Heart

The heart is a muscle that works hard all the animal’s lifetime so will be quite tough. Therefore, before cooking, all tubes and sinews need to be removed. Because heart is so lean, it needs a sauce to keep it moist during cooking.

Small lambs’ hearts are the best and most tender but still need long gentle cooking. Chopped kidneys are good in stuffing for a lamb’s heart, together with fresh breadcrumbs and a little chopped spinach. A lamb’s heart stuffed with sage and onions is also very good. Calf’s heart is also very tender. As well as being good roasted, it is also good braised or stewed. Ox hearts are good cut up and slowly casseroled with rich ingredients such as red wine, garlic and onions, with a parsnip purée to thicken the sauce. They are also delicious stuffed and braised with vegetables and stock.