Food: Cooked Glands Are Actually Offal Tasty

Oct 7 2007 Michael

Ask Michael

Q I noticed sweetbreads on the menu in a restaurant. Are they some kind of offal?

A They are indeed. Sweetbreads are glands, normally from the heart and throat. Veal sweetbreads are the most sought after but you can also eat the sweetbreads from other animals. They take a lot of preparation which is why they appear mostly in fine dining restaurants.

Q I have some curry leaves. How Do I use them?

A Curry leaves have a warm, spicy, almost citrus taste. They can be used to flavour the oil you are about to cook with or added to curries and removed at the end of cooking as you would a bay leaf.

Q I'm interested to know what the components of piri piri are?

A Piri piri or peri peri, as it is also known, is a spicy chilli sauce from Portugal. There are no hard or fast recipes but the main ingredients are hot red chillies, garlic, lemon and vinegar. It's often served with chicken, making the famous dish of chicken piri piri.

Q I've seen fresh sweetcorn in their husks at my local farmers market. Are they easy to prepare like this? I normally buy them peeled.

A Definitely buy them like this while they are in season just now. Peel back the husk, removing any stringy bits before cooking as normal. Or, if you want, run a knife down the length of the cob to remove the kernels.

Q I've heard of lettuce soup but can cucumber also be cooked?

A Lettuce soup is popular in summer and you can do the same with cucumber. You can also use it in stir fries cooked very briefly. Remove seeds as they contain a lot of water and can be bitter.

Contact Michael at askmichael@sundaymail.co.uk - sorry but he can't reply to each question individually.