The Offal Club

Hot Rocks

2026-02-01T10:50:00.002+00:00

9th February 2024

Location: Simon's

Chef: Simon

In Attendance: Simon, Jason, Adam, Stef, Steve, Jock, Nejc, Dan, Jon.

A couple of hot steak stones, a selection of offal, some Michel Roux sauces and, of course, chips: lovely.

Wine

Quotes

They might taste a bit uriney

Lovely salad

Why is there so much salad left

My salad is vibrant

You might as well just piss in your mouth, it’s the same effect

“Russian mafia legend”

I have nightmares about jock holding kitchen roll

Dom’s late? Quoted at 10.45pm

Cartmoffal 5: Osso Buccolic

2026-01-31T19:39:00.001+00:00

17th - 19th November 2023

Pre-walk Snack: Spiced Liver, Bacon and Tahini Sandwich

Offal Ragu on Croutons

Chicken Hearts with Carrot and Apple

Osso Bucco with Risotto Milanese

Miso Caramel and Chocolate Tart

Wine

Quotes

There’s no gravy in Grimsby

I’ll show you my nipple when we’re alone pete

Next time you go to the toilet I’m going to follow you

I’d like the residue to contribute to the next course

It’s not trying to be cheese

I’m not against yeast flakes

What do you think of the goings on at the pig

My Nan could never be without a man

I feel a bit guilty doing a reach around

It stayed in the hole which is brilliant

If there’s even a hint of faecal matter it’s going in the bin

Let’s go wine shopping! What? Let’s go wife swapping?

Her dad has offered us a pig

Courage, Dear Heart...

2026-01-31T19:14:00.004+00:00

11th February 2023

Location: Adam's

Chef: Adam

Attendees: Adam, Pete, Simon, Jason, Dan, Dom, Jon

Menu:

Chicken Heart Skewers, Chimichurri Sauce

Rabbit with Mustard Sauce, Chicken Livers and Conchiglie

Stuffed Cabbage and Vine Leaves (Ham Hock, Black Pudding and Belly Pork),
with Ham Hock and Bean Casserole

Stuffed Venison Heart (Walnut, Shitaake, Spinach) with Dauphinoise Potatoes

Strawberry and Rose Mess

Cartmoffal 4: The Cheeky Boys. Laab Gai; Apple Snails in Coconut Milk; Sweet Soy Braised Beef Cheeks with Mango Salad and Dirty Rice; Lemon Surprise Pudding with Bone Marrow Butter.

2022-11-27T10:03:00.002+00:00

25-27th November 2022

The annual trip to Cartmel was back. We almost had the full contingent of Offiliates with 11 members signed up but Covid continues to ruin life's plans and we had to put it back by 2 weeks. Unfortunately Joby and Howie were then tied up so we were 9.

Sleeping arrangements were decided by a game of Shithead then it was off to dinner at the local pub.

The following morning we headed off for a walk via the usual stop off at Higginson's for various meat pies for lunch.

With a timely reminder that we are not as young as we once were:

And then it was time for the main event.

Laab Gai (Spicy Minced Chicken Salad)

by David Thompson from Thai Food

Apple Snails in Coconut Milk (Ginataang Kuhol)

Sweet Soy Braised Beef Cheeks with Mango Salad

by Bruno Loubet, from Mange Tout

Dirty Rice

Fry chicken hearts and black pudding, add spring onions, chilli, coriander, soy sauce, mirin. Cook the rice separatey then mix all together.

Lemon Surprise Pudding with Bone Marrow Butter

by Sophie Grigson, from Saturday Kitchen with an Offal Club twist by Dan

The Wine:

Crispy pig's ears; Scallops and black and white puddings with chilli; Ox cheek, kidney and bone marrow steamed suet pudding; Heston's treacle tart.

2022-11-27T09:37:00.002+00:00

Saturday 15th October 2022

After far too long of a hiatus, Jason had his arm twisted to host with several of us offering to cook a dish.

Menu:

Crispy Pig's Ears

Burn off the hair and wash well. Blanch the ears for 2 minutes. Braise the ears for 3 hours with plenty of seasoning. Cut the skin from the cartilage (which is binned) and place on a baking sheet in the oven at 80C for at least 18 hours until very hard and brittle. Deep fry till crispy and bubbly.

Scallops and Black and White Puddings with Chilli

Ox Cheek, Kidney and Bone Marrow Steamed Suet Pudding

Heston's Treacle Tart

Wine

Hot and Sour Broth with Bamboo and Beef Heart; Haggis Lasagne; Welsh Wagyu Short ribs, Steak and Kidney and Horseradish Dumplings; Chocolate Mousse with Rum and Raisin Ice Cream.

2022-02-05T10:17:00.006+00:00

Friday 4th February 2022

Location: Simon's

Attendees: Simon, Tom, Jason, Adam, Jock, Pete, Dan, Dom, Jon.

Chefs: Tom and Simon

Christmas was over, February was here and it was time to get back to offal. I had some Welsh Wagyu short ribs in the freezer from a previous online order so, 72 hours in the sous vide, then some steak and kidney and horseradish dumplings seemed like an obvious partneship. Tom had a hankering for cooking some beef heart Thai broth and Jason found a home made haggis in our local butchers. The haggis lasagne deserves a special mention; so simple but sooo good - try it out!!

And to finish, well who doesn't love a chocolate moose?

Hot and Sour Broth with Bamboo and Beef Heart

Sue Lawrence's Haggis Lasagna

Recipe from BBC Woman's Hour

Welsh Wagyu Short Ribs, Steak and Kidney, Horseradish Dumplings with Beetroot and Swede.

Sea-salted Chocolate and Orange Mousse, Sesame Seed Brittle and Rum and Raisin Ice Cream.

Drinks Selection.

Quotes:

As it's 2022, I'm awaiting a delivery of beef heart by UberEats.

Offal before brothel.

Drop and give me Shakespeare.

Cartmoffal 3: Potato peel crisps; Cod's tongues and tartare sauce; Pistachio and calf's brain souffle; Calf's liver in parsley, cream and crispy bacon, caramelised red onion; Ox cheek stew, mashed potato and mustard, broccoli with chili; Sgroppino.

2021-11-06T18:13:00.011+00:00

5th and 6th November 2021

Our annual trip to Cartmel was back on. Jock was particularly excited, having missed out most of the festivities 2 years ago with illness. As the weekend got closer however, Covid struck and he was once again left high and dry, having to self-isolate with his kids as they all tested positive. Tom had a wedding he couldn't get out of and Dom "had a bonfire night to go to", so we were 7. We arrived on Friday early evening and immediately proceeded to the traditional game to decide who gets to stay in the annexe; this year it was "find the yellow paper clip". After the mandatory pub stop-off, we arrived at the Cartmell Drinkshop and Wine Snug where dinner was to be served.

It turned out that Pete had given the proprieter David some of his very old inherited wine over to be carefully decanted and served up with the food - magnificent!!

Quotes

We didn’t get one that tasted like a dog’s arse

You need to keep at it, it is one of those things you need to learn to love—what like anal? Inside voice, Howie

This is like the spleen and I am Jock

You are both on a journey that ends here

Because I’m 6’, I can get away with another couple of years

So tough f@~#ing titties—inside voice Pete

This weekend will end and I will go home and not eat innards for months

He’s wanking—inside voice Howie

Put a sausage in your mouth

Can we order a couple of things to nibble on—from the other side of the room (non OC members)

Banana Toffoes—can’t believe you haven’t done them

If you roll a trouser leg up each, it will taste better

I was got by a nacho crumb—it’s not going to look good on the insurance Pete

Because the open bits absorb the juices

She can block the smell of any sniffer dogs, she smells like drains

I got fingered by the bloody dog

I don’t eat anything that drinks it’s own piss—David in the wine shop

The following day we walked to nearby Holker Hall for lunch where a large Chistmas fair was taking place.

And then it was back to the pub for another stopover and an extended game of Shithead.

The Main Event

Potato peel crisps.

Potato peelings, oil, seasoning.

Cod's tongues and tartare sauce.

Pistachio and calf's brain souffle.

Calf's liver in parsley, cream and crispy bacon, caramelised red onion.

Ox cheek stew; mashed potato and mustard; broccoli with chili.

Sgroppino.

And More Magnificent Wine:

Quotes

It wasn't a sexual thing, your ring would sting too if you had 40% alcohol poured on it.

You're basically a modern day Jimmy Saville.

Techno-nonce.

I have the smoothest ears I've ever had.

I want the serious wine tasting face not the twat face.

If there's a niche. I'll fill it.

I'm really f@~#ing looking to the brocoli to be honest.

It's a calf brain coulis.

Chicken Liver Pate; Haggis Scotch Egg; Perigord Salad; Grilled Ox Heart; Pigs Trotter with Heartbreads; Eton Mess

2021-11-06T09:59:00.003+00:00

31st July 2021

Kendal Called Off(al)

Despite promises of "freedom day", COVID continues to pervade our lives. Although some events have returned, Adam's usual annual summer jaunt to the Lake District for Kendall Calling was abandoned as the festival was called off. Realising this presented him with an opportune free weekend, the call to OC was put out instead.

He started texting early to let us know that trotters were on the menu. Now we have had a few goes at trotters over the years but it has repeatedly become apparent that, while they are brilliant for flavouring and thickening a stock, they leave alot to be desired when eaten on their own, unless you happen to like skin and gristle. The more he prepared them, the more concerned he seemed to become, as further texts suggested: "we may well not be having trotters", "I will have one happy dog tomorrow", "bring the courgettes, I can stuff them in place of the f~@#ing trotters". Never the less, the menu was set.

The first 4 courses and desert were superb. Trotters remain consigned to the role of flavouring stocks.

Chicken liver pate; black pudding, smoked bacon and onion bread; onion chutney; bone marrow butter.

Haggis scotch eggs.

Perigord salad with duck gizzards and smoked duck breast.

Grilled ox heart; borlotti beans; salsa rossa.

Pigs trotters stuffed with heartbreads, porcini and forest mushrooms and chicken mousse; potato puree with duck fat and black pudding.

Eton mess.

Wine:

Quotes of the evening.

This is like offal club without all the hangers on.

I could see myself at a nursing college, hiding in the vents.

All three of those courses were fantastic Adam, whereas when we are round Simon's, it's like offal roulette.

Adam, I think you've bitten off more than any of us can chew.

It smells of sweat and desperation.

BarbeOffal: Bone Marrow and Pea Crackers; Skewered Teriyaki Chicken Hearts; Peruvian Black Pudding, Lamb's fries and Whipped Feta; Veal Sweetbreads with Tenderstem Broccoli, Goats Butter Sauce and Ramson Emulsion; Grilled Veal Kidneys with Warm Mustard Mayonaise and BBQ’d potatoes; Spiced Ox Heart Kebabs, Ranch Salad, Miso Grilled Aubergine; Orange and Ancho Chilli Flan with Grilled Pineapple and Mexican Cream.

