Golden Veal Sweetbreads with Peas, Bacon and Morels

⏱ 150 min · Serves 4

A proper restaurant plate: milk-soaked veal sweetbreads pressed, then fried in foaming butter until lacquered and crisp, served on a buttery stew of sweet peas, smoky bacon lardons and earthy morels finished with cream and tarragon. Rich, delicate and quietly show-off.

Per serving: 642 kcal · 38.0g protein · 16.0g carbs · 47.0g fat

Ingredients

• 600g veal sweetbreads
• 500ml whole milk (for soaking)
• 1 bay leaf
• 20g dried morels (or 150g fresh morels)
• 150g smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, cut into lardons
• 300g podded fresh or frozen peas
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 100ml dry white wine
• 150ml chicken stock
• 100ml double cream
• 80g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Soak the sweetbreads in the milk with the bay leaf in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to draw out any blood. Drain and rinse.
2. Bring a pan of salted water to a bare simmer, add the sweetbreads and poach gently for 4-5 minutes until firm. Lift into iced water.
3. Peel away the outer membrane and any sinew with your fingers and a small knife. Lay the sweetbreads between two trays lined with kitchen paper, weight lightly and chill 30 minutes to press flat.
4. Meanwhile, cover the dried morels with 200ml warm water and soak 20 minutes. Lift out, squeeze gently, halve any large ones, and strain the soaking liquid through paper into a jug. (If using fresh morels, rinse well and halve.)
5. Fry the bacon in a wide pan with the olive oil over medium heat until golden and the fat has rendered. Scoop out and set aside.
6. Add the shallots to the bacon fat and soften 3 minutes, then add the morels and garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Pour in the wine, reduce by half, add the stock and 4 tbsp of the morel liquor and reduce by half again.
7. Stir in the cream, peas and spring onions, simmer 3-4 minutes until the peas are tender and the sauce coats a spoon. Return the bacon, whisk in 20g butter, add tarragon, parsley, lemon and season. Keep warm.
8. Cut the pressed sweetbreads into thick slices or bite-sized nuggets, season and dust lightly in the seasoned flour, patting off the excess.
9. Heat 60g butter in a heavy frying pan until foaming and nut-brown. Fry the sweetbreads 2-3 minutes each side until deeply golden and crisp, basting with the butter. Drain briefly on paper and season with salt.
10. Spoon the pea, bacon and morel stew into warm shallow bowls, pile the sweetbreads on top, drizzle over a little brown butter from the pan and scatter with extra tarragon. Serve at once.