My local, pastured organic farmer has been giving away the gizzards. They would otherwise go to the pigs, and I take them completely unprocessed. First, I have to take out the little bag of rocks from the middle and trim off excess fat and connective tissue. I have more than 20 pounds of them now as the pile in my freezer grows with each slaughter. Despite having a few gizzard favorites, I am often thinking about new recipes to diversity our surplus. Gizzard Risotto with Chanterelles, Parsley and Sorrel is the newest addition to our collection.
What is a gizzard?
The gizzard is the muscular part of a bird’s stomach. The first part of the stomach releases digestive juices. Next, the second, muscular part, breaks down food in coordination with the secreted juices. The muscular stomach will contract and the little sack of rocks and grit within will mash and mince the food.
The sack of rocks is disgarded and the part that we eat is the little muscular outside. It resembles little muscular lobes with connective tissue between them. The connective tissue between these lobes and lining the center sack can make gizzards very chewy. However, a long acidic marinade or extended cooking breaks down that connective tissue.
Yes, all birds have gizzards!
Extended cooking
I typically start gizzards with an extended cooking by either adding them to an existing pot of broth or simmering for at least an hour on their own. I often reserve these, covering them in their broth, and leave them in the fridge for a day or three. This low-effort prep work leaves me with a protein that’s basically ready to go into many other recipes.
Gizzard Risotto with Chanterelles, Parsley and Sorrel
This recipe was inspired by a chicken offal risotto in Chris Cosentino’s cookbook. I wanted the gizzards to stand on their own, so after roughly chopping them, I pan fried them in butter first. This gave some nice carmelization or browning to the meaty pieces.
After that, I scavenged for friendly ingredients. I used 1 package of dried chantarelles, incorporating their soaking liquid into the rice, as well as fresh herbs I had on hand. The sorrel is so lemony – it inspired me to add some lemon zest for colorful garnish as well. I used the gelatinous broth from reserving the gizzards for the risotto. In the end, Gizzard Risotto with Chanterelles, Parsley and Sorrel was creamy, bright and flavorful. Enjoy!
Gizzard Risotto with Chanterelles, Parsley and Sorrel
Ingredients
To prep the gizzards
- 2 lbs gizzards
- water or broth to cover
For making the Risotto
- 5 cups broth
- 1 package chanterelles, plus reserved soaking liquid
- 8T butter, divided
- 1 lb arborio rice, or similar
- 1 large clove garlic, smashed
- long-cooked gizzards, roughly chopped
- 1T parsley chopped
- 3 leaves sorrel, chopped
- zest of one lemon
Instructions
To prep the gizzards
- Add gizzards to broth or water to cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 1-2 hours. Reserve gizzards and cover in cooking liquid.
For making the risotto
- Rinse rice according to package instructions. Add broth to a pot and heat; keep warm at a moderate low heat nearby. Meanwhile, soak chanterelles in hot water to cover (for at least 15 minutes, or according to package instructions).
- In a heavy pan on medium high, add 3 tablespoons butter. When foaming subsides, add chopped gizzards and pan fry until nicely browned. Do this in batches if necessary. Reserve.
- In a large, heavy pot on medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons butter, rice, and garlic clove. Mix well until rice and garlic are coated in butter. Add 1/2 cup broth and stir constantly until liquid is absorbed, cleaning off the sides and bottom of pot as you stir. When the liquid is absorbed, add another 1/2 cup broth and continuing to stir. Repeat.
- After 10 minutes add the chanterelles and mushroom soaking liquid. Continue stirring and adding broth for another 10 minutes. Maintain the heat while stirring constantly. Taste the rice after 20 minutes; it is done when it is tender but slightly firm. If you use all your broth but need more liquid, use water to continue cooking.
- Remove pot from the heat and add gizzards, parsley, sorrel, and remaining butter. Mix well and garnish with lemon zest.
Leave a Reply