Calf's Liver and Onions

[Celine]

I have had a craving for a nice batch of liver and onions the past couple of days and it's not going away. Unfortunately, I've never successfully cooked it myself and now seek help from you guys. Thanks.

Celine

[KyleW]

First, make sure you get good, fresh calf's liver. You don't want to know from beef liver. I would search out a butcher rather than buying at the supermarket.

Slice an onion into 1/4" rings. Add 1 TBS of butter and 1 TBS olive oil to a hot pan. Once the butter is melted add the onions and season with salt & pepper. If you want the onions to brown leave the pan on medium-high heat and let 'em go. They don't need a lot of attention. If you don't want them to color, turn the heat to medium low. THey will take a little longer. In either case, when they are just about to your desired 'doneness', heat another pan on medium-high and add butter/olive oil. Dredge the liver in seasoned flour and shake off the excess. The liver won't take long to cook, 3-5 minutes per side. I like mine nice and pink in the middle.

Just one man's opinion.

Kyle

[britcook]

The liver won't take long to cook, 3-5 minutes per side. I like mine nice and pink in the middle.

Onions are fine, but I'm not sure about cooking times for the liver. It may be different in the US but calves liver here usually comes sliced fairly thin, kinda escalope thickness, about a quarter inch. On medium high that gives 1-2 minutes per side, usually less than 3 minutes in total, to give a nice pink inside. Usually let it rest for a minute or two in a warm (but not hot) place while I finish the sauce/sides/whatever.

[John Whiting]

Two modifications. We use free range pig's liver from our local butcher, supurb in flavor and a fraction of the cost of calves liver. We ask for it to be sliced very thin, dredge it in flour and dry mustard, and cook it *on top of* the onions, after they are virtually done, at a very low heat. It takes a very few minutes, turning once. For us, the liver is done when it has lost its translucency but still keeps its pinkness and flexibility. We take out the liver, deglaze the pan with a bit of dry sherry and whole grain mustard, and serve it with the liver on top of the onions (but no towers!).

In our pretentious corner of London, pig's liver is so down market that the locals won't even feed it to their cats, and so we have to order the whole liver to be sent to our butcher along with his weekly pig, to be sliced and packed into half-pound bags which we freeze.

[Adam Balic]

John - do you make sure it is from female pigs or is it "pot luck" as it were. Liver from male animals can be pretty rank smell and strong of flavour. I have a recipe for salted pigs liver from the South of France - worth a go do you think? I have only used pif liver for terrine making so I have no idea what it tastes like.

With calve liver cut of the thick membrane on the out side of the liver and trim off all the tubey bits.

Deer liver is nice, but only from hinds.

[britcook]

To verify my previous view I made calves liver and onions tonight and the liver took just over 2 minutes in total. Delicious.

[Suvir Saran]

Dahi Wali Kalejee

1 pound chicken livers

Marinade:

2 tablespoons ghee

6 small cloves of garlic, ground into a paste with 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 tablespoons finely minced cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno, minced finely

1 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon mace

Heat oven to 350?F.

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a baking dish.

Add the livers into the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the livers are cooked. Baste a couple of times during the duration.

[Suvir Saran]

And we serve the above with roasted onions and tomatoes.

[Suvir Saran]

I did not pay attention... Sorry!

I forgot the thread was about Calfs liver.

The recipe could work but the proportions would have to be changed.

[Suvir Saran]

Bhooni Kalejee

1 pound calves liver, washed, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Marinade:

2 tablespoons ghee

1 small red onion, sliced

2 inches of ginger, finely minced

6 small cloves of garlic crushed into a paste with 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons butter

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl.

Add the livers into the marinade and set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet or frying pan. When the butter is melted and ready to smoke, add the marinated liver and onions and sauté evenly on high heat. Make sure all sides of the liver get fried.

It will take only a few minutes for the liver to get cooked.

If you over cook it, it gets leathery and chewy.

Within a minute or two, the liver should be crisp on the outside and tender inside.

[John Whiting]

Ah, chicken livers, my everyday favorite. Cheap. accessible, versatile. I could live on them: in fact, life depends on the liver.

