Hunter Gatherer Diet - Offal

There was a time when we were all a bit nervous about cooking fish. Fish was saved for the restaurant experience, because we trusted that only a chef could do it right.

There was a time when our mothers cooked lambs’ hearts and liver and kidneys because it was easy and cheap. Many of us were reared on these.

Nowadays the fish queues at country markets are always the longest wait, and offal, in the butcher’s counter, is squeezed aside by plump breasts of chicken and other value-added products. And with its disappearance on the counter, we’ve lost our confidence in how to cook it.

So, it’s great that our confidence has grown with cooking fish, but we mustn’t lose site of offal, and of what the Americans call “organ meats”.

For foragers, and people who believe in the whole hunter gatherer experience, offal is not only tasty, it’s essential. Organ meats offer a huge store of food that boasts both fiscal and health benefits. Offal is packed with vitamin B12, as well as the A vitamins, folic acid and iron. And it’s cheap.

Here are some simple offal recipes to build up confidence.

To prepare heart, just pull away the fat and any tough vessels attached to it, split in half and dice or slice. Liver, once properly prepared by a good butcher needs only be sliced thin. Kidney needs a similar treatment to heart, just free it from its fat, and trim. Finally, cut in half and snip out the inner core.

Offal Brochettes
Trim heart, liver and kidney, or any combination, and cut into small dice. Thread onto skewers, brush with oil and grill for about four to five minutes. Turn the kebabs only after the offal has browned, and is no longer sticking to the grill. Serve with crusty bread, harissa and a salad made from fresh herbs (pictured: dill, coriander, dandelion, chive, parsley and flowers of chive, dandelion and ladies' smock) Add some sliced fresh tomato and toss in a vinaigrette.

Lambs' Kidneys with Juniper, Mustard and Cream
This is a Joyce Molyneaux recipe from The Carved Angel Cookbook

8 lambs' kidneys
8 juniper berries
salt and pepper
25g butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
150ml double cream

Skin and halve the kidneys and snip out the inner cores. Slice each half in two, horizontally. Pound the juniper berries with the salt in a mortar with a pestle and sprinkle over the kidneys together with a generous twist of pepper.
Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the kidneys gently for about 4 minutes, then add the mustard and the cream. Increase the heat and bubble the sauce until it thickens. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Lambs' Hearts and Liver
This is inspired by a recipe from Richard Olney's Simple French Food

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 or 4 lambs' hearts, halved and cut into thin strips
200g lambs' liver, sliced and cut into thin strips
salt, pepper

handful chopped parsley mixed with 1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
half a lemon

Sauté the heart in the hot oil over a high heat for about a minute, then lower the heat and toss for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Turn up the heat, and add the liver. Sauté for about a minute and then add the parsley mixture. Squeeze over lemon juice and serve directly from the pan.

Declan Power's Mother's Stuffed Lamb’s Hearts
Thanks to our friend Declan for sharing his mother's lovely recipe.

3 shallots
50g butter
1 rasher streaky bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sage leaves
50g breadcrumbs
4 lambs’ hearts
half cup stock
half cup red wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

First make the stuffing: chop the shallots finely and cook in the butter until golden, then add in the chopped rasher of streaky bacon, the garlic and the chopped sage leaves. Off the heat, add in the breadcrumbs, and toss all together to get a moist, buttery stuffing. Season well.

Trim any exterior fat from the hearts, and rinse well to ensure there are no blood particles in the hearts.

Pack the stuffing into the hearts and sew up the top with string. Pack the hearts into a tight-fitting caserole, then pour over the stock, wine and balsamic. The mixture should cover the hearts by about two-thirds. Cover with foil and place the lid on.

Cook in an oven heated to 180C for two hours. Serve with some mashed turnip.