Ok I'm prolly gonna gross out the group but I need some help - Beef Liver.

[KyndCulture]

I love Liver and Onions but have only had it in diners. I am on a very high protein diet right now and my doctor suggested that I eat liver. I'm detoxing from alcohol and am in recovery. The dietian at my out patient clinic is suggesting high carbs, high protien for me because of the effects of the liquor have made me malnourished.

Does anybody know how to cook beef liver, I like it with a bit of onion and gravy.. but I have no clue how to tell when it's done or how long to cook it or how to prepare it.

[Gormy Cuss]

1. Not a recipe, but my mother used to slice it and dredge it in flour

then brown it a frying pan in butter or bacon fat over medium heat. This step is very quick, maybe a minute on each side. She would saute onions separately on low heat until they were browned on the edges. When nearly the onions were nearly done she added the browned liver and cooked over low heat until the liver was done (only a few minutes needed).

Another way she made it was to cut it in chunks, mix it with browned onions and bake it in the oven with gravy on top. She used homemade gravy but a can of turkey gravy would probably do the trick. I have no idea how long it cooked, but it was probably in a 325-350 degree oven.

I don't eat liver anymore so can't help with more precise instructions, but I hope the general idea is enough to get you started.

two other notes:1) be sure to remove any veins in the liver before cooking. 2)Liver doesn't take long to cook and it's easy to overdo it.

[The empressof all]

2. You cook it like a good steak

Fast and rare. I rarely make liver but I do get cravings for it once a year or so. I usually cook up some bacon strips. Leaving a few tablespoons of drippings in the pan I cook the liver (thinly coated with flour) quickly on both sides. Remove the liver and cook thinly sliced onions. Serve the liver with the onions and bacon. My mother usually served it with steamed red potatoes and red cabbage.

The liver should be pink inside.

You also can substitute chicken livers, which are delicious cooked the same way. They also can just be cooked in the oven. (don't over-cook)

[eleny]

3. I like it, too

You got good tips from the others.

As has been suggested, don't fry the liver too long. That way it will be tender. I never made gravy with liver. But there's plenty out there in <gasp> jars and packages.

P.S. A slice or two of bacon on the side is ooh-la-la! Add some mashed potatoes or kernel corn and it's paradise on a plate.

Best of health to you! If you learn any new tips along the way on preparing liver, please post them.

[NMDemDist2]

4. good for you Kynd! and the only thing I know about liver is not to

over cook it

TEoA was right, fast and hot and leave it rare

[Reciprocity]

5. Congratulations on your recovery!!!!!

In praise of liver.
By Lynn Razaitis

Since history began, "liver has ranked above all other offal as one of the most prized culinary delights. Its heritage is illustrious--whether savored by young warriors after a kill or mixed with truffles and cognac for fine patés de foie gras." So write Margaret Gin and Jana Allen, authors of Innards and Other Variety Meats (San Francisco, 1974).

Practically every cuisine has liver specialties. Some cultures place such a high value on liver that human hands can’t touch it. Special sticks must move it. The Li-Chi, a handbook of rituals published during China’s Han era (202B.C. to 220A.D.), lists liver as one of the Eight Delicacies. Throughout most of recorded time humans have preferred liver over steak by a large margin, regarding it as a source of great strength and as providing almost magical curative powers.

A LONG LIST
So what makes liver so wonderful? Quite simply, it contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. In summary, liver provides:

An excellent source of high-quality protein
Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A
All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12
One of our best sources of folic acid
A highly usable form of iron
Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper
An unidentified anti-fatigue factor
CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function
A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA.
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/liver.html

CHICKEN LIVERS WITH ONIONS AND SAGE

3 tbsp. butter
1 c. finely sliced onions
2 whole cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. chicken livers
3/4 c. flour
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. ground sage
3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a non-stick skillet; add onions and cloves, salt, and pepper. Toss and stir over medium heat for about 10 minutes. The onions should be browned and soft. Discard the cloves; keep the onions warm.

Pick over the chicken livers and remove any tough veins. Quarter the livers. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir to coat well. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat. Add half of the livers one at a time.

Cook, turning the livers as they brown. One batch of livers takes about 4-5 minutes to cook. Using the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over high heat. Add the livers, cooked onions, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook, shaking the skillet and tossing the livers so they will heat throughout. Add the vinegar; stir and blend well for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

[eleny]

6. Thanks for the nutritional info!

[Dora]

8. What could I substitute for sage?

I can't eat sage right now as I'm still nursing my son. (Sage is quite effective at drying up a nursing mother's milk.)

[KyndCulture]

10. Now THAT I didn't know...

I just forwarded your post about sage to my friend that just had a baby.....

[Dora]

14. A good website for your friend...

www.kellymom.com

It's full of great info about breastfeeding. I found it much more informative than La Leche's website. I depended on it, especially when I started working again.

[Reciprocity]

13. I'm not a big sage fan myself, so I leave it out completely.

Salt and pepper do it for me.

[KyndCulture]

9. Thank you for the nutrient advice!

That's in a nutshell what the doctor told me, and why I should add beef and chicken liver to my diet for the next coming weeks.


Along with the fact that calfs liver added to my diet will quell the cravings for liquor. I'm willing to try anything that does THAT!

[KyndCulture]

7. Thank you guys so much...

I bought a pack of calf's liver today and tomorrow I am gonna try to cook this.

The minerals and proteins are exactly what I need, so I am gonna give this my best shot.

At least I love the taste.


I'll post on how it goes. I think I can do this.

