Chicken Gizzard Casserole — Baked with Tomatoes and Peppers

Cut each gizzard open through its thick edge. Lift the wrinkled, yellowish membrane from one corner and pull it off in one piece; it comes off easily when the gizzard is fresh, but if it resists, soak it in cold water for 5 minutes. Trim away the outer fat and silvery connective tissue, then rub with a handful of coarse salt and rinse under running water.

Put the gizzards in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and simmer over low heat. Cut one gizzard with a knife: it should no longer resist like rubber but should still be firm. Do not wait for it to become fully tender; it will keep cooking in the oven. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and sauté the sliced onion until the edges take on color. Add the sliced long pointed green pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until its raw smell fades and it darkens. Add the grated tomatoes and cook until their liquid has reduced by half.

Put the drained gizzards in an earthenware casserole and pour the vegetable sauce over them. Add the bay leaf, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Combine hot water with the reserved cooking liquid until the liquid level is one finger-width above the gizzards. Cover with a lid or seal tightly with foil.

Bake, covered, on the middle rack of an oven preheated to 170°C / 340°F. The temperature is intentionally low: connective tissue turns to gelatin with long, gentle heat, not high heat. The sauce should not boil; it should only bubble gently around the edges.

Remove the lid and bake for a few more minutes, until the top darkens. Insert a thermometer into the center of the largest gizzard and confirm that the internal temperature is above 74°C / 165°F; the same temperature applies to poultry giblets as to poultry meat. Remove from the oven, let the casserole rest for 5 minutes, and serve.