Sweetbreads with truffles

Are you up for something different? Luka Košir, one of the most creative and interesting chefs of the young Slovenian generation, shared his recipe with us for veal sweetbreads with leek, Swiss chard, birch syrup, and black truffle.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 fresh veal sweetbreads (approx. 100g each)
• Soft butter for basting
• Fresh herb butter
• 1 leek
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard
• 80g salted butter
• 30g extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon birch syrup
• 2 tablespoons fermented bean paste or good soy sauce
• Salt
• Fresh thyme flowers

PREPARATION

Remove the sweetbreads from the refrigerator at least one hour before starting to cook. Clean them from membranes and veins.

Clean and chop the leek, rinse the chard leaves under running water. Sauté the leek in olive oil over medium heat, being careful not to let it brown. Once softened, add the cleaned chard and sauté until wilted. Blend everything in an upright blender and add the remaining olive oil and salted butter. Mix into a smooth cream, then strain through a fine sieve and store in a cool place.

Lightly season the sweetbreads with salt. Place them on a cold pan coated with butter and set over high heat. When they start to become crispy and browned, flip them and cook on the other side. Once cooked, brush them with herb butter and let them rest in a warm oven.

Just before serving, heat the pan and add butter. When it starts to brown slightly, add the sweetbreads and cook for 30 seconds. Shake the pan constantly during cooking to ensure even browning. Add the fermented bean paste (or soy sauce) and thyme flowers, then cook for another 20 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add birch syrup. Stir until the syrup coats the sweetbreads well, being careful not to burn. Gently warm the truffle juice, add a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt to make an emulsion, then heat the sliced truffle in the emulsion. Serve the leek and chard cream on a plate, top with the sweetbreads, and garnish with the buttered sliced truffle.