Ingredients
Sweetbreads
- 800 gveal sweetbreads (mollejas de corazon are the round, fatty ones; de cuello are the ragged throat ones)
- 500 mlmilk or cold water with 2 tbsp coarse salt, for soaking
- 2lemons
To season
- coarse parrilla salt (sal parrillera)
- 1 tbspolive oil, only if the coals are very hot
To serve
- 1lemon cut in halves
- chimichurri, optional
- crusty bread
Directions
- Soak the sweetbreads in milk or heavily salted cold water in the fridge for 2 hours, changing it once, to draw out blood and any metallic edge.
- Drain and pat dry, then pull away only the loose, tough outer membrane and any hard tubes. Leave the fine skin that holds the lobes together, or the mollejas will fall through the grill.
- Squeeze lemon over both sides and let them sit 10 minutes; the acid firms the surface and is what every parrillero in the country does.
- Build a bed of coals and let them go grey. Set the grill 15 to 20 cm above them: you want gentle, patient heat, not flame, so aim for a hand-count of about 6 seconds.
- Lay the mollejas fat-side down and leave them undisturbed for 20 to 25 minutes. They will render, sputter and shrink; move them if flames flare, but do not turn early.
- Turn once and cook the second side for 15 to 20 minutes, salting generously with coarse salt as you turn.
- They are ready when the outside is mahogany and crackling-crisp, the inside is creamy white and set like firm custard, and a skewer meets no resistance. Total time is rarely under 40 minutes.
- Cut into thick slices on the board, squeeze lemon over them and eat straight away, standing at the parrilla, with bread to catch the fat.
Technique
- Blanching is contested. Many home cooks poach the sweetbreads for 3 minutes and press them under a weight for firmer, cleaner slices; the classic parrilla method uses them raw and relies on long slow rendering. Raw and slow gives more flavour, blanched gives more control.
- Sweetbreads are highly perishable. Buy them the day you cook them, keep them on ice, and do not refreeze.
- The crisp comes from rendered fat and time, not from high heat. Over fierce coals they scorch outside and stay slippery within.
Substitutions
- No coals: sear them in a heavy cast-iron pan over medium heat for 8 minutes a side, then finish in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 20 minutes with the fat spooned over.
Variations
- Mollejas al verdeo: finished with spring onions softened in butter and a splash of white wine.
- In Cordoba they are often given a provenzal of garlic and parsley in the last minutes on the grill.
History
The most prized achura at the parrilla, cooked over low embers so the fat renders and the outside crusts.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mollejas?
Mollejas is a street food from Argentina: sweetbreads grilled slowly until crisp, squeezed with lemon. The most prized achura at the parrilla, cooked over low embers so the fat renders and the outside crusts.
How long does Mollejas take to make?
Mollejas takes 20 min plus 2 hr soaking of preparation and 45 min over coals of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings as an asado starter. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Mollejas?
Yes, within limits. No coals: sear them in a heavy cast-iron pan over medium heat for 8 minutes a side, then finish in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 20 minutes with the fat spooned over.
What is the most important thing to get right in Mollejas?
Lay the mollejas fat-side down and leave them undisturbed for 20 to 25 minutes. They will render, sputter and shrink; move them if flames flare, but do not turn early.
