‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ #24 “A Mother’s REACTION…. shaRing kidneys”
My culinary quests…my cooking varieties….are vast and variable and do not adhere to Jewish law/lore…
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| A mountain of my kichel |
So one Friday evening, with The Mother as guest at our table, while enjoying the ‘far-better-than-homemade’ suburb-of-Sea Point JewishDeli delights of gefilte fish, sweet chopped herring, chopped liver decorated with chopped boiled egg – the hard-boiled yellow yolk separate from the hard-boiled egg white – just for aesthetic purpose, chrain (horseradish) too – a choice ‘nog al’ of white(strong) , and red (with grated beetroot), and of course, My homemade kichel, I spoke of ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ , and the progress of readership and the amazingly far reaches she had achieved: from Russia to Malaysia …besides the conventional U.K to New Zealand, Oz to USA…Germany to France….and L-a-t-v-i-a too!
The Mother is a strict Critic of my ramblings and my sometimes too convoluted style, and when I showed her the ‘Blog’ about a PORK CHOPS recipe…she absolutely fLinCHeD !
…The colour drained from those cheeks of stylish blush , the eyes: - a-twitter, for a split second were as round as saucers, a loud inhaled GASP heard!…and Her sheer reaction, ‘My M’‘, sitting across the dinner table from Her , did show was quite comical ! ...unintended, but so!......and thus Her hiccups began!
And so?....should I write of sheep’s brains, …or tripe,……or how to prepare ram’s penis? - a recipe from traditional Jewish Yemenite cuisine - No! …after all, who knows if any of that is KOSHER?!! …not to even think of the appetite appeal!!!
…And come-to-think-of-it…. A leg of lamb is not supposedly kosher, as it is part of the ‘hind-quarter’… so?.. , is that ram’s penis comf’tably kosherly “kosher” ? ..huh !
So, I’ll revert to my childhood, and the occasional “OLD FASHIONED” treat that, until a few years back, I’d totally forgotten about…a delectable dish rarely proffered in this modern era. Yes, whom of ‘ You ‘ have sampled the flavour of lamb KIDNEYS-ON-TOAST!
And so! ...when ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ is on a quest to purchase 7 lamb kidneys at BloodyPack’nPiyClaremont supermarket , and discovers a choice of none, corners ButcherBoy, and won’t leave his counter until 7 plump kidneys are miraculously found…welllll, cut out from the yet-to-be-portioned meat. They know to clean and trim them, as a service, too.
And so to recipes…..
LAMBS’ KIDNEYS – ON TOAST
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| A feast of lambs' kidneys-on-toast |
To some of ‘ You ‘, this might seem a little out of your comfort zone – but go-on, worth a try! 7 kidneys are enough as a meal for 2, plus leftovers…or generous too, for 3 servings.
Ingredients:
7 kidneys
1 cup milk (for pre-soaking)
50g ( about ¼ cup BUTTER)
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Bisto (optional) …this is brown gravy powder..you could substitute some beef stock powder
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons brandy
½ cup boiling water
Further salt and white pepper to taste – if necessary!
Slices of toast for serving – ‘COOKINGWITHMAVIS’ traditionally prefers white toast for this dish.
METHOD:
1) As ‘a-shortcut-slightly-spoilt-and-uncomplicated’ cook, I make sure first that my “mise en place” (pronounced “ miz ɑ̃ plas “ ), is done! - it’s a French phrase - literally means: "putting in place" - ….I suppose it’s the ‘pre-preparation’
~ Remember to prepare your “mise en place”… think ahead of what dishes, utensils and ingredients you’ll need for your ‘prep’ , as you won’t want to be handling cupboard doors and clean dishes when your hands are busy with kidneys!~
2) With a thin non-serrated flat-blade sharp kitchen knife, slice each kidney, length-wise, in half. I use a “paring” knife.
3) Remove the white fat with same knife.
4) Slice kidneys into small squares, about 1 ½ cm to 2cm square
5) In a glass bowl, soak these cut kidneys in the milk for at least 30 minutes – (this removes much of the “ever-so-slightly-unpleasant” smell of raw kidneys! )
*** If I remember, I do so the day before and leave soaking in a GLASS bowl, overnight in the fridge –covered with clingfilm.
6) Drain the kidneys
7) In a separate bowl, mix the flour, Bisto/beefstock powder, salt, white pepper, and coat the cubed kidneys, scoop up the kidneys and shake off excess seasoned flour (set aside to use with the cooking process)
8) In a large frying pan, gently melt the butter, add the kidneys, and stir to brown them…just about 2 minutes on high-ish heat
9) Add the brandy, stirring as not to stick
10) Sprinkle the remaining seasoned flour into the pan, stir around, then…
11) Add the boiling water, taste to see if need more salt and white pepper, then cover with a lid,…simmer on LOW heat for 15 minutes.
Serve on slices of toast. Mmmmmmmmmm……..
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| A mouth-watering dish - kidneys-on-toast |
'COOKINGWITHMAVIS’
dear mavis:
ReplyDeleteyour kidneys look scrumpious, i think i will head to the butcher tomorrow........