Offal Stew (Heart, Liver, Lungs)
Offal stew is generous, filling, nose-to-tail home cooking born of wasting nothing: heart, liver, and lungs share one pot with potatoes, beans, and vegetables. It’s family-gathering food — the recipe makes ten servings, so reach for your biggest pot.
The whole thing hinges on treating each organ meat differently. Heart and lungs are dense, so they’re boiled first until they soften, then joined to liver that’s been browned with carrot. Liver, by contrast, must not be overcooked or it goes rubbery.
A couple of notes for cooks outside the region: lecho is a jarred Hungarian relish of stewed peppers and tomatoes — any pepper-and-tomato pasta sauce or relish substitutes fine. Skim the foam carefully as the offal boils; the clarity of the broth depends on it, and rinse the lungs well, trimming out the large bronchi if you like.
Serve hot, always with sour cream and chopped herbs, which soften the distinctive taste of the organ meats.
Part of Eastern European cuisine — 65 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Cut the heart and lungs into large cubes, place them in boiling salted water, skim off the foam, add 3-4 bay leaves, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Cut the liver and onions into large cubes, coarsely grate the carrots, and lightly brown them in oil.
Add the boiled and drained heart and lungs to the vegetables, and keep browning in a deep pan — a skillet or roasting pan.
Transfer everything to a pot of boiling water (2 liters with the two bouillon cubes), then add the potatoes cut into large cubes.
Simmer gently until the potatoes are done.
Add the beans, lecho, and mustard, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve with herbs and sour cream.
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