Types of offal |
An economical and skillful housewife will never neglect meat offal, which are usually sold chilled or frozen and are mostly inexpensive. They represent everything edible that remains during the primary processing of carcasses of cattle and other domestic animals raised for meat. The nutritional benefits of offal are varied, and sometimes unique (in the recipe of some dishes, you cannot do without certain types of offal). Let's consider some of the merits of these supposedly "waste". Heads, lips, legs, ears. Meat from heads of large and small livestock is equal in quality to the varieties of lean meat of the same animals and is freely used in the recipe assigned to these varieties. Bones, cartilage and skin of the head, as well as lips, legs and ears, due to the content of collagen adhesive, are an indispensable raw material for preparing jellies. In addition, the heads and legs provide a rich broth for cabbage soup, pickles, borscht and filling soups. The skin of the legs and heads often requires thorough cleaning, burning with an open fire, and sometimes soaking in water. LiverNutritionally, the liver is the most valuable offal. Its proteins are more complete than meat proteins. Vitamins (especially A, B1, B2 and C), trace elements (especially iron), it is also richer than meat. Veal and young beef liver are the most delicious and are widely represented in the recipe for main courses. To improve the taste (especially pork liver), the offal is soaked in milk, or in a mixture of water and milk. It and dishes from it are not subject to any long-term storage. Before cooking, the liver is freed from the film, large blood vessels are removed. Lamb liver requires a longer heat treatment (for sanitary and prophylactic purposes). KidneyThanks to high-quality animal proteins, saturation with vitamins, microelements, this offal is also famous for its taste and nutritional benefits. The kidneys have a place both in the recipes of some of the first (dressing) and second courses. Calf kidneys are the most delicious, followed by beef kidneys. You just need to rinse them and they are ready for cooking. Beef and pork kidneys must be pre-soaked and boiled. The broth is not suitable for food. BrainBrains are usually sold frozen, as they spoil faster than other offal. A good-quality product is defined as follows: the less bleeding, the better it is. Moreover, it should not have any bad smell. Mild-tasting brains are very satisfying and healthy because they are high in protein, fat and mineral salts. Brain dishes are especially good when fried, stewed, or baked as cutlets. Pretreatment of the offal is necessary and consists in the fact that it is thoroughly washed in cold water or soaked until all blood stains have disappeared. Then the film is removed from the brain.
TongueThe delicate consistency of this offal, the high content of protein and fat, as well as microelements have earned him a certain culinary popularity. The decoction of the tongue is suitable for making soups, and the product itself is used for cold snacks and main courses. The languages are sold fresh and salted. Both require some preprocessing. A large salty tongue is soaked for 5-6 hours in cold water, a small one for 2-3 hours.In addition, the tongue must be well cleaned (pork tongues are more difficult to clean than beef tongues, but they are much tastier). Another simple technique helps to improve the taste of the future dish: it is recommended to salt a fresh, peeled tongue for a short time before cooking by adding a little saltpeter to the salt. UdderIn the hands of an experienced culinary specialist, this offal, rich in protein and fat, can turn into delicious main dishes when boiled, stewed or fried. (By the way, the broth will not be wasted - it will go well with sauces or soups). But pre-treatment will be needed, because we need, firstly, to get rid of the specific odor of the udder, and secondly, to achieve that it becomes a little denser. To do this, before proceeding with the culinary operations, you must thoroughly wash the offal, first in fresh, then in salt water, and then place the udder for 1-2 hours in a saucepan with fresh cold water.
HeartThere is a lot of protein in this by-product, there are fats and mineral salts. One major drawback of the heart is that meat is made up of dense muscle fibers that are difficult to make tender and tasty. Most often, cooks who undertake the preparation of second courses from the heart choose stewing from all types of heat treatment. (The heart is pre-soaked.) LungsAlthough in terms of nutritional value, the light ones are inferior to the listed by-products, but something tasty can be prepared from them. The lungs make a good filling for pies and even dumplings. Lungs will not fail both in stew and as a component of sauces, and if desired, you can cook soups from them. However, this by-product requires that the chef dispose of it immediately, as the lungs deteriorate very quickly. If boiling in sauce is to be boiled, then boil under the lid, otherwise the lung that quickly emerges to the surface is boiled unevenly. Cooking time (depending on the age of the animal) - from one and a half to three hours. ScarThe rumen is that part of the digestive tract of ruminants where food is not yet digested, but only accumulates after it has been swallowed and is chewed again when regurgitated. Therefore, the flesh of the rumen, not hardened by strong acids and enzymes of gastric juice, is quite tender and lends itself well to culinary processing. On the eve of this procedure, the scars must be well cleaned, washed and kept in cold water for 5-8 hours, changing it 2-3 times during this time, then rinsed again. Cooking should be started in a large amount of cold water, gradually bringing it to a low boil. Scars are boiled for 4-5 hours to achieve their softness. The broth (primary) is better to drain.Cooked scars can be kept refrigerated before further processing. Many tasty and nutritious first, second and snack dishes are prepared from this offal.
StomachThe nutritional value of the stomach is lower than that of the rumen, and the culinary uses are less diverse. Most often, the boiled stomach is used to prepare stewed and fried second courses, as well as (along with other offal) for fillings. Pre-processing is required. The stomach is turned inside out, cleaned, washed in warm water and scraped, washing off mucus from it. The top layer is removed. After a new rinsing in cold water, the offal is poured with plenty of fresh water and soaked for 1-2 hours. Then they begin to cook in salted water (cold) and for as long as necessary to achieve softness. Only then is the stomach cut into pieces suitable for stewing or frying.
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