SWEETBREADS ARE OFFALY GOOD

 

Sweetbreads cook in a luscious Sherry sauce with mushrooms. 

I hadn’t cooked nor eaten sweetbreads in maybe 25 years. Then, in a single week, they entered my consciousness several times, online and at a restaurant where they were an off-menu special.  And, there they were in the casquería (offal or organ meat) section of my supermarket!  

Sweetbreads (mollejas in Spanish) are animal glands, both the thymus and pancreas of beef, veal and lamb. Raw, they look like pale blobs, they feel squishy. They have specks of blood and membrane clinging to them. Once thoroughly cleaned and blanched, sweetbreads are white and firm. Sweetbreads are tender and mild in flavor. They readily take on the taste of the sauce in which they cook. Sweetbreads are considered a delicacy. 

Soaking in lightly acidulated water makes cleaning sweetbreads easy. After cleaning, a quick blanching in boiling water firms them up. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to cut them into pieces. Finish cooking them in a savory sauce. 

It’s still International Sherry Week, so I’m cooking sweetbreads in a savory Sherry sauce. Best are amontillado, palo cortado and oloroso seco, but you could use a dry fino or even a sweet Sherry. 

Serve the sweetbreads with a side of mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

Sweetbreads are tender and mild in flavor.

Sweetbreads and Mushrooms in Sherry Sauce

Mollejas y Setas con Salsa de Vino de Jerez

Prep this dish at least 4 hours before cooking so the sweetbreads have time to soak.

Serves 2-3.

Sweetbreads before soaking and blanching.

14-16 ounces sweetbreads

Salt

Lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 + 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, chopped (¼ cup)

½ carrot, finely diced (¼ cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

3 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup Sherry

½ cup meat stock or water

Freshly ground black pepper

½ ounce diced serrano ham

Chopped parsley

Blanched sweetbreads.

Wash the sweetbreads under running water. Place them in a bowl and cover them with ice water. Add a spoonful of salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours (or as long as overnight). Drain and wash well, removing all bits of blood and veins. Remove loose membrane. With a knife or kitchen scissors cut the sweetbreads into more or less same-sized pieces, about the size of a walnut. 

Bring a pan of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Lower heat and add the sweetbreads. Poach them 5 minutes. Drain and plunge in ice water. Drain again and pat the sweetbreads dry.

Spread them on a plate and sift the cornstarch over them, lightly coating the pieces on all sides.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy skillet and brown the sweetbreads on medium-high. When browned on all sides remove them to a paper towel to drain. 

Finish sweetbreads in sauce.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and sauté the shallots, carrots, garlic and mushrooms. Moderate the heat so shallots don’t burn. Cook them about 5 minutes. Add the Sherry, raise the heat and cook 1 minute to cook off the alcohol. Add the stock, pepper and additional salt, if needed. Return the sweetbreads to the skillet. Cook them gently 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced ham at the end.

Serve the sweetbreads and sauce sprinkled with parsley.

More recipes with offal:

Lamb's Liver with Onion Sauce.

Lamb Kidney Kebabs.

Kidneys in Sherry Sauce.

Andalusian Tripe Stew with Chickpeas.

Braised Tongue in Almond Sauce.