2021-05-23T15:14:00.012+01:00

Saturday 22^nd May 2021

Fifteen months after we last met, lockdown laws were finally relaxed to allow us to get together. Restrictions still prevented us from gathering inside so there was only one thing for it:

BarbeOffal

I'd been scrabbling around all week trying to find a gazebo of some sort as the weather had been pretty terrible, but at the last minute the reports changed and we ended with sunshine. Alternative Meats came up with the goods and Tom and Joby chipped in with their own recipes. As long as we could grill it on the BBQ, it was on the menu. I think it's fair to say the evening was a magnificent succes, every dish working beautifully. The highlight was probably the sweetbreads. As Dom put it, "it's like barbecued cream"!

Chefs: Simon, Tom, Joby

Members present: Simon, Tom, Joby, Jason, Howie, Dom, Jock, Dan, Pete, Adam.

Venue: Simon's garden

Bone Marrow and Pea Crackers

Les Abats, Michel Roux Jr.

200g peas

380g rose veal bone marrow

Sourdough crackers

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 sprig of fresh mint, chopped

2 spring onions, finely sliced

Squeeze of lemon juice

Bring bone marrow to room temperature, run a flexible knife around each end then gently push marrow out from narrow end. Soak in iced, salted water.

Blanch the peas.

Cut bone marrow into 1cm slices.

Sautee the marrow offcuts over low heat to render. Turn up heat and cook slices for 30 seconds on each side. Place in a warm dish.

Add garlic and peas to pan and squash with a fork. Add mint, onions and lemon juice.

Spread the pea mixture on cracker, top with bone marrow and salt and pepper.

Skewered Teriyaki Chicken Hearts

2kg chicken hearts

175g Teriyaki sauce

Soy Sauce

2 x limes

1 x red chilli

1 x spring onion

Sesame seeds

Pour Teriyaki sauce, soy, lime juice, chopped chilli & sesame seeds into bowl.

Pour bowl contents into bag full of chicken hearts.

Marinade for 1 hour.

Skewer on bamboo sticks.

Grill on barbecue.

Serve with chopped spring onion.

Morcilla Peruana Con Cojones y Queso Ahumado

Peruvian black pudding

Lambs fries, sliced

Home-smoked whipped feta

Little gem lettuce

Pomegranate seeds

Grill the black pudding and fries over a high heat on the BBQ. Drizzle the lettuce with feta then top with the fries, black pudding and seeds for a taste explosion!

Veal Sweetbreads with Tenderstem Broccoli, Goats Butter Sauce and Ramson Emulsion.

Rogan, Simon Rogan.

Veal sweetbreads, soaked in milk for several hours

Tenderstem Broccoli

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 shallots, sliced

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 sprig thyme

400ml white wine

1tsp white wine vinegar

200g goat’s butter

30g parsley

40g ramson (wild garlic) leaves

200ml sunflower oil

2 soft boiled eggs (cooked for 4 mins)

Blanch the sweetbreads for 30 secs then refresh in iced water. Peel the outer membrane and leave to dry on kitchen paper. Cover with oil, salt and pepper and refrigerate till needed.

Sweat the onions and fennel in the oil for 6 mins over medium heat, stirring regularly. Add the tyme and wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the vinegar and simmer for another 3 mins. Strain through a fine sieve and return to a clean pan and bring back to boil. Using a stick blender, slowly add the goat’s butter.

Blitz the parsley, ramson and oil until smooth. Pass through a muslin line fine sieve and refrigerate. Blitz the eggs and slowly add the green oil, continuing to blend. Season with salt.

Cook the broccoli over high heat, then move to indirect heat. Grill the sweetbreads over high heat for 10 mins, turning every minute or so until browned and springy.

Grilled Veal Kidneys with Warm Mustard Mayonaise and BBQ’d potatoes.

Les Abats, Michel Roux Jr.

Veal kidneys, fat and cores removed, soaked in milk for several hours

120ml milk

Garlic clove

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of thyme

2 tsp Dijon

2 tsp English mustard

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

80 ml vegetable oil

Cut the potatoes into 1cm slices. Blanch for 3 mins. Drain and leave to cool.

Put the milk in a pan with ½ clove garlic, bay leaf, thyme and pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and leave to cool. Once tepid, remove bay and thyme and add mustards and vinegar. Blend with stick blender and slowly add the oil.

Rub the potatoes with melted bone marrow fat, thyme and rosemary and grill over indirect heat on BBQ with lid on, turning occasionally, for 30 to 45 mins until golden brown.

Grill kidneys 10 mins, turning every minute or so, then leave on a warm plate for 5 mins and discard the juices. Slice and serve.

Spiced Ox Heart Kebabs*, Ranch Salad^#, Miso Grilled Aubergine⁺.

*Les Abats, Michel Roux Jr.

#Veganomicon, Isa Moskowitz & Terry Romero

+Charred, Genevieve Taylor

1kg Ox heart

4 tbsp cumin seeds

4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp Aleppo chilli flakes

2 tbsp Urfa chilli flakes

2 tbsp Maldon salt

2 tbsp black peppercorns

4 garlic cloves, blended

1 large shallot, blended

60 ml olive oil

8 tbsp red wine vinegar

Trim the heart to remove sinew and silvery skin. Cut into strips 1.5 x 14cm.

Toast the seeds and then grind with chilli, salt and pepper. Mix with other ingredients to make a paste. Massage into meat and refrigerate till needed.

Thread on to skewers and grill on hot BBQ for 2 mins each side.

Make the Ranch dressing: mix 100ml mayonnaise, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tbsp chives, 1 tsp onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Cut each little gem lettuce into half, rub with olive oil and grill on hot BBQ, cut side down for 2 mins.

Half 1 cup cherry tomatoes and dice 1 avocado. Slice the lettuce, mix with the tomatoes and avocado and sprinkle with 3 tbsp chives and lemon juice.

Make miso paste: mix 2 tbsp miso, 2 tbsp soy sauce gradually. Then mix in 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1.5 tbsp sesame oil, 2.5cm piece of ginger, 1 clove of crushed garlic.

Slice the aubergines into wedges and rub with the marinade and leave for at least 30mins.

Grill the aubergines on hot BBQ until charred on outside then move to indirect heat and continue cooking with lid on till very soft.

Orange and Ancho Chilli Flan with Grilled Pineapple and Mexican Cream.

Flavour, Yotam Ottolenghi

The Wine:

The Beer:

Quotes of the Night:

He’s dropped a bollock.

No one wants a rare ball.

Great name for a band - pink testicle.

I just need some poppers and a ligature.

Lick the rim.

This fucking broccoli is in the way.

I’ve got some goats cheese detritus going on.

Pour something you love over me.

Why do I have oily fingers? Because you have been fingering the sweetbreads

Don't photograph that, it's a vegetable.

Next up: Adam's newly laid patio, lockdown permitting.

Chinese duck tongue and heart with chili  Duck gizzards with fermented black bean  Chicharon Bulaklak (crispy pork uterus with spiced vinegar)  Bone marrow and chanterelle custard with rocket.  Ox tongue, cheek and tail with roasted marrow bone and oxtail gravy, wilted greens and polenta chips.  Chocolate delice, Tia Maria cream, chocolate and caramel powder and redcurrant and Cointreau sorbet

2020-02-02T10:48:00.004+00:00

Saturday 1^st February 2020.

Speaking in Tongues (and Uterus)

Tonight’s Offal Club was seriously challenging. It was (rather helpfully) pointed out to me at the height of my stress during the early part of the evening that the offal disasters have generally been at my house over the years, something that was already painstakingly on my mind.

The fact is that I love a challenge, both to my culinary skills and my taste buds. I will often look at several similar recipes before working out my final method and can end up going a little "off piste" in order to try out something new. Sometimes that can mean things don't turn out quite right. Beef spleen was unexpectedly potent and required a small amount to be served with something else with strong flavour (but it makes a fantastic gravy). Beef lung smells like dog food (of which no doubt it is the main ingredient). But there have also been some fantastic taste experiences that I've loved and would never have tried had it not been for Offal Club. The "tex-mex" testicles and roasted pigs head are two such examples. And then there have been the culinary tribulations that have come good in the end. Trying to work dried pigs blood into a chocolate ganache and having it split just before serving was one I particularly remember. Tonight's OC definitely fell into this last category.

Pigs uterus has been noted in the freezer compartment of the Manchester chinese supermarkets by several of our members over the years and has generally been considered an extreme offal too far. But Jock wanted to induct his old mate Mark to OC and was really wanting some challenging offal to give him. Hence I felt it was finally time to discover what pigs uterus was like. With spleengate firmly in my mind, I decided it was going to be a small tasting dish so at least if it was a disaster we would have plenty to eat. Wandering the aisles of WH Lung while looking for the uterus identified some precooked packets of duck hearts and tongues in chili and some fermented black bean sauce, recommended as a key ingredient in my recently purchased Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop; I thought this would go nicely with some tinned duck gizzards that had been growing dust on my larder shelf. The main course was going to be Heston's sous vide tongue from his Beef Royale recipe in The Fat Duck Cookbook, something I had wanted to do for some time. Thoughts of bone marrow gravy as an accompaniment then led me to the bone marrow and mushroom custards in Odd Bits, especially as I had been gven some foraged chanterelles for Christmas. For desert: my freezer has been full of frozen redcurrants since our bumper crop last summer and a sorbet seemed a good idea with something deeply chocolatey.

It was a complicated menu so I was highly organised. I spent some time pouring over internet recipes and carefully wrote down everything I was going to do, in what order and when it needed doing. I got my meat ordered in plenty of time, even picking up a bit of spare ox cheek while at the butchers. I sent a picture of the assorted meats out on our What's App group to prepare everyone that uterus was on the menu and Jock returned the picture hazarding a guess as to what was in the plastic bag. This followed by my misspelling "dick gizzards" started a lively conversation in preparation for the evening. What could possibly go wrong 🤣

Jock tries to guess what's in the bag

Venue host and chef: Simon

Members present: Simon, Jason, Joby, Dan, Pete, Jock, Adam, Dom, Mark.

Menu:

Duck tongues and hearts with Chili.

Straight out of the packet, into the oven for 10 minutes and served. Duck tongues are notorious for having bones down the middle so chew with care! Highly recommended.

Duck gizzards with fermented black bean sauce.

Another straight forward dish. Out of the tin, cut off any tough gristle and pop into the oven with the sauce for 15 minutes till lovely and browned. Beware, the black beans have a tendency to explode as they come out of the oven!

Chicharon Bulaklak (crispy pork uterus with spiced vinegar).

So this was where the fun started. I had found a forum discussion about what to do with these (https://criticalmas.org/2012/01/pig-uterus-recipe-an-offal-idea/) and one of the comments was this was a well known dish called Chicharon Bulaklak. However on searching this term I found this was a Filipino dish for pigs intestine rather than uterus. As this was the closest I was going to get, I based my recipe on the forum discussion and some of these other recipes.

