Archive for the ‘Pork – Hearts, Kidneys, Liver’ Category
Steak & Kidney Pie
January 29, 2019 Lee
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Steak & Kidney Pie

Denise Georgiades, South Africa.
This comes from a good friend and sounds like a good way to use pork kidneys. I look forward to making this. If you have never cleaned kidneys before, no worries, I have a shortcut to show you that as well. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine English
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Pie Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 750 grams steak, cheapest cut you can find, diced, (1½ lb)
  • 250 grams lamb kidneys, or pork kidneys, cleaned and diced, (8 oz), Shortcut
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour, 30 grams if using a scale
  • 3 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder, and as needed
  • salt and pepper, as desired, to taste
  • 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 300 grams puff pastry, sheet or ball, (10 oz)
  • 1 egg, beaten

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium high heat, when hot, brown the beef on all sides, work in batches if needed, not trying to cook through, just get most of it browned. Remove the beef and set aside.
  • Same pan, add the kidney and brown on all sides, again, not trying to cook through, just brown it.
  • When the kidney is browned, add the onion to the pan and saute for 3-4 minutes until the onion is soft.
  • Return the beef to the pan and mix everything together, then sprinkle the flour in and stir to coat everything with flour.
  • Pour in the beef stock and stir together, bring the heat to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, If the liquid reduces to much, add stock as needed.
  • Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce as desired, stirring in and tasting. Set this aside and allow to cool completely.
  • Preheat your oven to 220° C (425° F). Get out a pie dish.
  • When the meat mixture has completely cooled, pour it into the pie dish.
  • Roll out the puff pastry to just under 1/4 inch thick, use the rolling pin and transfer to the pie dish and cover the top and flute the edge. Brush the top with the beaten egg.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown brown and puffed.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables for a complete, and filling meal.

Notes

I will price this next time I get beef, for now I will say fair cost per serving.
Shortcut: Pork Kidneys 101.
Variant: 1. Use pork kidneys in place of lamb kidneys.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,: ENGLISH,BEEF,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Igado (Filipino Pork Mix ‘Stew’)
November 13, 2018 Lee
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Igado (Filipino Pork Mix 'Stew')

Adapted from several internet recipes.
To me, this sounds good, as I do like pork hearts and liver. I call this mix a 'stew' as there is pork belly, heart, and liver in this, along with peas, onion, and bell pepper. On my to cook and taste list. If you have never prepped a pork heart, there is a Shortcut for this in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Pork Mix

  • 500 grams pork belly, (1 lb)
  • 500 grams pork liver, (1 lb)
  • 1-2 pork hearts
  • ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 small red bell pepper, sliced into strips
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • water, as needed
  • salt, as desired

For the Marinade

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chicken stock powder
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ cup water

Instructions
 

  • Prep the liver and heart(s). Slice the pork belly, liver, and heart into ½ inch strips.
  • Place the liver in a bowl, cover, and place in the fridge.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the Marinade ingredients and mix together then add and mix in the pork belly and heart. Let this marinate for 1 hour.
  • Add the contents of the mixing bowl to a pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the pork is tender and the liquid reduced. Add water as needed during cooking.
  • Add the peas, bell pepper, and pork liver to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the liver is cooked.
  • While the pot is simmering, mix together the 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix until smooth, this is a thickening slurry, stir this into the pot and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Taste and season with salt as desired.
  • Serve over rice.

Notes

I get all the pork items from local vendors in the village, next time in the town or city, I will get prices for store bought items. For now, this is certainly low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Pork Hearts 101.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: FILIPINO,PORK,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Indonesian Pork Liver
September 14, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Indonesian Pork Liver

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is delicious, I liked the use of the turmeric with the liver here. The spices with the coconut milk make an excellent sauce.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indonesian
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams pork liver, cleaned, cut into thin strips, (1 lb)
  • 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 175 grams onion, sliced into rings, (about 6 oz)
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
  • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Liver prepped.
  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot add the onion and garlic.
  • Cook the onion, stirring often until nicely browned. Remove half of the onion to a bowl and set aside for garnish.
  • Reduce heat to low, add the coriander, chili flakes, and turmeric and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the liver.
  • Cook the liver and turn often.
  • Cook until just browned, a few pink spots are ok as this is cooked longer.
  • Stir in the soy sauce, peanut butter, and salt. Stir in the coconut milk. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Pour onto a serving plate, garnish with saved fried onions.
  • Serve with rice on the side. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: INDONESIAN,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Pork Kidneys in Mushroom Sauce
August 26, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Pork Kidneys in Mushroom Sauce

