Liver

The Master.

Ive always liked liver whether it be with a matt the rashers breakfast, my girlfriends mothers, school dinners or just a big lump of it raw.
Ive been unable to prepare any to a reasonable standard myself though.
Id be interested to know how people do it themselves.
I also understood liver to be one of the cheapest cuts available from the butchers. NOT SO!
Last week i was quoted (per kilo) 7.50 for lambs and 5.00 for ox making the lambs liver more expensive than mince or diced steak!
Over the next few weeks i will be sampling liver from all parts of the Island and collating the information regarding price and maybe quality. Im not sure about writing up on quality as it all tastes so good to me so id certainly be giving a biased view!
Im hoping to see noticable differences on price throughout the various butchers and only after collecting and reviewing these prices will the true value of this resource be felt.
And dont forget to post up those all important secret family recipes and any funny liver related stories you may have (i have none)
This is a liver appreciation thread so if you come on to post negatively about liver your opinions whilst being taken on board will be quickly disregarded.

Dr.Silly

Fried Liver ... raw onions ... and some rustic bread ..

awwwwwwwwwwwwww .... heaven

That's all I've to contribute I'm afraid . it's my mothers cooking

The Master.

Raw onions hmmm?
Ive been frying mines alright but its very easy to overcook and then im left with an inedible mess. Ive used stirfry oil and coated it in flour but i dont see the benefits of the flour.
Id really like to make it in the oven in a dish with gravy and onions.

GastroBoy

Personally, I love liver. I must say i find beef liver quite strong though.

I serve mine pink. Then as the meat is resting I saute onions in the pan.
I like to serve it one some gremolata too, a mixture of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon rind and S&P.

Animord

Fry onions on a lowish heat for about half an hour, allow them to caramelise.

Slice liver into strips about the size of your little finger.

Put onions in separate dish.

Turn the heat up very high and put liver in pan for approximately one eighth of a second, or maybe a bit longer if you like it over cooked

Put onions back in the pan with a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

Stir for a second.

Pour over pile of creamy mashed potato.

Sit back and enjoy pure heaven on a plate

Dr.Silly

The Master. wrote: »

Raw onions hmmm?

oh you have to try it..the raw onion goes SO SO well with liver.

FTGFOP

The Master. wrote: »

Over the next few weeks i will be sampling liver from all parts of the Island and collating the information regarding price and maybe quality.

Keep an eye out for symptoms of Vitamin A poisoning. (seriously)

shrapnel222

best liver, for me anyway, is veal, but you can't get it here so we eat chicken livers which are so tasty also and very cheap.

fry shallots until they're nice and golden, then add the livers whole. cooking time about 6-7 minutes turning over once, then pour red wine vinegar on them and cook for another minute or so (for me anyway, the inside should be pink and slighlty bloody) . i then put them in a nice salad (Frisee preferably) and add a bit of french vinaigrette. yum!

The Master.

FTGFOP wrote: »

Keep an eye out for symptoms of Vitamin A poisoning. (seriously)

Well... This changes everything
ive eaten it three out of the last four days.
one sign of over consumption to look out for is yellowing of the skin.
I suppose another sign to look out for is your partner packing her bags because the house is stinking of the stuff now.

According to wikipedia livers from polar bears, seals, walrus and huskys carry unusually high levels of vitamin A so no recipes for those please folks.

While i was cooking my liver i left it in the fairly large slices so will try to slice it thinner and just flash fry it as was said earlier in the thread.
another thing i always make a hames of is creamy mash
i was under the impression that slower frying at a low heat was the job but will give it a go.

The Master.

GastroBoy wrote: »

Personally, I love liver. I must say i find beef liver quite strong though.

I serve mine pink. Then as the meat is resting I saute onions in the pan.
I like to serve it one some gremolata too, a mixture of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon rind and S&P.

i bought a bit of the lambs liver and ox liver and done them at the same time but honestly couldnt tell the difference. possibly because i had overcooked both :pac:

GastroBoy

The Master. wrote: »

While i was cooking my liver i left it in the fairly large slices so will try to slice it thinner and just flash fry it as was said earlier in the thread.
another thing i always make a hames of is creamy mash
i was under the impression that slower frying at a low heat was the job but will give it a go.

Try this recipe out, it's my favorite, simple & delicious

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lambs_liver_with_64064

Minder

I like calf's liver cooked in a pan with butter - the slightest dusting of flour - cook the liver until pink. Once cooked, plate the liver and add a little more butter and a few small sage leaves to the pan and fry until the leaves are crisp - a minute or two. Liver is also very good sliced into finger thick pieces, dusted with flour and smoked paprika. Pan fry and serve with sour cream.

longshanks

GastroBoy wrote: »

Try this recipe out, it's my favorite, simple & delicious

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lambs_liver_with_64064

I'm just after finishing this, and jeeeesus was it tasty. I love you GastroBoy

GastroBoy

longshanks wrote: »

I'm just after finishing this, and jeeeesus was it tasty. I love you GastroBoy

Haha, your welcome, glad you enjoyed it. You can thank Raymond Blanc for that one.

nompere

I was cooking duck for four people at Christmas, so I had two, which came with the little bags of giblets.

I tried the flash-frying method that I use for lamb's liver with the two duck livers.

A bit of trimming and slicing, a quick dredge in spicy flour, and briefly into the sizzling fat. Some onion gravy and mash, and what a smashing result. The OH was working, so it was a solitary supper, but it almost made up for being alone on Christmas Eve.

arse..biscuits

I killed a deer a while back and decided to try the liver. It was a young female. Cooked the liver within less than an hour of killing it. Fried it with butter and onion and had it on toast. It was literally one of the nicest things have ever eaten.

Brian?

GastroBoy wrote: »

Try this recipe out, it's my favorite, simple & delicious

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lambs_liver_with_64064

That looks very tasty, must give it a go.

My favourite way to cook liver, or kidneys when not in a pie, is to devil them.

Something like this:

http://www.findeatdrink.com/Index/Etc/Entries/2010/6/17_recipe_deviled_kidneys.html

I'd use more cayenne pepper for kidneys and sometime smoked paprika instead.

I only really eat lambs liver or kidneys. Find anything else too strong, although venison liver sounds well worth a go. I seem to remember a lad on Masterchef the professionals cooking it a couple of years ago.

kylith

I've always hated liver. My mother said that I've just been cooking it wrong, which is funny since I've only ever had it when she's cooked it. It's possible that she cooks it wrong, but I find it really mealy and dry.

I much prefer heart, which tastes similar but milder, and has a much nicer texture.

GastroBoy

kylith wrote: »

t I find it really mealy and dry..

Definitely over cooked. Should be cooked no more then medium, then it actually has quite a lovely texture and the flavor is so much better.

vibe666

i did some a while back marinated in red wine and garlic for an hour beforehand and cooked with bacon and onions and it was very tasty. can't remember exactly how i did it (i never write anything down) but it was really nice and i'll definitely be doing it again soon.

would also reiterate not to cook it past medium and leave it at least a little pink if you can.

unkel

Made pate for the very first time a few days ago

Nigella Lawson recipe. Fry onion + bacon and add cleaned chicken livers. Fry until just coloured then add booze (I used brandy), let it bubble and reduce for a minute and then add cream. Add salt / pepper / parsley and cook for a few minutes then into the food processor

This was still quite runny and I was a bit worried. But put it in a container and pressed down clingfilm on top to prevent discolouring and into the fridge for 24h

Gorgeous! Easy, quick and cheap. Everybody loved it, the kids included.