I am thinking offal thoughts lately –
largely because it is the theme of the Oxford
Symposium on Food and Cookery in 2016, and hence there is a lively
discussion going on around the topic amongst food writers and historians and
other interested parties via the Wonderful Web. The definition of ‘offal’ is
actually very large, and is not confined to the internal organs of animals, but
includes waste of many kinds, such as “that which falls or is thrown off from
some process, as husks from milling grain, chips from dressing wood, etc.;
residue or waste products. ” I think we can assume a wide range of interesting
papers and some lively discussion at the symposium next year!
One of the random realisations triggered
in my brain after reading some of the pre-symposium discussions was that I have
not (if I remember correctly) focused on the edible kidney in any post to date.
This is surprising, as I love them myself.
Interestingly, in its primary
definition of ‘kidney’, the Oxford
English Dictionary sees fit to include, after its anatomical and
physiological descriptions, that it is also an article of food.
1a. One of
a pair of glandular organs situated in the abdominal cavity of mammals, birds,
and reptiles, which excrete urine and so remove effete nitrogenous matter from
the blood. Also a gland with similar functions found in some animals of lower
organization. The kidneys of cattle, sheep, and pigs are an article of food.”
Unfortunately for those of us who
have a recipe-focus, in spite of making this point, the OED does not offer a
single reference which points to a specific culinary use of the kidney, except
in the compound form ‘kidney pie.’
Compare this with the entry on liver,
in which its use as food justifies a separate (second) usage:
1b.The
liver of an animal used as food, medicine, an object of divination, etc.; (as a
mass noun) the tissue of an animal's liver as food.
So, enough said about offal words for
the time being. Here is my selection of recipes from Australian newspapers of
the past that take the kidney beyond its usual breakfast partnership with
bacon, or its best supporting role (along with steak), in a pie.
Kidneys with Walnuts.
To 6 kidneys allow 4 chopped walnuts (pickled,) 1 teacup
walnut pickle liquor, 3 tablespoons butter, pepper and salt to taste. Split,
wash and skin the kidneys. Melt butter in stewpan, add kidneys and fry till
nicely cooked, take out and keep hot. Add the chopped walnuts, seasoning and pickle
liquor to the gravy, and heat it till it froths, stirring all the time. Pour
this sauce over the kidneys and garnish with fried cro[u]tons and a border of
mashed potatoes. The sauce must not be made in a metal saucepan.
The North Western Courier (Narrabri, NSW) 29 July 1937.
Kidneys and Vermicelli.
Split and skin eight or ten sheep's kidneys and cut in
slices, saving a few entire for the top. Cook for a few minutes in butter. Add
two sliced onions and fry. Add one tablespoonful flour, one teaspoonful lemon
juice, two cupfuls stock or water, salt and pepper. Stew In a casserole until
tender. Place cooked vermicelli over the top of the dish and garnish with the
unsliced kidneys. Reheat and serve.
Examiner
(Launceston, Tas.) 22 January 1927
Kidneys and
Cheese.
Peel 3 large potatoes and cut in halves. Scoop out enough
centre so that a sheep's kidney will fit into the hole. Skin the kidneys, dip
each, in warmed butter, pepper well, put one into each piece of potato, sprinkle
with a little grated nutmeg and cover with breadcrumbs. Bake in a shallow tin,
in a hot oven, and when cooked sprinkle, with grated cheese
The Daily News (Perth, WA) Saturday 7
January 1922
Kidneys and Macaroni.
Ingredients :— 6 sheeps kidneys; 1
dessertspoonful flour; 1 pint stock; 2ozs macaroni; loz butter or dripping; 1
teaspoon beef extract; 2 eschalots; salt and pepper ; ¼ teaspoonful mustard and
sugar; chopped parsley.
Method. — Put stock onto boil, and when boiling
break macaroni and add to it. Split kidneys in halves, skin them, make butter or
dripping hot, and fry them gently with the cut side down; take out and cut up small,
chop eschalots finely and fry, sprinkle in dry flour, salt, pepper, sugar and
mustard, and brown it without burning. Add half pint of stock (which has been
strained off), macaroni, beef extract, half the maaroni finely chopped and
kidneys, stir till it boils, and cook
gently for 10 minutes, Dish on a hot dish, and put remainder of stock and macaroni
round it and a little chopped parsley on top,
Gosford Times and
Gosford and Wollombi Express (NSW) 22 September 1905
Kidney Toast.
Mince the kidney of a roast loin of veal, and also half its
fat; season well with pepper and salt, chopped shallots, parsley, and a small
of quantity of green sweet basil; mix the whole together with the yolk of eggs,
and lay it on slices of bread of an equal thickness cut into any shape you
please, and smooth over with a knife dipped in egg; strew over, the mince and bread
crumbs, put them into a baking dish on thin slices of bacon, and set them in an
oven. When sufficiently baked drain off the fat, and wipe the bread with a
linen cloth. Serve with a little gravy under them.
Leader (Melbourne, Vic.) 25 January 1868
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