Calf Liver

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Galeazzo_Ciano

Assistant Cook
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
Messages
11
Location
Scotland
Calf liver is delicate and delicious. I have a bit of a surfeit of it in my freezer and would like suggestions on serving. I know I could browse recipe sites etc. but I'd like to know what you have tried and tasted/tested.

(Here in Scotland, the football (soccer) season is just about to get underway and every Saturday my wife and daughter abandon the house as I have the lads round for lunch before the game. They too love veal/liver)

p.s. Happy to have joined this forum.

Thanks
 
We LOVE liver!

I just salt and pepper it then dust with flour and brown in veggie oil.
Don't over cook or it gets tough. Yep. Plain and boring but it's oh so good served with some grilled onions.
 
I've loved liver since I was a little kid. In fact, I used to eat the leftovers as cold liver sandwiches! :cool:

I like to start by cooking bacon in the pan and then draining off most of the fat and cooking the liver and onions in the bacon fat.

Imo, the secret to great liver is not cooking it too long. Otherwise it turns into an old shoe sole. :ermm: In fact, I think overcooking (also read "well done") is the nemesis of most meat, especially organ meat.
 
oh.. I'm going to try it in bacon fat next time. lol.. all the more yummy and healthy!!!
 
Calves liver is one of the very few foods that I hated as a child & still hate today - lol!!

That said, the one way my mother made it that always had me cleaning my plate was when she first lightly sauteed it, & then served it in a white wine mushroom cream sauce.
 
Well, cooked some tonight.

Slow fried red onion until it was really soft, in a light olive oil.
Removed onion.
Added butter to the pan w/ four freshly picked sage leaves from my well watered (Scottish rain!) garden.
Brought butter to sizzling and flash fried the liver for 20-30 seconds (cut into small squares).
Removed liver. (Ooo! sounds surgical)
Returned onions to pan with generous handful of parsley from garden.
Fried until browning - added liver - added reduced balsamic. A quick stir.
Served.
Beautiful.

I have always quickly fried calf liver. I just wondered if there was an alternative - braising etc.
I suppose simplest is best.

I like Breezy's idea of a sauce though. Mmm..?
 
I'm with those who have loved liver of all sorts since the day I was born. I rarely fix beef liver myself, only because local restaurant does it so well. But the last time it wasn't up to par. I actually had to send it back, someting I rarely do.

My mom spent hours de-veining liver when I was a kid, so I've never actually dealt with beef (veal, pork) liver at home. Is the deveining as difficult and messy as I remember?

I'm a true liver lover.
 
I love calves liver, but don't like lamb or pig's liver... they smell kinda 'wild' when cooking to my nose.

I only cook liver in the winter (don't know why) and serve with mashed potatoes and a carrot and onion gravy.
 
I am not a huge liver fan, perhaps it has to do with it being forced upon me as a child. If you like curry then I suggest trying to cook liver the way I listed below and see if you like it. The spices do ease the strong taste of the liver and it goes well with roti bread.

Any kind of liver ( I have only used goat or lamb) cut into thin small strips
1 large onion finely chopped
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 large tomatoes finely chopped
2 tbsp of oil
2 tsp of garam masala powder (if you don't have it make your own - 2 tsp black peppercorns, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1 tsp of cloves, 3 cardamom powdered)
salt to taste
1 green chili finely chopped
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of paprika or red chili if you like it spicy
2 tsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of corrainder powder
cilantro for garnish
1 cup of water

In a pan add the oil. Once it's hot saute the onions until translucent, next add the ginger, dry spices and tomatoes and continue to saute until the tomatoes turn into a mush. Next add the water, and liver and let it all cook unitl the liver is done. Garnish with cilantro and chopped green chilis and serve.
 
traditional for me would be liver cooked with onions and bacon. However, lightly flour and saute liver, and serve with a spicey tomato sauce or compote. Really good that way, with a side of dark leafy greens of choice sauteed in garlic and oil. Steamed couscous for your starch. Fast and delicious.
 
Only Way

ChefJune said:
I've loved liver since I was a little kid. In fact, I used to eat the leftovers as cold liver sandwiches! :cool:

I like to start by cooking bacon in the pan and then draining off most of the fat and cooking the liver and onions in the bacon fat.

Imo, the secret to great liver is not cooking it too long. Otherwise it turns into an old shoe sole. :ermm: In fact, I think overcooking (also read "well done") is the nemesis of most meat, especially organ meat.

Only way to eat liver is w/bacon fat and onions. Otherwise, the flavor seems to strong. But putting in buttermilk for while in fridge before fixing does make the flavor tone down a bit. Nothing better than the flavor of bacon, onion in your gravy and mashed potatoes. that is another thing that the store doesn't hardly carry anymore is calf liver.
 
another vote for calves liver fried in bacon fat, then served with butter softened onions, and back or irish bacon.
 
Ishbel said:
I love calves liver, but don't like lamb or pig's liver... they smell kinda 'wild' when cooking to my nose.

I only cook liver in the winter (don't know why) and serve with mashed potatoes and a carrot and onion gravy.

Liver, when not overcooked, is highly nutritious, as that is where the body (or critter's bodies) store fat-soluable vitamins and minerals. Ish, maybe you eat it in the winter to stock up on vitamins and minerals?

Personally, I abhor all liver. But, seasoning veal liver with salt and pepper, dusting with flour, and sauteing in bacon grease, then cook some onions in the same grease, and maybe even making a beef gravy from those drippings, is good. I just don't like the liver, though.
 
The only way I eat liver nowadays is alla Veneziana, with white wine, sage and onions. All poured over a heap of creamy mash! :)
 
How is that done Lyn, love to know. I have only had liver twice in my life. Cooked by th chinese chef at the north Syndey League Club.
 
Besides Liver, Bacon & Onions, my family likes to eat beef liver prepared this way.
It's quite delish!


Chili Liver

4 slices bacon (I usually cook a few more slices)
1 lb. sliced beef liver, sliced thin
Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening, for cooking liver in
3/4 cup flour
salt & pepper
1-(10-1/2 oz.) can Campbell's French Onion Soup
1/4 cup chili sauce or ketchup

In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon, crumble; and set aside.
Dust liver with flour; season with salt & pepper.
Brown liver in bacon drippings (you may need to add a little shortening).
When done frying liver, add soup and chili sauce.
Cover; and cook over low heat 15 minutes, or until tender; stir occasionally.
Uncover; cook to desired consistency.
Garnish with crumbled bacon.
Serves 4-5.

Note: I prefer to use the Buttered Flavored Criso, instead of the regular Crisco.
I don't crumble the bacon, but rather leave it in strips, so everyone gets a slice
or 2 with their liver.
 
My Grandma Snarr made delicious liver and onions. She fried the bacon, added the thinly sliced onion rings and let them cook until they were soft, then pushed all that to the side of the pan. She dipped the salt & peppered pieces of liver into seasoned flour, and quickly browned on one side. She then turned the meat over and spooned the bacon and onion over the top.
She let that cook a bit to crisp up, then added a little bit of Coke, turned the heat down, covered, and simmered for a few minutes.

Man, that stuff was so good over mashed potatoes, with a little scoop of peas in the top. :-p
 
Back
Top Bottom