Fit for Company
Anyone who has cooked veal sweetbreads knows they take considerable advance preparation. The most finicky step is removing the tough membranes and then pressing the sweetbreads to make them firmer and easier to cut. My friend, the talented Italian chef Franco Dunn, has worked out a simpler method of slowly poaching the sweetbreads in olive oil. It not only cooks them to a perfect moist, firm, and creamy texture but eliminates peeling off the membranes, which become tender during poaching. The bonus is that you are left with the delicious flavored olive oil that can be used in future preparations of sweetbreads or for your favorite braised or sautéed veal dishes. Because veal sweetbreads are rich, I recommend serving smaller portions as a first course at an elegant dinner party. On the other hand, if you’re as crazy about these little morsels as I am, go ahead and serve them as a main course.
Serves 6 as a first course, 4 as a main course
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound veal sweetbreads (2 whole pancreas/heart sweetbreads)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil for poaching
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the sweetbreads in a medium bowl, cover with water, and refrigerate for 6 hours, changing the water 3 times to remove excess blood. Remove the sweetbreads from the water and pat dry.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F.
- Season the sweetbreads with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place in a small ovenproof saucepan or deep skillet, that is just large enough to hold them. Pour over the olive oil to completely cover them, and submerge the thyme and bay leaves in the oil. Place the pan in the oven. After 1 hour, begin checking the internal temperature of the sweetbreads; they are done when the temperature reaches 145°F to 150°F on an instant-read thermometer. If they’re not yet there, continue to check every 10 minutes. Let the sweetbreads cool for 30 minutes in the oil.
- Remove the sweetbreads from the oil, letting the excess oil drain back into the pan. Trim off any loose pieces, tubes, ducts, cartilage, or bits of membrane from the sweetbreads. Strain the oil and reserve for another use.
- Cut the sweetbreads into ½-inch-thick slices and gently rewarm in the reserved oil before serving.
COOK’S NOTE:
- If you like your sweetbreads crisper, season the slices with a little salt and pepper, dip them in flour, and shake off the excess. Panfry in some of the reserved oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and beginning to crisp around the edges.
