KIDNEYS

Kidneys, cut lengthwise
Flour
Butter
Parsley
Pepper
Salt

Cut them through the long way, score them, sprinkle a little pepper and salt on them, and run a wire skewer through them to keep them from curling on the gridiron, so that they may be evenly broiled.
Broil them over a very clear fire, turning them often till they are done, they will take about ten or twelve minutes, if the fire is brisk; or fry them in butter, and make gravy by putting in a tea-spoonful of flour; as soon as it looks brown, put in as much water as will make gravy; they will take five minutes more to fry than to boil.
Obs-- Some cooks chop a few parsley leaves very fine, and mix them with a bit of fresh butter and a little pepper and salt, and put a little of this mixture on each kidney.

From The Cook's Oracle by William Kitchiner, MD, New York, 1829

Comment: Again the English origins of Dr. Kitchiner's book show through. There, dishes such as "steak and kidney pie" are popular and unremarkable. While nobody in the US even today bats an eye at a menu listing "liver and onions" or the like, the eating of kidneys has been rare except when they are discreetly hidden under another name like "giblets." It is still possible to find kidneys, particularly pork ones, for sale in stores, particularly in the South. Otherwise one interested in trying this dish will have to make the acquaintance of a butcher.

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