[wryter2000]

12. Calves liver versus beef liver

I've never found calves liver to be significantly different from beef liver so it's not worth the extra price. I heard from a butcher once that most of what is labeled calves liver is beef liver. My grocery stores only stock beef liver in the freezer, which is probably better than "fresh" because you don't know how long the "fresh" has been sitting on the butcher's shelf.

[wryter2000]

11. Easy

I melt some butter in a pan and sautee some sliced onions in it. Then, I push the onions to one side, add slices of liver and cook, turning once, until it doesn't feel squishy. I don't bother with bacon, but I imagine it would add some protein, too.

Congrats on getting clean! :applause:

[Rhiannon12866]

15. I have cooked this many times.

Actually, my vet's had me make this for my dogs when they weren't eating well, since the smell and the taste will entice them, and it's extremely nutritious. But I've also eaten liver, many times, myself, since I was anemic for a long time and liver is high in iron, so it was recommended for me by my doctor and I actually do like liver, though I'm not big on most meat...

How I prepared it was quite simple. I rinsed and dried it, since I'm not big on meat juices, then sauteed it quickly. When I made it for the dogs, I used canola oil, since it has a very high smoke point and adds little flavor. I did this on a fairly high heat in a non-stick electric frying pan, one of my favorites in my kitchen. I browned it on one side, then turned it. It's fairly easy to see how well done it is by how stiff it becomes. But you can always make a slit in it, if you're not sure. If red juices run out, give it just a little more time...

If I was making it for myself, I would have seasoned it, probably a little salt, garlic salt and a dash of cayenne. And you can get the onions started early, since you want them to cook through and you can cook the liver as well done as you like it. I cooked it more rare for my dogs than I would do for me, since my vet said to leave it pink for them. And, for me, I would also add sliced mushrooms, added after the onions cooked down a little, also seasoned the same way, a little salt, garlic salt and a dash of cayenne.

I hope that I didn't gross you out, as well, LOL, since I've cooked this for my dogs, but that's when I learned to cook liver. It doesn't take long, but I prefer it cooked through.:-)

Best of luck with your recovery, my friend. I've been there. I would also recommend chicken livers, cooked with mushrooms and onions, easy to do with a little gravy, which I did often for my Dad. But that's another post... I'll share this, as well, if you'd like.:D

Rhiannon:hi:

[KyndCulture]

16. 15 days sober!!! today

I would love the recipe for chicken livers, mushrooms and gravy...

That totally sounds like something I'd LOVE!

[Reciprocity]

17. I'm so happy for you!

Next up 16 days.

[calico1]

18. I like chicken livers myself.

But for any kind of liver I have usually cooked it by rendering bacon,then adding onionsand sauteting the liver (to which salt and pepper has been added) with the onions and bacon.

Now I feel like eating some liver! My dh does not like it so when I make it I make it for myself. But I think I will go out tomorrow and get some!

[KyndCulture]

19. I love it at diners.

Chicken or beef livers...

There used to be this truck stop here that had the very best!!!!! I wish I could figure out the recipe. Mine's still missing something.

[Arkansas Granny]

24. I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but this is the way I

have always fixed liver and onions and it makes it's own gravy.

Heat oil in pan and add sliced onions, saute until clear and starting to get tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Roll liver in seasoned flour (I just use flour, salt and pepper)and brown lightly on both sides in same skillet, adding a little more oil if necessary. Return onions to pan, add a little water and cover tightly. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 20 - 30 minutes.

When it is through cooking, most of the flour coating on the meat has simmered off and thickens the juices in the pan to make the gravy and the slow cooking doesn't toughen the liver.

[HamdenRice]

20. I worry about eating liver

The liver as an organ functions as a filter and detoxifyer. I've been worried that with all the hormones, drugs and chemicals that our livestock now eat, that that stuff gets concentrated in the liver.

I noticed a few years ago that many of the chicken livers packaged with whole chickens seemed yellow and discolored. Last week I bought beef liver, mostly for my dog as a treat, but I was going to make some for myself. When I sliced the liver I noticed it had some wholes in it, which is a sign of liver disease, so I am not sure whether I'm going to eat it or even give it to my dog.

Anyone else worry about the effects of agribusiness practices on the safety of liver?

[wildeyed]

21. I am worried about the effects of agribusiness

on all of our food supply and especially meat. I make a serious effort to only eat locally raised organic meat these days, both for health and humane reasons.

That said, I do love liver. It is not the type of thing I would eat everyday, even if I wanted it, but occasionally it hits the spot. I had ferocious cravings for calf's liver with onion/red wine sauce after my first baby. I guess with the blood loss and stress, my body needed it.

[Gormy Cuss]

22. I don't eat much of it for similar reasons.

I was never a big fan of pork and beef liver as a main course but I loved chicken livers when I was a kid. The fact that it's one of the filtering organs makes me keep my intake to a minimum now. I do eat foods that contain liver, like pate, but infrequently.

[tammywammy]

25. Back a few years ago

I was taking a nutrition class in college. I remember the proff saying that you shouldn't eat it every day, but you can have it every now and then....maybe twice a month max.

But this is a little fuzzy, since I don't eat liver I wasn't paying much attention. :blush:
I don't eat it out right, like liver & onions, but if it's in something grinded up, like dirty rice or boudain, I will.

[KyndCulture]

23. Well the packs I have been buying are in the organic meat section.

I do worry about the effects but I am far more worried about my serious anemia, my vitamin deciciencies and my malnutrition at the moment.

This diet of organ meat is only for a couple weeks. The dietician recommended which store to go to and what to buy. I trust her.

[GoneOffShore]

26. Rub it with Indian Spices

Cumin, fenugreek, dried chili, black pepper, salt, and then flash sear it. Don't overcook it.

Cook some onions first, seasoned with the above.

And cook some rice.