When my parents were growing up in Calabria, they didn’t have much and when it came to cooking, nothing went to waste… especially since they grew up in large families (mom is one of 8 and dad is one of 6.) Many of the foods and recipes that they made came with them to the US and became a part of our meals. The cycle in my family goes a little something like this:
- Young child: put food in front of them – if they like how it tastes, they eat it, if they don’t, they won’t
- Teenager: tell them what you’re making – if they like the sound of it, they’ll eat it, if they don’t they won’t
- Adult: if it tastes good, who cares what it’s called or what it sounds like or what it is. IT TASTES GOOD.
Gizzards are one of those foods and in this economy, a great way to save a buck.
What you’ll need:
- Gizzards
- olive oil
- 1/2 onion – chopped
- 1 clove of garlic – diced
- red wine
- salt & pepper
What to do:
Gizzards are very tough, so start by boiling the gizzards for 1 hour. Once you’ve boiled them, add a splash of olive oil in a sauce pan or frying pan with your onion and garlic. Let them simmer for a few minutes and then add the gizzards and enough water to almost cover the gizzards. Then add a splash of red wine and your seasonings… I used salt, pepper and adobo (which is an all-spice.) Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low for about 15 minutes. Then uncover your gizzards and let the water reduce for another 10-15 minutes. Cut up a nice loaf of bread and pour yourself a glass of red wine… enjoy and buon appetito!
Hi Joe, Happy New Year. Thanks for my amazon gift card…..I’ll let you know what I did with it soon.
On the topic of gizzards, I LOVE them in a tomato sauce. In Nigeria, we also have them on sticks (like satays!). With some rice, yum!!!!
I’ve never thought about using them separately – they are one of those things that goes into stuffing. I actually never see them sold separately! I do love the price. And I wouldn’t mind some right now… along with the glass of red wine!
Ok, here is where we part company, Joe
But just for this post 
.
Love it, Joe, and you’re right about the economy. I’m making liver pate today as a starter for a big lunch party tomorrow – only 3 Euros!!! Love kidneys too, but I’m thinking “Gizzards on sticks” might need a little spin for marketing purposes.
Hi Joe!
I grew up with this. We do gizzards and chicken hearts together. When prepping the gizzards we take scissors and cut away the tough part in the center on both sides. I remember these tasting fine, although for someone who never had it I can see the yuck factor.
I am avegetarian now, so I wont be eating this, but I have fond memories
I love gizzards and chicken hearts. Growing up we’d boil them in our pot of chicken soup and fight over who got to eat them.
Joe – This brings back memories of when I was first married and making a dish of gizzards and livers in tomato sauce, topped with a poached egg. I stopped making it after the kids, since they were so fussy, but it’s time to revisit.
Joe, I never had these when I was growing up, but for about the same amount of money we would eat pork neckbones, in fact my husband still craves them every once in a while. I just made them a week ago, for 3 dollars I had a huge pot of them!
oh YES, joe!! i love this post. gizzards are still SO cheap – stay tuned to our blog over the next couple of weeks for a dish using them as well. got like 3 pounds for $2 – they are so versatile and SO tasty. great, great post.