Braised Beef Heart with Cabbage and Skirlie Stoves

Feel like Scottish tonight? Try this delicious delicacy. For the wine pairing, use whatever red wine you used to cook the hearts. 

For the Hearts:

  • 5-6 lbs KOL Food grass-fed beef hearts
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 4 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and chopped
  • 4 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 larger rutabaga, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups red wine such as a Pinot noir
  • 3 cups KOL Foods beef, chicken or poultry broth

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Trim heart, leaving only muscle and fat. Season heart all over with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a heavy, enameled pot with tight fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add oil and brown heart on all sides. Transfer heart to a bowl and set aside.

4. Add carrots, celery, rutabaga, onion, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves to the pot, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Return heart with juices to the pot, add wine and stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover pot and braise heart in oven until very tender, 3-4 hours,

5. set heart aside on stove top to keep warm.

For the Cabbage:

  • 1/2 head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
  • Salt
  • 1 bottle Riesling

1. Put cabbage in large bowl and generously season with salt. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 3 hours.

2. Rinse and drain well.

3. Put cabbage into a large pot, add wine, and simmer over medium heat until wine is almost completely evaporated and cabbage is tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

For the Skirlie Stoves:

  • 1/2 c pinhead oatmeal
  • 3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 c KOL Foods beef, chicken or poultry broth
  • 4 T schmaltz, coconut oil or margarine
  • Salt

1. Preheat over to 300 degrees.

2. Put oatmeal in a small heavy skillet and toast over medium-high heat, stirring until golden, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

3. Toss potatoes and onions together in a medium baking dish and spread them out. Add broth, scatter the toasted oatmeal over top and dot top with schmaltz. Season to taste with salt.

4. Tightly cover dish with foil and bake until potatoes are soft, about 1 1/4 hours. Stir gently and adjust seasonings. Turn off oven, cover skirlie stoves, and keep warm in oven.

Bring it all together:

1. Transfer heart to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Boil braised sauce in a pot over medium-high heat, stirring often, util thickened, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain sauce into a bowl, discarding solids,

2. Thinly slice hearts

3. Plate heart slices over bed of skirlie stoves next to the cabbage. Spoon sauce over hearts and serve.

Serves 6-8