SWEETBREADS demand very careful attention in their préparation. They may be served in many delicious ways but the precooking is always the same. One pair of veal sweetbreads will serve two people. The following directions are for 1 or 2 pairs.


1 or 2 pairs veal sweetbreads
1 tablespoon diced sait pork or fresh pork fat
1 large onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyrne
2 sprigs of parsley
CLEAR MEAT CONSOMMÉ , or substitute
Salt and pepper

SOAK THE sweetbreads in lightly salted water for 3 hours. Keep the water cold by putting the bowl in the refrigerator or adding ice cubes.

Remove any traces of bloody tissues and the outer membrane. Transfer the sweetbreads to a saucepan, cover them with lightly salted cold water, and bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. As soon as the boiling point is reached, transfer the sweetbreads to a bowl of cold water and place under a faucet of cold running water; keep the water running until the sweetbreads are cool.

Then drain them, remove the connecting tissues and nerve filaments, and place the sweetbreads at one end of a dish towel on a flat surface. Cover with the other end of the towel, place a wooden board on top, and weight the board with sorne heavy object in order to flatten the sweetbreads.

Butter a shallow flameproof baking dish, and put in it the diced pork fat, the sliced vegetables, and the herbs tied into a bouquet. Arrange the sweetbreads on top of these ingrédients, and add enough CLEAR MEAT CONSOMMÉ (a good substitute or even cold water will do) to cover. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover the pan, and cook the sweetbreads over low heat or in a 300' F. oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Sweetbreads must never be exposed to high heat or they will disintegrate. Baste them with the cooking liquid as it reduces.