I started defrosting the "uterus" in a bowl of salted, vinegared water with tamarind. It then became abundantly clear that the whoever labelled this clearly does not know the difference between uterus (for those without a medical background, uterus is the womb) and small intestine. My first clue was the smell. I had been warned this was bad. What I was not prepared for was the smell was instantly recognisable. It immediately took me back to trudging round farmyards with my young children to look at the animals and in particular the smell of the pig sty. And as we all know, a pig sty does not smell of uterus. The second clue was once it was fully defrosted and I could examine it. Having a medical degree and training as a surgeon, I am well aware of what a small intestine looks like. Still, gritting my teeth against the smell I duly proceeded on the basis that I had the correct ingredient for the dish.

The forum had warned that it was important to cut the "uterus" open before washing and then rinse multiple times. I now knew why this was so important! By the time it had been thoroughly cleaned and was boiling in lemongrass I was pleased to realise that it now only smelled of the herb, even though the smell of pig sty was still firmly associated with it in my mind. An hours boiling, drying and then deep frying completely transformed it. By the time I came to serve these crispy little nuggets, scattered with urfa chili flakes and the spicy chili vinegar, all the reticence of my friends to try this dish had evaporated. It had a vague hint of intestine, reminiscent of andouillette, but mainly was just a vehicle for the sauce. I won't be rushing out to do this again, given the unpleasant smell during preparation, but it was entirely edible, verging on a success.

Recipe

Pork uteri
Lemongrass
Spicy vinegar dipping sauce: 150ml white vinegar, 2.5ml soy sauce, chopped red onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 red chillies, 2.5ml black pepper, 5ml salt, 2.5ml sugar

Cut open uteri and wash thoroughly, several times, until the water is clean. Place in salted vinegar bath with tamarind and wash again. Rinse. Boil in water with lemongrass for 1 hour. Allow to dry. Deep fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with urfa chili flakes. Serve with spicy vinegar.

Bone marrow and chanterelle custard with rocket.

Another dish I had been really looking forward to. I have great memories of doing bone marrow dumplings previously so thought this would work brilliantly. The recipe and description in Odd Bits (by Jenifer Mclagan) is straight forward and easy to follow and I could do this in plenty of time earlier in the day. With all the distractions, I should have got it out of the fridge earlier to properly come up to room temperature. It tasted lovely but mainly I was dissappointed with the texture. I was expecting something like the texture of custard in creme brulee but this was more like a collapsed souffle. Perhaps I had overcooked it and allowed the eggs to split. More practice required with baked custards!!

Recipe

Dried chanterelles 10g.
280g bone marrow (soaked for 12 to 24 hours in iced water with 5ml salt per 250ml water, changing the water every 2 to 3 hours). Drain then break up in to small pieces. Freeze if not using within 24 hours.
500ml whole milk.
Thyme 3 sprigs.
4 eggs.

Soak the mushrooms for 30 mins in 120ml boiling water. Remove, squeeze dry and place in saucepan. Sieve the liquid. Add to the pan with marrow, milk, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 mins until marrow has mostly melted. Remove the thyme and leave to cool.
Blend the mixture, add eggs and blend again. Divide in ramekins. Place ramekins in roasting pan and fill with water to cover half of the ramekin. Bake at 160C for 25 to 30 mins until set but wobbly in centre. Cool and refrigerate for several hours.
Remove from fridge at least 30mins before serving. Run a knife around the edge and turn out on to plate with rocket.

Ox tongue, cheek and tail with roasted marrow bone and oxtail gravy, wilted greens and polenta chips.

So this was the dish that I was most looking forward to, ended up causing me the most stress but ultimately was my favourite of the evening (apart from desert!). This was all down to the tongue. When I have cooked Heston's recipes before, they have been highly reliable and delicious. Unfortunately my slight deviation from his recipe nearly led to disaster. The brine he uses has an enormous amount of salt. He then cooks the tongue in a sous vide with 500ml of water but my vacuum machine does not allow me to vacuum liquids so i did it dry. With hindsight I clearly should have reduced the salt in the brine accordingly. While writing this blog I have also realised that my own recipe, copied from Heston's book, stated to soak the tongue in water for 2 hours after brining which I then forgot to do. Damn!!

Secondly he cooks his tongue at 65C whereas I wanted a pinker meat. I searched the internet and found a recommendation that tongue could be cooked at 55C for 3 days to give a medium rare texture reminiscent of steak. Sound great right? Sadly I can strongly attest to the fact that this is not the case. At 5pm I removed my tongue from its bag. The skin refused to peel off, a sure sign that the tongue is undercooked, so I sliced it off with a sharp knife. It looked OK so I carved off a slice and chewed. It was completely inedible. Massively oversalted, the tip was incredible tough and the fatter part of the tongue was undercooked. Devastated, I pondered throwing it out. After some consideration (and a lot of swearing), it went into a large pot with some aromatics and I started braising it instead. A couple of water changes and some port thrown in and then 3 hours of braising and it had come round. I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when some of my friends commented it was their favourite meat on the plate.

The ox cheek sous vide was completely different. I had dry brined this and then rubbed it with black garlic before sous viding at 55C. This gave it a deeply complex flavour with a melting texture. Equally the marrow bone and oxtail gravy was also superb, with the oxtail meat itself added to the dish. And then polenta chips. Magnificent!!

Recipe

Beef gravy:
2 Beef bone pieces, 300g beef shin and 1 bag oxtail. Onion, carrot, celery. 30ml brandy. 750ml syrah red wine. Porcini mushrooms. 1 tsp miso
Roast the bones and ox tail at 190C until well browned (30-40 mins). Brown the shin and set aside.

Brown the onion and then add carrot and celery and cook for another 2 mins. Add 30ml brandy and 500ml red wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the bones, oxtail, porcini mushrooms and soaking liquid (200ml), miso and 800ml of water. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, skimming the top as necessary. Strain to serve.

Ox tongue and cheek.
2g star anise. 10g coriander seed. 10g celery seed. 10g onion powder. 10g crushed garlic. 1 sprig of rosemary. 5 sprigs of thyme. 1.2L Water. 260g salt (use less if not cooking in water). 1 tbs Peppercorns. Bay leaf. 1 tsp miso paste. 1 tsp marmite. 5 black garlic cloves.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 min. Strain, add the miso and marmite and chill. Brine the tongue for 72 hours. Remove the tongue and soak in several changes of cold water for 2 hours. Dry and vacuum seal. Remove any membranes from the ox cheek and cover with salt and leave for 24 hours in fridge. Pound the black garlic into a paste and rub over the ox cheek then vacuum seal. Sous vide both tongue and cheek at 55C for 3 days.

NB. As noted above, the tongue needs to be cooked at 60-65C otherwise prepare for a further 2 to 3 hour braise!

Polenta chips.
3 cups polenta. 12 cups vegetable stock. 200g parmesan
Boil the stock. Whisk in the polenta. Simmer until coming away from the pan. Add salt and pepper, 30g butter and grated parmesan. Pour into a lined non-stick baking pan and chill in the fridge. Once chilled, brush with olive oil and dust with polenta. Cut into chips. Remove and arrange on baking tray. Bake for 30 mins at 220C.

Chocolate delice, Tia Maria cream, chocolate and caramel powder and redcurrant and Cointreau sorbet.

Another great success. The redcurrant, chocolate and coffee flavours balanced each other perfectly. I didn't have any glucose, having accidentally purchased glycerine instead (which of course is a completely different thing!) so made the chocolate crackling with sugar syrup instead. As this has a different melting point, this turned out to be chocolate and caramel powder rather than crackling but was actually a bit of a revelation and a great addition.

Recipe

Chocolate Delice (https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolatedelice_93624)

2 medium eggs
325ml whipping cream
140ml whole milk
340g dark chocolate

In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs together. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and milk just to the boil, then slowly pour onto the eggs, whisking as you do. It’s important that the cream and milk mixture is boiling hot when you add it to the eggs as this will partially cook them and help to set the mixture. Add the chocolate and stir together until melted and smooth. Pour into a square or rectangular tray and cool. Leave it in the fridge to set overnight. When serving, use a sharp knife warmed in boiling water.

Tia Maria cream (https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/chocolate-delice-recipe)

250g of mascarpone
500g of double cream
4 egg white
60g of caster sugar
3 gelatine leaves
50ml Tia Maria

Whisk the mascarpone in a large bowl to loosen and soften - this will make it easier to work with. Whisk the cream to soft peaks and place in the fridge until required. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, while slowly adding the sugar

Place a small pan over a medium heat, add 50ml of extra cream and then the Tia Maria and softened gelatine, heat gently. Stir until dissolved. Pour the mixture into the mascarpone and mix well.
Gently fold in the cream and then the meringue - do this by adding a 1/3 of each at a time - being careful to retain as much volume as possible. Store in the fridge until required.

Chocolate crackling (https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/chocolate-delice-recipe)

100g of caster sugar
50g of liquid glucose
25ml of water
75g of dark chocolate chips

For the chocolate crackling, heat the sugar, glucose and water in a small pan. Use a sugar thermometer to bring the mixture to 160˚C. Add in the chocolate chips and stir gently to melt and combine

While the mix is still warm, pour onto a tray lined with a silicone mat and leave to set. Once completely set, roughly break up and blitz in a blender to form a powder.
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4. Sprinkle the chocolate powder to make 10 x 3.5cm rectangles and place back at 180˚C for 2-3 minutes or until melted together. Remove, allow to set and store in an airtight container until required

NB. As mentioned above, if using sugar syrup instead of glucose, the mixture forms a powder when the chocolate is added to the caramel and does not melt in the oven.

Redcurrant sorbet

750 grams redcurrants
500 grams caster sugar
75 millilitres Cointreau

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the redcurrants, stalks and all, into an ovenproof dish and add the sugar. Cover with foil and put in the oven for about 45 minutes, by which time the fruit will have become soft and pulpy.

Let the fruit cool and puree it in a blender or processor. A blended or blitzed mixture will have to be pushed through a sieve to remove all the pippy bits. Make sure you use all the syrupy juice the redcurrants have made as well, and then stir in the Cointreau.

Put the sorbet mixture into an ice-cream maker to freeze and then decant this vivid puce slush into an airtight container and keep in the freezer until the actual point of serving.

Wine and othe assorted drinks.

Quotes of the night.

The lower intestine is full of crap you know

I'm not sure how much wobble there should be before taking it out

So Mark, how do you know the enigma that is Jock? By enigma I of course mean c##t.

Was it the Dalai Lama? No it was Winnie the Pooh.

I’m a tissue man.

Are you, Alice, menstruating right now.

Look at it from a micro faecal point of view.

My mother-in-law's staying tonight so I've got second choice.

