Have you ever heard of Mollejas? They’re a unique dish made with cow’s stomach, and here’s the recipe for how to make them yourself!
Mollejas, also known as criadillas or chicharrones de vientre, are the intestines of young pigs. Originating in Spain, mollejas are similar to pork rinds and American chitterlings in that they are rich in fats and protein but low in carbohydrates and have virtually no fat or cholesterol content.
Mollejas (pronounced moe-yeh-yahs) are a traditional Spanish dish that you might not be familiar with, but they are delicious and easy to make. This dish consists of the inner organs of the cow (otherwise known as variety meats), including the heart, kidneys, liver, and stomachs, cleaned and boiled in water with spices until they’re tender enough to eat. These tasty morsels are usually served with traditional rice dishes like arroz con pollo or paella.
What are Mollejas?
Mollejas, also known as sweetbreads, are the thymus gland and pancreas of young calves, lambs, and goats. It’s one of the offal recipes that are often served in Mexican cuisine, but can be prepared with other types of meat as well such as beef and chicken, to name a few examples. Because mollejas are quite expensive, not many people have tried them or know how to prepare them correctly in their kitchen at home.
Sweetbread must be soaked in salt water for several hours to remove excess blood, then rinsed and soaked in fresh water for up to 24 hours to remove the salt.
Mollejas are organ meat from a cow, lamb, or pig’s thymus gland (also known as “throat sweetbreads”) or pancreas glands (also known as “heart sweetbreads”). The most popular form in the United States is veal sweetbreads (from a young cow).
It’s frequently served with a creamy sauce or crisped. Because many individuals are apprehensive about eating body parts, sweetbreads are rarely spotted in supermarkets.
The cooking time for mollejas will vary depending on how you prepare them. Some cooks like to simmer them for approximately an hour in water or milk before cutting them up and adding them to the stew.
If you prefer to grill or pan-fry the mollejas, cook them over medium-low heat for around 15 minutes per side. Remove them from the pan once they are partially cooked and have a solid consistency (and have shrunk a little) and cut them lengthwise if they are too thick. Return the mollejas to the frying pan or grill and increase the heat to high (or add additional charcoal) to brown on both sides.
Mollejas Recipe Facts
Recipe: Mollejas Recipe (Sweetbread)
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: European
Author: Primetizar
Preparation Time:
Cooking time:
Servings: 4
Average rating: 4.8 of 5.0 from 441 reviews
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About: Mollejas recipe guide. Learn how to make your authentic food, mollejas.
Mollejas Ingredients
- 4 peeled hard boiled eggs, sliced and cut into cubes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 bunch parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth (or more as needed)
- 1 1/2 pounds calf’s or veal’s sweetbreads
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
How to make Mollejas tacos step by step
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the hard boiled eggs, parsley, onions, bread crumbs, melted butter, and enough liquid to produce a wet stuffing.
- Using a paper towel, dry the sweetbreads and cut a space in the middle large enough to hold the filling.
- After seasoning with salt and pepper, stuff the sweetbreads with the stuffing mixture.
- Heat the grapeseed oil in a medium skillet with an oven-safe handle.
- In a shallow bowl, season flour with salt and pepper, then dredge sweetbreads in it, shaking off excess.
- Sear the sweetbreads for 3 to 4 minutes on each side in a hot skillet.
- Place the entire pan in the preheated oven at this point. Check for doneness after about 5 minutes by pressing down on the sweetbreads to see whether the interior has “tightened up” enough to keep intact when cut. Remove the sweetbreads from the oven and put them aside for 20 minutes to allow all of the flavors to re-enter the sweetbreads and set up before slicing.
- Whisk the tablespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and the olive oil together in a small bowl until emulsified. Combine the capers, celery leaves, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. On a serving tray, drizzle the sauce all over the sweetbreads. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
Mollejas dish images
Video on How to make Mollejas
Watch the video know-how of Mollejas. Have a audio-visual clue and in depth explanations on how to make mollejas. Below is the video on how to prepare mollejas.
Learn how to make mollejas. This is a video on how to prepare fantastic mollejas.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever traveled to Puerto Rico or other Latin American countries, you may have seen mollejas (also known as sweetbread, chitterlings or organ meat) on the menu. You might have even seen them in supermarkets, in the freezer section or refrigerated bins, depending on how multicultural your community is. But if you haven’t eaten mollejas before, the idea of eating pig intestines can be off-putting enough to keep you from giving it a try, and that’s too bad because when prepared correctly, it can be delicious!
The texture and flavor of mollejas can be similar to those of tripe, and it’s often confused with this more common variety of food, but it’s not the same thing. This recipe have showed you how to make mollejas, so you can have this delicacy on your dinner table tonight!
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