Fried Pork Hearts

Name: Fried Pork Hearts
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h

March 27, 2019

Prep 25 min Total 2 hr

Fried Pork Hearts © kvalifood.com

Pork hearts are cheap, flavorful, and nearly forgotten in the modern kitchen. Here they are stuffed with parsley and onion, browned, and braised slowly in stock until the meat is completely tender. The sauce is made from the pan juices with a little cream. Serve with potatoes and white cabbage salad.

Ingredients

Yields 4 servings

2-3 pork hearts
salt
pepper
1 bunch parsley, chopped
3-4 tbsp onion, finely chopped
30 g butter
4 dl stock
½-1 dl heavy cream, optional
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

To serve

potatoes
white cabbage salad

Directions

Stuff the hearts

Clean the hearts and dry them thoroughly. Mix the chopped parsley and onion together. Stuff the mixture into the hearts and season the inside with salt and pepper. Close with cocktail sticks or tie together with kitchen twine.

Brown and braise

Melt the butter in a casserole. Brown the hearts on all sides. Lower the heat and pour in the stock. Put the lid on and let the hearts braise for about 1½ hours. Turn them occasionally.

Make the sauce

Remove the hearts when they are tender and keep them warm. Skim excess fat from the cooking juices. Add cream if desired. Mix the flour with a little cold water and whisk the slurry into the sauce. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve

Remove the cocktail sticks or twine. Slice the hearts thinly and arrange on a warm platter. Pour the sauce over and serve with potatoes and white cabbage salad.

Notes

Pork hearts are one of the most underrated offal cuts — they have a firm, meaty texture and a mild flavor.
Long, slow braising is the key. Heart muscle is tough with short cooking times, but becomes tender with low, slow heat.
The hearts can also be sliced and quickly pan-fried — but then they should be served pink to avoid toughness.
Leftovers can be sliced thin and used cold on rye bread with remoulade.
Veal hearts can be prepared the same way, but require a shorter braising time (about 1 hour).