Liver

[hollywood]

I don't think I've had any calf's or beef liver in 20 years. Mostly I've had chicken livers and monkfish liver of late. When I was a kid Mom always had to force us to eat it and it was majorly overcooked--tasted like skanky cardboard. In undergrad days, tried making some (cheap) and not so thoroughly cooked. Still never got it. Later tried camouflaging it with onions. Mostly enjoyed the onions. I've heard there's a good treatment in Venice but for some reason I've had seafood there. So, is liver any good? Good for you? How's it best prepared?

[mikeycook]

I had a calf's liver at a bistro in Paris near the Hotel Duc de Saint-Simon in July (I believe it was called "Oueillade") They served it with a rhubarb sauce that was an excellent compliment. Another key is to cook it just right (medium-rare is best to me.)

[hollywood]

They served it with a rhubarb sauce that was an excellent compliment.

Thanks. Again, this seems to be of the camouflage school of thought, yes? I also seem to recall broiling liver with a lot of ground sage (?) on it. Gave it a greenish look. (Or was that bile?)

[Jinmyo]

Psh. I even like pork liver, which has the loudest flavour. Though calf's liver is indeed excellent.

Caramelize onions in one pan, plate. In the other bring bacon fat to heat. Season the liver with kosher salt and much pepper, dust lightly with flour. Sear one side for a minute or two, flip, lift and place on a towel then place the liver atop the onions. A bit of Dijon sauce (mustard loosened with stock) atop and around. Accompanied by boiled red potatoes with herb butter or even a stack of toast and a blackened tomato.

The liver must be, must be, absolutely must be rare. Or what "medium rare" people think is "rare" at most.

[hollywood]

Psh. I even like pork liver, which has the loudest flavour. Though calf's liver is indeed excellent.

Caramelize onions in one pan, plate. In the other bring bacon fat to heat. Season the liver with kosher salt and much pepper, dust lightly with flour. Sear one side for a minute or two, flip, lift and place on a towel then place the liver atop the onions. A bit of Dijon sauce (mustard loosened with stock) atop and around. Accompanied by boiled red potatoes with herb butter or even a stack of toast and a blackened tomato.

The liver must be, must be, absolutely must be rare. Or what "medium rare" people think is "rare" at most.

Damn, Jin, that sounds good. Where's your restaurant?

Do you actually serve pork liver? I've never seen that on a menu (of course, maybe I wasn't looking).

[fresco]

Psh. I even like pork liver, which has the loudest flavour. Though calf's liver is indeed excellent.

Caramelize onions in one pan, plate. In the other bring bacon fat to heat. Season the liver with kosher salt and much pepper, dust lightly with flour. Sear one side for a minute or two, flip, lift and place on a towel then place the liver atop the onions. A bit of Dijon sauce (mustard loosened with stock) atop and around. Accompanied by boiled red potatoes with herb butter or even a stack of toast and a blackened tomato.

The liver must be, must be, absolutely must be rare. Or what "medium rare" people think is "rare" at most.

Damn, Jin, that sounds good. Where's your restaurant?

Do you actually serve pork liver? I've never seen that on a menu (of course, maybe I wasn't looking).

If you dine out on Chinese food often, you're bound to run into pork liver.

[pim]

Do you actually serve pork liver?  I've never seen that on a menu (of course, maybe I wasn't looking).

I've mostly found pork liver in Asian food.

Hing lung in Chinatown in San Francisco serves a yummy hot bowl of jok with the silkiest slices of pork liver. Sweet!

[Suzanne F]

Liver is good. I eat it out when I can, because HWOE doesn't like it except as chopped chicken liver.

Fegato all Veneziana is basically liver-and-onions: thinly sliced onions sauteed in butter and oil until soft but not browned; add very, very thinly sliced liver to the onions and cook it quickly to brown; season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley. The recipe I'm looking at calls for 1-1/2 pounds of onions for 2 pounds of liver.

Remember, too, that liver can be an excellent accompaniment to bacon.

Added: and as usual, Jinmyo is the speaker of truth: liver MUST be rare.

Edited August 27, 2003 by Suzanne F (log)

[theakston]

Lamb's liver is also very good. A little milder than pork liver and more tender. More flavourful than veal liver.

It is widely available in Europe but I have never seen it in the USA. It is excellent dipped in flour and fried medium rare. with bacon and / or onions. Quick and cheap.

Beef is tough and needs to be braised. Not that good.

(I'd say medium rare as - pink throughout but no cold red raw middle)

Edited August 27, 2003 by theakston (log)

[Savour Chef]

Psh. I even like pork liver, which has the loudest flavour. Though calf's liver is indeed excellent.

Caramelize onions in one pan, plate. In the other bring bacon fat to heat. Season the liver with kosher salt and much pepper, dust lightly with flour. Sear one side for a minute or two, flip, lift and place on a towel then place the liver atop the onions. A bit of Dijon sauce (mustard loosened with stock) atop and around. Accompanied by boiled red potatoes with herb butter or even a stack of toast and a blackened tomato.

