How Perfectly Offal

In the midst of this season of overindulgence, I thought I would post about one of my favorite people from history, Catherine de Medici (1519 – 1589), Italian-born wife of Henry II, king of France, and one of her favorite meals: cibreo. This famous Renaissance Florentine dish was a stew made of gizzards, testicles, offal, and rooster coxcombs. Despite her ironclad constitution and robust health, more than once Catherine ate so much of it she nearly died of indigestion.

Here’s the recipe, adapted from this website:

Catherine’s Cibreo

Serves 4  (or 1 if your name is Catherine de Medici)

You will need (but don’t ask me where to get):

¾ pound of chicken livers

3 ounces of coxcombs

1 tablespoon butter

¼ cup of meat stock

4 cock testicles

2 egg yolks

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon flour

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Wash the coxcombs, then boil them until the outer membrane separates easily when rubbed. Drain and remove the membranes. Cut the coxcombs into pieces.
Clean and wash the livers.
Thoroughly wash the testicles.
Melt the butter, brown the coxcombs, reduce heat and cook until tender. Add some boiling stock if it gets dry. When the coxcombs are almost done, add the livers and testicles, salt and pepper, and cook for ten more minutes.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, lemon juice, and remaining broth. Pour over the offal, remove from pan and serve immediately.

Remember: don’t eat too much, no matter how delicious it is!

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