Seven recipes for offal, interiors and other economical cuts for these times

This chicken interior is quite economical and profitable. Your only problem? It is increasingly difficult to find them in supermarkets and butchers. For the same reason, if you come across a few punnets of these offal lying around, don’t hesitate to prepare the following recipe.

• 3 counter boards
• 1 large onion
• 2 carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup of white wine
• Salt, pepper, coriander and olive oil

preparation

1. Remove the sides from the trays, cut them in half and discard any green or hard parts and set aside.
2. Chop the onion, carrots and garlic cloves very finely.
3. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, brown the onion and carrot in olive oil with a pinch of salt. When the onion begins to become transparent, add the cons, garlic and bay leaf. Stir well and add a little pepper.
4. Once the mixture begins to brown, add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan.
5. Cover everything with lukewarm water, cover the pan and leave over high heat until it boils for the first time. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour and a half or until the cons are tender.
6. Uncover the pot and increase the heat for fifteen minutes, so that the liquids reduce. Finally, adjust the salt if necessary and serve with white rice and a little freshly chopped coriander on top.

Several decades ago, in butcher shops in working-class neighborhoods, panas were practically the only cut of beef offered. Beef liver has always been known for its high nutritional value and low price, which has made it a staple of the Chilean table for years. However, things have changed and now, although it is not difficult to obtain, it is cooked less. Bad thing, because like the recipe below, it’s simply spectacular.

• 2 corduroy steaks of approximately 200 grams. each
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and olive oil

preparation

1. Fill a container with water, add a little vinegar and immerse the clean steaks in it for an hour. After this time, take them out, rinse them and dry them with absorbent paper.
2. On a plate, season them (on both sides) with salt, pepper, finely chopped garlic, a little oregano and a pinch of cumin. Leave to rest for ten minutes.
3. In a hot pan, with a little olive oil, cook the corduroy steaks for about three to four minutes on each side (if they sit too long, they will become tough).
4. Serve with rice or mash and a little of the liquid left in the pan.

They were also a classic in our public and private kitchens until the 1980s. Then, little by little, they were lost. Maybe because they take a bit of work to prepare; Maybe also because many people (especially new generations) are not very enthusiastic about interiors. The good news is that they remain economical, profitable and easy to obtain. For this reason, here is a classic recipe to prepare them.

• 900 gr. beef kidneys
• 1/2 onion
• 250cc. sherry (white wine works too)
• 250cc. vinegar
• Flour
• Salt, pepper, olive oil and parsley

preparation

1. In a large bowl, soak the kidneys in cold water and a cup of vinegar for four hours. Then wash them and drain them well then cut them into thin slices. In this process, take the opportunity to get rid of the skins and white parts that they have.
2. Meanwhile, cut half the onion into very small squares and brown it in a pan with enough olive oil and a little salt.
3. When the onion begins to become transparent, add the kidneys, season with salt and pepper then stir until golden.
4. Using a teaspoon, add a little flour to thicken the juices released from the kidneys and onion. Mix well to avoid lumps forming.
5. Pour over the sherry or white wine, stir a little more and cook for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates, the kidneys finish cooking and the mixture thickens.
6. If necessary, add a little lukewarm water and continue cooking until you reach the desired humidity level. Finally serve with white rice and garnish with a little freshly chopped parsley.

Before, they saw each other more than now, but the truth is that they never had a big fan base. In my opinion, this is because they were previously poorly prepared and often even in large quantities for company casinos or similar canteens. The result was a crude and bland dish that excited no one, okay with the usual sleazy and cunning people.

Now, if they are prepared with care and attention, like in the recipe below, things change. In addition, they remain economical.

• 2 kilos of tripe guatitas (you can buy them clean from the butcher’s shop)
• 1 beef leg
• 2 sausages
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt, pepper, flour, paprika, olive oil and parsley

preparation

Wash the tripe and leg of beef in cold water.

Put everything in a pressure cooker, along with the onion, carrot and bay leaves. Cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and cook for 35 minutes after the first boil.

