July 21

Ernest Miller Hemingway's Birthday

Ernest, Pauline, Bumby, Patrick, and Gregory Hemingway pose with marlins after a fishing trip to Bimini in 1935

When Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, he couldn't attend the ceremony because of the serious injuries he had recently suffered in two successive plane crashes. He had a grave concussion, temporarily lost vision in his left eye and the hearing in his left ear, suffered paralysis of the spine, a crushed vertebra, ruptured liver, spleen and kidney, and first degree burns on his face, arms, and leg. Some American newspapers mistakenly published his obituary, thinking he had been killed. He later committed suicide at his hunting cabin in Ketchum, Idaho by leaning over a double-barreled shotgun and tripping both triggers.

Hemingway was also a celebrated gourmet and there are several major recipes named after him, mostly by the chefs of the restaurants that were his official hangouts, such as Harry's Bar in Venice and the Ambos Mundos in Havana. Criadillas a la Hemingway, a Spanish delicacy of calf testicles in red wine. is derived from Hemingway's fascination with testicles in several of his works, or the absence of them in The Sun Also Rises., was often served to the author in one of his favorite cafes in Pamplona before he attended the bullfights.

Beef testicles (Prairie Oysters, Mountain Tendergroins, Cowboy Caviar, Swinging Beef, Calf Fries, Spanish Kidneys) are popular in many parts of the world and are a favorite with cowboys in the United States and Argentina. When the calves are branded in the spring, their testicles are cut off and thrown in a bucket of water. They are then peeled, washed, rolled in flour and pepper, and fried in a pan. They are considered to be quite a delicacy. Testicle festivals are held every spring and fall in Montana and other western states Many restaurants and bars in Montana, Idaho, and Kansas serve Rocky Mountain oysters all year long.
Part of calf testicles' popularity is based on their perception as an aphrodisiac, somehow imparting the sexual stamina of a bull. Testicle consumption was popularized in the sixteenth century by Bartolomo Scappi, Pope Pius V's chef, who made the pontiff a pie of bull testicles. Beef testicles' alleged aphrodisiac properties were debunked by David Reuben, MD in his popular best seller, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) who wrote that bull's testicles contain "a fair dose of male sex hormone" and "eaten absolutely fresh and absolutely raw...might have done some good" for the "under par," but notes that "most of the hormone is destroyed by the gastric juices."

Here is the recipe for Hemingway's favorite testicle dish which might be the perfect meal to serve on his birthday which watching Woody Allen's brilliant fantasy Midnight in Paris (2011) in which the always horny Hemingway is portrayed by Corey Stoll. In the film when Hemingway and Gil (Owen Wilson) first meet, Hemingway asks what Gil thinks of Mark Twain. Gil pauses and replies, “I think you could make the case that Huck Finn is the root of all modern American literature.” If this sounds familiar, it’s because Hemingway wrote those lines in The Green Hills of Africa.

Criadillas a la Hemingway
(Calf Testicles in Red Wine)

Ingredients

1 pounds calf testicles sliced thin
2 TB fresh lemon juice
3 TB olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 lb butter

1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TB minced parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Mix lemon juice and olive oil in an earthenware bowl. Add onion, thyme, and sliced testicles. Let testicles marinate for 1 hour.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. remove testicle slices from marinade and sauté on each side for about 20 seconds.
Add wine and cook over high heat until liquid is reduced by 50%. Add chicken stock, 3 TB marinade, zest and parsley. Cook for about two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with about 1/4 cup braising liquid.