Battle beef liver (what should I make with it?)

[Lugaru]

I've got about two pounds in the freezer waiting to be defrosted. Last time I simply gave it a good searing (I like those toasted edges), added some liquid and boiled it making a nice gravy with onions to have on rice.

This time I was thinking of doing something fun with it but nothing really comes to mind. My main idea is to do something like a "dirty rice" where I chop it really fine, pan fry it with some veggies and spices and then add a good portion of rice and texas pete.

Any better suggestions?

 

[buckytom]

ah, iron chef lugaru-san, your cuisine reigns supreme. the dirty rice idea sounds good.
hmmm, you could make the dirty rice and liver mixture, then stuff smoked or bell peppers with it.
or,
how about modifying my dirty pork chops recipe to suit the liver? make a spice rub from black peppercorns, allspice berries, garlic powder, and sea salt. rub on the liver, then season some flour and press liver in the flour. pan fry in butter/evoo, and serve topped with pickled hot banana pepper rings, or chopped pepperoncini, and a splash of the pickling brine.

 

[auntdot]

Both of those recipes sound great.

Unfortunately the liver we can get at the local supermarkets is dark red and cut about 1/4 inch thick. If that stuff came from a calf, I am working on my second set of teeth and not my third.

Impossible to cook it anyway but well done.

I like liver but well done just doesn't cut if for me, and I am the only one in the house who would bother to choke it down.

Every once in a while though we are in a place where we can find pink liver cut about 1/2 inch in thickness. Then we buy all we can.

Love it rare to medium rare, with some caramelized onions - there is no better eating. Bacon or smoked ham also goes well.

Many years ago had true baby veal liver (it was white to light tan) with a honey mustard sauce that was out of this world.

Talked my delightful SIL, who hated liver, into ordering it (told her I would switch plates if she didn't like it) and I never tasted a bite.

Wish I had the recipe.

Not sure if any of this babbling helps, but I am becoming very persnickety about my liver.

Sorry.

 

[kitchenelf]

I have been searching and searching for my recipe for Dirty Stuffed Chicken Legs - it's a tad labor-intensive but man oh man is it good. It was the BEST dirty rice recipe I had ever come across!!!

I'll give you the concept anyway - make dirty rice (using your liver). Let cool. Take a chicken leg and pull the meat down the bone like you are turning it inside out (the skin will now be on the inside). Now the fun part - take a hacksaw and cut the bone out - pull chicken meat back up so skin is on outside again. Stuff with dirty rice - sit upright on cookie sheet with sides and bake - can't remember how long - but I would imagine 350 for 30 minutes?

I am on a massive hunt for that recipe.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Making a home-made liver spread or pate' is much easier than I thought it would be. Just cook the liver until medium rare, or medium, place in teh food processor, with the cutting blade, along with some onion, a bit of garlic, some good salt, a pinch of sugar, and process until smooth. It can be mixed with mayo, or have a light cooking oil added during the processing to give it the consistancy you desire. And you can add other flavorings as you like, such as siquid smoke, pepper, peppers, or whatever. And, you can freeze what you aren't going to eat in one serving.

Another unusual liver meal I've had was fried in light oil until medium rare, cover with diced tomatoes, a bit of basil, and some fresh garlic. Serve over a bed of linguine. It was quite good. Just remember the basic flavor as you are adding other flavors. Try to ballance liver's slight bitterness with flavors that are somewhat tart, sweet, or both.

That's why liver and onions is such a favorite. The sweet onion ballances the potent liver flavor.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[amber]

May I just say, ewww Liver I dont do organs

 

[norgeskog]

I would make deli style chopped liver. Broil or fry, grate very fine, add chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped onions s/p to taste, and smaltz to taste. Serve on crustini or crackers,mmmmmmmm love it.

 

[Claire]

Oh, yummmm! One of the greatest dissappointments in my cuilinary life is that I've always loved liver (chicken or beef), although Mom wasn't very imaginative with it. My Love Of Liver made me a pariah, and I'm so disappointed that what most kids choked downs as "good for them" I'm now being told is NOT. Oh, dear. Just goes to tell you, wait long enough and it'll pass!!

I just made a dish with chicken livers that is very simple, but can't see why it wouldn't work with beef. Very simple. I got the idea from a little French bistro on Park Ave in Winter Park, FL. It was a simple salad. I make either a very simple caeser (sans croutons), or buy a mixed baby greens and toss with olive oil and balsamic.

Then I make up a flour and spice mixture. I'd say 3/4 c flour, but on spices use your imagination. I like best lots of coarsely ground black pepper, a touch of cayenne (no matter what anyone tells you, these all vary so much in heat that you have to guess), garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Put this in a plastic bowl with tightly fit lid.

Then I thinly slice an onion (sweeter the better, but go with what you have). Separate the rings, toss in the flour mixture, put on the lid, and shake. Then fry, and place on paper towels and salt a bit while they're still hot.