Where to next?

There may be a TodmordOffal on the horizon.

Cartmoffal 2: Tarts with Hearts in Carts. Hot and Spicy Pork Scratchings; Red Ant Egg and Pak Choi Salad; Spiced Lambs Faggots with Carrot Puree; Stuffed Roast Heart with Devilled Kidneys and Garlic Liver Pâté; Miniature Lemon Tarts with Star Anise, Blackberry Sorbet and Beef Tendon Jellies.

2019-11-16T18:11:00.000+00:00

16th November 2019

Tarts with Hearts in Carts

We headed up to Cartmel for our 2nd annual visit, brimming with excitement at the planned weekend's festivities. Upon arrival, the bedrooms were decided following a game of "guess which hand the paper is in" and Jock was elated to have once again won the Annexe. We headed to the pub and then on to try Simon Rogan's 1 Michelin starred bistro: Rogan & Co.

In attendance: Pete, Dan, Simon, Jason, Jock, Joby, Adam, Dom.

The following day we whet our appetites with a quick trip to Higginsons butchers in Grange-Over-Sands where an incredible array of pies could be found for our picnic lunch. Then it was out for the obligatory wander through the hills and woods around the Lakes.

The Menu

The Chefs

The Alcoholic Centrepiece

Sadly Pete's elderley father had passed away recently. While clearing his house, Pete and his brother discovered some very old wines in the cellar and Pete had very generously decided to share 2 of these with his friends at Offal Club: a 1969 Chateau Sicard-Charlus Cotes du Bourg and a Chateau Canteloup Saint Estephe of which the year had torn away but looking on google images suggested a similar year. Some advice from the local vintner at the hilariously entitled Cartmel Drinkshop and Wine snug had suggested decanting them the night before so this had duly been done and everyone got to have a good sniff as the aroma gradually awoke. Then back into the bottle minus the sediment to carry over to Dan's for dinner.

The Preparation

Upon our return the preparation began in earnest. Pete was very excited about roasting a whole ox heart, especially as he had procured a genuine butcher's needle and string with which to sew it up, now formerly the property of The Offal Club.

Meanwhile Dan set about preparing the lambs faggots and braising some beef tendon jellies to try and get something offally into the desert.

Hot and Spicy Pork Scratchings

Cooked with chili and served with a particularly hot chili sauce, not for the faint-hearted!

Unfortunately it was at this point that the winter vomitting virus that Jock's children had suffered just before he left, found it's way into his system and he had to bid the rest of us farewell. We were all grateful that he had won the Annexe as he spent the next 6 hours in his very own bathroom.

Red Ant Egg and Pak Choi Salad.

Delightfully presented, the red ant eggs had little flavour of their own and were relegated to being an amusing vehicle for the fragrant thai dressing

Spiced Lambs Faggots with Carrot Puree

by Josh Eggleton

Served with the Sicard Charlus, you just can't go wrong with an offal meatball.

Stuffed Roast Heart with Devilled Kidneys and Garlic Liver Pâté

from the Fancy Ass Food Blog.

Never to do things by half, Pete turned this into 3 dishes, served in reverse order. The pate was deliciously smooth after he had blitzed it and passed it through a sieve and the redcurrants with the kidneys were an excellent combination. Carving the heart caused some surprise. The meat juices had collected inside the impermeably sewn cavity such that the sanguineous spurt that erupted forth across the table managed to put several members off their food. The general rule with heart is to cook it either fast and hot or as a long braise as somewhere in the middle can leave it tough and chewy. This method worked well however and managed to retain the tender juiciness off flash frying. Personally, as a lover of rare steak, I thought this fitted the bill nicely.

Miniature Lemon Tarts with Star Anise, Blackberry Sorbet and Beef Tendon Jellies.

Dan had been keen to try the jellies but when he cooked them with sugar they just became very tough. The savoury version retained its texture but the contrast with the sweet desert tested my taste buds a little too far. The rest of the desert was superb.

The Wine and other assorted alcohols.

The Game of the Evening.

Having taken over last year as the "Recorder of the Quotes", Jock had spent some time preparing our evening's entertainment by categorising the quotes for the last 12 years and presenting them to us for us to vote on our all time favourite. As Jock was by this time unable to rouse himself from the Annexe, we decided to go through the list one by one and vote on whether each quote was better than the best of the previous.

At the end of the food category it was a split vote over the two thespian-inspired "what Kate Winslett would taste like" and "like eating out Michael Howard". Then, as we worked our way through the nonsense category everyone else unanimously voted for "He says he doesn't do private practice because of his morals. Actually, he doesn't do it because he's a lazy f##ker" and I was reminded that they are all actually a bunch of w##kers.

Quotes of the weekend.

I game hard. You came hard? No, I game hard.

Simon: Have you met Duncan? Jason: I f##king hate everyone

He has actually got his fingers up her a##e, hasn’t he?

Bringing white wine to Offal club is like bringing a knife to a gun fight

His wife will not tolerate tarragon

I tried to find a launderette in Amsterdam where I could clean it all off

I love a badger

It’s about Welsh frogs porn

All quotes from you are banned

It’s like a sherry top

Can’t beat a flaked almond

Do you want a hand with the vegetables, shall I blanch the kale for example?

It’s not cooked. Yes it is, there’s just a big bloody sack

Eyeball f##king, is that a thing?

Curry Night: Lamb's Kidneys and Testicles Masala; Pullao Rice; Liver Curry.

2019-11-16T18:08:00.003+00:00

5th October 2019

Curry Night

The Chef:

The Food:

The Quotes:

Where's Joby? He's photographing his di......

Would you like my spare bollock?

We love a bollock quote

Guestimate is more of a rectal pull

That's not arrogant, that's willfully confusing

So what do you do for a living Tom? I'm sorry but I actually don't really know

And I was like, have you tasted this lizard cock?

Siri, is Jock a c##t? (Siri refused to drawn)

DOM'S POP UP OFFAL AT JOCK'S | JUNE 2019

2019-06-16T12:59:00.002+01:00

On Saturday June 15th we gathered at Jock's house in Sale as he hosted Dom's Pop Up Offal Club, in the kitchen. It was brilliant, which was expected and also served relativity on time, which wasn't (!)

Menu is above and recipes below (for ease of putting them on here, some are slightly different as sourced online)

Members present: Jock, Dom, Simon, Jason, Tom, Pete, Dan

OX TONGUE WITH SALSA VERDE

Ingredients:

1large ox tongue, trimmed and rinsed (see Note)

1onion, peeled and halved

2bay leaves, preferably fresh

handful of celery tops

6whole black peppercorns

2 tbspsalt, approximately

2garlic cloves, unpeeled

1-2 tbspolive oil

Salsa verde

½ cup(loosely-packed) oregano leaves

½ cup(loosely-packed) basil leaves

½ cup(loosely-packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves

1lemon, zest finely grated and juice strained

1 tbspsalted capers, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, then rinsed

4anchovy fillets, or to taste

60 ml(¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Soaking time 1 hour

Cooling time 15 minutes

Soak the ox tongue in lightly salted cold water for 1 hour, then drain. Place the tongue in a saucepan large enough to hold it flat, then add enough water to cover – measuring the water as you go. Pop in the onion, bay leaves, celery tops, peppercorns and garlic and adjust the salt to about 1 tablespoon per litre of water added. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1½ hours or until a skewer inserts easily. Drain the tongue (you can keep the liquid to make soup or risotto, though it is salty), then refresh under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Peel and discard the skin, then slice the tongue across the grain into 1½ cm-thick pieces.

While the tongue is cooling, place all the ingredients for the salsa verde in a large mortar and pestle and pound until smooth. Alternatively, you can simply chop everything very finely with a knife, then combine with the oil and lemon juice.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a raging flame. Fry the tongue slices until golden brown on each side, then serve warm with the salsa verde.

NoteA decent butcher should be able to get a tongue for you at short notice. You may find it easier to buy a couple and cook them together to save energy. You can freeze the whole cooked tongue for a few weeks before using if you like.

HAM & BLACK PUDDING CROQUETTES

Ingredients:

For The Croquettes

280g Black Pudding, peeled and chopped roughly

6 Scallions - finely chopped

2 Sweet Red Peppers, quartered, deseeded & cut into 1 cm dice

175g potatoes, cooked and mashed

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

50ml Malt vinegar

Seasoned flour, as required

2 beaten eggs, or more if required

225g fresh breadcrumbs

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Oil for frying

For The Compote

600ml water

225g Prepared Fruit, eg rhubarb or gooseberries

350g caster sugar

Method

In a food processor, blend the roughly chopped black pudding, spring onions, red peppers, potatoes, mustard and vinegar.

Season to taste and mould the mixture into cylinderical shapes abot 5cm long.

Roll these in the flour, then the lightly beaten eggs and finally the breadcrumbs

Shallow fry in plenty of hot oil until golden brown, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.

Meanwhile, dissolve the sugar in the water and bring up to the boil to make a syrup, then add the goosberries and cook gently for 10 minutes, until soft.

Strain off the excess juice, then arrange the warm compote on heated serving plates with the reserved croquettes and a salad garnish.

TIP. If using fruit with more natural sweetness, the sauce may needa squeeze of lemon juice.

CHICKEN LIVER PAPPARDELLE

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pappardelle

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

Salt

1 pound white mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped

Freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons chopped thyme

1/2 pound chicken livers, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

All-purpose flour, for dredging

3/4 cup dry Marsala

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Step 1

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pappardelle until al dente; drain well.

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat until the shallot is softened and golden, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are softened and most of their liquid has evaporated, about 12 minutes. Stir in the thyme. Scrape the mushrooms into a bowl and reserve.

Step 3

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess. Fry the livers over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side.

Step 4

Return the mushrooms to the skillet and pour in the Marsala. Cook for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 3/4 cup of the cream to the skillet at a time, allowing the sauce to thicken between additions. Simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Add the pappardelle and toss to coat. Transfer to a large bowl, garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.

CALVES LIVER WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Ingredients:

160 g spinach

4 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

4 pieces calves liver, weighing about 170g each

large knob of butter

50 g sultanas, soaked in water for 15 minutes

50 g pine kernels

200 ml balsamic vinegar

black pepper

1. Blanch the spinach for a couple of minutes in a large saucepan of boiling water. Drain thoroughly, pressing out as much liquid as possible with the back of a wooden spoon.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and spinach and cook gently until the garlic is transparent. Season to taste and remove the pan from the heat.

3. Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan large enough to take the liver in a single layer. Add the liver and fry for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Turn the slices over, add the butter and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the liver from the pan and keep warm.

4. Add the drained sultanas, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar to the pan in which you cooked the liver. Stir over medium heat until reduced. Season to taste.

