Calves Liver With Onions

[Catriona]

This is what we're having for dinner this evening. This serves 2 people

Three quarters pound calf's liver (or lamb's liver if you can't find calves) sliced thinly
1 large onion, peeled, halved and sliced thinly
3 oz smoked bacon lardons
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
1-2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar (at a push you could use red wine vinegar)
Half pint (imperial) of water
1 stock cube (beef or vegetable)

1-2 tablespoons of plain flour seasoned with freshly ground pepper (the liver needs to be coated in this mixture. After you have washed it, pat it dry on kitchen roll and coat. I find it easiest to put the flour in a freezer bag and then just put the liver in the bag two or so pieces at a time. Trap some air in the bag, hold by the closed top and shake - voila, well-coated food!)

1 tablespoon of cornflour (you may need a little more - you will have to see if the 'sauce' is too runny, if so, simply slake off a little more cornflour)
Small knob of butter to fry liver (about an ounce or so)


Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion, smoked bacon lardons, the garlic and the thyme. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Add liver (coated in seasoned flour) and brown for about five minutes - or until cooked. Slake the cornflour in a little of the water from the half-pint amount. Add the stock cube, balsamic vinegar plus the cornflour and the rest of the water to the pan. Bring back up to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with either plain, creamed, mashed potatoes - or with mashed tatties and neeps (my choice!) carrots and courgettes.

[Arianrhod]

May I ask ... what is a neep ?

Thank you ...

In Service to the Dream,
The dreams the say neep ...
Paula

[Catriona]

Sorry, Paula!

'Neeps'.... Turnips (turneeps, geddit?!) - but we call the large 'orange' coloured ones turnips - what the English call swede. A friend in West Virginia tells me they are sort of like rutabaga....?!

I use two thirds potato to one third turnip - potatoes quartered and neeps cut into thin pieces (they take longer to cook, because they are fibrous). Boil together. When the mix is soft enough to be pierced with a knife... drain and then mash with a good amount of butter and a little single cream, with lots and lots of freshly ground pepper.... Real comfort food.

[Shadows]

Cat,
I eat a lot of organ meat , heart, kidneys, sweatbreads, brains,tongue, and even mountain oysters, but I draw the line at liver! I can't even be in the house when it is being cooked! Might be because I was forced to eat it as a kid, my mum was not a good cook! It was rubbery and tough and smelled to high heavens. I will give this recipe a try since my wife loves liver, but not sure how my review will be LOL!!!!

[andylucy]

Aw, that's not funny. I gave up liver and onions for Lent!

It sounds great! I never thought about neeps and tatties with it. I'll try that Easter when I stink up the house with the glorious scent of frying liver and onions!

Andy

[Catriona]

I have got to admit - I don't eat any other offal, apart from liver - and is has to be calves liver... I cannot abide the slightly 'wild' smell if you cook pig or ox liver.... BLECH!!!!

The secret with liver is to coat the thinly cut slices in flour and put into a really hot pan, so that it almost caramelises on the outside, but stays tender and moist.

This recipe is GOOD! The Tatties and neeps help soak up all the glorious gravy.

[Catriona]

CORRECTION TO RECIPE


Sorry, I forgot to list a stock cube as one of the ingredients. I have made the correction on my original post.