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Spicy Tomato Pigs Trotters paleo recipe offal dinner ideas-min

Recipe: Spicy Tomato Pigs Trotters

On my quest to cook with more offal, the thought of doing something with pigs trotters filled me with dread. I’d always seen them sitting, forlorn and lonesome in the far corner of my butcher’s counter whilst crowds flocked towards the chicken breasts and fillet steaks. However lonely they may have looked, I never had the bravery to give them any sort of interest (maybe it was the nails!) – until the other day, that is. After cooking them slowly, the meat came out super tender, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Pigs Trotters Ingredients:

  • 4 large pigs trotters
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 4 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 x 400ml cans chopped tomatoes
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
  • Large handful fresh basil, torn, to serve

Pigs Trotters How To:

Score the skin on the trotters, and season well with sea salt and plenty of black pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan to a high heat. Brown the trotters by frying them in the oil for a couple of minutes. Remove and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium, then add the onion. Soften for 5 minutes, then add the chilli, garlic and oregano. Fry for another minute or so, then add the two cans of chopped tomatoes. Stir well, then add the trotters back to the pan. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for an hour and a half. Stir every now and then and top up with a little extra water if needed.

20 minutes before serving, add the chopped carrots then cover again. Serve garnished with the fresh basil.

Have you tried cooking with pigs trotters – or another type of offal? I'd love to hear what you did with it in the comments below.

Spicy Tomato Pigs Trotters paleo recipe offal dinner ideas-min

Poached Beef Tongue paleo recipe dinner lunch-min

Recipe: Poached Beef Tongue with a Fresh Herby Salad

Beef tongue is one of those wonderful cuts of offal that, with just a little love and careful attention, can be transformed from butcher’s cast off to a tender, delicious and incredibly cheap source of protein, zinc, and vitamin B12. It is considered a delicacy in many traditional cultures, and is widely renowned as one of the most flavourful cuts of beef.

To cook my beef tongue, I simmered it in the pot with veggies and herbs for 3 hours to make it ultra-flavoursome and tender. I’d definitely recommend cooking it for as long as you can, perhaps even in the slow cooker. One tongue comfortably serves two people, with leftovers!

Beef Tongue Ingredients:

  • 1 Beef Tongue, cleaned and prepared (ask your butcher)
  • 2 White Onions, Diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
  • 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 Star Anise
  • Approx 1 litre beef stock / broth

For the salad:

  • 1 large handful spinach
  • 1 large handful rocket
  • 1 small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 8 spring onions, diced
  • Juice half a lemon
  • Quarter cup of olive oil

Beef Tongue How To:

1)    Add all of the ingredients (except the salad) to your stock pot. Bring to the boil, before covering and leaving to simmer for around 3 hours. Check every so often and top up with a little hot water if necessary.

2)    Make the salad by throwing together all of the greens and herbs with the spring onions. Divide into two separate bowls.

3)    Drain the contents of the pot, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the liquid. Place the tongue on a chopping board, before slitting the outer membrane and peeling it off. Slice thinly and add to the green salad, along with the vegetables from the pot.

4)    Whizz together the reserved liquid, lemon juice and olive oil. Drizzle liberally over the salad before tucking in.

Poached Beef Tongue paleo recipe dinner lunch-min