Peruvian Anticuchos

I must admit - one of the most exciting culinary experiences about eating primal is cooking with new proteins - namely offal.  So far, in my kitchen, I have cooked beef tongue, beef heart, marrow bones, and chicken livers.  The nutrient profile of beef heart is stunning: vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, selenium, and iron, to name a few. The “iron” taste usually wears off after the first bite or so and the marinade makes these beef kebabs almost irresistible. A good local butcher or vendor at a farmer’s market should have heart, most likely already butchered.  This recipe is for .7 lb of butchered heart meat (no fat, gristle, etc.); it yields about 4 small servings.  If you have any leftovers, refrigerate and enjoy cold the next day.

Cookware:

mini food processor (or blender)

charcoal (or gas) grill

basting brush

8 bamboo skewers

Ingredients:

1 butchered beef heart (approx. .7 lbs; cut into 1-inch pieces)

½ cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp ground cumin

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh cilantro

2 dried chiles* (available at any Mexican grocery or ethnic foods aisle of your local supermarket)

¼ cup + ½ cup olive oil

*There are a great variety of chiles out there (Ancho, Guajillo, Pasilla, Arbol) so it really depends on your personal preference.  I tend to use different chiles every time I make this dish - so the marinade comes out a little different each time

Marinated and ready for the grill!

Directions:

1. Soak the chiles in hot water until soft (anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending).  Cut the chiles open, de-seed and de-vein them (you may want to use gloves because the sting of the pepper will stay on your hands for awhile).

2. In your food processor, mix the chiles, ¼ cup of the olive oil, and the rest of the ingredients until a paste forms.

3. Combine heart pieces and marinade in a ziploc bag (or other closed container), and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Do not marinate them for much longer because the vinegar will dry out the meat.

4. While the heart is marinating, soak at least 8 thick bamboo skewers in water and start your grill.  Make sure the coals are very hot before you add your meat (so you can get a nice char on the kebabs).

5. When the heart is done marinating, add 3 or 4 pieces to each skewer.  Make sure to arrange them so that the meat will lay flat on the grill.  Save the leftover marinade.

6. Add the remaining ½ cup of oil to the reserved marinade and set aside.

7. Before adding skewers to the grill, baste with the reserved marinade.  Make sure the basted side always ends up face down on the grill (since the original marinade had raw meat in it).  Grill for about 2 minutes per side.  Make sure not to overcook them because the heart will dry out and become tough.

Mmm...kebabs

This really is the perfect recipe if you're curious about offal but timid about diving in too deep.  The recipe is simple and because the heart is an organ comprised mostly of muscle - it still has that familiar texture of the meat we're used to eating.  When marinated properly, it tastes like the most tender prime cut of steak.  And while you've got the grill going, feel free to grill up some summer squash or sweet potato slices to serve alongside this flavorful protein.  I hope you give these kebabs a try this summer.  Happy cooking!