Our family has known for many years that braising kidneys in wine produces a wonderfully flavoured sauce. Kidneys Turbigo – a variant of the subject recipe with added chipolata sausages – has long been a favourite of ours, though an antipathy towards all offal meant that our daughters would eat only the sausages. But the sauce, borne on lashings of creamy mashed potatoes, was always to die for. Planning a meal recently for her own family, our eldest girl phoned from her home in Wales to ask whether the Turbigo sauce could be produced without adding kidneys; we had to disappoint her.

The recipe below calls for lambs’ kidneys. Calves’ and pigs’ are commonly substituted though they are less delicately flavoured, and the kidney of the ox should be reserved exclusively for those perennial British favourites, Steak and Kidney Pie or Pudding. However, locating lambs’ kidneys at your Andalucian butcher may not be an easy matter; perhaps because of the standing orders of local barkeepers and restaurateurs. The butcher I once used in Fuengirola would have lambs’ kidneys for sale only infrequently and then only in very small quantities. I found myself buying them in ones and twos, freezing them down until I had sufficient to produce our dish of choice.

It is worth noting that there is a variant of this recipe using chicken livers instead of kidneys to be found in Spanish regions to the north of Andalucia.
These quantities will provide tapas for about 6 people.
Ingredients:

500 g. Lambs’ kidneys
4 tbsp. Olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Onion, finely chopped100 g. Pancetta, diced25 g. Flour
1 tbsp. Tomato puree
125 ml. Dry Sherry (Fino, Montilla, or Manzanilla)
A pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
25 g. Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Method:
1. Wash and dry the kidneys. Remove the membranes and middle cores, and cut into large dice.
2. Heat 2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion. When it starts to soften add the pancetta and crushed garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove the contents of the pan, add a further 2 tbsp. of olive oil and turn up the heat to its highest setting.
4. Add the kidneys a handful at a time and stir until they are evenly browned, moving them to the sides of the pan before adding further handfuls.
5. When all the kidneys are browned, turn down the heat to medium, add back the onion, pancetta and garlic, and stir in the flour.
6. Now add the Sherry and tomato paste, stir and bring to a simmer.
7. When the sauce has thickened, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

This recipe can be transformed into a substantial supper dish by adding to boiled rice or pasta, and the number of portions may be stretched by adding sliced mushrooms with the onion. However, for an ultimate comfort meal and to ensure the total consumption of the heavenly sauce, serve with garlic mashed potatoes made with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and black pepper.