Remove the tripe and leg to cool to room temperature. Strain the broth remaining in the pot and set aside.

Then, in a regular saucepan, brown the garlic and pepper in plenty of olive oil, all chopped very small, taking care not to burn them.

Also add the chopped chorizos, as well as a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add a tablespoon of flour and immediately add three cups of the reserved broth. Mix well to avoid lumps forming.

Add a few tablespoons of paprika, stir and remove from heat.

Next, cut the tripe into squares and do the same with the meat and leather that can be removed from the thigh. Mix everything together and add it to the pan with the sauce.

Cook over high heat for around fifteen minutes or until the mixture has thickened sufficiently. Adjust salt if necessary and sprinkle chopped parsley on top before serving.

Very popular in the cuisines of other latitudes, they have never been very popular in these regions. Generally, as they are quite cheap, they are used to make homemade pâtés and many people use them as food for their cats. However, by combining them in a recipe with the right products, you can get a surprise like the one shown below.

• ½ kilo of chicken nuggets, cleaned and cut into small strips
• 300 grams of mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• ½ cup cognac (white wine works too)
• Salt, pepper and olive oil

preparation

1. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices, cut the onion into small squares and chop the garlic as finely as possible.
2. Heat a pan with olive oil and fry the onion with a pinch of salt until it starts to become transparent. Add the garlic and stir. When they start to brown, add the mushrooms and a little more salt and pepper so that the mushrooms release water. Leave to cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the breadcrumbs, another pinch of salt, stir and cook until the mixture begins to dry out.
4. Add the cognac (carefully as it can catch fire) and with the wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan to bring out all the stuck aromas.
5. After a few minutes, add half a cup of warm water and cook over medium heat for about five minutes or until the panas are cooked through and the sauce has reduced.
6. Adjust with salt and pepper if necessary and serve immediately, accompanied by a generous amount of buttered toast.

Also known as cheeks, these correspond to beef cheeks and remain a very inexpensive cut. However, since they are somewhat fashionable due to the use made of them in some restaurants, the truth is that they are difficult to find. If you do, be sure to prepare this recipe that takes advantage of all its flavor and collagen.

• 1 kilo of charchas in large clean pieces
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into large pieces
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into slices
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 stalks of celery, washed and cut into slices
• 1 cup of red wine
• Salt, pepper, flour and olive oil

preparation

1. Flour and salt the charcha pieces on all sides
2. In a large saucepan, with a little olive oil, brown the onion, carrot, celery and garlic with a little salt, until they start to brown. At this point, remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
3. Add some more oil to the pan and seal the charcha pieces right there.
4. Once they are browned on each side, add the vegetables and wine, stir well to remove anything sticking to the bottom, then add half a liter of lukewarm water.
5. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about three hours or until the charchas are fork-cut.
6. Finally, adjust the salt if necessary and serve with rice or mash, a pinch of freshly ground pepper and plenty of cooking juices.

Since many cuts of meat are expensive, ground meat is welcome because it can be used inexpensively to make sauces, burgers, meatballs, and even a German pot roast like the one in this recipe.

• ½ kilo of ground beef
• 1 red onion, peeled
• 2 peeled carrots
• 1 stalk of celery, washed and trimmed
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• 3 hard-boiled, peeled eggs
• 2 eggs
• Salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil

preparation

1. Cut the onion into small squares and grate the carrots and celery on a very fine grater. In a large bowl, mix these vegetables with the ground meat.
2. Season with salt, pepper, a little Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of tomato paste and a good amount of olive oil, then stir everything very well.
3. Break the two eggs into the mixture and mix with your hands until you obtain a sort of homogeneous dough.
4. Put this mixture in a previously oiled baking dish and insert the hard-boiled eggs between the two. Bake in a hot oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
5. Unmold, wait for it to cool a little, cut and serve.

*Product prices in this article are current as of November 20, 2023. Values ​​and availability are subject to change.