.
I love kidneys, hubby wont eat them. not becuase of their function or the smell they fill the house with when cooking but because of the texture.
I like stuffed hearts, must get some hearts to do for me and soph sometime. Havn't broached the subject of heart with the hubby yet... hmmm. might do the sliced version of my mum's heart casserole and just not tell him.
never tried sweetbreads or lights (on their own, again I've eaten haggis), lo-ho-hove tongue sandwiches with home made chutney.
don't like tripe. the taste, texture or anything else.
I don't think I'd like the texture of brain, but I'd be willing to try it.

I'll try anything once.

QuakerBear · Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:16 pm

I've seen testicles on sale in allot of butchers in Mannor House (north London) but I've got no idea how to cook them. They're eated lots in Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern recipies.

I'm going to get some more haggis because I think it will make good patties that can then be cooked and eaten as burgers. I'm also going to experiment with freezing them. Does anyone have a favorite recipie so I can make my own? One thing about the haggis though, I do think it would be improved by garlic and chilli, I know that's not 'traditional', but hey, tartan comes from Lancashire and that's suposedly 'traditional' so....