Recipe Lamb Kidney Puff Pastries

[Mountain Cat]

Puff Pastries stuffed with kidney and onion.

Kidneys are very healthy organs, if obtained from pastured animals. They are high in Vitamin A (benefits for vision), as well as in iron, and also in most of the B vitamins. It is possible to overdose on Vitamin A, but for most people eating kidneys, this won’t be an issue. It’s not likely that eating kidneys will be a daily habit… If you are susceptible to gout, however, you probably won’t want to eat kidney beyond a taste or two; it has high amounts of the purines that bring on gout attacks in those with that autoimmune condition.

The taste is somewhat liver-like, but far more approachable than liver, if liver puts you off. Lamb kidneys are milder than beef kidneys, and may be an entry way for you to discover this nutritious food. If you are going to eat meat… it’s worthwhile to try nose to tail.

Stuffing on top of pastry circles. I tried a run using less stuffing, but decided there was too much bread for that to work as tastily.

When these cooked, the puffing made some of the visual effects of the crimping disappear. But it does help hold the two pieces together.

Not being much of a baker, I use things like old wine bottles for rolling pins, and upturned mugs or glasses for biscuit punches. There’s plenty of kitchen clutter here to begin with… I recycle excess egg wash into omelets.

Nothing says you can’t adapt this recipe for any other source of coarsely home-minced (or even finely ground burger-type) meat. OR, a slew of chopped veggies! (Note for British viewers - I consider minced meat here in the States to be coarsely chopped, whereas ground meat is truly ground to tiny bits. I know in the UK they use minced as a term INSTEAD OF ground...)​

Prep Time: 20 minutes.
Cook Time: 20 minutes for the skillet, 20 minutes for the oven.
Rest Time: About 20 minutes for the stuffing to cool down before one stuffs the puff pastries. After baking – none.
Serves: 8-10 pastries, so say 4-5 people as an appetizer.
Cuisine: Moroccan-Inspired.
Leftovers: Not after baked. Eat soon, and warm.

Lamb Kidney Puff Pastries

• 3 lamb kidneys, sliced in half longitudinally. Remove any hard white parts, and dice or mince.
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced.
• 2 teaspoons ras al hanout seasoning.
• Cooking oil, about a teaspoon or so.
• Puff pastry, thawed.
• Egg wash: beat up one egg with a tablespoon of water.

In a skillet, add cooking oil, turn heat to medium. When the skillet is hot, add the onions. Sauté these until at least translucent, or until beginning to brown lightly (10-20 minutes).

Add the diced kidneys and the ras al hanout. Sauté for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Take a sheet of thawed but still chill puff pastry, roll it out on a clean lightly-floured surface using a rolling pin (or if you don’t bake often enough to have one — ahem, a bottle, empty or otherwise, of wine), and use a three-inch more or less diameter biscuit punch (or the top part of a suitable mug or glass, if likewise…) to punch out circles of dough.

Make some egg wash: mix one whole egg with a teaspoon of water, beat with a fork.

Place a spoonful of meat/onion mixture into the center of half of these circles, and use the other halves to cover the top. You can make the two halves stick together best by using a little egg wash between the rims.

Use the tines of a fork to crimp the halves together, sealing in the stuffing. If you wish, pierce the tops of these with fork tines – this will make those specific appetizers less puffy. (I tried it both ways, and prefer them more puffed, i.e., without the fork tine marks.

Baste the tops with a little egg wash, which will aid in the browning process.

Place on parchment paper in a baking pan, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove. Enjoy while still warm.


(Note: I made a couple as roll-ups. Rather than a top or bottom shell, I took some leftover puff pastry, rolled that out, and dropped in some of the stuffing, rolled until ends met with a little overlap, and sealed that off. The original pastries make for a better presentation.)

 

[Hemulen]

View attachment 49593
Puff Pastries stuffed with kidney and onion.