5. Meanwhile, reheat the spinach and transfer to a warmed serving dish.

6. Place the liver on top of the spinach, pour over the reduced sauce and serve immediately.

ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE

Ingredients:

2 oranges

6 eggs

250 g ground almonds

250 g sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 splodge of butter and sprinkling of flour for the cake tin

Wash and boil the oranges unpeeled, in water to cover for 1 1/2 hours or until they are very soft. Let them cool, then cut them open, remove the pips and turn them into a puree in a food processor.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, mix thoroughly and pour into a buttered and floured cake tin with a removable base if possible.

Bake in a preheated moderately hot 190ºC (370ºF) oven for about 1 hour. If it is still very wet leave it in the oven for a little longer. Cool in the tin before turning out.

Drinks

Quotes

I've just snotted in your liver

Who ate all the brians?

What would you do if you walked into a room and found me bumming a virtual Howie?

Ribald rabid wank fest

Special K is flying off the shelves these days

Weren't your parents landlords? No, just alcoholics

Don't give me those eyes...The joy of pleasuring your wife

Lamb kidney kebab with rosemary, basil and Muscat; Chicken livers with chicory, cherries and lardons; Oxtail sous vide with Mexican chili sauce; Chocolate ganache with crème fraiche , orange oil and spiced hazelnuts

2019-06-16T12:57:00.003+01:00

Saturday 9th February 2019

Havng developed somewhat of a reputation, I was recently given an Offal book by a visiting german friend. The pictures are amazing but the recipes are beyond me, in that they are of course written in german. I was determined to find some way of putting it to good use so I chose one of the shorter recipes and painstakingly typed it into Google Translate. Definitely worth the effort!! Ottolenghi provided two more recipes and my sous vide machine finished off the menu.

Venue: Simon's

Chef: Simon

Members present: Simon, Jason, Joby, Adam, Pete, Dan, Jock, Dom

The Menu:

Offal Club, Feb 2019

-o-

Starter
Lamb kidney kebab with rosemary, basil and Muscat

-o-

Second course
Chicken livers sautéed with chicory, cherries and lardons

-o-

Main course
Oxtail with Mexican ancho and cascabel chili sauce served with cabbage and swede fondant and Brussels sprouts with black garlic

-o-

Dessert
Chocolate ganache with crème fraiche , orange oil and spiced hazelnuts

Lamb kidney kebab delicately flavoured with rosemary, basil and Muscat.

Innereien by Stephane Reynaud

This was a bit of a revelation. Rosemary and lamb with sauce, perfect!

12 Lamb kidney, fat removed from the butcher
12 sprigs of rosemary
50g Butter
15ml sunflower oil
6 garlic cloves
1 bunch of basil
150ml Muscat wine
200ml veal stock
15ml tomato puree
Salt, pepper

Kidneys
The kidneys cut lengthwise and remove the urinary ducts.
Skewers
Skewer the kidneys. Sautee in a pan in the butter and a little sunflower oil for 5 minutes, turning regularly. Place on a grill and drain on the warm stove or on the open oven.
Sauce
Peel the garlic and cut into slices, pluck the basil. Extinguish the roast in the pan with the muscat and stir. Add the garlic and reduce the mixture by one third. Add the veal stock, tomato paste and basil with salt and pepper. Heat the skewers in the sauce.

Chicken livers sautéed with chicory, cherries and lardons.

Nopi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully

I love Ottolenghi's recipes. They are usually easily accessible and delicious, as long as you can find the odd unusual ingredient. Livers with bacon and cherries was a great combination.

Oxtail with Mexican ancho and cascabel sauce served with cabbage and swede fondant and Brussels sprouts with black garlic.

Swede fondant: Nopi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully
Brussel sprouts : Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Having done Tetsuyo's oxtail salad a few years ago, I was struck by how good the meat was after just an hours braising when it was still pink and I wanted try and recreate that. A sous vide machine is a brilliant way of tenderising cuts while still keeping them medium rare. Unfortunately I only cooked this for 1 day and that was not quite enough. The fat had not rendered properly and the meat was still a bit chewey. Either cook at 65C for a day or 55C for 3 days next time.

I had recently discovered how to make Mexican chili sauce from my Christmas present of The Food Lab by J Kenji Lopez and so had scoured the internet to order these, only to discover later that they are readily available at my local supermarket! The sauce is easily prepared by searing the chilis briefly by pressing them down on a very hot frying pan, boiling them in water for 20 mins and blitzing the mixture at the end.

Chocolate ganache with crème fraiche , orange oil and spiced hazelnuts

Nopi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully

The Wine:

Quotes

The driving force behind vogueing

We're not working to Dom time

Joby, can you enrich uranium too?

Not the first time Pete's been on Grindr duty

He's dangling that cock there for you

Have you ever done proper Offal Joby or what? Reply: F##k off Dom!

Duck's die regularly in Hungary

It's an acerbic Reisling

What is it about Offal Club that makes you snore so loudly and wake me up with even louder farts?

ROGAN'S LUNG: Roasted insects with caramel; Haggis bonbons; Pork rillons with apple; Little pots of curried kidneys; Ox tongue stew; Buffalo worm praline and peanut brittle

2019-06-15T18:51:00.003+01:00

24th November 2018

Getting a bit late on updating these blogs currently (all my fault, it won't happen again etc) but hopefully this post will make up for the wait as it features recipes, drinks; pictures from a really special happening of The Offal Club that took place November 2018 in Cartmel:

Due to two Offal Club members having residencies in Cartmel we decamped up to the Lake District for a weekend of hill walking, Lido exploring, high end restaurant menu admiring, some eating, some drinking, all calumniating in a spectacular night of offal.

Rogan's Lung in Cartmel: Imagine a world where each and every day is the best day of your life...

Course one: Dan

Chimp sticks with assorted roasted insects, caramel and crushed peanut.

from Eat Grub by Shami Radia.

Course Two: Jason

Haggis Bonbons

Award winning haggis from George Cockburn and Son of Dingwall

Course Three: Dan Rillons with Apple and Rocket.

From Odd Bits by Jennifer McLagan.

Course Four: Dan Sour pig lung soup

From Odd Bits by Jennifer McLagan.

Course Five: Pete

Little pots of curried kidneys

From The Fifth Quarter by Anissa Helou.

Course Six: Pete Ox tonque stew w/ potatoes

From The Fifth Quarter by Anissa Helou.

Course Seven: Dan

Buffalo worm, peanut and vanilla praline with ice cream.

from Eat Grub by Shami Radia.

Wine and other assorted alcohols

Quotes

No quotes were available from this weekend as we were all too distracted.

Jock has promised to record them from now on.

Bacon bread, black pudding and poached egg; Tex-mex lambs fries, gaucamole, salsa, frijoles; Lambs sweetbreads in breadcrumbs, french beans, capers and blackcurrant sage; Otolenghi's Eton mess

2018-06-09T13:40:00.000+01:00

Friday 8th June 2018

The First Offal of Summer

Jason was hosting this one and I had been drafted in as sous chef. He had been given some home-made black pudding by a friend at work (thanks Dave!!) and was keen to do something with sweetbreads. We have often fondly recalled our first experience with lambs fries and so decided to give the same recipe another go for the third dish. 3 Little Pigs obligingly provided the goods. We have previously only tried lambs thymus sweetbreads so were quite excited when we were given pancreas instead (sometimes known as heartbreads). Even better, our butcher friends threw in a couple of bags lambs fries for free. Clearly the testicle market is having a lull at the moment.

Venue: Jason's

Chefs: Jason and Simon

Member present: Jason, Simon, Dan, Pete, Jock, Tom, Dom, Adam, Joby, Mike.

A little taster of Nepalese buffalo jerky (kindly brought back from Nepal by Emma)

A Lancashire Breakfast

Some home-made molasses-infused, malted bacon bread, home made black pudding and a sous-vide egg:

Mexi-cojones

Lamb's fries marinated in Pru Leith's BBQ sauce on a mexican salsa, avocado sliced and pureed and frijoles:

Pank - o - reas

Lamb's sweetbreads in panko breadcrumbs on green beans with capers, garlic and blackcurrant sage:

Ottolenghi's Eton and Rose Mess

Russian salad with beef tongue; Haggis arancini; Eastern spiced Pork belly; Chicken Livers Katmis Gvidzli; Quyrdak with Lamb's tongues and kidneys; Plov with lamb's neck; Chocolate guinness cake

2018-03-18T11:38:00.001+00:00

Saturday 17th March 2018

The Beast from the East

Adam had offered to sacrifice himself on the altar of OC chef tonight. Fresh from his return having been living in Kazakhstan for several years, his creative juices were flowing with ideas for offal dishes with an Eastern theme. A magnificent feast was laid on while the wind and snow were howling outside carried from a Siberian weatherfront appropriately nicknamed The Beast from the East.

Chef and Host: Adam

Offaliates present: Adam, Simon, Jason, Howie, Jock, Pete, Dan.

Anticuchos; Sri Lankan Chicken Liver and Mango Curry; Steak, Kidney and Pheasant Pie; Treacle Tart.

2017-12-09T11:46:00.000+00:00

Friday 8th December 2017

FestOffal 2017

Jock has long been wanting to demonstrate his value to OC beyond that of procuring expensive and delicious alcohols to accompany the food and an ability to devour any and all offal put in front of him (positions he carries out admirably). Being of the "can't cook" variety has left him requiring the services of guest chefs and so Dom was recruited so that Jock could host. After a couple of clandestine meetings in Chorlton to prepare the menu (Dom: "I was thinking of cooking this"; Jock: "Great, that sounds lovely"; Both: "Sorted, another pint?") the scene was set for another fine evening.

Chefs: Dom and Joby

Host: Jock

Offaliates present: Jock, Dom, Joby, Simon, Jason, Dan, Pete, Simon C, Steve, Tom.

Anticuchos

Joby started us off with his take on Anticuchos, a peruvian street food of marinated ox heart skewers accompanied by a delicious, hot chili relish.

Sri Lankan Chicken Liver and Mango Curry

Steak, Kidney and Pheasant Pie

A founder member of Pie Club, Dom really does make an astonishingly good rough puff pastry.

Heston's Treacle Tart

The Wine

OFFAL CLUB AUGUST 4TH 2017 | IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PIG

2017-12-08T10:46:00.000+00:00

For this Offal Club things were kept very simple.

Pete cooked a whole pig.

& we ate it.

It was amazing.

(no receipe other than 'cook the pig')

Prior to oven

In the oven

& here's how we ate the pig with no name...

Starter:

'tomato salad w/ white & black pudding & mushroom frittata'

Then onto the main course...

...first some prep...

😛 pic.twitter.com/15XYw3bWTb

— offalclub (@theoffalclub) August 4, 2017

Here's the:

1) brain

2) tongue

3) cheek

4) kidney

5) eyeball

& all served with baby potatoes & carrots cooke din orannge & thyme....

Then for dessert, peached strawberries & mint with a champagne subayen (thanks Simon!)

