Well.  I have a liver story to tell!    

I decided I was going to try and eat calf liver about once a month.  I think it is only a neutral, but very inexpensive, so I thought I would try it, if for no other reason than to stretch my grocery budget.

Anyway.  I was going to fix it for dinner last night, and when I opened the package, I literally had to choke back bile in the back of my throat! (somewhat of a pun not intended)  It smelled!!!!  

So. In a moment of desperation I dumped the offending liver into a freezer bag and poured about a third of a bottle of cheap lambrusco in after it.  I then all-but-tossed- it into the frig.

Guess what?  This morning when I opened the refrig--the liver was still there.  

Oh no.  

Well. I stewed about for most of the day. (somewhat of a pun not intended)    

And...decided to talk a walk on the wild side.  

I dumped out the wine, dredged the liver in spelt/compliant seasonings and browned it in ghee.  No Smell!!!!!!!  Except the good kind!    

Then....I placed the very tender browned liver in a pyrex pan and covered it with onions quickly cooked in the leftovers in the frying pan.

I popped it in the oven, and am now sitting at my desk, waiting for it to cook a bit longer.  I am also sitting in wonderment that it took me until I was 48 years old to cook liver.    

My DS said he'd bet his Spring Break Savings Account that the devil was doing triple jumps on his newly formed ice rink!    

Thanks for sharing this experience with me--I'm just sorry all my liver neutral kin can't be here to share the final results with me!      

Much love,  

My.

enjoy!!

next time you can marinate it in lemon juice and spices of your choice during the night in the fridge........next day, cut up into very thin slices, pat dry and brown with lots of onions.

MyraBee---

Too funny....yep it can be a bit of an acquired taste.  Hey...until BTD I didn't enjoy it at all.  I used to eat it more when I thought I was a secretor.  Had it yesterday in fact...with tons of onions, garlic and curry powder.  Spinach salad on the side so I really got my double dose of iron.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Debra

P.S.  Hmmmmm Lola...that sounds good...will try it next time.

Well so what do you think of your calf liver MyraBee?
I remember my grandma used to soak the liver in milk overnight then of course smothered in onions and bacon.
I like the sounds of the red wine better. now what could we use instead of bacon???

turkey bacon...

In keeping with being an odd kid, I always adored things like liver, spinach, broccoli, etc - even lima beans! Shopping for food as an adult, I've noticed beef liver smells yucky to me, but calves' liver smells sweeter. I cook it in a frying pan with hardly any seasonings but maybe lots of onions browned first, and have it still a little pink in the middle. Also love, love love chicken livers & treat them the same way. The more people think they're disgusting, the more for me!
Oooh, Lola! Turkey bacon! Must try it.

If you ever get the chance to butcher your own animal - Liver doesn't smell or taste when its fresh...there is even Liver Sashimi and it isn't half bad except for the mental image it provides.

but calf liver ist only for some minutes expected to roast....if not it gets very quick hard and dry ...ykes ...try it once with loads of oignons, yess and then add appleslices....fresh appleslices ....soooo yummi
and then add only some dried ginger, no wine at all !!

"I like the sounds of the red wine better. now what could we use instead of bacon???"

Is turkey bacon an option?

"In keeping with being an odd kid, I always adored things like liver, spinach, broccoli, etc - even lima beans! Shopping for food as an adult, I've noticed beef liver smells yucky to me, but calves' liver smells sweeter. I cook it in a frying pan with hardly any seasonings but maybe lots of onions browned first, and have it still a little pink in the middle. Also love, love love chicken livers & treat them the same way. The more people think they're disgusting, the more for me!"

I've never cooked it before, but I've always loved it, too, as well as the other foods you mentioned.  I just found a local organic supplier & placed an order for some yesterday that I can pick up this weekend.  I'll try these ideas next week!  The thought of it makes my dh cringe, but not me.  Since he won't eat it, it's been years since I've had it, and never organic.  I'm excited!

Also, I've never tried heart or sweetbreads, but ordered some of those, too.  Anybody eat those?  Should they just be cooked the same way as the liver?

enjoy!! )

Wow!

I had a Great Dinner Last Night!!!!  And it's the truth, the whole truth!

Believe it or not, I had three servings of the liver!  And, if any of you in Texas felt any seismic occurances, not to wory!  It was just my mother--turning over in her grave!  

The wine seemed to totally neutralize the liver taste, and definitely the smell!

This experience is proof-positive that I'm still a newbie!  I woke up this morning feeling like Santa Claus had just been here!

Isn't this a great, and fun, journey?!!

Love--  

My.  

Quoted from ISA-MANUELA

but calf liver ist only for some minutes expected to roast....if not it gets very quick hard and dry ...ykes ...try it once with loads of oignons, yess and then add appleslices....fresh appleslices ....soooo yummi
and then add only some dried ginger, no wine at all !!

