Offal ISN'T awful, and this recipe is an awesome starting point if you want to learn how to cook with it. Sweetbreads are from the neck and heart of a lamb, the thymus gland – it may sound a bit gross but they're cheap and taste stunning (and cost a fortune in London restaurants!). For me, when executed well, offal can taste better than the meat itself and these nuggets are so delicate, soft, creamy and not ‘lamby’ at all. The best way I can describe them is like a million-pound chicken nugget! I cooked these Keith Floyd-style in my town centre, but you can do it wherever. Give it a go!!
Ingredients
2 x egg yolks
Salt
Mustard powder
Olive oil
Garlic
Mint leaves
Lemon juice
Lamb sweetbreads
Plain flour
Cayenne pepper
Groundnut oil
Method
Make a simple aioli by using two egg yolks, a pinch of salt and mustard powder. Slowly add medium olive oil before chopping up garlic and adding it to the mixture. Finish it off with some chopped mint leaves and lemon juice.
It's essential to soak the meat in boiling water and salt first. The membrane around the meat will come off easily.
For these nuggets, I'm making a devilled flour coating that packs a punch! I'm starting off with plain flour, plenty of cayenne pepper, mustard powder and salt before giving it a good mix. Then, I'm giving the sweetbreads a good coating and shaking them in the mixture.
Heat up some oil on the fire. I'm using groundnut oil as it has a high smoking point. In go the sweetbreads. Once they're in the frying pan leave the flour until it gets crispy-crispy. A minute on each side should do the job. Place the sweetbreads on kitchen paper to drain any excess oil before frying the remaining pieces.
Serve the nuggets with a pot of aioli and a good pinch of salt. Next-level sweetbreads with a kick!
Nuggets offal
Seriously, dydi offal DDIM yn awful, ac ma’r recipe yma’n ffordd dda o ddod i arfer ‘efo coginio fo! ‘Glands’ o wddw'r oen ydi’r rhain – mae o’n swnio’n afiach, ond mae nhw'n rhad ac mor flasus. Mae offal yn well na’r cig ei hun weithia’ - give it a go 'de!
Cynhwysion
2 x felyn ŵy
Halen
Powdwr mwstard
Olew olewydd
Garlleg
Dail mint
Sudd lemwn
Lamb sweetbreads
Blawd plaen
Pupur cayenne
Olew groundnut
Dull
I gychwyn, gwnewch aioli syml trwy ddefnyddio dau felyn ŵy, pinsiad o halen a phowdwr mwstard. Yn araf, rhowch olew olewydd ‘medium’ i mewn cyn torri’r garlleg yn fras a’i ychwanegu i’r gymysgedd. Gorffen y cwbl efo dail mint a sudd lemwn.
Mae’n rili bwysig socian y cig mewn dŵr poeth a halen cyn dechra’. Neith y ‘membrane’ sydd o gwmpas nhw ddod ffwrdd heb drafferth.
Ar gyfer y nuggets yma, dw i am wneud blawd devilled efo cic go iawn! Cychwyn ‘efo blawd plaen a digon o bupur cayenne, powdwr mwstard a halen a’i gymysgu’n iawn. Unwaith mae o wedi ei gymysgu yn dda, dw i’n rhoi coating da i’r sweetbreads a rhoi ‘shake’ bach iddyn nhw.
Cynhesu bach o olew ar y tân - dw i’n defnyddio olew groundnut sydd efo smoking point uchel – yna ar y badell efo’r sweetbreads. Unwaith maen nhw ar, gadewch y blawd fynd yn crispi-crispi. Neith tua munud ar bob ochr y job. Rhowch y sweetbreads ar kitchen rolli draenio unrhyw olew dros ben cyn ffrio’r darnausy’n weddill.
Rhowch ar blât efo potyn o’r aioli a phinsiad o halen. Sweetbreads next-level efo cic bach!