Which is to say Lambs’ Kidneys with Chestnuts in a Marsala cream sauce, and it is a real recipe, not one that I have invented. I glanced at it years ago in a French cook book and I thought then what a delicious treat it would be. Then I put the book back and I have never been able to find the recipe again, so this is necessarily a reconstruction based on an imperfect memory.
Ingredients.
25g butter.
1 tblsp olive oil.
1 onion very thinly sliced.
1 clove garlic, crushed.
Salt.
Black pepper.
¼ tspn allspice.
½ tspn balsamic vinegar.
6 kidneys, cored and diced.
1 cup whole roast chestnuts, shelled *.
½ cup dry Marsala.
½ cup fresh whole cream.
¼ cup fresh chopped herbs, e.g. parley or marjoram.
Method.
Melt the butter and oil together in a sauté pan over a hot flame. Sauté the onions until sot then sprinkle with the garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and vinegar. Cook, stirring, for t30 seconds then add the kidneys.
Sauté for 7-8 minutes or until well browned and add the Marsala and the chestnuts. Continue to sauté until the wine has almost disappeared then add the cream and the herbs, reserving a pinch or two of herb for garnish. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for a minute or two to reduce and serve.
*. To roast chestnuts, preheat the oven to 220°C. With a sharp knife, score the shell of each nut and place them on a baking dish. Roast for 20-30 minutes until done. Remove the shells when the nuts have cooled sufficiently to handle.
This is a painstaking and very labour intensive task. It is best performed with a friend and a bottle of wine. Just remember that you will need to have one cup of shelled nuts left when you have finished; they are delicious when still warm.
