Bruno Mars 
What are we like? We’re happy to eat a steak, a chicken breast or a chop but present someone with a salad of gizzards and hearts, or a spleen sandwich and they’d rather starve — where’s the logic but offal certainly engenders a feeling of disgust in many. However, I’ve just had a delicious bit of flash-fried lambs’ liver with lots of fresh sage leaves for supper.
It’s wonderful to see that A O’Reilly’s Tripe and Drisheen Stall in the English Market in Cork City still survives at a time when people seem to be more and more squeamish. I love tripe too but not so much of a fan of the traditional Cork tripe and onions, I rather prefer the Spanish or Italian way of cooking it to melting tenderness in a rich tomato sauce.
Cork has been a trading port right back to the time of the Phoenicians, the last port of call to stock up before the ships crossed the Atlantic. Many of those employed in the provisioning trade and abattoirs were partly paid in offal. So up to relatively recently, Cork people ate more offal than any other part of the country.
Wander through the lanes in the English Market and you’ll find tripe and drisheen, the traditional blood pudding, skirt, kidneys and bodices and tongue, pigs, trotters, tails and ears, livers, hearts, kidney and sweetbreads in season.
So many people would tuck into cheap sausages, cured meats and pâtes and yet turn up noses up at liver, kidneys — not to speak of a juicy bit of pig’s snout. In London however, sweetbreads are now three times the price of steaks and quite rightly so.
Fortunately, many Eastern Europeans and Ukrainians appreciate the variety of meat and have many treasured ways to cook it. Well, I love offal: in our house, we didn’t look down on offal, we celebrated it like any other cut of meat. This is the best time of the year for lambs’ liver, kidney and sweetbreads so rush to your butcher, get their advice and have a delicious feast for a few euros, twice as much nourishment for half the price of a steak. Organ meats are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.
Tripe and trotters with chorizo
There are loads of people who don’t like tripe, but the Spanish influence of chorizo and tomatoes in this recipe lends the dish flavours that woo many tripe-haters.
Preparation Time
5 mins
Cooking Time
5 hours 0 mins
Total Time
5 hours 5 mins
Ingredients
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2 fresh pig trotters
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1kg (2 1⁄4lb) honeycomb beef tripe, cut into thin strips
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salt
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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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1 large onion, chopped
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1 garlic clove, chopped
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1 large red pepper, sliced
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salt and freshly-ground pepper
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2 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
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1⁄2 teaspoon chilli powder
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250g (9oz) cooked ham, chopped
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250g (9oz) chorizo, sliced 5mm (1⁄4 inch) thick
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4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- ingredients (one per line)
Method
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Put the pig trotters into a deep saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 2 1⁄2 hours. Drain. Put the trotters back into the saucepan with the tripe, barely cover with fresh water, add some salt and cook for 1 1⁄2 – 2 hours, or until tender and the meat is almost falling from the bones.
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Remove the trotters from the liquid. When cool enough to handle, remove the bones and discard. Chop the meat coarsely and add back to the tripe.
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Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion, cover and sweat for 4 – 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and pepper, season with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until soft. Add the chilli powder, ham and chorizo. Stir well and cook for about 20 minutes. Add this mixture to the tripe and trotters — add a little more cooking liquid, if necessary, it should be soft and juicy. Taste, correct the seasoning, add the chopped parsley and serve.
Salad of warm sweetbreads with potato crisps, anchovies and wild garlic
The salty tang of the anchovies in this recipe gives another dimension and adds lots of complementary flavour without compromising the sweetness of the sweetbreads.
Preparation Time
3 hours 0 mins
Total Time
3 hours 10 mins
Ingredients
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4 lamb or 2 veal sweetbreads
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1 small carrot
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1 onion
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2 celery stalks
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25g (1oz) butter
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bouquet garni
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600ml (1 pint) homemade chicken stock
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a selection of salad leaves (little gem, oakleaf, sorrel, watercress and wild garlic leaves and flowers)
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plain flour, well-seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper
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beaten organic egg
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butter and oil for sautéing
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For the dressing:
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1 tbsp white wine vinegar
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3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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1⁄4 tsp Dijon mustard
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salt and freshly ground pepper
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To serve:
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homemade potato crisps (see recipe)
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4 anchovies
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wild garlic flowers (or chive flowers depending on the season)
Method
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To prepare sweetbreads: Put the sweetbreads into a bowl, cover with cold water and let them soak for 3 hours. Discard the water and cut away any discoloured parts from the sweetbreads.
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Dice the carrot, onion and celery and sweat them in butter; add the bouquet garni. Then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
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Poach the sweetbreads gently in the simmering stock for 3–5 minutes or until they feel firm to the touch. Cool, then remove the gelatinous membranes and any fatty bits carefully. Press between 2 plates and top with a weight not more than 1kg (2lb) or they will be squashed.
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Prepare the salad: Wash and dry the lettuces and salad leaves and whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
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Slice the sweetbreads into escalopes, dip in well-seasoned flour and then in beaten egg. Sauté in a little foaming butter and oil in a heavy pan until golden on both sides.
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Toss the salad leaves in the dressing, divide between 4 plates and lay the hot sweetbreads and then potato crisps on top of the salad. Sprinkle with chopped anchovy and wild garlic flowers or chive flowers and serve immediately.
Those of you who have the ‘misfortune’ not to be from Cork (as a well-known Cork politician said to me years ago) may not know about A O’Reilly’s stall established in 1910 in Cork city. It’s located just inside the Grand Parade entrance to the English Market.
It specialises in tripe and drisheen, the traditional blood pudding, beloved of Corkonians. The business is now run by Donagh O’Reilly, third generation of the family — he fully understands the importance of continuing the proud tradition, skill and art of making drisheen. He’s the keeper of the tradition. Tripe, the beautiful, honeycombed lining of cows’ stomach — originally looked on as ‘penance food’ — is definitely having its moment once again, gaining new devotees and is now appreciated by chefs, ‘foodies’ as well as the many who enjoyed it regularly during their childhood.
, call 021 4270925
In response to growing concern about food security and sustainability and to encourage others to grow and eat seasonal food, a new food producers’ market will be launched in Baltimore in West Cork on Sunday, May 8, 2022. From salads, herbs and vegetables, flowers, plants, free-range eggs, honey, breads, sweet treats, salad dressings and preserves will be available.
11am – 3pm in Baltimore Community Hall.
There’s growing excitement among gardeners and foodies that after 2 years of virtual events, the Bloom Festival will take place once again from June 2-6 in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
Show gardens, postcard gardens, floral and botanical art displays, retailers, food and drink producers and more than 100 live talks and demonstrations will span over 70 acres.
Pop the dates in your diary right away…
bordbiabloom.com
