Braised Calfs Heart Food

BEEF HEART BRAISED IN WINE

Steps:

• Wash the heart and remove any fat and arteries. Slice the heart in half, then slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
• Dredge heart in flour and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the heart slices and cook for 30 to 45 seconds per side.
• Stir in the onion, carrots, potatoes, thyme, beef broth and wine. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Serve.

BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, pat beef cheeks dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown beef, without crowding, on all sides, about 20 minutes total, and transfer with tongs to a bowl. Pour off fat from pot, then add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cook onion, carrot, and celery over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Stir cocoa powder into vegetable mixture, then add wine and scrape up any brown bits. Increase heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Return cheeks (with any juices) to pot and add tomatoes with juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then braise, covered, in middle of oven until very tender, about 3 hours.

BRAISED CALF'S HEART

Steps:

• Using scissors, cut all inner tubes, sinews and arteries from inside of hearts to leave clear, hollow shell. Wash inside under running cold water. Pat dry.
• Sprinkle inside of each heart with salt and pepper. Combine parsley, onion and lemon rind. Place half of filling in each heart. Add 1 tablespoon butter, diced, to each heart. Sew opening closed across top. Sprinkle salt and pepper on outside of hearts.
• Place remaining butter in casserole and melt. Slowly brown hearts on all side. Remove when brown. Add minced carrot, onion and celery to pan and saute slowly until vegetables just begin to turn golden brown - about 10 minutes. Stir in paprika and saute for 2 minutes.
• Place browned hearts on top of vegetables, add bay leaf and pour in beef stock. Cover and simmer gently but steadily over moderate heat for about 2 hours, or until hearts are completely tender when pierced. Turn hearts about every 20 minutes during cooking, adding stock if needed.
• Remove hearts when tender and remove thread.
• Skim fat off pan juices, then strain juices, rubbing vegetables through sieve. Discard bay leaf.
• Return strained juices to casserole. Stir flour into sour cream and stir into pan juices. Adjust seasonings.
• Cut hearts in half and serve with sauce on side. Noodles, spatzle or boiled potatoes go well with this.

BRAISED BEEF HEART

Steps:

• Trim any fat off the heart. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut off any large pieces of the connective tissue around the top of the meat.
• Roll into a roast form and tie with string.
• Brown in the oil on all sides.
• Put in a dutch oven and add the onion, cut into about 8 pieces, and all the other ingredients, except the bread crumbs.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours, turning every hour.
• After 2 hours, add the bread crumbs.
• When done, remove heart and use an immersion blender or regular blender to smooth the gravy. If desired, you can thicken the gravy some more with a water and flour mixture, bringing it to the boil.
• Slice the heart lengthwise into 1/4" slices.

BRAISED CALF'S LIVER

Steps:

• Slice liver in small, thin pieces. Brown the onions in shortening. Stir in the paprika and tomato paste. Add the liver. Cover and simmer over a low flame for 15 minutes, or until the liver is done. Add salt just before serving.

BRAISED HEARTS OF ROMAINE

Steps:

• Trim root end of each heart (keeping heart intact), then halve heart lengthwise.
• Heat butter in a deep 13- to 14-inch skillet (or a 12-inch straight-sided skillet) over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add romaine, cut sides down (halves will fit very snugly in pan), and cook, turning once, until golden but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and boil until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and briskly simmer, partially covered, until ribs are tender, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer romaine with tongs to a platter (remove any peppercorns that stick to romaine) and boil liquid, uncovered, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes.
• Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve over romaine.