As long as I’ve been cooking brains, I’ve stuck with brain fritters and hidden within casseroles. Though the idea of this blog is to force me to try new recipes. Either those that have been on my list for a while, or new ones entirely. (Do you have one to share?) This recipe definitely falls into the former category – it’s been on my list.

The history behind this meal

My mom.

My mom grew up in a Portuguese immigrant household and had the privilege of being raised on organ meats and a traditional WAPF diet. Not that she sees it that way – despite her high cheekbones, broad nose, and full set of well-aligned teeth! She basically hates organ meats. She won’t eat them now, is suspect of everything served in my home (for fear they are hidden), and tells stories of hating them as a child.

Among these stories, is one about having to eat brains and scrambled eggs. She says my grandfather was always telling her that rich people ate them and she should enjoy them. Of course, he was a joker and would mix any dinner leftover with scrambled eggs and claim it was a special breakfast of an exotic cuisine. All the while, he’d adopt an accent from said country and pretend to serve it as such. Needless to say, she was not sold.

Portugal

When my mom was about 15 years old, her family drove their car from California across the US and took it on a boat across the Atlantic. They spent a year driving around Portugal so my mom and her two younger sisters could know the country. I love this story and all the parts of it I’ve heard over the years. It was played off as an educational visit for the children. However, as the years passed, my grandfather confessed that this trip (during the escalating Bay of Pigs crisis) was actually intended to keep his family safe. He planned to stay in Portugal had the US ended up in a war situation.

Anyway, during this year of travel, they visited the island of Madeira (where my maternal grandmother was born). Here, they stayed in a fancy hotel on the island. Low and behold, right there on the menu, was brains and scrambled eggs. In fact, there were several variations using brains on the menu. My mom was devastated. Rich people did eat this food! Yuck! She was sure it had been one of her dad’s jokes. Needless to say, lamb, goat and pig brains are available from my grass-fed farmer for the bargain price of $5/pound – compared to a steak at $22/pound. I guess these days it’s for those who want to be rich in health and cognitive function!

Today, in my kitchen

So, as you can imagine, I’ve been meaning to make this recipe for some time. Most Mondays we end up having liver for dinner since I have a hard time getting enough of a good thing. Though I finally defrosted a little package of brains for this week. Low and behold, I found a version of brains and scrambled eggs to use as a guide in my trusty Innards and Variety Meats. The recipe that follows is adapted from there.

I defrosted the meat, I had been soaking it and changed the water several times that morning to eliminate any blood. I skipped a nap (sleep when the newborn baby sleeps!) to poach it while our babysitter Allison was picking up the other kids from school. And then my most supportive and will-eat-anything-except-rocky-mountain-oysters husband sent me a text saying he wasn’t game. Truthfully, I wanted to cry. It went something like this:

I wasn’t too confused. I feel like anything with so much butter and cream is bound to be delicious. Not to mention the herbs. And brains have such a nice texture. Plus, I had bacon as garnish. And a side of potatoes and kale with garlic waiting. Sigh.

In the end, I am happy to report that there were no leftovers! Win-win for mom and healthy growing peeps who didn’t even ask what was in it. (I think the bacon garnish helped.) I’m sure we’ll do it again. Next time I’ll probably just do the prep and ask my husband to serve it for breakfast during the week, reserving Monday night for something new (or more liver).