Seared Heart Cutlets with Peppers and Onions
This can be done with any heart, wild or domestic. Wild boar, venison, elk, sheep, moose, etc will all work. It is a delicious and very simple way to cook heart, which is my favorite organ meat. Heart is truly just another muscle, so don’t be scared of it. Make sure you cut off most of the fat and slice out any veins.
Serves 2-4 as a nice appetizer
- 1 heart from a big game animal, such as a deer heart
- Kosher salt
- Flour for dusting
- 1 onion, sliced into half-moons
- 2 green bell peppers, sliced into strips
- 1 jalapeno or serrano chile, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- Slice the heart into cutlets by cutting it in half, or in broad slices if it’s a large one, such as an elk or moose. Place it between two sheets of wax paper and beat it with a mallet or a rolling pin or a wine bottle. Be careful not to rip the meat or the wax paper. You want the cutlets thin.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions and peppers until the skin on the peppers just barely begins to separate. Salt them well and add the oregano and mix well, then set aside.
- Wipe the pan clean and add more olive oil. Salt the heart cutlets well and dust them in flour. Turn the heat up to high until the oil is almost smoking, then add the cutlets. Sear for 1-3 minutes per side, depending on how thick you make the cutlets. Turn only once.
- To serve, put a little of the peppers and onions on the plate and top with the cutlet. Grind some black pepper on top and enjoy!
