This easy kidney recipe with calf's kidney makes a delicious and nutrient dense meal. It is very satiating and perfectly suited for low carb diets. In addition, kidneys have a great offering of folate, iron, zinc, copper & selenium and are also a great source of protein for a post-workout meal.
First, cut the kidneys in half and remove the gristly white centers (the fat) carefully
It is best to use a paring knife for this. Remove as much of it as possible and keep it if you want to make tallow - more details in the recipe notes
After that, cut the kidney meat into bite sized pieces and put them into a strainer. When finished, thoroughly rinse them with cold water for a few minutes
Now, add the salt to a big bowl, add some water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Then, add the kidney pieces and so much cold water that they are completely covered
Cover the bowl with cling film / plastic wrap, put it into the fridge and let the kidneys soak in water for at least 2 hours. After that, take the pieces out of the water, into a clean strainer and rinse them with fresh water again. Afterwards, let them drip off excess water for a minute
Melt the butter in a pan on low heat, add the kidney pieces and cook them for about 7 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Then, put them to the side (e.g. into a soup plate) in order to make the sauce in the pan
Sauce - Final Steps
After cooking the kidney pieces, leave any remaining liquid in the pan and add the extra butter. Then, add the sliced onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes
Next, add the cream & cream cheese to the pan and stir until it is dissolved. Cook for about 10 minutes on low heat, until the sauce starts to thicken. Now is the time to taste the sauce and add salt & pepper to your preferences
Finally, add the kidney pieces back to the pan and let them simmer in the sauce for another 3 minutes on low heat. Don't cook too long or on higher heat as the kidney tends to become chewy then
Recipe Notes
If you want to render the kidney fat cut it into small bits or mince it in a food processor.
Then, put it into a pot or big pan on low heat and wait for all the fat to get out while stirring occasionally.
You can see that it's done when there is clear fat on the bottom with crispy bits on top.
Now, you can remove these floating bits by pouring all content through a cheesecloth or fabric into another pot.
When the fat is cooled, pour it into mason jars and keep them in the fridge.
This pork back recipe is very easy to cook with just a few minutes of preparation. You only need a piece of pork back, some butter or olive oil & seasonings. In addition, you can make a delicious sauce from the meat juice and the meat even tastes great when eaten cold after cooking.
0.5teaspoonsCayenne pepperchili powder works as well, but is spicier
Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 120°C (248°F) and put the pork back onto a baking tray with baking paper
In the meantime, put the butter into a small microwave-suited bowl and melt it in the microwave. It takes about 15-20 seconds at 900W and the butter should not be too hot to touch it.
Skip this step if you use olive oil
Then, add all seasonings to the butter and mix them in with a spoon
Now, pour the butter/seasoning mixture onto the pork back and use your hands to spread it. Make sure that the complete surface of your pork back is covered. Do it fast if you took the meat right out of the fridge, because then the butter will solidify again on its cold surface area
Finally, put the baking tray into the oven and cook the pork back for about 3 hours
Recipe Notes
You can check if the pork back is done to your preference by using a meat thermometer.
If the core temperature reaches 70-75°C (158-167°F) the meat is medium-well. If its core temperature reaches 80-85°C (176-185°F) it is well done, but not as tender anymore.
In addition, you may also use the juice from the baking tray to make a delicious gravy sauce or simply pour it over the vegetables you may have made as a side dish.
For a sauce, simply fry 2 onions with butter in a pan (until golden brown), then pour in the meat juice and let everything cook until it is reduced to your desired thickness.
If you don't want to use onions, replace them with 100ml (about 3oz) cream in order to get thickness to the sauce.
Keto Egg Muffins - With Avocado, Parmesan & Mushrooms
These keto egg muffins with avocado, mushrooms & Parmesan cheese make an awesome dish for meal prepping. Just prepare a batch and have them for breakfast, lunch at work or as a snack. They are very satiating, nutritious and perfect for low carb diets. In addition, it only takes about 20 minutes and pretty low effort to prepare them.
In the meantime, mix all ingredients in a bowl with a hand mixer or eggbeater
Then, pour the mixture directly from the bowl into muffin molds or a muffin tray or use a ladle to pour it in
Finally, bake the muffins for about 20 minutes until they are solid and let them cool down for 10 minutes afterwards.
You can use a chopstick to test if they are done, by sticking it into a muffin and pulling it out again. If there are no wet residues on the chopstick, the muffins are done.