[Suvir Saran]

Ah, chicken livers, my everyday favorite. Cheap. accessible, versatile. I could live on them: in fact, life depends on the liver. 

I am sorry... I know I made a fool of myself.

I sure hope Celine will enjoy the other recipes.

[Suvir Saran]

Kalejee Kabab

1 pound calf or lamb liver, washed, cleaned and cut into 1 inch cubes

Juice of 2 lemons

Marinade:

1 tablespoons melted butter

1 large red onion

3 inches of ginger

2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno pepper

1/2 teaspoon mace powder

2 tablespoons melted butter

Salt to taste

Dry the cleaned liver and rub with lemon juice and leave to marinade in refrigerator for an hour.

Make the marinade by blending all ingredients into a paste.

Prick the liver with a fork and then toss in the marinade and leave to marinate for 2 hours or more.

Lace onto skewers and grill over a very hot grill.

Baste within a minute with melted butter to make sure the liver remains moist.

Do not allow the liver to get overcooked or else it will get dry and chewy.

Season with salt and serve with pita and some Raita.

PS:Khalid, the wonderful man who would make this for my friends in Mohammed Ali Road in Bombay, would always chop some red onion and add onto the skewers between the pieces of the liver. It would add a sweetness to the liver that was wonderful.

[John Whiting]

Suvir writes:

I am sorry... I know I made a fool of myself.

A wise man who makes a fool of himself must be a consummate craftsman!

[Suvir Saran]

Sookhi Bhunwa Kaleji

2 lbs. Liver, cleaned and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 large red onions, sliced

6 medium sized garlic cloves, ground into paste using 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 inch piece ginger, very finely minced

1 scant tablespoon Indian poppy seeds, ground finely

1 teaspoon coriander seed powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

2 large very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, finely chopped

2 cups yogurt, nicely whisked

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 cup ghee or canola

In a karahi (Indian wok) pour the ghee and fry the onions till golden brown, stirring often. This should take no more than 20 minutes. Add the salt to the onions, as this will make them brown faster. When brown, remove onions with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. When cool, blend the onions into a paste.

In the wok, you will have some ghee left, to that add the ginger, garlic, poppy seed powder, coriander powder, garam masala and cayenne. Sautee for 2 minutes or until the raw flavor of the garlic is gone. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the lose their form and become like a paste.

Add the liver and the ground onions at this time. Cook on a very low flame for 10 minutes.

Add the yogurt a tablespoon at a time to ensure it does not curdle. The sauce will first get a little runnier and then as you cook it will again get thick. Cook until all excess moisture has evaporated and you have a thick sauce coating the livers. The sauce will be quite dry.

[sadistick]

Let me start off by stating that I believe liver is truely an unsung hero in food...It can take so many different sauces because of its bold taste, and the texture of it is just amazing!

I wanted to make a thread about Liver, because there are sooo many good and different ways of preparing it...I will post one of my favourites.

For this recipe you use chicken livers, you can serve this as an appatizer on some grilled baguette, or as a main with some mashed potatoes...

1, Saute some onions till they are golden

2, Wash the liver, and heat a pan on high

3, Sear the liver on both sides, and reduce heat to continue cooking

4, Add some nice balsamic vinegar to deglaze/reduce and add the onions

5, Finish cooking, salt and pepper...

So easy, so simple, sooo delicious (if i do say so myself!)

Lets hear some of your liver treats!

*edit* I must admit this thread was inspired by some current ones, but I believe Liver needs one all to itself!

Edited February 16, 2005 by sadistick (log)

[snowangel]

I love liver. My husband loves liver. My kids refuse to eat it. Your prep above is my standard, but I'd love to read other suggestions.

I am reminded that I gave a birthday dinner for a friend. There were only 6 of us, and when I asked her what she wanted, she said liver and onions. I sauteed in bacon fat.

I'm lucky in that one of the markets near my house sells beautiful liver -- thinly sliced and well trimmed.

Further to ideas for cooking liver, what sides to you usually serve?

[Marlene]

I adore liver, however no one in my house eats it except me. In addition, I had chicken livers last week for the first time in my life that were simply amazing.