🍓 pic.twitter.com/d5ADspNyhy

— offalclub (@theoffalclub) August 4, 2017

& of course the drinking...

Cider brandy to finish...

SATURDAY NIGHT TAIL, TONGUE AND TRIPEAWAY | MARCH 2017 OFFAL CLUB

2017-08-04T14:53:00.000+01:00

Another long overdue post, this one detailing Dan & Pete's amazing 'Saturday Nght Tail, Tongue and Tripeaway' menu back in March...look at that menu!

Alternative menu, presented in modern parlance:

First up, these crispy cod tonuges... ("OH MY COD...")

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh cod tongues, washed and dried
1 cup flour, seasoned with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
4 ounces of salt pork cut into small 1/4 inch cubes (scrunchins)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

Wash the cod tongues and dry with paper towels. Toss in the seasoned flour until lightly coated. Cook the salt pork in a skillet over a medium heat until the pork pieces are crispy and have released or rendered their fat. Add the vegetable oil to the skillet. Fry the cod tongues over medium-high heat until crispy and golden brown on each side. Eat them plain or dip them in this simple, tangy tarter sauce.

Tarter Sauce
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip), 3 Tbsp of sweet pickle relish, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Prep & serving of said tounges...

The evening's (at that point) reltviely untouched wine selection...

Don't be put off by this salad

Spiced Crisp Chicken Livers

Ingredients:
    1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken livers (US Wellness sells lovely free range.)
    2/3 cup coconut flour
    1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    1 teaspoon coarse (granulated) garlic powder
    3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    2-4 tablespoons coconut oil

    Salad: pomegranate, fresh lemon and chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, or mint)

Directions:

Cut chicken livers into 2-inch pieces and pat dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, mix flour, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cloves with a fork until blended. Pour the seasoned flour into a large ziplock bag, add the chicken livers, and shake gently until coated evenly.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil over medium-high until hot, about 3 minutes. Add about half the chicken livers in a single layer — try to arrange them so they don’t touch. Allow the bottom to brown well and form a crisp crust, about 3-5 minutes. Using tongs, flip the livers, and brown the other side. Set aside to drain on paper towels while you cook the second batch. You may need to add more coconut oil to the pan.

Place the livers on a serving plate and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs.

These taste their crispy best if you eat them immediately, but since I’m the only person in the house who likes chicken livers, I had a lot to eat as leftovers. They were really tasty re-heated, just not as crisp. I had them three days in a row for breakfast, with a side of leafy greens sautéed with chunks of roasted butternut squash. It was luscious and kept me energized all morning.

Next up was the spectualer...Rigatoni With Sweetbread and Tripe Ragu (!)

Ingredients:
1 cup roughly chopped carrot
1 cup roughly chopped celery
1 cup roughly chopped white onion
3 tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. lamb or veal sweetbreads
Kosher salt
1 lb. honeycomb tripe
1 1⁄4 cups finely chopped guanciale
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 cups canned tomato purée
2 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
1 lb. rigatoni
1⁄4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
1⁄2 cup ricotta
1⁄4 cup finely chopped mint

Directions:
In a food processor, pulse the carrots, celery, and onions until finely chopped. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over low. Add the vegetables, and cook, stirring, until tender and lightly caramelized, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, add the sweetbreads and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the sweetbreads, and then let cool to room temperature. Using a paring knife, remove and discard the outer membrane, and cut the sweetbreads into 1⁄2-inch cubes.

In a large saucepan of cold, salted water, add the tripe and bring to a boil. Drain the tripe and then repeat this process twice, allowing the tripe to sit in the boiling water for 15 minutes after the third time boiling it. Drain the tripe once more, let cool to room temperature, and then cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes.

In a 12-inch skillet, add 1 cup of the guanciale, and then heat over medium-high. Cook, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the guanciale to paper towels to drain and return the skillet with its fat to medium heat. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly caramelized, about 1 minute. Add the caramelized vegetables, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine, and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved tripe along with the tomato purée and 1⁄2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until the tripe is tender, about 2 1⁄2 hours.

Add the sweetbreads and 1⁄2 cup water to the sauce, and cook, stirring, until the sweetbreads break down into the sauce, about 20 minutes. Stir the cooked guanciale back into the sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the sauce from the heat and let cool to room temperature. (The ragu can be made up to this point and refrigerated for 3 to 5 days or frozen for 3 to 4 weeks.)

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, add the rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the remaining 1⁄4 cup guanciale in a 12-inch skillet and then heat over medium-high. Cook, stirring, until the guanciale is caramelized and crisp, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the chile flakes, and cook for 1 minute. Using tongs, transfer the rigatoni to the sauce along with 1 cup of pasta water and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, stir the ricotta with the mint, and then divide the ricotta among 4 pasta bowls. Spoon the pasta over the ricotta in each bowl and then top with more pecorino to serve.

Then it was onto the Tail and Head of Ox with Horseradish Mash

Bubblin'...

Next course bubblin' 🐂🐃🐂🐃 pic.twitter.com/wh8kchhCYK
— Tom Clarke (@visuals0und) March 25, 2017

& the wines...

We'e got sometuing special for the next Offal Club, updates to follow...

THE LONG OVERDUE FESTOFFAL BLOG | DECEMBER 2016

2017-08-03T17:50:00.005+01:00

Yes. This blog's been a bit too quiet over these last few months. Not acceptable. Really.

So ahead of August's Offal Club we thought it's more than time enough to do an update with the last two sittings. We apologise to our readers & please blame me (Tom) for the general tardiness...

Anyway, to The Offal...

The Annual Festoffal of 2016 was hosted by Dan and as you'd expect, was truly amazing.

To kick things of, how about some LAMB HEART JERKY?!

LAMB HEART JERKY!

For the recipe, have a look at this link & obvious enpugh, swap out the beef heart for lamb heart (& remember this jerky was made in Altrinchinham, not Oregon..)

Ingredients:
1 Lamb heart (3 pounds, in this case)

Marinade:

1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/5 cup soy sauce (call it a scant 1/4 cup if that’s easier; the quantities don’t matter that much.)
1/5 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 decent-sized cloves of garlic, crushed to bits
A good sprinkling of fresh coarse-ground pepper

Just mix all the stuff together and put it on the sliced heart in a low flat dish; cover and refrigerate for however long you like, turning the strips over every so often. I left mine in there all day.

Place strips on the dryer trays and dry at 155 F for as long as it takes – the weather and ambient temperature will have something to say about this. This took (early December in ~~Oregon~~ Alrincham) seven and a half hours.

DEAD PONY CLUB ALE WITH THE JERKY

Then next up we had Chilli Oxtail. Oh yes.

OX TAIL

Ingedients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pounds oxtails (Beef)
3 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)
1 yellow onion (medium, peeled and diced)
1 medium tomatoes (diced)
2 cups beef stock (Canned)
2 cups water (approximately)
2 tablespoons ground allspice (Freshly, or to taste)
salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Tabasco Pepper Sauce (to taste)

Place beans in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup of the water, bring to a boil, covered, then turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 1 hour, covered, then drain.

Brown the oxtails well in the oil. Place the oxtails in a 6-quart stove-top casserole. Add the garlic, onion and tomato. Add the beef stock and enough water so it just covers the contents of the pot. Add the allspice, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 3 1/2 hours, adding the drained beans after 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Remove the lid during the last hour of cooking if you want a thicker sauce. Be careful the pot does not dry out. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.

Then next up...

FRIED LIVER WITH CUMIN

Ingredients:

    1 pound chicken livers
    Flour for dredging
    1 tablespoon safflower oil
    1 tablespoon butter
    1 clove garlic, minced
    2 shallots, minced
    ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
    ½ cup heavy cream
    Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
    2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

Dredge the chicken livers in the flour and brown them in the butter and oil. Remove and set aside.

Saute the garlic and shallots for two minutes. Add the cumin and coriander. Return the chicken livers to the pan and add the cream, salt and pepper.

Garnish with coriander & salad and serve...

Cook until the livers are pink in the center and the sauce has thickened.

BOO!

MEAT & VEG.

Followed by Deer Heart Jaeger Schitzel!

Which inexplicably at the time of going to press, I can't find a photo of?!

Ingredients:

    Gravy
    1 tablespoon butter
    1⁄4 cup finely minced shallot
    3 cups sliced button mushrooms
    2 1⁄2 cups beef stock
    1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
    1⁄4 teaspoon season salt (I use Lawrys)
    Schnitzel
    1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
    1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
    1⁄2 teaspoon salt
    16 ounces boneless venison steak, pounded to 1/4 Inch thick (4 4oz steaks)
    2 eggs, Beaten
    1⁄2 cup dry breadcrumbs
    3 tablespoons canola oil
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    Garnish
    1 tablespoon minced parsley
    lemon wedge

Schnitzel
1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
16 ounces boneless venison steak, pounded to 1/4 Inch thick (4 4oz steaks)
2 eggs, Beaten
1⁄2 cup dry breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Garnish
1 tablespoon minced parsley
lemon wedge

Gravy prep:

In 2 quart Saucepan melt butter and sautee shallot until transparent. Add mushrooms and stir occasionally until mushrooms are tender.

While mushrooms are sauteeing, in a separate bowl combine stock (cold) and 1/4°C Flour. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a bubble and stir continually until thickened.

Stir in Seasoned salt and remove from heat and set aside.

Cutlets prep:

In 3 shallow dishes put 1/3 C flour, seasoned with salt & pepper in one, beaten eggs in another, and breadcrumbs in the last. Dip each pounded cutlet into the flour, then the eggs, then the breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet and cook the steaks 4 to 6 minutes turning once until browned. Remove to paper towels then put on serving platter.

Sprinkle finished steaks with lemon juice and pour gravy over. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

So it may seem we ate a lot on the evening, We did. Loads.

The next main course was...*drum roll*....

Venison Kidney Turbico

Ingredients:
8 venison kidneys

8 sausages

500g button mushrooms

500g button onions

1 tbsp flour

500ml chicken stock

1 tbsp tomato purée

Half the kidneys lengthways and remove the cores.

Brown the kidneys and the sausages, thick slice the sausages and set aside

Brown the button mushrooms and onions and stir in the flour

Add the stock and tomato purée and and return the kidneys and sausages to the pan

Simmer for 20 minutes

Serve.

Phew! Amazing.

Then to conclude...

Pomegranate & Rose Mess

Ingredients:

Meringues

    2 large egg whites
    ¼ cup granulated sugar
    ¼ cup powdered sugar

assembly

    ¾ cup crème fraîche
    ½ cup mascarpone
    2 tablespoons powdered sugar
    ½ rose water (optional)
    6 ounces strawberries, hulled, halved if large
    1 pint strawberry or raspberry sorbet
    1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or 1½ tsp. honey
    ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
    1 teaspoon ground sumac
    2 teaspoons dried rose petals (optional)

Course six explained... pic.twitter.com/UL46O0F1Kt
— Tom Clarke (@visuals0und) December 2, 2016

& lets not forget the wines...

