Best Veal Sweetbreads With Dates Maui Onions And Puff Pastry Recipes

VEGETABLE-STUFFED LOIN OF VEAL WITH SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Prepare sweetbreads:
• Soak sweetbreads in a large bowl of ice and cold water in the refrigerator, changing water occasionally (2 or 3 times), at least 8 hours. Drain sweetbreads and transfer to a 4-quart heavy saucepan. Cover with cold water by 1 inch and add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until sweetbreads plump and feel slightly firmer to the touch, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Cut away any fat and pull away as much membrane and connective tissue as possible with a small paring knife without breaking up sweetbreads.
• Arrange sweetbreads in 1 layer in a baking dish, then cover with plastic wrap and top with another baking dish or plate holding weights. Chill sweetbreads, weighted, at least 8 hours.
• While sweetbreads chill, blanch pistachios in a small saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then drain and peel.
• Pat sweetbreads dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a deep 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of sweetbreads, turning over once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and sauté remaining sweetbreads in same manner, transferring to plate.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet, then reduce heat to moderate and cook pancetta, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme, then reduce heat to moderately low and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add Sherry and bring to a boil, then add demi-glace, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, pistachios, and sweetbreads and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover surface of mixture with a buttered round of parchment paper (buttered side down) and simmer sweetbreads, skillet partially covered with lid, until firm but still springy to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer sweetbreads with a slotted spoon to a bowl and, when cool enough to handle, pull apart into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Ladle cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl, discarding bay leaf and thyme, and reserve. Reserve vegetables in another bowl for sauce and stuffing.
• Make stuffing:
• Cook spinach in a large pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, until wilted, about 20 seconds, then drain in colander. Transfer spinach to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking and drain again, squeezing handfuls of spinach to remove excess liquid. Chop spinach and stir into reserved vegetables along with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.
• Stuff and roast veal loin:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Make a hole for stuffing that runs lengthwise through veal: Beginning in middle of 1 end of roast, insert a sharp long thin knife lengthwise toward center, then repeat at opposite end of loin to complete an incision running through middle. Open up incision with your fingers, working from both ends, to create a 1 1/2-inch-wide opening. Pack loin with all but 2 tablespoons vegetable stuffing, pushing from both ends toward center.
• Tie veal roast with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals along entire length of roast. Pat veal dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking, then brown veal, turning with tongs, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to oven and roast veal until thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into meat (do not touch stuffing) registers 150°F, 45 to 50 minutes for veal; about 40 minutes for pork. Transfer roast with tongs to a platter and let stand 20 minutes.
• Make sauce and reheat sweetbreads while veal stands:
• Skim fat from sweetbread cooking liquid and bring liquid to a boil in a 2 1/2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons vegetables, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Add sweetbreads along with any veal juices accumulated on platter and simmer until just heated through. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.
• Discard string, then cut veal into 1-inch-thick slices and serve with sweetbreads and some sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

VEAL SWEETBREADS PICCATA WITH ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• To prepare the sweetbreads, place them in a nonreactive baking dish or large bowl and pour the milk over them, adding more if necessary to cover. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the sweetbreads in the refrigerator to soak overnight. Drain the sweetbreads and discard the milk. Rinse the sweetbreads under cool water and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion, fennel, and celery, and season with salt and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the wine, vinegar, and peppercorns, and bring the liquid to a boil and boil until it reduces by half, about 15 minutes. Add the sweetbreads and add enough water to just cover. Place a large paper coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth on the surface to keep the sweetbreads submerged and heat until you see the first few bubbles start to rise up from the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into one of the sweetbreads registers 120°F to 125°F, removing the smaller sweetbreads from the liquid to the colander as they become done, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water and place a colander in the sink. Place a wire cooling rack inside a baking sheet. Plunge the sweetbreads in the ice water for 1 minute to cool completely. Lift the sweetbreads out of the ice water, pat dry with paper towels, and place them on the wire rack. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place a heavy baking dish on top of the sweetbreads and a bag of beans or a can of tomatoes on the dish to weigh it down. Place the weighted sweetbreads in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
• To finish and serve the sweetbreads, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cut the artichokes in half crosswise at the stem. Thinly slice the stems lengthwise and place them in a bowl. Break apart the artichoke leaves to separate them and drop them into the bowl.
• Remove the weights and the plastic wrap from the sweetbreads and discard the plastic. Use a small, sharp knife to cut away and discard any knotty pieces or silver skin from the sweetbreads. Cut the sweetbreads into 2- to 3-inch segments. Pat the sweetbreads dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper.
• Heat the grapeseed oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Sear the sweetbreads in the oil until they are deep brown and crisp all over, about 4 minutes, turning them to cook all sides. Remove the sweetbreads to a baking sheet or a large plate and place them in the oven to heat through, about 3 minutes, while you make the sauce. Wipe the pan out with paper towels and add the olive oil and garlic. Season the garlic with salt and sauté over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning, until it softens slightly and becomes fragrant. Add the wine, caperberries, red pepper flakes, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring often, until the liquid has burned off, the garlic is golden brown, and the sugar left in the pan begins to caramelize around the sides, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring it to a boil. Stir in the artichokes and butter, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by half and the sauce thickens slightly, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat. Drizzle the lemon juice into the pan, add the parsley, and stir to incorporate into the sauce.
• Remove the sweetbreads from the oven. Use a slotted spoon to strain the artichoke leaves out of the liquid and spread them out in a circle about 6 inches diameter in the center of four plates, dividing them evenly. From here, building each serving in two layers, place a few leaves of cavolo nero on top of each serving of artichoke leaves. Nestle half of the sweetbreads on top of the cavolo, dividing them evenly, drizzle with half of the sauce, dividing the sauce evenly and leaving the caperberries in the pan. Build the second layer, starting with a few of the cavolo leaves, the remaining sweetbreads, and topped with a drizzle of the sauce, using all of the ingredients in the second layer. Nestle the caperberries and zested strips of lemon around and on top of the sweetbreads, and serve.
• suggested wine pairing
• Greco di Tufo (Campania)

GOUDA AND APPLE PUFF POCKETS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the apple, chives and sugar in a medium bowl.
• Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut into 12 (4-inch) squares. Cut each pastry square in half diagonally to make 24 triangles. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet.
• Place about 1/2 teaspoon apple mixture on the bottom third of the longest side of each pastry triangle. Top each with 1 cheese piece. Brush the 2 bottom corners with water. Fold the bottom corners over the filling and press to seal. Press the bottom edge of the pastry to seal, leaving the top of the pastry open. Place the pastries onto 2 baking sheets.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chopped chives, if desired.