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Maryann, you had me so interested and curious - in between batches of cornbread, I'm looking thru books for beef heart.
Here's one that I found really interesting and the reviews were all good, except for 2 (they both gave it *** and said they just don't care for the meat itself).
Everyone agreed beef heart does need garlic added to whatever mix.
Beef Heart Braised in Wine
4 pounds beef heart
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1. Wash the heart and remove any fat and arteries. Slice the heart in half, then slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
2. Dredge heart in flour and season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the heart slices and cook for 30 to 45 seconds per side.
4. Stir in the onion, carrots, potatoes, thyme, beef broth and wine. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Serve.
Reviewers ideas:
This was really delicious. I used rice flour to flour the heart instead of regular flour. We will definitely make this again! I used about 3 cups beef broth and 1 cup wine.
Fabulous. This made me imagine some kind of magical stew you might find at a country tavern in the middle ages. I added more boullion to make it a bit more liquidy because I knew that the sauce would come out delicious and could be scooped up with toasted baguettes. Great wine recommendation- a strong red really enhances the heart's strong flavor. And the meat is available at my supermarket at one-fourth the price of fancier beef cuts. Merci!
Loved this dish!!! It was easy, had a short list of ingredients and turned out delicious in one pot. I think I would add more carrots and potatoes next time. If I did that I might also increase the gravy amounts slightly. I had a little more meat than vegetables.
Although obviously an organ, heart is not organ meat. It is a muscle. I soak it in cold, salted water for about an hour before cooking (I can't remember why, I just learned to do that when preparing heart). I too added garlic. If you don't have red wine, red wine vinegar works well too. I've made it with apple cider vinegar once in a pinch and it was good. Also, just about any root vegetable works well.
Didn't know what to do with beef hearts I had in my freezer until I found this recipe. Thank you!! I used grass-fed beef heart and the taste didn't seem strong...If I hadn't of been the one who made it, I would never had known it was beef heart. It reminded me of a pot roast. Very good meal. My kids ate this up: ages 1, 2, and 3.
My husband loved it! The only suggestion would be to cook the heart at least 90 minutes, rather than 60. The prep time for cleaning the heart took more than 10 minutes.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com