Take your prepared liver (cleaned, cut to your prefered size, with beef I'd cut into thin strips, and dried on paper towels), and toss in the flour mixture, shake, then fry.

Assemble on top of the salad, first the greens, then the liver. Then a sprinkle of balsamic, then the onions.

I use about 1/2 inch of veg oil in a large skillet, trying to not let the pieces (either liver or onions) touch too much.

It comes out to be a rather elegant preparation.

Does beef liver splatter as bad as chicken????? Ouch!!

 

[thumpershere2]

Liver is great bar-b-qed.Wash in milk and egg,dredge in flower. Pan fry until browned and then place in oven at 350 until tender, depends on how thick liver is.Pour bar-b-q sauce over the last 10 min. and top with sliced onions.

 

[kleenex]

How about chopping the liver up nice and fine, cooking it until it is well done and then serving it on top of some vanilla ice-cream.

We have to have a desert right :?: :?: :?:

 

[Lugaru]

How about chopping the liver up nice and fine, cooking it until it is well done and then serving it on top of some vanilla ice-cream.

We have to have a desert right :?: :?: :?:

Oh no, the liver is going into the Ice cream maker!!! (hehehe)

Bucky: I ended up going for dirty rice as I lack the ingredients to modify your dirty pork chops into dirty liver... BUT I do have two gorgeous, thick pork chops in the freezer and Im going shopping today. Im trying that recipy you posted ASAP, it really sounds like my kind of thing. BBQ sounds great too... I cant do pate' because my sister (the profetional chef) botched a pate' once... it was so scary. Also my way of cooking is that I make something for lunch and if there's a LOT of leftovers, it's lunch tomorrow. If there's a little bit, its dinner and if there's not much at all I make something for dinner and have the little bit as a snack at some point. I come from a "lunch" culture instead of a "dinner" culture.

She took a spoon out of it and the hole she made with the spoon started to fill up with blood. It had one of those "lasting effects". Same with chicken livers... my mom used to put chicken livers and hearts (often still attatched to each other) in a clear broth where you could study them in all their anatomical detail. It kinda ruined chicken innards for me.

 

[buckytom]

lugaru, see if you can find the "Mount Olive" brand hot banana pepper rings. they seem to work the best with the dirty chops, because the peppers are just a little hot, and the brine a little sweet. if not, i opt for pickled pepperoncinis. to make the rub for 2 good sized chops (you don't need much because you still want to taste the pork), i put around 7 or 8 black peppercorns and 3 or 4 allspice berries in a mortar and pestle. grind them up, add an equal amount of powdered garlic, and a good pinch of sea salt. sometimes i also add a pinch of onion powder and powdered cayenne. rub on chops, and either grill (outdoors is best for the charcoal flavor), or grill pan them until medium rare to medium. top with the pickled peppers, and a splash of the brine. serve with a plain starch like wild/long grain rice, and fried sweet plantains.
let me know how they came out.

 

[tweedee]

I'm not a liver fan but I have cooked it in the past for others.

Fry in skillet with desired amount of cooking oil and sliced onions and when done remove only the liver and set aside. Add a small amount of flour to drippins and onions in skillet and add desired amount of hot water Stir to consistency desired to make a gravy. Salt and pepper. Then pour over cooked liver.

 

[norgeskog]

Anyone remember rumaki?????? that lovely appetizer of half a water chestnut, piece of chicken liver, wrap in bacon, seal with a tooth pick and broil until bacon is crispy and have a good dipping sauce.......love these


EDIT THOUGHT: I now remebered a recipe using chicken liver recipe I used to cook. Saute smashed garlic clove and chopped onions until clear, add sliced mushrooms and saute until they loose their juices and begin to carmelize. Add quartered, lightly floured and s/p chicken livers and saute until done. Deglaze pan with chicken stock/broth and white vermouth and a couple splashes of worcheschire. Simmer until reduced and serve over rice.

 

[AllenOK]

I'm going to play odd-cook-out on this one. Lugaru, you and everyone else have some great ideas. Unfortunately, I cannot stand liver. In fact, I've had Dirty Rice before, and this is the absolute ONLY way you'll get me to eat liver. Otherwise, I'm going to use it for catfish bait.

 

[Lugaru]

lugaru, see if you can find the "Mount Olive" brand hot banana pepper rings. they seem to work the best with the dirty chops, because the peppers are just a little hot, and the brine a little sweet.

Mount Olive is the only kind I've ever tried... amazing stuff. I actually kept a jar in the fridge at work and would serve myself 5 to 10 in a cup to munch on when things got really slow at my desk.

 

[norgeskog]

I got hungry for chopped liver and called around to find chicken liver and/or calves liver, no market has it, only beef liver which belongs on the bottom of my worn out shoes. I will not be happy until I have some chopped liver, maybe I will check the telephone book for a deli here that would have it.