The other night mum made some lambs’ kidneys in mustard sauce cooked to an excellent recipe in Leiths cookery bible, and I made this rice to go with it. The combination went down very well with Dad and Henry.
The Leiths recipe is simple and effective (if you don’t overcook the kidneys): Skin, halve and core and kidneys and cut them into chunks. Brown them quickly in 30g of butter, discard the juices. Return the kidneys to the pan, add 100g of chopped flat mushrooms and cook for a minute. Reduce the heat and stir in 4 tablespoons of double cream, 2 teaspoons if Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley.
Mum did this to perfection, and the kidneys were perfectly pink.
The sweetness of the sultanas in the rice goes very well with the kidneys.
For the rice:
220g basmati rice
a decent handful of sultanas, soaked in warm water to soften
a heap of cabbage like savoy, or cavolo nero, cut roughly
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of ground allspice
a pinch of cayenne (optional)
2 bay leaves
50g unsalted butter
How to make:
Rinse the Basmati very well with water – around five times. Place in a lidded pan with a teaspoon of salt, and cover with water until it reaches about 2cm above the rice level. Cook on a medium heat with the lid on until all of the water is evaporated. Leave aside with the lid off.
Meanwhile, in a lidded frying pan, on a low/medium heat cook the onions with bay leaves until soft but not brown in melted butter add the allspice and stir. Add the cabbage or cavolo nero and place the lid on until cooked. Stir in the sultanas. Stir in the rice and mix well and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne (optional). Add extra butter if you feel it needs more moisture.
Eaten with:
Kidneys and a glass of red wine.
Dinner Document 