Breaded Beef Brains
4 servings
60 minutes
Maxim Tarusin from the Voskhod restaurant shared the recipe with us: "Brains are, of course, a valuable by-product, but ask your friends who has ever tried beef brains - only a few will confirm, while the rest will make a disgusted face. It is not only their physiology that is frightening about brains, but also their gelatinous, inert mass. Surprisingly, those who, for example, enjoy eating foie gras or some kind of abalone, which are similar in texture to them, turn up their noses at the word "brains". But it is precisely this extreme tenderness, like that of a good aspic, that is the main advantage of this by-product. It is worth rolling it in breadcrumbs and frying, and you will get an interesting contrast of crispy crust and tender core. In order not to scare people, then it is worth leveling the taste with the help of two at once bright sauces: kimchi gives the brains a deceptive marinade flavor, and sweet chili is simply good with all offal. An important trick to keep the brains from overcooking, to keep them whole and retain their texture: when cooking, do not bring them to readiness: just boil them and then leave them to cool in the broth. And about slicing - you can, of course, shyly chop this essence into small pieces, but I prefer large layers that preserve the convoluted structure of the brain, let the eaters know what is on their plate.
1
Rinse the brains in warm water. Remove blood clots and surface film. Place the brains in lemon-acidified water and leave for an hour. Then rinse with running water and dry with paper towels.
- Beef brains: 500 g
2
Chop the vegetables coarsely and sear them in a hot pan until dark char marks appear.
3
Pour 2 liters of water into a pot, add burnt vegetables, salt it, and throw in some pepper. Then add the brains to the water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the brains cool in the broth.
- Celery stalk: 70 g
- Carrot: 70 g
- Onion: 70 g
- Black allspice: 3 pieces
- Salt: to taste
4
Wipe the brain with a napkin, cut lengthwise into pieces 2 cm thick.
5
Coat the brains in flour, shaking off the excess. Fry in a well-heated pan with vegetable oil on all sides until golden brown.
- Wheat flour: to taste
- Vegetable oil: to taste
6
Mix sweet chili sauce and kimchi sauce. Remove the brains from the pan and brush the sauce mixture all over with a brush.
- Sweet chili sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Kimchi sauce: 2 tablespoons
7
Cut the tomatoes into large wedges, and you can remove the seeds and juice with a spoon. Place the tomato wedges in the same pan where the brains were fried and lightly sauté until a light caramel crust forms.
- Tomatoes: 2 pieces
8
Serve fried brains with mashed potatoes and cooked tomatoes.
- Mashed potatoes: to taste