I read an article on google this morning, about a food bank in Britain who had received a donation of tinned food dating back to the year I was born, 1971. One of the items was a tin of Heinz Kidney Soup; I am unsure as to whether or not I had any as a kid, but known my parents, I probably did. I am a big fan of offal, eating plenty of it during the austere 1970s, so I decided to find out a little more about this tinned soup.
Heinz no longer produce this particular soup, but I did find this online recipe, which I will be using to make my own.
Heinz Kidney Soup
3 medium sized kidneys
3 pints meat stock
piece of celery or a quarter teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves
1 medium sized onion
small bunch of herbs or pinch of dried herbs
8 peppercorns
1 dessertspoon flour
1 dessertspoon ketchup
seasoning
Method
- Wash and dry the kidneys.
- Remove the fat and cut into small pieces.
- Peel and slice the onion.
- Put the oil in a pan and when it is quite hot, add the onion.
- Fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add the kidney and fry together until brown.
- Stir while the stock is gradually added.
- When boiling, remove any scum that appears on the top.
- Add the peppercorns, cloves, herbs and celery seed tied in muslin, and simmer over very gentle heat for 3 hours.
- Skim occasionally.
- Strain through a sieve into a bowl and leave until cold. Reserve kidney pieces for later.
- Skim off the fat and reheat the soup.
- Taste to check seasoning.
- Put back the pieces of kidney.
- Mix the flour with the tomato ketchup , and stir into the soup.
- Bring to the boil and stir whilst boiling for 3 minutes.
- It is advisable to cook the soup the day before it is required, if possible, as it must be quite cold before the fat can be removed. The soup must cook slowly on the lowest heat or else the kidney will be tough.
3 pints meat stock
piece of celery or a quarter teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves
1 medium sized onion
small bunch of herbs or pinch of dried herbs
8 peppercorns
1 dessertspoon flour
1 dessertspoon ketchup
seasoning
Method
- Wash and dry the kidneys.
- Remove the fat and cut into small pieces.
- Peel and slice the onion.
- Put the oil in a pan and when it is quite hot, add the onion.
- Fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add the kidney and fry together until brown.
- Stir while the stock is gradually added.
- When boiling, remove any scum that appears on the top.
- Add the peppercorns, cloves, herbs and celery seed tied in muslin, and simmer over very gentle heat for 3 hours.
- Skim occasionally.
- Strain through a sieve into a bowl and leave until cold. Reserve kidney pieces for later.
- Skim off the fat and reheat the soup.
- Taste to check seasoning.
- Put back the pieces of kidney.
- Mix the flour with the tomato ketchup , and stir into the soup.
- Bring to the boil and stir whilst boiling for 3 minutes.
- It is advisable to cook the soup the day before it is required, if possible, as it must be quite cold before the fat can be removed. The soup must cook slowly on the lowest heat or else the kidney will be tough.
Happy cooking and enjoy!
