Hmmm. There is a good and a bad side to my post regarding sweetbreads. I have to be cautious because I would encourage people to still try them. But let's just say you have to be in the right mindset to have them. Luc can explain all the plusses for sweetbreads because he grew up eating them. But for me, it was my second time and I hope that in the future I can have it often.
***
If you are unfamiliar with sweetbreads, they are the glands--thymus and pancreas--from the cow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbread
We ordered eight pounds of these mollejas and Luc separated the good glands from the bad glands. Since they are two different types of glands (like different cuts of meat), they will have a different taste and texture. Luc's brother then seasoned it and grilled it with the rest of the asado (Argentinian barbecue). We had it with a variety of salad greens, arugula, beet and carrot salad, grissinis, and of course, wine.
At first glance (I was going to write glands, oops!) the cooked sweetbread looked like a lumpy chicken breast. Upon cutting it, you can see that the texture of the meat retained its lumpy, almost cellulit-is look. It was white like pork and looked juicy. When I bit into, there was no resemblance to a beef taste at all. I have tried almost body parts of a cow, which tongue was the most adventurous that I tried (tasting like a juicy roast beef). In fact, it tasted like chicken. But it "felt" nothing like chicken. It almost melted in your mouth. Like fat. All I kept thinking was These are glands. What are glands supposed to taste like? I think psychologically, it was unfamiliar to me so I was trying to think back to my other experiences regarding meat. I once had sheep brain omelette but I didn't know it was sheep brain until someone told me. The same with "chocolate meat". My mom used to have me eat this meat with "chocolate" sauce until I found out it was cooked pig's blood. Anyway, how many times do we eat rump roast? Seriously, we are eating the butt of an animal right?
Anyway, like I said, I still have mixed feelings for the sweetbreads, but I think the more I have it, it will be part of my culinary repetoire.
~ Jen
***
If you are unfamiliar with sweetbreads, they are the glands--thymus and pancreas--from the cow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbread
We ordered eight pounds of these mollejas and Luc separated the good glands from the bad glands. Since they are two different types of glands (like different cuts of meat), they will have a different taste and texture. Luc's brother then seasoned it and grilled it with the rest of the asado (Argentinian barbecue). We had it with a variety of salad greens, arugula, beet and carrot salad, grissinis, and of course, wine.
At first glance (I was going to write glands, oops!) the cooked sweetbread looked like a lumpy chicken breast. Upon cutting it, you can see that the texture of the meat retained its lumpy, almost cellulit-is look. It was white like pork and looked juicy. When I bit into, there was no resemblance to a beef taste at all. I have tried almost body parts of a cow, which tongue was the most adventurous that I tried (tasting like a juicy roast beef). In fact, it tasted like chicken. But it "felt" nothing like chicken. It almost melted in your mouth. Like fat. All I kept thinking was These are glands. What are glands supposed to taste like? I think psychologically, it was unfamiliar to me so I was trying to think back to my other experiences regarding meat. I once had sheep brain omelette but I didn't know it was sheep brain until someone told me. The same with "chocolate meat". My mom used to have me eat this meat with "chocolate" sauce until I found out it was cooked pig's blood. Anyway, how many times do we eat rump roast? Seriously, we are eating the butt of an animal right?
Anyway, like I said, I still have mixed feelings for the sweetbreads, but I think the more I have it, it will be part of my culinary repetoire.
~ Jen
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