Swallow and Volkwein caution that this dish needs to be prepared a day or evening ahead of time, and how many home cooks will go to the lengths of prepping sweetbreads for a salad? Probably not too many. But, given one's got a relative comfort level with offal in the kitchen, the recipe he's shared with us doesn't appear too difficult to execute, and could be a meal's show-stealer. Get cooking after the jump.
"Sweet": Haricot Verts with Sweetbread CroutonsServes 4
1 pound sweetbreads
1/2 pound haricot verts
1/2 pound cipollini onions
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Reduction:
1 cup red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Dressing:
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Leaves from 4 sprigs thyme
4 ounces frisée
4 strips bacon, cut into lardons (1/2-inch chunks) and cooked until crispy
1/2 pound pancetta, cut into lardoons
1. Rinse the sweetbreads, then soak them in water overnight.
2. The next day, bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Drain the sweetbreads and cook them in the salted water at a simmer for 2 minutes, then remove and drain. Let them cool for about 1 hour, and then carefully remove the membrane.
3. Bring another pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Trim the stem ends of the beans. Blanch the beans in the salted water for about 2 minutes, then remove and shock them in the ice bath. Set aside.
4. Remove the onion skins and cut each onion into sixths. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
5. To make the reduction, combine the wine and vinegar in a saucepan over high heat. Cook until the mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes.
6. To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar, and mustard in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
7. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Break up the sweetbreads into thumb-size pieces, being very careful not to tear the flesh. Season with salt and pepper. Turning continuously to achieve even cooking, sauté the sweetbreads for 4 to 6 minutes, until golden brown. After about 4 minutes, remove the fat from the pan with a paper towel and add the butter and thyme. Baste with the butter for about 1 minute.
8. In each of 4 individual serving bowls, combine 1 ounce frisée, 11/2 ounces beans, 2 tablespoons bacon, 2 tablespoons pancetta, 1/4 cup onions, and about 7 sweetbreads. Toss with about 1 tablespoon of the dressing, and then season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the reduction over the salad.
Reprinted with permission from Mixt Salads: A Chef's Bold Creations by Andrew Swallow with Ann Volkwein, copyright © 2010. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
Follow us on Twitter: @SFoodie
