I heart beef heart. I wanted to make a dish that is somewhat romantic(pasta with a soft, creamy sauce), and figured, why not put some actual heart. on it? Yes, I might have a problem. Beef heart has a slightly chewier, yet crunchier texture compared your usual steak, and I just love that. People are either very shocked or expectant that I eat most offal comfortably. It’s either “you’re a pastry person, aren’t organ meats gross to you?” or “you’re a Taiwanese immigrant of Chinese descent, that’s a given”. Beef heart, beef/pork tongue, sweetbreads, kidneys, livers, they are all just ingredients to me. With beef heart, I will warn you that there are some steps in the prep process that require extra attention(still nowhere as much as beef tongue) – the hearts usually are covered in a giant layer of tallow(beef fat). Trimming this is actually very important, because while yes, beef fat is good for flavor, it does get in the way of getting a good sear on the actual heart itself. The other part that needs a good trimming are the super stringy and tough veins. Some parts of the heart will cook fine, but there are veins that are reminiscent of dental floss, and those will turn tough as they are exposed to heat. Getting those bits removed will result in a much more tender steak. In terms of the cook, it is a simple sear on both sides. I would not recommend eating a beef heart cooked more than medium, because it can get grainy(as most offal would), so I usually aim for rare to medium rare to avoid that issue. I also figured from the pasta side, doing a play on beef stroganoff would be fun. I still remember learning how to make stroganoff in college – a tangy sour cream-based sauce mixed with beef pan drippings, very simple to make, and super luxurious in texture. That would make anything taste amazing, but next to a beef heart, this is a literal heartstopper of a flavor bomb.

Makes 2 servings:
For the pasta dough:
1 cup semolina flour
1/3 cup water
a pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients together to form a dough. Extrude the dough into malfadine, or cut into noodles that are at least 8 inches long. Boil in heavily salted water for 45 seconds before finishing in the sauce(make sure that the beef heart is cooked and the sauce is made before doing this step).

For the beef heart:
1 beef heart
2 tbsp shio koji
a pinch of salt
neutral oil

Trim the beef heart of any excess fat on the exterior before cutting it in half width wise to get two decently sized steaks. Be sure to cut off any hard veins, as those will just end up being chewy after getting cooked. Marinate the heart steaks in koji for 20 minutes. Then in a heated pan with neutral oil, sear the beef hearts on each side for 3-5 minutes, allowing them to rest before slicing on a bias.

For the stroganoff sauce:
reserved pan from searing beef heart
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp mustard powder
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp cognac
1/4 cup beef stock
2 dried porcini mushrooms
4oz sour cream

On low heat, start by stirring the garlic, mustard, and salt in the beef heart pan. Once the garlic smells nutty, add in the cognac and stir to deglaze the pan on low heat. Transfer to a blender with the other ingredients and blend until combined. Gently heat up the sauce on low heat and finish the pasta in it.