How to Cook Beef Kidneys Mexican Style
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Kidney tacos put a new spin on one of our favorite foods. It's a nourishing meal to satiate the smallest and largest appetites in your family.
This recipe is inspired by 'Uncle' Travis and his taco obsession in grad school. When his baggie of HEB taco seasoning spices (lovingly imported from Austin to Cambridge) ran out, he had to make do on his own. And there we were, guessing the proportions of spices to make it right.
Hunger strikes
This from a time when I was still vegetarian and the look and smell of that seasoned ground beef was seriously tempting. Those tacos were like my gateway drug. After nearly a year of temptation, I finally indulged. (Yet I still limited my meat consumption for years, until I heard the gospel of grass-fed animals.)
Looking back on how much I craved those tacos, I can see how hungry I was. Lucky I know so much now. I never have to go hungry like that again. I know all the best foods and feed them to my family.
Ha! Don't I wish.
As it turns out, my fridge and chest freezer are full, yet my kids are now hungry. I'll be damned.
Growing appetites
<1st percentile? I guess it is possible.
At his last pediatric appointment, my baby had literally fallen off the body mass index chart. He's just tall and skinny like the rest of us? Maybe. The doctor wants us to come back for an interim checkup to make sure he's gaining weight. The doctor reminds me that the baby won't wake up so often if I feed him more. Hungry.
And then this past week my oldest had a meltdown where he says he's starving when it's not mealtime (at the park in this instance), then not hungry at meals. If he eats too much at the meal, he feels sick, but if he doesn't he's afraid he'll be starving later. Heartache ensues. Hungry.
Feed them!
So, we made babycakes a kidney puree to serve alongside his sweet potatoes and he loved it! A couple spoonfuls of reserved ground kidneys, a little broth, a little lard, a little salt. Cooked til just pink. Puree. And down the hatch.
Kidney for babycakes
For my 8 year old, we made a list of all the available foods and taped it to the fridge so that he could have more autonomy to make little meals when he was feeling hungry. The only rule was that it include each macronutrient group: animal protein, fat, and vegetable/fruit/carb all together – so that it actually satiates him when he snacks.
Kidney tacos
In the meantime, dinner is on the way. As I've mentioned before, if the kids are really hungry, it's best to take advantage. If they are really, really hungry, serve some organ meats – since they'll basically eat anything at that point!
Over time, diverging from the original HEB ingredient list, I've ditched the onion powder and garlic powder for, well, chopped onion and garlic, but the chili powder, cumin and oregano remain.
Removing connective tissue from kidneys; making ground kidney in food processor; meat, kidney and seasonings for taco meat; ready to serve.
Mix the proportion of kidney to ground beef to best suit your family. If you are new to kidney and unsure, maybe try half a pound of kidney for a pound of ground beef, instead of the 1:1 ratio that we used. Else, if you like spicy, a hot salsa or garlic guacamole could also do the trick.
If you run out of tortillas, or prefer to skip, use romaine or leafy lettuce as the next best vehicle. Though if you are hungry, best to serve with black beans and lots of fresh garnish for a filling meal.
No offense, but I would say that these tacos are even more satiating than even the ones Uncle Travis served me in Tang Hall. Enjoy!
Kidney tacos
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 lb beef kidney
- 2 T lard
- 1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 t new mexican chile powder
- 1 t cumin
- 1 t oregano
- salt
For the tacos
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/4 c cilantro, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 3 radishes, chopped
- 1 avocado
- pinch of oregano
Instructions
- To prep the kidneys, cut out the white fat and connective tissue from the inside of the kidneys (or have your butcher do this for you). Cut the kidneys into evenly sized pieces about the size of a kidney lobe (about the size of a walnut). Pull out any fat from the white insides and add to the meat, tossing out any thick connective parts. If not starting with partially frozen meat, place all this in a bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes so that it's very cold. Place your very cold kidney pieces in the food processor and pulse until it's about the consistency of ground beef. For me, this was about 20 one-second pulses - although it will depend on how large your pieces are to start. Reserve this ground kidney.
- Press or chop your garlic and reserve on a plate. Add lard to large frying pan. Saute onions on medium heat until starting to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute or so. Add ground kidneys, ground beef, chile powder, cumin, oregano and salt and stir it all up. Cook until meat is mostly cooked but just pink here and there.
- Meanwhile, steam the tortillas and prep condiments for your tacos - cilantro, green onions, and radishes - and reserve in ramekins. Make tacos by adding meat mixture to tortillas and topping with a spoonful of avocado and pinch of oregano, along with cilantro, green onions, and radishes.
Source: https://offallygoodcooking.com/kidney-tacos-satiate/
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