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What to Eat: Offal

Considered a delicacy in parts of the world—and hardly edible in others—offal is a food for the truly adventurous, and sometimes, for the just plain crazy.

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Tripe and Onions by Fergus Henderson

The author behind an award-winning cookbook geared toward using all parts of the animal will show you how to make stomach lining a smash hit at the table.

The word “tripe” conjures up some not-so-pleasing connotations. But try to put all your preconceived notions aside. This dish is based on the beautiful white honeycomb tripe, which comes from the second stomach, or the reticulum, of an ox. Served up with some delicately stewed onions and a side of fluffy, white mashed potatoes, you’ll forget you ever had reservations about it.

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Click here for the recipe.

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Kidneys with Mustard Sauce by Victoria Blashford-Snell and Brigitte Hafner

If you’re new year’s resolution is to broaden your culinary horizons, this is a terrific starter dish.

All across Europe, kidneys are a staple food. Yet somehow this trend never quite managed to traverse the Atlantic. If the Pilgrims had eaten kidneys, though, this is most likely how they would have prepared them. A Dijon mustard sauce adds brightness to the meat’s rich density.

Click here for the recipe.

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Calf’s Liver With Orange by Mario Batali

You trust him to bring you the best Italian in town, so you know you’re in good hands with this savory dish—even if it is liver.

Like lima beans or Brussels sprouts, liver is one of those foods that has had children turning up their noses for decades. Now that we’re older, though, it’s perhaps time to revisit this former weeknight standard. Mario Batali breathes new life into liver with this recipe—a dish perfectly pink on the inside, charred on the outside, and fragrant with orange, rosemary, garlic, and bay leaves.

Click here for the recipe.

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Cervelles au Beurre Noir by Simon Hopkinson

A master of European cuisine will help you culture your palate with this brainy concoction.

The title of this dish translates to “Brains in Black Butter.” But let’s not think about that. Think instead about this meal’s more appealing associations, like the charming Parisian bistros, brasseries, and small neighborhood restaurants where discerning Frenchmen seek out this delicacy.

Click here for the recipe.

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Seared Foie Gras with Mango and Mango Vinaigrette by Michael Schlow

The man who cooked for Julia Child on her birthday shares his preferred way to prepare the ever-controversial fois gras.

Foie gras might just be the world’s most famous offal. Chef Charlie Trotter refused to serve it at his restaurant in Chicago, while chefs Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman both support the serving of fattened duck liver. Boston chef Michael Schlow throws in with Bourdain and Ruhlman, and his unique recipe pairs the rich, fatty meat with sweet mango to offset the foie gras’ heaviness.

Click here for the recipe.

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