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1
Trim and soak the kidneys
35 mins
Fridge, below 4°C (40°F)
Halve each kidney lengthways, cut out the pale fatty core and any white tubes with a small knife, and slice the meat thickly. Soak the slices in 1 litre of cold water with 30 ml red wine vinegar for 30 minutes, then drain, rinse in fresh water and pat very dry with kitchen paper. The soak and the trimming are what make the dish mild and clean-tasting instead of strong.
Work cold and keep the kidneys refrigerated until they hit the pan — warm offal spoils fast.
Done when: Slices clean, trimmed and dry, with no pale core left.
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2
Brown the kidneys
8 mins
High heat, about 200°C (400°F)
Season the floured slices with the salt and black pepper. Heat 15 ml olive oil in a wide, heavy pan until it shimmers, and brown the slices in a single layer for 2 minutes per side — they should take colour fast. Do not cook them through yet; they finish in the sauce. Lift them out onto a plate.
One layer only — crowded kidneys steam grey and never brown.
Done when: Slices browned at the edges, still pink inside.
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3
Build the wine sauce
6 mins
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Lower the heat, add the remaining 15 ml olive oil, and soften the chopped onions for 4 minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic, the 4 g paprika and the 30 g tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the 240 ml red wine, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan — that is where the flavour lives. Add the 120 ml beef broth and the bay leaf and bring it to a gentle simmer.
Let the tomato paste fry for the full minute — raw paste tastes tinny, fried paste tastes sweet.
Done when: Sauce simmering gently, deep red, smelling of wine and tomato.
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4
Braise until tender
25 mins
Gentle simmer, about 95°C (200°F); kidneys to 74°C (165°F)
Slide the kidneys back into the pan with any juices from the plate. Cover, keep the heat low, and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the kidneys are tender and the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Most of the alcohol cooks off in the simmer — about two-thirds of it leaves the pan — but a small amount remains, so this is not a dish for children. Check the centre of the thickest slice with a thermometer: it should read 74°C (165°F).
Keep it at a bare simmer, not a boil — boiling tightens kidneys and makes them rubbery.
Done when: Kidneys tender when pierced, sauce glossy and coating, centre 74°C (165°F).
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5
Finish and serve
5 mins
Serve hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Fish out the bay leaf and throw it away. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt, then scatter over the chopped parsley. Serve the kidneys hot in shallow bowls with plenty of sauce spooned over, and put the bread or potatoes on the table so everyone can mop up the sauce.
Taste before adding more salt — the broth and the reduction have already seasoned the sauce.
Done when: Sauce seasoned, parsley fresh on top, kidneys hot and tender.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve hot in shallow bowls with the sauce spooned over and bread on the table — the sauce is the point of the dish, so do not be shy with it.
Uruguay
35m
