Delicious meals with the best cuts so you can look & feel younger
Tripe Pasta with Fennel, Anchovies, and Pine Nuts is the meat-based / low-inflammation version of an old favorite. My sister emailed me a version of this recipe in 2005. On the Standard American Diet (SAD) diet at the time, I promptly made it with pasta and it was a favorite. Alas, it was in remission for many years after adopting more of an ancestral diet, but I never forgot the flavors. This is the perfect comeback….
Even while many organ meats have strong flavors and unfamiliar textures, sweetbreads are white meat and easy to love. How to improve sweetbreads? Besides bacon or a lot of butter, seasoned ground pork will do. In this dish, we combine herbs, pistachios, aromatics – along with the meats – into a heavy cooking vessel. There is nothing complicated about Sweetbread Terrine, but it does take a few days and several fun steps to pull it all together….
The body doesn’t lie. When I started eating a whole-foods, nose-to-tail diet, changing from the standard American diet, my body quietly rejoiced. Inflammation went down, mental clarity went up. The list of specific improvements is almost too long to recite. Persistent cold sores went into remission, but they remain a reminder to this day of stress imbalances in my own life. The amino acid lysine can resolve these quickly; gelatinous skin and bone broths are great real-food sources. For me, Chicken Feet with Ginger and Honey is an old favorite that serves well in these situations….
Braised Sweetbreads with Mushrooms is classic French cooking. A modern cook might simplify and combine steps, but by attending to detail, flavors are perfected along the way and complement the simple sweetbreads. Alas, the mirepoix, bouquet garni, flavorful ham, and broth elevate this dish to rich comfort food. Braised Sweetbreads with Mushrooms are tender, succulent and flavorful. As usual, Mastering the Art of French Cooking does not disappoint. …
No doubt there are as many versions of Mondongo as there are families who make it. Along with the tripe, potatoes, carrots and oregano seem to be the foundation. As usual, many versions will supplement the broth with trotters or hooves or other bones (adding gelatin and minerals). After reading several versions, I adopted the spices and vegetables that worked for us….
When I learned that traditional cultures included some of their animal foods raw, it made sense to me. But it still seemed very foreign. I grew up in a home with well-done steaks and London Broil cooked all the way through. Yet, after I leaned into this idea, I realized that cultures the world over still enjoy raw meats and it wasn’t as odd as it originally seemed. One of the easiest appetizers to adopt in our home was Steak Tartare. …
When my father-in-law travels to Iran, we are the beneficiaries. He often brings us large bags of pistacios and tiny sacks of saffron (and if my husband is lucky, a box of gaz – Persian nougat with pistacios). Over the years, I’ve grown to love the flavor of saffon. Too much and it’s almost metallic, too little and you’ll miss the essence of it. But saffron adds such earthy-sweet, delicious flavor to dishes that I knew from this start that Saffron-Spiced Tongue would be great. …
Breaded Lamb Fries with Herbs work as an appetizer or a meal. They taste like chicken and are an easy white-meat sell in the organ meat world – as long as you don’t know or aren’t squeamish about what you are eating! They are also a powerhouse of nutrition. Like an egg, they have half of everything needed to create a life from scratch. Are you feeling adventurous yet?…
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Classic French Pork Liver Pate stands on it’s own, but also makes a beautiful accompaniment to many meals. This traditional dish may be vilified for the high vitamin A levels or cholesterol in liver. However, it’s longevity in traditional cuisine runs counter to concerns. Perhaps everything in moderation still applies!…
In my opinion, the most sustainable way to incorporate organ meats into our diet and lifestyle is to create meals that we love using these foods. The kinds of meals that our kids will later consider comfort food. The kind that they ask me to make for them on their birthdays. And while I used to scorn hiding organ meats in meals; I now consider them just another dish. Stuffed Poblanos with Extra Goodness is just one more nutrient-dense meal that my family loves….