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is an easy and delicious meal, that goes together quickly but the preparation of the kidneys does take some time, well worth it in my opinion. I made this on 25 Aug 2018 and was very well liked not only by me, but by my wife, sister in law and her husband.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pork kidneys
  • 2 shallots, finely diced
  • 250 grams fresh mushrooms, Shiitake or Oyster is perfect, (8 oz)
  • ¾ cup whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and prep the kidneys, there is a Shortcut listed in Recipe Notes to describe how to do this. After the one hour soaking, as described in the Shortcut, drain and rinse the kidney pieces. This photo is 4 pork kidneys prepped and ready for use.
  • Rinse the mushrooms. If using Shiitake, remove stem and slice. If using Oyster, tear into pieces.
  • Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the shallots and kidney pieces. Cook and stir, the kidneys will give off a lot of liquid. and I mean a lot! Season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook and reduce the liquid by half. Remove the kidneys and onions to a bowl and set aside.
  • Same pan, add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are wilted and tender, and some of the liquid is reduced.
  • Add the kidneys and shallots back to the pan, stir in the cream, paprika, and season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Simmer for 3-5 minutes and the gravy will thicken, and the kidneys heated through.
  • Serve over rice or pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Pork Kidneys 101.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Pork Kidneys 101
August 25, 2018 Lee
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Pork Kidneys 101

Adapted from several internet recipes.
This was a learning experience as I have never prepped kidneys before, so I am posting this to share information on the method I used. Once I got a good rhythm going, I was trimming the last 2 out of 4 that I prepped in about 10 minutes each. Key things you need, sharp kitchen scissors and keep cleaning. If you understand Biology 101, a pork kidney does exactly the same thing a human kidney does. On a positive note, the kidneys from my local village butcher are skinned already and soaked before they sell them, there is absolutely no foul odor when I receive them. I did a lot of research on how to prep (clean) pork kidneys, the method I used here seemed like the most logical approach. Slice crosswise then remove the center section. Keeping in mind, the center section, mainly the white area is the business end of what the kidney is doing and that is what is removed. I prepped 4 pork kidneys during this test. The main thing of this guide is to show the steps, not the quantities.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients
  

  • 4 fresh pork kidneys

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the kidneys. these have had the skin peeled and soaked by the vendors before sale.
  • Slice the kidneys, only work with one at a time, into about ⅜ to ½ inch slices. The white center is the working part of the kidney, and to be on the safe side, consider most of that darker red area off limits as well.
  • Using a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, cut the dark red and white section out from the center. Discard the center section.
  • Slice each ring into 4 pieces.
  • For the two end pieces, just hold each one and snip out the dark red and white sections.
  • Rinse the pieces (I did this after all the 'rings' are trimmed and cut into 4 pieces. Rinse until the water runs clear. Place into a container. This is the meat from 2 kidneys.
  • After you process one kidney, rinse of the cutting board, knives, and scissors used, then process the next.
  • Repeat the processing, rinsing the meat, and equipment for all the kidneys you are using.
  • This is 4 kidneys cleaned and processed. See, just like using a heart, they do not look like kidneys anymore.
  • Now soak the kidney pieces. Once you have all the kidneys processed, rinse them again and return to the container. Fill the container with water to just cover the pieces.
  • 30 minutes later, drain the pieces, rinse, then add back to the container and refill with water for another 30 minutes.
  • Now you can drain, and rinse again, and they are ready to use in a recipe of your choice.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
INGREDIENTS,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Pork Hearts 101
August 23, 2018 Lee
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Pork Hearts 101

Lee
I bought some pork hearts a few days ago to test out a new recipe. So for those that would like to try cooking with pig hearts, this is to show how to clean and prep a pork heart. I know how to do this since I have prepped deer and bear hearts when I was growing up.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 pork heart