The liver must be, must be, absolutely must be rare. Or what "medium rare" people think is "rare" at most.

Excellent preparation. Love it.

I love to cook it at home many different ways, the already mentioned saute, and then sometimes in the summer, marinating in a rosemary-sherry-shallot mixture and grilling. Gives it a different flavour. My mommy used to always tell us as kids that we should eat our liver cause it's full of iron!

Anyway, the link below tells you everything you ever wanted to know about liver!

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=f...dspice&dbid=129

[hollywood]

Thanks, Chef. Damn, is that stuff healthy or what? The bit about the beef liver and the toxins is a little off-putting though.

[hollywood]

My mommy used to always tell us as kids that we should eat our liver cause it's full of iron!

Same as my Mom. But at the same time she was force feeding us spoons full of cod liver oil. Hey, just how big is a cod's liver anyway? Have you ever seen a cod liver or livers for sale?

[Nick]

I agree with Jin in that liver should be rare, no more than medium rare. But, I don't use two pans. I melt some butter in the pan and saute the onions until they're about transluscent. Then I take them out, add more butter, and put in the liver. Turn the heat up some so the liver gets browned. After it's browned on the first side, flip it over.

Add back the onions on top of the liver. Actually I use lots of onions so some of them are on the bottom of the pan as well, frying (sauteing, whatever) in the juices and butter. Turn down the heat after flipping the liver and adding the onions. Liver should not be over 1/2"-5/8" thick so it doesn't take long.

Get your liver at a good butcher shop or slaughterhouse. Learn to recognize good liver when you see it. There's a lot of liver on the market that isn't fit to eat.

[torakris]

rare is for wimps!

I like my beef liver raw!

I like my chicken livers turned into pate the way Mario does it.

Edited August 28, 2003 by torakris (log)

[hollywood]

rare is for wimps!

I like my beef liver raw!  

Did you just read Portnoy's Complaint?

[torakris]

rare is for wimps!

I like my beef liver raw!  

Did you just read Portnoy's Complaint?

no,

did he like his liver raw too?

[hollywood]

rare is for wimps!

I like my beef liver raw!  

Did you just read Portnoy's Complaint?

no,

did he like his liver raw too?

Read the book (yes, sort of...).

[KatieLoeb]

This post inspired me to look for calves' liver in the market that right on the way home from work. Alas, they only had beef liver that looked nasty (but was on sale for .99/lb.) so I passed. Perhaps I'll check a different market tomorrow on the way home and make liver, bacon and onions! I haven't had that in ages, and although I don't think of it often, once in a great while it's a wonderful thing.

[Shiewie]

Pork Liver - marinate with thick soya sauce, light soya sauce, salt and some sugar. Toss some minced garlic into hot oil and stir fry the liver until is is barely cooked (the insides should be pinkish). Serve with rice.

[jackal10]

Liver and BACON

Can just fry together; keep the liver rare, so add it it when the pieces are nearly done.

Good also cut into small pieces, added to fried bacon and onions (also in small pieces) and stirred into hot cooked rice, with some soyor worcester sauce

[enthusiast]

i'm with hollywood on this one - i just don't get calves liver. i love liver pate, i adore foie gras but i can only eat the bacon and onions if presented with the cow thing intact.

it's a textural thing, i think

[bloomingonion]

Ewww... liver

For me, it IS a texture thing. I can start off with grand intentions of eating it, but once the texture is fully 'felt'... ewwwurkkk. I gag.

Once tho', a friend brought home a to-go box from a soul food restaurant. Didn't know what it was...but it was gooooooooooooddd... ate 1/2 of it before he informed me that it was, in fact liver. He said they had soaked it in something...I can't recall whether he said 7up/Sprite, or milk...and had lightly breaded it and panfried it, with a little tomato sauce on top. It was awesome.

I think the soaking did something to break down the connective tissue.

Apparently, that's the only way I can eat it.

I love pate', and foie gras... but can't do that liver slab thing.

[sparrowgrass]

I have a friend who belongs to the "Can't get it at Home Club"--people whose spouses hate liver eat out once a month.

Deer liver is always opening day dinner, if the guys are lucky--with bacon and onions. I also like pork liver, but it is hard to find.

[hollywood]

I think the soaking did something to break down the connective tissue. 

Apparently, that's the only way I can eat it. 

I'd forgotten about the connective tissue aspect. Maybe Nick's right--it's got to be a thin piece.

[jsolomon]

Best liver I had was chicken in what was described as Kurdish pate.

6 ingredients

garlic (10 or more cloves)

fresh cilantro (chopped medium)

good chicken livers

EVOO

salt

pepper

put EVOO in pan with garlic and cilantro and fry them for a bit to flavor the oil, then remove the vegetation and sear the livers in the oil. Remove from heat, and process, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

This buddy said that how he had it in Persia was as a street food. Liver was marinated in EVOO, garlic and cilantro, grilled and basted with marinade, then all wrapped in pita and snarfed down from street vendors.