I like bacon with my calve's liver myself, and a nice thick sauce made from the drippings in the pan, with a little beef stock added.

Mashed potatoes just seem to go naturally with liver, and carrots. I have no idea why.

Hmmmm, I'm on my own for 4 days next week. I may have to make liver for myself.

[Toliver]

I love liver.  My husband loves liver.  My kids refuse to eat it. 

←

I commiserate with your kids. As a child, I composed this:

Liver will never live on my plate,

Liver will never be what I ate.

Whether by onions you smother

Or served by my mother,

Liver will always be something I hate.

My mom ended up serving hot dogs to us kids whenever the adults were getting liver & onions.

Uhm, I still will not eat it to this day.

[sadistick]

Hey Ladies, thanks for dropping in!

Glad to see others out there love liver as I do, I dont about you gals, but I find a big difference in taste and texture when comparing chicken liver vs Calfs (sp) liver...

The subject of sides...I find liver very rich, so granted some nice mashed tots are good, but I also like somewith with a little acid to cut through the richness, sometimes a home made cole slaw does the trick, or even my Cucumber and Dill salad, which is basically shaved cuces, which have been salved (to get out some water and strengthen flavour) then just add some nice white wine vinegar, dill, and mustard if you want...

One thing I wanted to suggest which I did the other day with Calfs liver, was to make a really nice pan sauce with a black current jam, mmm it went so well with the liver!

Keep the ideas rolling folks, I love this stuff!

[AK@Spicehouse]

How about fresh liver with a few fava beans and a glass of Chianti ??

Clarisse, It's my favorite meal..

Hey Ladies, thanks for dropping in! 

Glad to see others out there love liver as I do, I dont about you gals, but I find a big difference in taste and texture when comparing chicken liver vs Calfs (sp) liver...

The subject of sides...I find liver very rich, so granted some nice mashed tots are good, but I also like somewith with a little acid to cut through the richness, sometimes a home made cole slaw does the trick, or even my Cucumber and Dill salad, which is basically shaved cuces, which have been salved (to get out some water and strengthen flavour) then just add some nice white wine vinegar, dill, and mustard if you want...

One thing I wanted to suggest which I did the other day with Calfs liver, was to make a really nice pan sauce with a black current jam, mmm it went so well with the liver!

Keep the ideas rolling folks, I love this stuff! 

←

[Carolyn Tillie]

Standard fare from me Mum... Now when I make it, must have all the appropriate sides:

Liver, dredged in flour, fried in butter.

Onions, sauteed almost to death

Fried bacon

White rice, with butter and a little salt

Big glass of cold milk

Is this a Southern thing? My mother was from Pennsylvania, but my Dad is from Georgia and I'm wondering if she did the white rice thing for him or not.

Oh yeah, and I love chicken livers too.

[Verjuice]

Some favorites from the Epicurious website:

Easy:

Liver with Caramelized Onion and Pecans

And easy:

Calf's Liver with Apples and Onions

And this one has bacon:

Flamboyant Calf's Liver with Caramelized Onions

This is sort of a pate, but not quite. I think it still counts:

Peppered Chicken Liver, Sage, and Fried Onion Bruschetta

Mo' bacon:

Liver, Bacon, and Onions Down-Home Style

I love it every which way... from every animal. At lunch, when I was growing up in the Emirates, my father would always pass the snapper livers to me. Mousses, flans, terrines, pates. Chopped, fried or sauteed. Stuffed into dates. I love me some liver.

[fluffypopsicle]

I love rumaki. It's hardly ever served anymore!

Rumaki Recipe

[cakewalk]

Liver will never live on my plate,

Liver will never be what I ate.

Whether by onions you smother

Or served by my mother,

Liver will always be something I hate.

Uhm, I still will not eat it to this day.

←

Great poem, wonderful! I also hated liver when I was a kid. And I had (and still have) low iron levels, so my parents always tried to get me to eat it. Never worked. However, I was not as poetic a child as you: my response was to do an about face if I got to our door at suppertime and smelled so much as a faint whiff of liver coming from the other side. I still won't go near the stuff. (Although I will eat chopped chiken liver, if it's made correctly - e.g., not too heavy on the liver.)