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pork heart

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the whole heart, I get these from a local butcher so they are always fresh. Tesco has these as well. This is a very easy procedure and does not look like a heart when you are done.
  • Cut the heart in half lengthwise, now rinse the insides to remove any blood still left in there.
  • First thing is to trim away part of the top section, there is a good amount of fat and the main arteries, veins, and valves. Then remove the stringy parts. The cleaned portions are on the right, the scrap to be discarded is on the left.
  • And the cleaned pieces turned over. Just repeat the steps for as many hearts are you are going to prep.
  • I cubed the pieces for use in a recipe. Take each prepped piece and cut into strips about ¾ inch wide, then cut each strip into ¾ inch pieces. The amount usable was 1½ cups.

Notes

I bought two pork hearts from a local vendor, and I totally forgot to weight them or even write down the price of each. (I bought 2 hearts, 2 kidneys, and ½ of a liver for 180 Baht, or about $5.45. Next time I order these, I will get a price for each heart. Tesco does sell hearts, listed as 98 Baht/1 kilo or about $2.97 for 2 pounds.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Stir Fried Pork Heart
July 27, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Stir Fried Pork Heart

Adapted from an internet recipe.
An excellent method to cook pork hearts, great flavor contrast with Chinese sausage. I made this as written and it is a keeper.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Steamer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pork hearts
  • 2 Chinese sausage, steamed, then sliced at an angle
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • dash Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the hearts, cut in half lengthwise, remove the stringy parts, the tubes, and any fat from the tops. Cube the hearts and set aside. Dice the vegetables. Here, everything is ready, but the sausage still needs to be steamed.
  • A trick to perfectly cooked Chinese sausage is to steam it first. Chinese sausage is air dried and is generally quite hard, and uncooked. Prepare a steamer and steam the Chinese sausage for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the steamer and cut into thin slices at an angle, then it is ready to be stir fried as it is softened and already partially cooked from the steamer.
  • Now heat a large non stick pan with the olive oil on low heat, when hot, add the onion, carrot, and sausage. Stir fry until the carrot is tender.
  • Add the tomatoes and garlic and stir fry for another minute or two. Remove everything from the pan to a bowl.
  • Add the butter to the same pan and bring the heat to medium. When the butter is melted, add the pork heart, season with salt and pepper as desired, and add the Worcestershire sauce. Stir fry for 3 minutes until no longer pink.
  • Return the veggies back to the pan and stir fry with the heart for 1 minute.
  • Serve with rice and enjoy.

Notes

Pork hearts cost about 98 Baht/kilo. I have no idea if this is 1 heart or 2 or 3, so when I see these in Tesco again I will pick up a few to see what the weight is. I will say low cost for now.
Shortcut: Pork Hearts 101.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver,Pork - Sausage
Braised Pork Hearts
July 27, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Braised Pork Hearts

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a base recipe, you can serve as is (which is delicious), or add to a stew, soup, etc., lot of possibilities with this.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pork hearts
  • 1 carrot, chopped or Rangiri (see Recipe Notes)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and black pepper, as desired
  • dried parsley, to taste
  • dried thyme, to taste
  • dried rosemary, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prep the hearts, rinse the hearts, then cut in half lengthwise, remove the stringy portions, fat, and trim the top off with the tubes.
  • Slice each prepped heart into 1 inch cubes. This is two hearts cubed, 3 cups and just about 600 grams (just over 1 lb).
  • Add the cubes to a ziplock bag, add the salt and pepper as desired, olive oil, and seasonings of choice, parsley, thyme, and rosemary work very well with this. Zip the bag closed and mix the pieces well with the marinade. Place in the fridge overnight. (I used a plastic dish to hold the cubes as I cut the hearts, then mixed the olive oil and seasonings in this, then poured them into a zip lock bag.)
  • When you are ready to cook, heat a non stick pan on medium high heat.
  • Place a strainer over a bowl and empty the contents of the zip lock bag into the strainer, reserve the marinade and set that aside for now.
  • Empty the strainer now into the hot pan, brown the pieces on all sides. (The heart cubes are covered in oil to start with and they release some water as well, no additional liquid is added to the pan.)
  • Add the leftover marinade, if any, to the pan and stir the heart pieces into the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes.
  • Add the carrot and onion to the pan and stir them in. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
  • Carrots are tender, ready to serve.
  • Served as is but keep in mind, you can add this to a stew, soup, mix in some chicken gravy, etc.

