A new challenge for chefs - get them to eat offal

Awful offal is a phenomenon of modern times, of the age of wimps. Way back when we hunted live animals for our food, the most prized part of the fresh kill was the stomach, warm and filled with the partly digested remains of the dead beast’s final meal. The bravest hunter claimed this prize, and ate it on-site or shared it with his team if they had been part of his success.

Precious contemporary diners are all “ooooo, I can’t get my head around eating an animal’s ‘parts’,” when faced with the modern equivalent – tripe, or with liver, heart, or, bless them, sweetbreads. Brain and tongue are most certainly no-go areas, but they are happy enough chomping down on a slice of the dead thing’s bum. So much for modern sensitivities. Usually I would be happy for them to leave the best bits for me and others like me who treat offal as exactly that – a treat.
Unfortunately, modern eating sensitivities have seen a dramatic decline in the availability of offal in this country, with vast quantities sold off to foreigners who actually think brains, sweetbreads and lamb’s liver are delicacies. Hearts are available – at around 50 cents a pop – but as pet-food alternatives to that dried stuff pansies feed their artificial dogs; while tripe and tongues hardly ever get out of the abattoir.
Perhaps it is time for a restaurant-led revival of offal, a culinary renaissance similar to that which brought lamb shanks back to the polite dining table. Not so long ago most shanks were also sent to countries where people liked them before a couple of innovative chefs insisted that their slow-cooked favour and texture were worthy of Kiwi cuisine’s support, and, presto!, every menu in town had them and every mother was learning how to cook them.
Can we do it with offal? Well, the offal is good enough, and any people who can learn to love polenta enough to consider this ‘cuisine paysanne’ classic to be ‘haut cuisine’ has the potential to give offal a decent shot. So starting a cause célèbre right here, we offer this summary tasting, by the master of offal cuisine, Tony Astle; hunter-chef, John Clarke; and offal aficionado-since-birth, Kei Shimizu. Chef Israel Evers was at hand in the Taste kitchen in Normanby Road, and also ended up wrapping his happy chompers around the samples and offering his insight into the pleasure of offal preparation and eating.

Offal is the common name for organ meats that make up a substantial portion of an animal’s meat weight. Skeletal muscle, which is the material most consumers think of as meat, makes up around half of the body weight of an animal, and with subtle variations all of this meat tastes essentially the same, although its texture varies according to the content of connective tissue and other factors.
Organ meat, however, is much more varied in content, texture and consequently, in flavour. From the softness of brain tissue to the rubbery consistency of tripe there is a wide range of textures, and there is also a considerable amount of extraneous material attached to various organs that needs to be removed during preparation.
The textural variation is also a key factor in how offal is cooked, and the range of options is wider than it is for skeletal meat simply because there are a number of different cell structures involved.
As with all meat, however, the health of an animal and what it has been eating are critical in the ultimate quality of its offal offerings, just as they are for its muscle meat.
In the following tasting we make the point about how each sample is prepared to give an insight into the various cell structures involved.

 An introductory tasting of offal - often neglected, always delicious, invariably profitable.

TRIPE (puku)
Moderate protein, low fat, low cholesterol, moderate iron, has long been considered an ideal meal for those with digestive problems of any sort as it stabilises the stomach’s processes.
Honeycomb tripe, the one we tasted, is by far the most important type of tripe for eating, as it has the finest texture and consistency as well as the purest flavour. This tripe is from the rumen, or first chamber of the animal’s stomach. It can be beef, lamb, or any of the ruminants, but is most typically beef.
Tony Astle is known as the tripe master for his remarkable tripe dishes at Antoines, and he uses exclusively honeycomb tripe which he prepares by simmering for 3.5 hours in plain water without any salt but a few herbs. This was the tripe we tasted, which chef Evers sautéed lightly in a little oil.
Astle commented that the greatest asset tripe has, apart from being the best hangover cure ever, is its ability to absorb flavour. He called it the ultimate pasta, which means it can be finished in a number of ways.
Comments were that it had a slight grassy flavour, had a light, delicious, subtle character and firm yet soft texture.

LIVER (ate)
The epitome of meat, liver is a concentration of everything the animal eats, and so has an intensity of character and flavour that is unlike anything else from the animal’s body. High in iron, protein and especially high in folate and cholesterol, with moderate fat content, livers also contain a high proportion of sulphur compounds which are key flavour substances for humans. Onions and garlic are added to our food to contribute these compounds to dishes that are low in sulphur, and onions are considered a classic combination with liver, not to add sulphur but to increase the complexity of the dish.
Cooking needs to be short and sharp, and livers have dense cell structure and tend to dry out quickly, changing their flavours substantially and making them rancid in character and sawdusty in texture.
Low fat, high iron, moderate cholesterol, very high protein. Composed of muscle tissue so it cooks in a similar way to skeletal meat. Needs to be trimmed of fat and the remains of blood vessels.

Chook livers (frozen supply)
Quickly sautéed in a little oil, the tasters found these fantastic (a mind f*** according to JC), although Kei thought they were overcooked. Even though the blood was still running, rich and sweet, she prefers her chook livers raw, and if she wants them warm prefers to get them freshly cut from the chook. All commented that they must be at worst pink in the middle, and these had a strong blood taste with a long aftertaste of iron. Texture was noted as being ‘suave’.