Kidneys are very healthy organs, if obtained from pastured animals. They are high in Vitamin A (benefits for vision), as well as in iron, and also in most of the B vitamins. It is possible to overdose on Vitamin A, but for most people eating kidneys, this won’t be an issue. It’s not likely that eating kidneys will be a daily habit… If you are susceptible to gout, however, you probably won’t want to eat kidney beyond a taste or two; it has high amounts of the purines that bring on gout attacks in those with that autoimmune condition.

The taste is somewhat liver-like, but far more approachable than liver, if liver puts you off. Lamb kidneys are milder than beef kidneys, and may be an entry way for you to discover this nutritious food. If you are going to eat meat… it’s worthwhile to try nose to tail.

View attachment 49594
Stuffing on top of pastry circles. I tried a run using less stuffing, but decided there was too much bread for that to work as tastily.


View attachment 49595
When these cooked, the puffing made some of the visual effects of the crimping disappear. But it does help hold the two pieces together.

Not being much of a baker, I use things like old wine bottles for rolling pins, and upturned mugs or glasses for biscuit punches. There’s plenty of kitchen clutter here to begin with… I recycle excess egg wash into omelets.

Nothing says you can’t adapt this recipe for any other source of coarsely home-minced (or even finely ground burger-type) meat. OR, a slew of chopped veggies! (Note for British viewers - I consider minced meat here in the States to be coarsely chopped, whereas ground meat is truly ground to tiny bits. I know in the UK they use minced as a term INSTEAD OF ground...)​

Prep Time: 20 minutes.
Cook Time: 20 minutes for the skillet, 20 minutes for the oven.
Rest Time: About 20 minutes for the stuffing to cool down before one stuffs the puff pastries. After baking – none.
Serves: 8-10 pastries, so say 4-5 people as an appetizer.
Cuisine: Moroccan-Inspired.
Leftovers: Not after baked. Eat soon, and warm.

Lamb Kidney Puff Pastries

• 3 lamb kidneys, sliced in half longitudinally. Remove any hard white parts, and dice or mince.
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced.
• 2 teaspoons ras al hanout seasoning.
• Cooking oil, about a teaspoon or so.
• Puff pastry, thawed.
• Egg wash: beat up one egg with a tablespoon of water.

In a skillet, add cooking oil, turn heat to medium. When the skillet is hot, add the onions. Sauté these until at least translucent, or until beginning to brown lightly (10-20 minutes).

Add the diced kidneys and the ras al hanout. Sauté for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Take a sheet of thawed but still chill puff pastry, roll it out on a clean lightly-floured surface using a rolling pin (or if you don’t bake often enough to have one — ahem, a bottle, empty or otherwise, of wine), and use a three-inch more or less diameter biscuit punch (or the top part of a suitable mug or glass, if likewise…) to punch out circles of dough.

Make some egg wash: mix one whole egg with a teaspoon of water, beat with a fork.

Place a spoonful of meat/onion mixture into the center of half of these circles, and use the other halves to cover the top. You can make the two halves stick together best by using a little egg wash between the rims.

Use the tines of a fork to crimp the halves together, sealing in the stuffing. If you wish, pierce the tops of these with fork tines – this will make those specific appetizers less puffy. (I tried it both ways, and prefer them more puffed, i.e., without the fork tine marks.

Baste the tops with a little egg wash, which will aid in the browning process.

Place on parchment paper in a baking pan, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove. Enjoy while still warm.


(Note: I made a couple as roll-ups. Rather than a top or bottom shell, I took some leftover puff pastry, rolled that out, and dropped in some of the stuffing, rolled until ends met with a little overlap, and sealed that off. The original pastries make for a better presentation.)

View attachment 49596

I was happy to find your Ras Al Hanout spice mix recipe from another thread, Mountain Cat. Thanks for sharing! Are lamb kidneys so mild that they don't have to be soaked in e.g. water of milk before cooking?

 

[Mountain Cat]

I was happy to find your Ras Al Hanout spice mix recipe from another thread, Mountain Cat. Thanks for sharing! Are lamb kidneys so mild that they don't have to be soaked in e.g. water of milk before cooking?

The ones I've made have been mild enough they don't need the soaking. But milk or buttermilk for soaking would be fine.

 

[Morning Glory]

I love kidneys and I can see this recipe working so well.