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Sweetbreads for lunch?
I couldn't help myself. The butcher had a little tray of voluptuous pink lovehearts on Saturday morning. Perfect little lambs' sweetbreads for lunch it was... and all for me (Spud wasn't for touching them, I'm sorry to report).
Firstly, let's dispell the myth: SWEETBREADS ARE NOT TESTICLES. I don't know where this myth comes from - sweetbreads are in fact the thymus gland of the lamb or calf (though sometimes, confusingly the pancreas also falls under this moniker). They are pale pink in colour and have a beautiful and mild kidney taste. They are probably the least offaly-flavoured offal you can get (with the possible exception of brains - another post, another day maybe).
Traditionally, sweetbreads are poached before being fried - though to be honest, I think this is an unneccesary step - lambs' sweetbreads can just be fried as is. They do need a little preparation though - just the simple matter of a short soak (an hour) in cold water, snipping off any gristly bits and 'skinning'. The skinning is simpler than it sounds: The sweetbread is covered by a thin transparent membrane which just pulls off between finger and thumb.
Lambs' Sweetbreads with Frissé
(serves 2)
12-14oz lambs' sweetbreads - prepared as above
Salt & pepper
Flour for dusting
Butter for frying
Frissé lettuce
2 tbsp sherry vinegar or good red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp capers, rinsed
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Put a knob of butter to melt and foam in a frying pan over a medium heat. Season the sweetbreads well on both sides and dredge in the flour. Knock-off any excess flour and add to the pan. Gently fry the sweetbreads until slightly crusted all over and cooked through, turning occassionally (10-15 minutes). Remove from the pan and plate-up with the lettuce. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and reduce a little. Whisk in the olive oil and remove from the heat.
Pour the oil & vinegar over the lettuce and a little drizzle over the sweetbreads.
Sprinkle with the capers and parsley. And serve. And enjoy...
That sounds a wonderful meal. I wish I had access to the delightful little
things but the butchers here don't keep them.
I'm jealous. When I lived in Hammersmith, my butcher said he'd find me
sweetbreads with enough warning but I never got around to ordering them.
Here, I don't seem to have a hope.
It seems sweetbreads are hard to come by... and they may well be harder for
me in the future as I've just learnt that my butchers is to close. More on
that soon.
I did speak to the butcher about sweetbreads this weekend - he reckons they
freeze pretty well, so if you do see them, freeze them in batches. It's
probably worth asking your butcher if he can order them in for you - they
must be there somewhere, given all the lamb that is out there!
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