Until the next (late) update, enjoy the receipes...

Chicharron de orejas con chorizo. Mexican cricket salad with tortilla and Mezcal and orange dressing. Rose veal and pork tongue with almonds and grapes, caramelised onions and fennel and mangalitza pork black pudding. Wagyu beef cheek, tail and kidney ale stew with bone marrow dumplings and beetroot and horseradish dauphinoise. Apple and blackberry crumble.

2016-09-19T10:18:00.001+01:00

Saturday 17th September 2016

Snack the Pony

OK, so pony did not feature too highly on the menu tonight but we loved the title so much that it had to go in. Tonight's OC had several sources of inspiration: a jar of roasted crickets sent via international delivery by our mexican friend Monica as a follow on to the Mezcal and cricket dust; the crispiest, fluffiest pigs ears ever tasted, served at one of my favourite restaurants (The Rose Garden, West Didsbury); and the discovery of a new source of procurement (alternativemeats.co.uk): Welsh Wagyu beef offal. Come on, what's not to love?!

Joby, once again proving his fiendishly cunning ability at sourcing top quality edible products, brought the pony.

Chef: Simon

Venue: Simon

Members present: Simon, Jason, Joby, Pete, Dan, Jock, Tom, Steve, Adam.

Un Piece de Petit Cheval

Courtesy of My Brittle Pony.

Chicharron de Orejas.

8 pigs ears blanched for 3 mins, discard water and rinse ears in cold water. Simmer for 4 hours in water with onions, carrots, celery, bouquet garni. Press ears on plate in fridge overnight with weights. Cut into slices and dehydrate till crispy. Deep fry diced chorizo until crispy then remove chorizo and fry ears in batches till puffed.

& here's the CRUNCH...

@theoffalclub

They crunch! #offalclub pic.twitter.com/tifawjcD0i
— Tom Clarke (@visuals0und) September 17, 2016

Cricket tacos with Mezcal and orange dressing.

Dressing: 2 parts Mezcal, 1 part freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 part triple sec. Simmer for 20 mins then allow to cool.
Prepare salad of shredded cabbage, carrot, red onion, kohlrabi. Season with salt, coriander essence and fresh lime juice.
Cut corn tortillas into 10cm circles. Place salad and sprinkle with fresh coriander seeds and dry roasted crickets then drizzle over Mezcal dressing.

Rose veal tongue with almonds and grapes, caramelised onions and fennel and mangalitza pork black pudding.

Blanch tongue for 3 mins then skim and discard water and rinse the tongue in fresh, cold water. Simmer in water, salt, pepper, bouquet garni, carrot, onion, celery, 2 cloves and 6 allspice berries for 3 hours. Remove the tongue and peel as soon as can be handled. Remove any bones. Strain the stock and place the tongue back in it and leave to cool.
Make a quick demi-glace: gently fry 1 rasher of chopped bacon and onion in oil then add flour and allow to brown, add 600ml chicken stock, 1 tsp tomato puree and cook for 20 mins, skimming any oil from the top. Strain.
Deseed 180g white grapes. Heat 20g butter and add 60g shredded almonds and saute to light brown. Add the grapes, season and a few drops of lemon juice and cook for 3 mins. Add the heated demi-glace and 1 tsp tomato puree. Add 1 glass of sherry and reduce by half. Lay the sliced tongue in the pan and reheat gently.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and add 2 chopped onion and and 4 medium fennel (chopped and cored). Season and caramelise over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and brown (about 20 mins).
Dice the black pudding and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.
Serve the tongue over a bed of onions and fennel with the sauce over the top. Scatter the black pudding around the side.

Wagyu beef cheek, tail and kidney ale stew with bone marrow dumplings and beetroot and horseradish dauphinoise.

Blanch the tail (1Kg) for 3 minutes, skim the top and rinse in clean water. Remove the kidney cores (700g) and brown, then leave in a colander for a few minutes: discard the bitter juices that drain off. Brown the cheek (450g) and onions and add everything to the pot. Deglaze the pan with ale. Cover with chicken stock and ale (500ml of each), add bouquet garni, 1 tbsp muscovado sugar, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Worcester sauce, 1 tsp cocoa and cook on low in slow cooker for 9 hours. Skim occasionally.
Remove tail pieces and bouquet garni. Trim meat from tail and return to pan. Discard the bones and bouquet garni. Make a roux then add the liquid from the pot and allow to thicken. Reduce if necessary. Return liquid to pot.
Add 2 parts self-raising flour to one part bone marrow and season. Add mustard powder then slowly add water till can roll into balls. Turn cooker to high, place dumplings on top and cook for further 45 mins.
Thinly slice the beetroot (a mix of golden and purple) in a food processor. Place 250ml cream in a bowl, add freshly grated horseradish and season. Add the beetroot and mix thoroughly. Lay the slices of beetroot in a buttered dish, cover with foil and bake in the oven at 160 deg C for about 60 mins. Press the beetroot down every 20 mins. Remove the foil and return to oven, uncovered at 200 deg C for 10 mins.

Apple and blackberry crumble.

Apples: peel, core and cut into chunks. Place in a saucepan with a little butter, water and sugar and heat on low until soft.
Place 300g plain flour, 250g cubed butter in food processor and pulse until coarse breadcrumbs. Add 70g demarara and 70g caster sugar. Place topping in fridge.
Place fruit (900g each of apples and blackberries) in buttered dish and sprinkle with sugar, 30ml Calvados, 1tsp each of cinnamon and ginger and mix. Cover with crumble. Bake at 200degC for 1 hour. Serve with ice cream and cream.

The Evening's Imbibement:

Quotes of the Night:
Joby, can you split your pony 9 ways?
It's like a pork gobstopper.
Why is yours green and pointy?

Prize of the evening:
Goes to Pete for the best Tom Selleck impression...Ever!

The Offalites Excuses:
I only have 1 sister and she's only 40 once.
Away with the kids that weekend.
Not gonna make it. Sorry. Long story. (Interpretation: I went out last night and stayed up all night and now am a complete wreck...).

And up next:
FestOffal at Dom's???

& A FINAL DRINKS RUN THROUGH...

@theoffalclub @mrnortheats

& here's the end of night drink appreciation... feat @MagicRockBrewCo, Chronic Cellars pic.twitter.com/LlCWPxWY8z
— Tom Clarke (@visuals0und) September 17, 2016

Candied Pecan Bacon Popcorn. Blóðmör (Icelandic sheep’s blood black pudding), Abernathy smoked butter, Beetroot, Sour cream, Horseradish and Dill on Baltic Ryebread. Chicken Livers on a bed of Pea Greens and Duck Egg. Pea and Pig's Trotter Soup. Jamaican Oxtail and Chili. Tarte aux Abricots and Foie Gras Ice Cream.

2016-04-16T17:20:00.001+01:00

Saturday 16th April 2016

Ready Stead Gout

And we're off...it's Bowden Calling but this time Pete was host, fresh from his jaunt to the cardiac recovery unit. Dan continued working towards his dream to become to the world's greatest offal glacier (apparently the name for a professional ice cream maker as opposed to a mountain of ice) with great gusto. Pete got to grips with some trotters and oxtail and Joby brought some Icelandic sheep's blood black pudding and a virtual reality headset. Jock brought whiskey and lemoncello...

Chefs: Pete, Dan and Joby.

Venue: Pete's.

Members present: Simon, Jason, Howie, Dan, Pete, Joby, Adam, Jock, Tom.

And Dinner is served

Candied Pecan Bacon Popcorn

Blóðmör (Icelandic sheep’s blood black pudding), Abernathy smoked butter, Beetroot, Sour cream, Horseradish and Dill on Baltic Ryebread.

Chicken Livers on a bed of Pea Greens and Duck Egg.

Pea and Pig's Trotter Soup.

and a crackling intercourse.

Although the crackling was intended to adorn the soup, a certain amount of wine ensured it was served a little later with a mighty Crunch.

Jamaican Oxtail and Chili.

that's some sweaty chili

Tarte aux Abricots and Foie Gras Ice Cream.

Post-prandial Entertainment: Virtuoffal Reality

The Evening's Imbibement:

Quotes of the Night:
You need to remove this from me.
I've always fancied you Jock.
We need to get a little offal gong to go with the gold cutlery.
It's like a bacon lucky dip.
Are you fingering the wine for a reason?
I've felched some pigs in my time.
Virtuoffal reality.
I was disappearing down a pink tube and not for the first time.
It's a triangular mound of fury.
It's like pate ice cream.
Will you be offended if I leave the strawberries?
Anyone fancy 100 cubic feet of popcorn?

Chicken heart piri piri; Lamb's liver with lamb's lettuce; Lamb's heart "steak" and kidney pie; Blood orange cake.

2016-01-24T20:38:00.001+00:00

Saturday 21st November 2015

Steve's Pissing Off(al) to Portugal.

Not one to sit around and twiddle his fingers, Steve had decided that, in the same week he retired from work, he was going to provide his inaugural chefing experience at Offal Club and then promptly emigrate to Portugal. Clearly enamoured of the usual innards based humour employed at OC, his menu was carefully prepared for maximum effect. He had prepared the full 5 courses that has became the standard to which we aspire, expecting the usual double figures of Offaliates. Sadly a litany of last minute poor excuses decimated our number to a measly 6 (with enough pie for at least 20). Not even the voracious Jock could finish his plate.

Chef: Steve

Venue: Simon's

Member's present: Simon, Jason, Steve, Joby, Dan, Jock.

Aperitif: A shot of Mescal with orange and Cricket salt (freshly imported from Mexico).

Hot Piri Piri Chicken Hearts

Lamb's Liver on a bed of Lamb's Lettuce

Steak and Kidney Pie

Lemon and Blood Orange Cake with Apple Rose

Wine's of the Night:

Quote of the Night:

I've been eating this pie for 20 minutes but my plate hasn't gone down at all.

Excuses of the Night:

I got a better offer from my girlfriend.
My wife's going out with your wife so I have to babysit the kids.
I told you already that I was out with my parents tonight.
I'm going to the 20th anniversary of Megadog.
I'm in hospital - I just had a heart attack.

Next Venue:

Pete's cardiac recovery unit.

BAR-B-QUOFFAL | OUTDOOR OFFAL IN CHORLTON, MANCHESTER | GUEST BLOG

2015-11-18T13:09:00.000+00:00

A much delayed guest blog by Tom Clarke

So it was with a great honour I was first invited to Offal Club earlier this year. Then to add to the prestige, after blogging on each of my first two visits, I was given the responsibility of writing the next installment of this blog, to write about the food, drink & quotes of 'Bar-B-Quoffal'.