Notes

Pork hearts cost about 98 Baht/kilo. I have no idea if this is 1 heart or 2 or 3, so when I see these in Tesco again I will pick up a few to see what the weight is. I will say low cost for now. For more savings, get them fresh at a local market.
Shortcut: Pork Hearts 101.
Variant: 1. Straw mushrooms added to this would be a great addition.
For the carrots: I used a Japanese style of chopping carrots, called Rangiri, which is basically, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot ¼ turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces, and a larger surface = faster cooking.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver
Pork Liver Soup
November 4, 2017 Lee
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Pork Liver Soup

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is based on a Chinese recipe I found and I will tailor this when I make it to make it a heartier soup. I added the noodles and spinach. I will update the ingredient amounts when I make this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 300 grams pork liver, cleaned, sliced thin, (11 oz)
  • 250 grams frozen spinach, thawed, chopped, (8 oz)
  • 100 grams Chinese egg noodles, (3½ oz)
  • 20 grams fresh ginger, peeled, shredded, (¾ oz)
  • 4 cups water

For the Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
  • ¾ teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the Marinade ingredients, place the sliced liver in a shallow bowl, pour the marinade in and mix together with the liver, let marinate for 20 minutes.
  • While the liver is marinating, prep the spinach. Squeeze any water from the spinach. If in leaf form, frozen in balls, chop those. Set aside.
  • Also while the liver is marinating, heat a small pot of water, when boiling, add the noodles and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes, drain, and set aside the noodles.
  • When the liver is marinated, now heat the 4 cups of water in a medium pot, when boiling, add the ginger and remove the liver from the marinade and add to the pot. Boil for 30 seconds then cover and remove the pot from the heat and let set for 15 minutes.
  • At the 15 minute mark, place the pot back on a burner and set to high heat, add the noodles and spinach, just before boiling, remove from heat and cover for 2 more minutes to heat the noodles and spinach through.
  • Serve.

Notes

Figure about 40 Baht for the liver. For 2 servings, this is about 60 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Stir Fried Pork Heart with Sweet & Sour Sauce (Tim Heo Xào Chua Ngọt)
October 9, 2017 Lee
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Stir Fried Pork Heart with Sweet & Sour Sauce (Tim Heo Xào Chua Ngọt)

Vietnamese Foods, Vietnam.
Sounds very nice. On my to cook list for sure. This may not be a main item to use for cooking, but heart is a great meat to use.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pork heart
  • salt, as desired
  • pepper, as desired
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 1 slice pineapple, chopped into chunks
  • 1 onion, sliced, and divided
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Maggi sauce, as needed
  • spring onion, chopped, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • First thing, need to clean the heart, cut in half lengthwise, remove the string parts and cut off the tubes on the top end and discard those. Wash the heart and remove any blood. Slice the heart lengthwise into strips. Add the pieces to a bowl and add salt and pepper as desired, mix well and let sit for 15 minutes.
  • For the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise scoop out seeds, then cut each piece into thin slices. Prep the rest of the vegetables and fruit as stated.
  • Heat a non stick pan with a splash of cooking oil, when heated, add the ½ the onion and stir fry until soft, then add the heart and stir fry until the heart is cooked through, remove the heart and onion and set aside.
  • Same pan, add the remaining onion and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomato, pineapple, cucumber and stir fry. Add the fish sauce, Maggi sauce, and salt as desired. Continue to stir fry to soften the cucumber and tomato.
  • Add the heart back to the pan, mix, adjust seasoning to taste with fish sauce or salt, and pepper. When the heart is warmed through, remove from heat.
  • Garnish with chopped spring onion, serve with rice.

Notes

I will price this when I buy a pork heart, they do sell them in town once in a while. I think this is low cost overall.
Shortcut: Pork Hearts 101.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: VIETNAMESE,Pork - Hearts, Kidneys, Liver