Eating Liver

I'm a traditionalist.

Of course, my tradition is north German/Russian so I like this sort of sweet/sour take on liver.

http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-pan-fried-chicken-livers-with-apple-onion-and-sage-266712

I could eat it almost every day. I love caramelized onions and apples.

fast and easy

for 4 - 6

2 lbs chicken livers
(at least) 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 apple, chopped

(there are suggested seasonings at the link, but I use a slightly different combo - I go more for the nutmeg than sage/poultry seasoning)

In a large non-stick skillet or wok, saute chicken livers and onions on medium-high heat for 10 minutes (NO oil or butter needed).

Add chopped apples and seasonings. Reduce heat to medium; cook for 10-15 minutes more or until done, stirring occasionally.

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I love this with mashed root (potato/yam/turnip/onion) veg plus honey carrots. Of course the carrots could be in the mashed root veg and make things really easy.

Thank you. I will give it a try.

Salt and a flour coat, fry in oil, wow...the smell is delightful. Taste better than sirloin steak.

I'm not wild on fried liver BUT I do agree that I'd almost always prefer liver to steak (or pretty much any beef).

I don't like chicken liver. I like lamb liver but I find ox and pig a bit strong, however I have cut up pigs liver into half inch or smaller chunks, rolled them in seasoned flour and fried them with onions, garlic, chopped red and/or green peppers, served with boiled long grain rice, and the trusty Tabasco bottle is on the table or you could add some to the pan in cooking (or both). Maybe add some beans, pinto kidney or what I believe Americans call Navy beans?

When I was a boy, my step dad started bringing home beef liver to fry with onions, every Tuesday. The older ones among us ate it without protest. We knew we had to. The little ones, not so much. After about three weeks of this, even the older ones became less compliant. The old man started announcing, "This is veal. It's not liver." Rather than fooling anybody, it just brought the issue out in the open. He would sit there with us and tell us, "By god you're going to eat it." I recall nibbling at mine. Then, one half brother, the fourth one younger than me, said, "I eat my liver, Daddy. I eat my liver." He consumed a great mouthful with gusto. Then he sat still, regarding all the uneaten liver on the plate. He pushed it away. "I'm full," he said. He was excused from the table. But it was a standoff, after that. The old man finally conceded defeat and we never had liver again.

When I was a boy I absolutely loved liver and bacon, fried together in the pan, using lard or beef dripping, with thick fries. Do Americans call these country fries? The traditional British deep-fried 'chips', I mean. Add a couple of pork sausages and I was in heaven. You can stew liver and bacon and onions and add some thickening to the liquor for a great gravy and serve with mashed potatoes.

Nobody has mentioned pig's kidneys - I love these sliced and fried with bacon.

By God this thread is making me hungry.

i grew up eating chopped liver on rye.

i'll see if my mom has a recipe handy (preferably her mom's)...

Ah... memories.

Our standoff, which I lost for years on end, was my not liking a simple glass of white milk. I was "forced" to eat big calcium pills, almost as big as Necco Wafers. I ended up as a teen having to sit at the table until I finished the damned milk. I just didn't like the taste on my tongue, wanted to gag but didn't quite. I hated sitting at the table for an hour, sipping.

Sometime in my teens, I started to try to drink coffee, but I was told to put milk in it. Eh!! Not until I worked in a hospital and ate in the Rose Room (small counter, two or three booths) did I figure out I liked coffee just fine, it was the milk that ruined it. During all those years I did like chocolate milk, still do. I still don't just chug a glass of white milk, a million years later. A remnant of childhood recalcitrance. I suppose if I were starving....

I've long made cocoa with it or baked with it; more tellingly, I didn't mind white milk on cereal. I liked chocolate milk shakes, not vanilla ones. I use it along with yogurt in my smoothies in these later years (I avoided my mother's homemade yogurt at age eight too.) I have liked whipped cream, even as a teen, but also still eschew cream in my coffee or tea. No trouble with ice cream, but when I make my own, I put chocolate bits in it or nuts or flavorings. I think it's the pure white milk then that wormed into my brain resistance.

This is why I have often called myself Ms. Picky.

Adds, I didn't mind pan cooked beef liver as a kid, and later have liked it with plenty of onions, mmm.

Now I want rye toast.


<back in a bit>

I pan cooked beef liver twice in about a week, but haven't been able to work up an appetite for more. This morning I pan fried chicken liver. Two bites were all I could manage. I plan to follow ebeth's recipe tomorrow.

I think the key to preparing liver is not to cook it too quickly - it gets tough when handled at too high a heat. That's why frying liver can be tricky. If you've got a good hand with the pan/griddle, the liver can be pleasant. If you're not so good with the pan, you've got some tough stuff to try and chew.

Liver should fall apart - you shouldn't need a knife if your liver is prepared well.

Chopped liver can be a marvellous thing.

I've made this version with some success

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chopped-liver-recipe.html

I tend to cook beef liver up with onions, either in butter or bacon or sausage fat. Ser ed up with garlic and onion mashed potatoes and green beans or peas on the side.


I've also done a beef liver casserole which involves cutting the liver up into bite size pieces, merge that with fresh green beans and a couple of good sized onions which have been sliced up in half circles and the fat from bacon or sausage and a cup or two of beef broth (varies according to how much you are making and how liquidy/soupy you want it) be sure to get salt free broth.

Cooks up in about a half hour at 350°F. If you want you can also put in potatoes and carrots. I usually forego the potatoes since I want mashed potatoes on the side (with garlic and onion).

The amount of liver, green beans and such will vary according to your like or dislike of each item, I cook much like my father did which rarely has a recipe attached. If you want to add salt and/or ground pepper feel free, I usually avoid adding those as everyone has different tastes and dietary restrictions.
No idea what to do with chicken liver since I detest it.

I might like this last recipe best, but I already have ingredients for the first.

I cooked the liver just right to make it easy to chew.

cant handle liver, although I love Braunschweiger or low salt liverwurst. I love sammich of sliced braun... on whole wheat with sliced red onion and mayo.

mmmmm

fried liver gags me.

The liver was not my idea, but a protocol I am following recommends liver as part of building up the immune system. Part of a fairly long list.

Doctors used to recommend raw liver for certain conditions such as anemia and TB, this was up to the 1950s, they suggested putting it in buttered bread to make it more palatable.