Duck livers (frozen supply)
Good size, lightly sautéed, rare. Flavour less iron-like, more gamey and there was no residual blood flavour. More subtle, creamy and sweet than the chook livers. A pervasive richness but less aggressively flavoured than some livers. Nice mellow tone.

Lamb liver (fresh)
All noted that this should never be cooked more than medium rare. These were cut thick and seared on each side so as not to turn it into the gritty leather strips our mothers favoured. Twenty seconds on each side in a hot pan and the flavours were rich, iron tinged, but less assertive and slightly more aromatic than the bird livers. Subtle sweetness and mild blood (iron) flavours at the finish.

Veal liver (frozen)
These needed to be skinned. Again quickly sautéed, after being thick sliced. A light gamey flavour noted by all tasters and a very sweet, rich character with a creamy texture and a slight crunch to it. Very luxurious; up there with duck livers for the taste of class.

HEART (manawa)

Lamb heart
One of the great surprises of the tasting. Sliced across the heart to form rounds that looked like squid rings and sautéed lightly, these were so tender they could be cut with a fork. Succulent, clean and slightly springy, not muttony at all, they offered the potential of a warm salad of remarkable quality. A candidate for a change of name, although heart on St Valentine’s Day could be a winner. Maybe arohart?

Ox heart
Steamed at 78º Celsius. Cut against the grain in thin slices after cooking. Deliciously rich flavoured meat with a distinct iron flavour. Very substantial with a roast beef character. Fat around the heart is important in cooking, especially if you are stuffing and roasting the heart, or simply roasting. Tony and John were both impressed at the quality of this meat.

LAMB KIDNEYS (takihi)
High cholesterol, low fat, high iron and folate, high in protein.
Another organ that concentrates many of the essential flavours of the animal it once served. Must be bought fresh, as the frozen ones break down kidney cells and the resultant meat turns watery. They also need to be kept drained as they gain strong flavours if they sit in their own blood.
In preparation these must have the core removed. They had a whiff of urine while they were cooking. Had a lean, clean texture and slightly nutty, rich flavour, but were mild in character.

VEAL TONGUE (arero)
Highest in fat of all the offals, with corresponding richness of flavour. Moderate iron levels and low concentrations of folate.
All animal tongues are good to eat, but other than sheep and ox tongues, are rarely seen on the market, and even those available are less common than they once were.
Always need peeling of their outer skin.
These samples were steamed and then sautéed, and tasted of paua according to JC. They usually need long, slow cooking and these were a little on the tough side because they were processed quickly. Lovely flavours, and the texture was hardly typical of long-cooked tongue. The tip of each was milder than the throat end, tasting more veal-like and less of paua.

LAMB BRAINS (roro)
High in fat and cholesterol, with 20 times as much cholesterol as a big steak in an average lamb brain. Moderate protein and iron levels, and low folate. For some reason brains are the least likely food to appeal to New Zealand diners, but they are arguably the most luxurious of all animal sourced delicacies. Hunting animals are known to prefer the sweet richness of brains, whether they are otters, which will take the brains from salmon and leave the rest of the carcass for other scavengers, or cats, which have a taste for rat brains but no other part.
These were pre-blanched in lightly simmering water and chilled overnight, pressed under a weighted plate to ensure excess water drained. Tossed lightly in a pan with olive oil they were creamy, firm but yielding and fantastically delicate. Sweet and silky in texture, with the feel of each mouthful a key part of its appeal. Tony made the point that they are a disaster if overcooked, but they need to be hot and spinal columns should be avoided.

LAMB SWEETBREADS
This is the culinary term for thymus and pancreatic glands, but both JC and Tony advised that the pancreatic version (the pointy ones) should be avoided. Another great delicacy amongst offal lovers or gormands of any hue. High in cholesterol, and the highest fat content of any offal, they are usually low in both iron and folate.
These were pre-blanched in lightly simmering water and chilled overnight, pressed under a weighted plate to ensure excess water drained. Just 20 seconds in a hot pan with olive oil was enough cooking, delivering creamy, slightly sweet, delicate flavoured mouthfuls. Everyone was in raptures over the subtlety and texture.

Note: get your folate here
While the Government might be keen on compulsory additions of folic acid in baked goods, those pregnant women concerned for the health of their unborn babies can get all the essential folate (the naturally occurring, healthy version of Vitamin B9, not synthetic folic acid) they need from a weekly snack of sweetbreads or lamb’s brain. Health authorities in this country recommend 2800 micrograms of folate per week. The average lamb’s brain contains around 5000 micrograms of folate, and half a dozen sweetbreads over 2000 micrograms. In this last case, you can top up with a steak and kidney pie, which will deliver another dose of folate, as will liver and bacon for breakfast instead of one of those trendy cereals. Vegetarians will need to stick to plenty of leafy green vegetables. Raw, of course.

THE PANEL
• John Clarke: grill’s resource editor, ex chef, farmer, hunting and fishing guide.
• Tony Astle: chef/patron at Auckland restaurant Antoines, recognised as one of New Zealand’s premier dining addresses for almost 40 years. Famous for his warm chicken liver and spinach salad, tripe Antoine and a repertoire of tongue dishes to dazzle the stars. Popular with ex-private school boys who miss matron’s stern hand in the kitchen.
• Kei Shimuzu: raised to eat with enthusiasm, a master of Japanese cuisine, fan of offal in every form, and hospitality industry professional who deals in food and beverage exports to her home country, Japan.