Liver you say? Liver, really? Chicken livers? Beef? The bodies filtration system makes a fine meal for me and my family?, I don't think so. My Mother made chicken livers every once in while, they were dried and gross and had weird texture, like warm paste. Well my friend, my Mother made chicken livers too and let me tell you, properly handled the chicken, or beef liver can be a wonderful thing. First off, they are cheap, I mean cheap and a great source of protein. Secondly and most importantly, if they are not overcooked and properly seasoned, they are delicious.
My Friday at the market started out with plans of roasted Sausages, with grapes and balsamic vinegar, (some thing we will be seeing in the near future), I was having a hankering for mashed potato's, light fluffy, garlic ,buttery starch. The sausages at the store looked less than appetizing and I was forced to continue my search, adapt, overcome and such. A few weeks back JM and I were craving Livers. A cold blustery New England day on the shore, drizzle of rain and comfort food was calling. However on that day chicken livers were not to be had, we later discovered Friday is the day the chicken liver usually hit the shelves and they last as long as they last, then it is tough luck Charlie, (or in this case, Bruce), until the following Friday. Something to keep in mind when buying livers of any kind is that freshness is your friend, not to say you ever want to but "old" food, but with an internal organ I like to find one that recently had an owner.So shop somewhere where you see the Livers one day and they are gone the next, if you notice the same package of liver hanging around your store you might want to ask your butcher, or look elsewhere.
So with liver in hand I trundled off home and eagerly awaiting my dinner companion. I usually treat livers rather simply and just salted, peppered them with a little red chili powder for spice, then dusted with flour and into a hot pan,(with high sides, Livers spit and pop as they cook, so care is to be taken). Peanut oil works best for the frying as it has a high burn temperature and little flavor. Let them get a good crust, golden brown, before turning and try not to fool with them too much, you can bruise or damage them easily and you want them to seal, holding in all the goodness until your fork pierces them. Once flipped, I added a thinly sliced Vidalia Onion, one large jalapeno, sliced, seeds and all. The livers should take around 3-4 minutes per side.
Then finish the cooking with a splash of chicken stock. You can also add red wine or demi glaze or Marsala, all which make a nice different flavor profile. Give the stock/wine/demi a couple of minutes to mix with the roux that has formed from the flour and oil and you will have nice coating sauce for your livers and something to soak up with your mashed potato's. The livers should be medium rare to medium, still pink and juicy, if you feel like your livers are overcooking you can take them out of the pan and let the onion/jalapeno finish with the sauce and add the livers at the last few minutes or pour the sauce over the cooked treats.
A simple side salad and some garlic rubbed French bread finished out the meal, everyone was fat and pleased. The lesson here is, just because your Mother made a horrible mess of your chicken livered childhood do not fear the Reaper and give it another try. As we age our taste buds mature and you might find a new pal in the liver. Of course all food is not for everyone, you might find you still think eating liver is something to be saved for the brink of starvation, but at least you tried.
I was going to include a picture of two to entice you into the LiverDome, but sadly Liver is not the most photogenic of foods, so cook your own and enjoy.
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