I forgot to mention that I roasted it in 2 cups of plain, homemade, beef broth/stock.  I let it roast, covered, for about an hour and a half, or two, and when I pulled it out of the oven, most of the broth had been absorbed--leaving tender-ly fabulous liver.

Thanks Isa!

Love,

My.

excellent!

I ve made compliant liver pate that way!

Quoted from Schluggell

If you ever get the chance to butcher your own animal - Liver doesn't smell or taste when its fresh...there is even Liver Sashimi and it isn't half bad except for the mental image it provides.

Plus you can use it to predict the future:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruspice

Ah yes liver...brings back memories...hog killing time was an all day and nite affair when I was a kid.  We always had liver for supper that night because it was so easy to spoil.  I grew up not knowing that the rest of the world did not like liver since you ate what was put on the table.  The women practically stayed up all nite grinding meat with a hand grinder, making sausage patties, cooking them and canning them in their own grease.  The next morn you had brains and eggs for breakfast.  Then began the rendering of the fat into lard and the smoking of the hams in the smokehouse.  The whole hog was eaten in some way.
I never realized that we were poor because there was plenty to eat.  Maybe it wasn't fancy food, but it was filling.
I still like liver today, but being an A...I only indulge about twice a year.  The memory of fresh hog liver dredged in flour and fried in bacon grease still makes my mouth water.
namaste
ruthie

Ruthie that sounds like my childhood- and I am from 1972
People here still eat a lot of liverpaste/pate:
liver, fat or flour/mil gravy- onions spices.
grey thing to spread on the bread- I don´t like it - but my kid does:
I only buy the one made with organic veal liver and no gluten or dairy.
In the past the danes sold all the bacon and meat to UK and germany and kept the liver- and lived of liverpate !

However I did have bbq veal liver at a libanese friend:
Marinated in lemonjuice, garlic, chili and oregano- bbqéd rosamedium- I though it was beef - and was surprised to find out that it was my dreaded liver.

Where do you live that calves liver is cheap?  It's the most expensive here in the UK.  We make do with lambs liver!  Fanny Craddock (TV cook of the 60's) used to marinate ox liver in milk and said it tasted like calves liver.  Haven't actually tried it though.

Hi, Rusty!

I live in Kansas which is located squarely in the center of the US.  

After the Civil War ended in 1865, all the renegades who moved to Texas after the war stole cattle from Mexico and drove it north to Kansas to hit the big livestock markets.  

Most of the Old West Cattle/Gunfighter movies were placed somewhere between Dodge City and Abiliene; Wichita is about the midway point between the two.  All three of the towns have Old West Tourist attractions, and get a lot of visitors each year who are interested in reliving those "glory days of yesteryear"!

We still have a lot of cattle here.  The liver I purchased was right at $2.00 US for a pound.

Hope this wasn't too much information!  

Myra.

Denmark: price for organic veal liver varies: but organic veal liver cost around 4 dollars pr pound
- remember that food and income in Denmark is different than US- and our tax on food is 25 % .
it is still rather cheap protein!
- IF you buy conventional - which i would NEVER do - due to toxics ending up in liver- it is even cheaper.

Dr. D, thanks for the laugh, Henriette, thanks for the bbq liver ingredients! OMG, this thread is making my mouth water!
Hmm, insomnia plus liver in the fridge equals a 4a.m. trip to the kitchen for a liver treat. Liver treat. Sounds like a pet snack commercial.

Quoted from MyraBee

I dumped out the wine, dredged the liver in spelt/compliant seasonings and browned it in ghee.  No Smell!!!!!!!  Except the good kind!    

Then....I placed the very tender browned liver in a pyrex pan and covered it with onions quickly cooked in the leftovers in the frying pan.

I just made this (except used almond milk instead of wine b/c that's all I have on hand) and it is sooooooooooooooooo good!  I haven't had liver in years, and I may eat the whole pound that I cooked!  I used one large onion - next time I may use two.  Dh hates it, so it's all mine .

I have a feeling I'll be on a liver kick for a while.  Yum yum yum.

Quoted from admin

Plus you can use it to predict the future:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruspice

I'd heard of 'Hepatomancy' before - At first I thought 'Haruspice' was some sort of new BTD-compliant seasoning blend to try...

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Quoted from Stephanie_Jackson

Also, I've never tried heart or sweetbreads, but ordered some of those, too...

Heart is good - Boil the 'whizz' out of the rest first....

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For a seasoning instead of bacon - Try Powdered Shiitake.
If its literally bacon you're after thinly sliced Fried Tempeh with a splash of Tamari and/or the above Powdered Shiitake works- my way of doing a 'BLTe'.

Quoted from Schluggell

Heart is good - Boil the 'whizz' out of the rest first....

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That sounds scary - what do you mean?  Are they gross?  Mine are still wrapped & frozen, so I haven't even seen them yet.  How do you cook them?

sweetbreads you can also roast in the oven.....till brown and crispy.

the heart is what should be boiled first.........I believe that s what Schlug meant.

google recipes for both, and see what you come up with, then tweak according to your type, for compliance.