Grass-fed brains for Empanadas con Sesos (Brain Empanadas)

Crispy fried dough gives way to tender brains, super flavorful with chile and herbs.  Brain Empanadas are a great vehicle for getting this cholesterol-rich superfood into your family.

Brains are having a revival, but quality matters and it’s up to us to know our farmers, ask our butcher and chefs about their sourcing, and procure grass-fed meats and organs.

Yes, the USDA intends to regulate beef brains to ensure quality – but quality goes much deeper than USDA guidelines.  Insist on feeding your family pastured meats.  All of our ruminants should be grass-fed, grass-finished to respect the animal, benefit the land and improve our health.

Status quo

As Fred Provenza describes in Nourishment,

For the past 70 years… we remove them from the landscape and confine them by the tens of thousands in feedlots; sustain them with antibiotics that counter illness due to cramped conditions; feed them grain-based rations produced with taxpayer subsidies in ways that can harm the physical and economic health of farmers and consumers; and deny them opportunity to self-select their own feeds.  We ignore the fact that this system is not healthy for land, water, air, livestock, or humans.

So these conditions led to a disease where normal cell proteins erroneously ended up in the nervous system. Brains and spinal cords became infected with these damaged proteins.  The modified protein led to cumulative, degenerative, fatal neurological damage.  If these proteins were ingested by humans, they would cause the same progressive, infectious disease.  In cows, this was called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or Mad Cow disease; in humans, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

I vaguely remember this from the 90s.  I remember being denied from giving blood after traveling in Europe because of potential risk.  (Not that I was eating any brains back then. lol  Though other tissues can be contaminated from contact.)

According to the CDC, there have been 226 known cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Europe – mostly in the UK.  And 6 in the US and Canada. Mostly in the 1990s.  However, a cow in Canada was discovered to have Mad Cow disease as recently as 2015.

To avoid pathogens, the USDA prohibits sales of brains and spinal cords from cows that can’t walk, are too old, or show signs of neurological problems.  And of course, inspectors can always use their discretion to confiscate organs, depending on their perception of quality.

Quality matters

But that is really not enough.  CNN explains that these problematic cell proteins are “passed between cows through the practice of recycling bovine carcasses for meat and bone meal protein, which is fed back to other cattle.”

What we need are responsible farmers, that ensure that cattle (and other ruminants) have access to diverse plant material.  Biologically, they are herbivores.

Moreover, Provenza explains,

When livestock forage on pastures and rangeland, they can be a vital part of regenerative agriculture. Properly managed, foraging by livestock can enhance biodiversity of rangelands, pasturelands, and croplands as the plants they consume nurture life belowground and aboveground while sequestering atmospheric carbon. The wastes that livestock produce nourish the landscapes where they forage. Their meat… is good for consumers. And this type of livestock production provides a sustainable livelihood for farmers, ranchers, butchers, and various small businesses that raise, process, and sell meat.

Be an educated consumer.  Insist that your butcher or chef incorporate grass-fed, grass-finished meats into their offerings. Support local farmers that are working to restore the health of the land and community with pastured meats. Share these insights with friends.

Brain Empanadas

I found this brainy idea in Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican Cooking.  ‘Deep-Fried Masa Turnovers with Cheese,’ but instead filled with ‘Brains with Pungent Mexican Seasonings.’  No chance I would fry these in vegetable oil though…. lard all the way.

Making Brain Empanadas – from bottom left: soaked brain half; poached brains with hersb, lime, chiles, herbs, and salt; filling empanadas; frying empanadas in lard

I don’t have a candy thermometer, but heat my oil until it’s shimmering and nearly smoking.  Make sure the empanadas brown well on the outside to make sure the inside dough is fully cooked. The dough can be made by hand or in a mixer.

And finally, I confess that I left these brains to soak overnight in the fridge when I didn’t get to them the evening I hoped. (Classic move on my part.) I changed the water before bed and in the morning.  They were still in good condition for lunch the next day, and incidentally, were quite pale since most of the blood had been removed from the extra long soak. Due to their high nutrient-density, brains are highly perishable, so cook them within 24 hours of purchase or defrosting. Enjoy!

Brain Empanadas, or Empanadas con Sesos

August 7, 2019

by Janine Farzin

Cuisine Mexican

Category Brains

Persons

4

Serving Size

2-3

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Notes

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 4 as a light meal.

Ingredients

For the sesos

• ~1/2 lb beef brain, 1 half of a beef brain or a pair of small veal brains
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced (or more if you prefer a bit more bite)
• 1 sprig epazote, leaves minced
• 4 stems cilantro, leaves minced
• salt

For the empanada dough

• 1 lb fresh masa (see note)
• 2 T lard
• 1/4 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t baking powder

For frying

• 1 pint lard
• salt (optional)

Instructions

For the sesos

1. Fill a bowl with enough water to cover brains and lightly place them in bowl. Set them in fridge for 30 minutes. Optionally, change water and soak for another 30 minutes.
2. Bring a pot with enough water to cover brains to a boil on the stove. When boiling, reduce heat to medium and gently add brains. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until just firm throughout. Keep the water at a mild simmer, but avoid a rolling boil as you don't want to damage or break up the brains while poaching too rigorously.
3. Remove brains and let cool for 20 minutes or so.
4. When cool, slice brain gingerly with a sharp knife into small cubes. Add lime juice, pepper, herbs, and a pinch of salt. Mix with a spoon until they all get to know one another.

For the empanada dough

1. Meanwhile, in a mixer, whip the lard until it is airy and light. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low-speed (or mix together by hand). As you mix, the dough will first be clumpy, then smooth. Keep mixing until well combined. Remove from mixer and press dough together, kneading until you form a large ball.
2. Half the ball, half again and make a dozen smaller balls. With a square of parchment paper on top of bottom, press each ball in a tortilla press (or on your counter using a heavy dutch oven) to make a thick tortilla. Keep the parchment between tortillas as you stack them.

To make the empanadas

1. First, add one pint of lard in a 2-quart saucepan on medium-high. This should heat while you are making your empanadas. The lard should be as hot as possible without smoking.
2. One tortilla at a time, hold the bottom parchment and tortilla in your hand. Add a spoonful of the brain-chile-herb mix to one side of the tortilla. Using the parchment paper, fold the tortilla in half over the brains and pinch the edges together so that they seal. Once the empanada is sealed, remove the parchment and set on a plate for frying. Repeat with remaining tortillas and brains-mix.
3. Check that your lard is hot - you should see it shimmering and a small pinch of dough should sizzle immediately. If you have a thermometer, heat to 375F. Hotter oil == better cooked, less greasy empanadas.
4. Using tongs or a long-handled skimmer, gently lower the empanada into the hot oil. Do not drop it in; keep your oil from splattering. Let cook for a minute or two, then flip over. Each side should be well-browned. Remove from oil and set on paper towels. Optionally, dust very lightly with a small pinch of salt immediately after you take it out of the oil. Keep warm in a low oven. These won't last long.

Tags

CAFOs,

Fred Provenza,

grass-fed,

grass-finished,

Mad Cow disease,

regenerative agriculture,

Rick Bayless,

sequester carbon,

sustainable

https://offallygoodcooking.com/brain-empanadas/