Ingredients
2 pork spleens, fat trimmed and reserved
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 c. packed finely chopped kale (about 1/2 bunch)
1 tsp. steak seasoning
1/2 c. cooked soybeans, roughly chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
12 shishito peppers
Kosher salt
Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Preparation
Step 1Cook the kale: In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, render spleen fat, about 3 minutes. Transfer crispy spleen bits to a bowl, then add garlic to skillet. Stir and cook until lightly golden, then add kale and steak seasoning and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add soybeans and cook for 5 minutes more. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool.Step 2On a cutting board, use a sharp paring knife to create a long pocket inside each spleen by partially butterflying the spleen. Stuff each spleen with kale mixture, then use toothpicks to pin the spleen shut.Step 3Preheat oven to 375°. In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, heat 2 teaspoons oil. Add spleens and let sear 5 minutes per side, then transfer skillet to the oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 160°, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.Step 4Meanwhile, return skillet to medium heat and heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add shishitos and let cook until peppers are lightly blistered. Season with salt.Step 5Serve sliced spleen with blistered shishitos, garnishing with parsley before serving if desired.
The spleen is a filter organ that retires sad, old, broken red blood cells. It’s pretty important as a part of our immune system and helps to keep us in tip-top shape. It’s high in vitamins B and C, as well as iron and selenium. And you know what? It tastes pretty fine. While they look similar, spleen is not as chalky or dry in texture as liver can be, and is nowhere near as strong a flavor as liver is either. If you’ve never tried it before, you can just cut it up into a dice and give it a quick sauté in a cast-iron skillet with some oil, salt, and basic spices. But if you want to try your hand at making stuffed spleen, you’ve come to the right place. There’s a membrane that surrounds the spleen that, while a bit fragile, makes a great natural casing. It’s a bit of work to get the stuffing in, which is why I opted, after trial and error, to make a simple incision to semi-butterfly the spleen. Push your stuffing into the pocket, then toothpick the cut ends shut before proceeding with the cooking process and you should be set! I serve my spleen alongside some blistered shishito peppers because that’s what I had on hand for my low-carb $25 budget eats challange. You can pair it with some stovetop rice, a simple spinach salad, or anything else that floats your boat.
