Actually cooking organ meats week after week
This recipe was adapted from Jennifer McLagan’s recipe in Odd Bits called Beginner’s Tripe. And it’s aptly named because it’s a winning dish. Tripe is tender grandma-food at it’s finest and this dish brings out all of the best properties of old-style cooking and well-prepared tripe! McLagan’s tender tomato-stewed Beginner’s Tripe reminded me of my own grandmother’s kitchen, despite never being served tripe there myself!…
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….
In honor of my late grandmother, I finally asked my mom how my Vovi used to prepare liver. All she remembers is that Vovi marinated it in red wine with garlic and probably bay leaves and other spices, and cooked it with onions. Classic Portuguese cooking. This is my best approximation.
This past week I traveled back to the bay area to attend my grandmother’s funeral, and have been revisiting my saudades, or memories, of her. It feels to me that a simpler time with fewer conveniences produced heartier people….
Folding blood into meatloaf
Last night I went to McCullough‘s for a class on aspic and working with blood. But they only sell blood by the gallon, and we needed a scant 1/4 cup for the terrine we were making. It seemed the rest was going unused, so I asked if I could take some home. You know, just for fun.
Among the gems I learned there: blood is a great binder for meat and, in this case, a great substitute for eggs. I happened to be making porcini meatloaf today anyway, was short on eggs, and had a quart of blood in my fridge… why not give it a try!? Blood Meatloaf with Porcini Mushrooms for dinner….
This dish is nourishing and warm in a way that encourages you to stay at the table a little longer. Beyond the Portuguese spices though, I confess that what really settles me is the way my plate looks after I have finished my meal. Sounds crazy, but completely true. Anyway, my grandmother would insist that you clean your plate.
Notice those little golden red-stained blemishes of goodness (ie. grease!) around the edges of the dish. Left behind, this is evidence of a hearty meal with enough fat to satiate, doused in paprika. And this reminds me of many meals at my grandparents home while I was growing up….