Liver – We Finally Ate It!!!!!

I had to out myself on Facebook to psych myself up to cook and eat cow’s liver. Yowza!!  I am still decompressing from the experience. The funny thing is that Ryan, my husband, was reading my Facebook posts and still didn’t catch on that we were eating liver tonight! I just told him and Colson it was a new kind of beef recipe.

I very tensely served the liver, ate mine, made little eye contact because I was ready to burst out laughing due to my personal nervousness and stress, and I finished it. Every last bite. Whew! It was ok. Ryan didn’t like his, but Colson at a large piece. He said it wasn’t great, but it was ok.

I came clean with Ryan about it, but we didn’t tell Colson. Then I had a glass of raw chocolate milk with nutmeg and cinnamon and sweetened with honey in order to celebrate this huge milestone in my life. My Grandma is proud!

Now I just have to do it again with the leftovers. After this, liver will find its way into chili and other saucy foods instead of just straight.

How did I prepare the liver in order to get past my conceptual blocks and actually eat it? I turned to my all-time favorite chef, Paul Prudhomme. Canjun liver, go figure.  Here is the recipe:

18 slices of bacon

Seasoning mix:

1 T salt

1.5 t paprika

1 t onion powder

1 t garlic powder

1 t ground cayenne pepper

½ t white pepper

½ t dried thyme leaves

¼ t black pepper

1 cup raw wheat germ (I used almond flour, but you could make other substitutions.

6 slices fresh liver (mine is from a free-range, grass fed cow)

3 cups thinly sliced onions

Soak the liver in lemon juice for a couple of hours. According to Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions, this helps to remove impurities and soften the flavor. I can tell you that it makes the liver much more touchable than before it was soaked.

Fry the bacon in a large heavy skillet until crisp. (I didn’t use bacon because I had bacon grease to use instead.) Reserve the skillet with bacon drippings.

Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. In a pan, combine 2 teaspoons of the mix with the wheat germ (or other substitute) mixing well; set aside. Sprinkle the liver on both sides with a total of 5 teaspoons of the seasoning mix.

Pour off ¼ cup of the bacon drippings from the skillet and set aside. Add olive oil if you need more grease so that there is about ¼ inch of grease in the pan. Heat the grease to about 300° (I heated to just below smoking). Dredge liver in the seasoned wheat germ, shaking off excess. Fry the liver in the hot grease until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove any burned wheat germ sediment as it accumulates in the pan. Remove the meat (undrained) to the serving platter.

In a separate skillet heat the reserved bacon drippings over high heat until they begin to smoke. Add the onions and the remaining seasoning mix; stir well and sauté until carmelized (a rich dark color), about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and serve immediately. I buried my liver in onions, but Ryan and Colson had none. Put three pieces of bacon on top.

The coolest thing about the whole experience is that liver is such a nutrient dense food and Colson does not hesitate to eat it. Sally Fallon said during the talk I attended this winter that liver is the most nutrient dense food. One serving of liver provides the same nutrients as eating meat three times a day.

Now time for a walk with my guys.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Good for you, Laura!

I have to say that growing up I loved liver & onions... used to get it at the Capital Room at Belks (so not sure how well it was pepared.)

I'm considering trying chicken liver...

[Andrea]

Good for you all. I'm not sure I'm there yet. Maybe one day!

[Wheat germ grass]

Nice recipe. Wheat germ grass is very useful for health. It is rich in proteins. It has so many benefits like it has anti-aging properties, it is detoxifier, toner, it act as cleanser, reduces cholesterol, pain reliever, purifies blood, fights infections etc. Thanks for posting wheat grass recipe.