Riñones De Carnero Con Chicharos Y Ejotes
"Lamb Kidneys With Peas And Green Beans"
From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8
Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Riñones De Carnero Con Chicharos Y Ejotes
"Se ponen á cocer los riñones en agua con sal, ajos, y cominos molidos: allí mismo se ponen á cocer juntamente con ellos; cocidos los riñones se rebanan, se fríen en manteca con sal, iguales cantidades de chiles anchos y pasillas, remojados, y molidos con ajos, cominos y pan frito y después se echan las rebanadas de riñones, chícharos, ejotes y caldo, así que se hayan sazonado sin quedar muy espesos, se espolvorean con óregano. Se pueden hacer también con sólo los chícharos sin ejotes."
English Translation
"Boil the kidneys in water with salt, garlic, and ground cumin; at the same time, boil peas and green beans together with them. Once the kidneys are cooked, slice them and fry them in lard with salt, equal amounts of ancho and pasilla chiles (soaked and ground with garlic, cumin, and fried bread). Then add the kidney slices, peas, green beans, and broth. Once seasoned but not too thick, sprinkle with oregano. They can also be made with just peas and no green beans."
Note on the Original Text
The language of the original recipe is conversational and assumes the reader knows basic kitchen techniques—from trimming kidneys to preparing chiles—so instructions are brief and implicit. Quantities are rarely specified, with 'equal parts' or 'a pinch' sufficing, illustrating the experienced home cook's reliance on intuition and experience. Spelling reflects 19th-century Mexican Spanish—words like 'chícharos' (peas) and 'ejotes' (green beans) remain current, though procedural directions are mixed into a single running paragraph. The recipe's logic flows from practical order of operations, rather than stepwise lists.
Title
La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8 (1890)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Era
1890
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful pocket-sized treasure from the 'Cocina en el bolsillo' series, this volume stirs up a medley of flavorful recipes for adventurous cooks eager to savor the tastes of yesteryear.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe hails from "La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8", a compact recipe booklet published in 1890 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, one of Mexico's notable popular printers. It was part of a numbered series intended for everyday cooks, democratizing culinary know-how far beyond elite kitchens. Dishes like these offered tasty, economical ways to use organ meats, showcasing the creative resourcefulness of Mexican cooks at the turn of the 20th century. The combination of kidneys with peas, green beans, and chile-laced sauce represents classic home-cooking of the era.
In late 19th-century Mexican kitchens, cooks would rely on a cast-iron pot for boiling the kidneys and vegetables, and a heavy clay or iron cazuela for frying. Chiles would be toasted on a comal or griddle before soaking. Grinding chiles, bread, and spices was done in a stone metate or with a mano and molcajete (mortar and pestle). The dish would be simmered over a wood or charcoal fire, and most prep—like slicing kidneys—would be done with a sturdy knife on a wooden board.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lamb kidneys
- 4 cups water
- Salt, to taste
- 4 garlic cloves (2 for boiling, 2 for sauce)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (split between boiling and sauce)
- 1 1/3 cups fresh green peas
- 1 cup fresh green beans (optional; substitute with more peas if unavailable)
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 2 dried pasilla chiles
- 2 tablespoons pork lard or neutral oil
- 1 ounce bread, fried in lard or oil
- 1 ladle (about 1/2 cup) of cooking broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Begin by simmering lamb kidneys in about 4 cups of water with a pinch of salt, 2 peeled garlic cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin.
- Add 1 1/3 cups of fresh green peas and 1 cup of trimmed green beans to the same pot so they cook alongside the kidneys.
- Once the kidneys are cooked through (about 20–30 minutes), remove and slice them.
- In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of pork lard or neutral oil.
- Fry the kidney slices lightly with a pinch of salt.
- Separately, soak 2 dried ancho chiles and 2 dried pasilla chiles in hot water until soft, then blend with 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1 ounce of fried bread until you have a thick paste.
- Add this paste to the pan with the kidneys, followed by the cooked peas and green beans, and a ladle of the cooking broth.
- Simmer the mixture until the sauce is seasoned but still loose—not too thick.
- Finish by sprinkling with a generous pinch of dried oregano before serving.
- As an option, you may prepare this dish with only peas if green beans are not available.
Estimated Calories
340 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients, and around 40 minutes to cook everything. This recipe makes 4 servings, and each serving contains about 340 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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