Offal - also known as organ meats or tripe products - consists of "truly noble products that can be put on any menu," says Pierre Orsi, who, besides his eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant in the heart of Lyon, also oversees the kitchens of Cazenove, an elegant adjacent brasserie that evokes the Belle Epoque. "I always have some tripe products on the menu - at the moment, for example, lamb's trotters stuffed with morels and browned in the oven, which I serve on a bed of crispy potatoes." Among his favorites - dishes that remind him of his father who ran a bistro in Lyon, or of his apprenticeship with Paul Bocuse - Pierre Orsi lists cervelas (a kind of pork sausage) studded with pistachios, grattons d'andouillette (a mixture of fat and meat including pork intestine), and veal kidney… as well as veal sweetbreads. "I like to work with the heart of the sweetbreads, the finest part, which I blanch well and then slice thinly; it is superb served with asparagus tips and fresh morels."

Slow cooking at a low temperature
These fine products require careful attention from the moment one starts preparing them, says Pierre Orsi. "I have an extraordinary electric storage oven that allows me to carry out long cooking at low temperatures." For example, pig's or sheep's trotters are cooked for hours at a constant temperature of 90° C. "This slow cooking ensures excellent results without altering the products' flavors, which remain pure and authentic." Once a week, Pierre Orsi prepares an average of 25 calf's feet that cook for 13 hours at 90° C with oxtail, bouquet garni, onions, shallots, pepper and veal stock.

Carefully-selected products
Both freshness and provenance are among the essential quality criteria put forward by Pierre Orsi to ensure optimum results. "I have total confidence in Maurice Troilliet, a tripe butcher at the Lyon market who offers heads from milk-fed calves from Corrèze or the Limousin region." This careful selection, complemented by the professionalism of Pierre Orsi's team, is central to serving the finest products. "We don't hesitate to embrace the taste of the day by creating contemporary dishes like calf's head with reduced cooking broth and a ribbon of carrots, served pot-au-feu style." This nod to modern cuisine doesn't prevent Pierre Orsi from championing good traditional local recipes - or from fondly remembering such dishes as pig's ear stuffed with sweetbreads, resulting in a combination of crunchy and soft textures.