It happened the first time while watching cartoons with my cousin. My grandmother brought us a huge plate of liver and onions. I was seven. Most kids my age would have turned up their noses. I was a strange kid though. I loved everything I was supposed to hate and vise versa. A few of my favorite foods included turtle soup and oysters. Pizza, french fries and ketchup were never on my plate. They just weren’t in my palate. I wanted the “adult’ food. So my grandmother made me liver and onions as a test. This was sadly to the detriment of my cousin who’s diet solely consisted of spaghetti o’s and chicken fingers. The liver and onions were all for me and I ate every last bite of that delicious dish.
That was my one and only liver encounter for the next 20 years until I learned about the nutrient density of this super food. Liver contains an exceedingly high concentration of nutrients in one small serving. Katie at Wellness Mama has answered all the FAQs and more about liver in one excellent post. She’s listed out all that liver provides and why it should be a part of your weekly diet. A few of these include: high levels of B12 vitamin, the most concentrated food source of vitamin A and it’s our best source of copper. Next time you need an energy boost, reach for some liver instead of that afternoon coffee fix.
I know most people are quick to discard organ meats and get grossed out by them. But really, if you look back two generations, many families consumed offal more often than muscle meat. It packed triple the amount of nourishment for their dollars and would sustain them longer.
Even if you think you hate liver, just try this recipe. It may surprise you and your own liver will thank you.
Makes 2 servings.
1 lb chicken livers
3 pieces of bacon – chopped
1 onion – chopped
1 tbsp garlic – minced
1 tsp fresh sage – chopped
2 tbsp dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
►Cook the chopped bacon in a large frying pan until crispy. Remove the bacon and pour off half of the grease. Reserve this for cooking the liver.
►Using the same frying pan, over medium heat, sauté onions with 1/2 tsp salt in half of the bacon grease. ►Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic, sage and white wine. Reduce the liquid down over low heat, 3-5 minutes.
►Add the bacon back into the pan, pour in the chicken stock and cook over low heat. The liquid will reduce almost completely.
►Season each piece of liver with salt and pepper.
►In a separate pan, add 1 tbsp of bacon grease over medium-high heat. Place each piece of liver in the pan and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
►Toss in the cooked onions and bacon. Sauté together a bit and serve immediately.
