Braised Sweetbreads Marsala with Honey Mushrooms
- About 1/3 pound calves sweetbreads
- 1/2 lemon
- Salt
- About 2 tablespoons loosely packed dried honey mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- All-purpose flour for dredging
- Marsala wine
- 2 teaspoons glace de viande, or about 3 tablespoons beef stock
- Freshly ground pepper
- The night before or the morning of the day you plan to cook your sweetbreads, or at least several hours before, put them in a small pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches.
- Squeeze the juice of the half-lemon into the pot, and add a good pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a lively simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Drain the sweetbreads, and plunge them into cold water.
- When they are cool enough to handle, carefully open up the lobes just enough to ease out some of the connective tissue.
- You wont get it all, but dont worry.
- Now put the sweetbreads on a small plate, put another plate on top, and set something heavy on ita jar of jam or a soup can.
- Refrigerate for an hour or so, or overnight.
- About 20 minutes before cooking, soak the dried honey mushrooms in 3/4 cup warm water.
- When ready to cook, melt the butter in a small skillet and saute the shallot until softened.
- Break the sweetbreads up into about six pieces, following the lobes, and dredge the pieces in lightly salted flour.
- Toss them into the pan, and saute for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Pour in a good splash of Marsala, and let it cook down until almost evaporated.
- Strain the soaked honey mushrooms, reserving the straining water, and toss them into the pan.
- Saute together for another minute before adding the mushroom soaking liquid and the glace de viande or stock.
- Turn the heat down, cover, and let braise for about 10 minutes, checking frequently to see that there is enough sauce, and adding a little water and/or stock as necessary.
- Taste, correct seasonings, and add some freshly ground pepper.
- Enjoy this delight with some steamed new potatoes and/or fresh peas or other compatible seasonal vegetable.
- Of course, different kinds of mushrooms can be substituted, including fresh, but I find that using at least some dried mushrooms gives an intensity to the sauce.
- And Madeira is every bit as good as Marsala here.
lemon, salt, honey mushrooms, butter, shallot, flour, marsala wine, glace de viande, freshly ground pepper
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/braised-sweetbreads-marsala-with-honey-mushrooms-378487 (may not work)