'Bar-B-Quoffal' took place at Dom's residence in "hipster ghetto Chorlton" (Ⓒ Jason), in September. That it's now November shows I shirked that responsibility very badly, I'm getting this one in just ahead of the next sitting...

So anyway, to THE OFFAL...
(inter cut with random quotes across the evening, not sure who from, probably Jock..)

The theme for this running of The Offal Club was slightly different in that all dishes were to be cooked as Hephaestus intended - over the flames of a hot, hot barbecue. That's not to say the recipes below are strictly summer, as you know offal is just as good in the winter. Just grill and eat indoors.

& think on, just one of these recipes would make a perfect side dish for any festive meal.

Yakitori skewers

FIRST UP, CHICKEN HEART YAKITORI

What you need...

1 pound chicken hearts (this time sourced at Worldwide Foods in Rusholme...)

For the sauce:

    2 chicken carcasses cut into 6 to 8 pieces
    1 cup sake
    1 cup mirin
    1 to 1/2 cups soy sauce, depending on darkness
    3 tablespoons sugar
    Freshly ground black pepper

Dom gets to work

What you do...

1. To make the sauce: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the bones in a saute pan and roast until the bones are brown and the fond at the bottom of the pan is beginning to darken, about one hour.

2. Remove the pan from the oven and put on a stovetop. Deglaze the pan with about 1/3 cup of the sake, scraping up the browned bits until the bottom of the pan is clean. Then add in the rest of the sake, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the sauce is thickened, about one hour. Season with black pepper. Leftover sauce will keep in the refrigerator indefinitely if reheated once a week.

3. To grill: skewer chicken hearts and set over a medium high flame or in this case,barbeque - far more effective.

When the chicken hearts are almost cooked through, about 2 minutes, baste with the sauce and grill again until sauce is dried, about 20 seconds. Baste again and grill just until the sauce is starting to dry, about 10 seconds. Sprinkle with sansho pepper if desired.

Serve with wedges of lemon, salt, and mustard on the side.

(& booze of course, as standard...)

Just ready to serve...

NEXT, LAMBS LIVER KEBABS

What you need...Extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons parprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Few springs of flat leaf parslay
1 garlic glove
Sea salt to taste

What to do...

1. Put 12 wooden skewers to soak

2. Put a little olive oil in a frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the liver and sear on both sides for 2-3 minutes each. Cut the live in two lengthwise and sear the cut sides.

3. Removed the liver onto a chopping board and dice the cubes about 4cm square. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add seasonings and mix well. Marinate for 1 hour at least, stirring regularly.

4. Thread the livers onto the skewers.

5. Gill over barbecue for 3/4 minutes each then serve immediately in pitta bread.

& THEN...CALVES KIDNEY SERVED IN BAKED POTATO

Kidney in baked potato...

What you need...(read closely)

For the Mujdei sauce (Makes 1 cup)

    • 1 bunch parsley, leaves finely chopped
    • 1 bunch dill, fronds finely chopped
    • 2 -3 large garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
    • 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
    • About 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/2 cup strong concentrated chicken broth, at room temperature

Preparing the bacon and broad beans

Place the parsley, dill and garlic in a medium mixing bowl and toss to combine. Add the vinegar, salt, red and black pepper and stir. Pour in the chicken broth and mix until well combined. Let sit for 30 minutes so that the flavors blend.

For the marinade; marinating and grilling liver

    • Juice of 2 lemons
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1/2 cup dry sherry wine
    • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely ground
    • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
    • 2 pounds calf's or beef liver, cut into about 1 to1 1/2-inch thick slices
    • 1/2 cup melted butter
    • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

    To make the marinade: Juice the lemons and place the juice into a glass bowl; add the olive oil, sherry wine, parsley, ginger and red pepper flakes to the bowl and mix the ingredients well.

Rinse the liver with hot water and loosen the membrane covering the meat with your fingers. As you hold the liver under hot running water, pull the membrane off the liver and discard it. Place the liver into a shallow dish.

Pour the marinade over the liver, and flip it several times to coat all sides with the marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Chill the liver in the refrigerator for about two hours.

Awaiting the main course...

Ensure the barbecue is still hot. Remove the liver from the glass dish; discard the marinade and dry very well with pepper towels.

Dip liver slices in the melted butter. Place on the barbecue about 4 inches above the fire. Grill until liver is browned, for about 3 minutes per side. Turn once. Do not overcook; it should be still pink inside.

Remove from barbecue to a serving platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper and tent with foil for about 10-15 minutes; then, if you like, slice into thinner slices on a bias. Serve with the mujdei sauce. Grilled or sautéed in oil and butter onions and mushrooms is a very traditional side dish for liver.

IT WAS AMAZING!

In all glory...

THEN, TO CONCLUDE...LEMON TART

Fresh outta the oven.

What you need....

For the pastry (makes double)

    500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
    140g icing sugar
    250g unsalted butter, cubed
    4 egg yolks

For the filling...

...and the filling is from 'Heston at Home' (so buy the book cheapskates...)

What you do....

To make the pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until crumbly. Mix in the egg yolks. If the pastry is still too dry, add 1-2 tbsp water until it comes together. Roll into a ball and divide in half (freeze one half for another recipe). Flatten out the pastry with your hands, wrap the dough in cling film, then chill for at least 30 mins. While the pastry is chilling, make the filling. Beat all the ingredients, except for the zest, together. Sieve the mixture, then stir in the zest.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift into a 23cm tart tin. Press down gently on the bottom and sides, then trim off any excess pastry. Stab a few holes in the bottom with a fork and put back in the fridge for 30 mins.

    Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line the tart with foil and fill with rice or dried beans. Bake for 10 mins, then remove the tart tin from the oven, discard the foil, and bake for another 20 mins until biscuity. When the pastry is ready, remove it from the oven, pour in the lemon mixture and bake again for 30-35 mins until just set. Leave to cool, then remove the tart from the tin and serve at room temperature or chilled.

Cutting it

& OF COURSE, THE DRINKS...

With Carringtons just round the corner it was rude not to...

Firey vodka from Jock

Er, okay...

...so until next time..enjoy the recipes...keep it #offal.

The Offal Club

Hot Rocks

Menu

Wine

Quotes

Cartmoffal 5: Osso Buccolic

Pre-walk Snack: Spiced Liver, Bacon and Tahini Sandwich

Offal Ragu on Croutons

Chicken Hearts with Carrot and Apple

Osso Bucco with Risotto Milanese

Miso Caramel and Chocolate Tart

Wine

Quotes

Courage, Dear Heart...

Chicken Heart Skewers, Chimichurri Sauce

Rabbit with Mustard Sauce, Chicken Livers and Conchiglie

Stuffed Cabbage and Vine Leaves (Ham Hock, Black Pudding and Belly Pork), with Ham Hock and Bean Casserole

Stuffed Venison Heart (Walnut, Shitaake, Spinach) with Dauphinoise Potatoes

Strawberry and Rose Mess

Cartmoffal 4: The Cheeky Boys. Laab Gai; Apple Snails in Coconut Milk; Sweet Soy Braised Beef Cheeks with Mango Salad and Dirty Rice; Lemon Surprise Pudding with Bone Marrow Butter.

Crispy pig's ears; Scallops and black and white puddings with chilli; Ox cheek, kidney and bone marrow steamed suet pudding; Heston's treacle tart.

Crispy Pig's Ears

Scallops and Black and White Puddings with Chilli

Ox Cheek, Kidney and Bone Marrow Steamed Suet Pudding

Heston's Treacle Tart

Wine

Hot and Sour Broth with Bamboo and Beef Heart; Haggis Lasagne; Welsh Wagyu Short ribs, Steak and Kidney and Horseradish Dumplings; Chocolate Mousse with Rum and Raisin Ice Cream.

Menu:

Hot and Sour Broth with Bamboo and Beef Heart

Sue Lawrence's Haggis Lasagna

Welsh Wagyu Short Ribs, Steak and Kidney, Horseradish Dumplings with Beetroot and Swede.

Sea-salted Chocolate and Orange Mousse, Sesame Seed Brittle and Rum and Raisin Ice Cream.

Drinks Selection.

Quotes:

Cartmoffal 3: Potato peel crisps; Cod's tongues and tartare sauce; Pistachio and calf's brain souffle; Calf's liver in parsley, cream and crispy bacon, caramelised red onion; Ox cheek stew, mashed potato and mustard, broccoli with chili; Sgroppino.

Quotes

Potato peel crisps.

Cod's tongues and tartare sauce.

Pistachio and calf's brain souffle.

Calf's liver in parsley, cream and crispy bacon, caramelised red onion.

Ox cheek stew; mashed potato and mustard; broccoli with chili.

Sgroppino.

Quotes

Chicken Liver Pate; Haggis Scotch Egg; Perigord Salad; Grilled Ox Heart; Pigs Trotter with Heartbreads; Eton Mess

Kendal Called Off(al)

Chicken liver pate; black pudding, smoked bacon and onion bread; onion chutney; bone marrow butter.

Haggis scotch eggs.

Grilled ox heart; borlotti beans; salsa rossa.

Pigs trotters stuffed with heartbreads, porcini and forest mushrooms and chicken mousse; potato puree with duck fat and black pudding.

Eton mess.

Quotes of the evening.

BarbeOffal

Menu:

Bone Marrow and Pea Crackers

Skewered Teriyaki Chicken Hearts

Veal Sweetbreads with Tenderstem Broccoli, Goats Butter Sauce and Ramson Emulsion.

Orange and Ancho Chilli Flan with Grilled Pineapple and Mexican Cream.

The Wine:

Quotes of the Night:

Speaking in Tongues (and Uterus)

Duck tongues and hearts with Chili.

Duck gizzards with fermented black bean sauce.

Chicharon Bulaklak (crispy pork uterus with spiced vinegar).

Recipe

Bone marrow and chanterelle custard with rocket.

Recipe

Ox tongue, cheek and tail with roasted marrow bone and oxtail gravy, wilted greens and polenta chips.

Recipe

Chocolate delice, Tia Maria cream, chocolate and caramel powder and redcurrant and Cointreau sorbet.

Recipe

Wine and othe assorted drinks.

Quotes of the night.

Where to next?

Cartmoffal 2: Tarts with Hearts in Carts. Hot and Spicy Pork Scratchings; Red Ant Egg and Pak Choi Salad; Spiced Lambs Faggots with Carrot Puree; Stuffed Roast Heart with Devilled Kidneys and Garlic Liver Pâté; Miniature Lemon Tarts with Star Anise, Blackberry Sorbet and Beef Tendon Jellies.

Tarts with Hearts in Carts

The Menu

The Chefs

The Alcoholic Centrepiece

The Preparation

Hot and Spicy Pork Scratchings

Stuffed Cabbage and Vine Leaves (Ham Hock, Black Pudding and Belly Pork),
with Ham Hock and Bean Casserole

Swede fondant: Nopi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully
Brussel sprouts : Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi