Liver?

[Catrin]

Ok, for the first time since I won the battle as a stubborn 8-year old, I am willing to try liver again. I bought a beef liver from a grass-fed farmer I know - and I KNOW it is healthy and good for me. Right now it is in my freezer as I try to decide with to do with it/work up the nerve to thaw and cook it.

Do YOU have a favorite liver recipe? I've been told it might be good to look for good ethnic recipes, after all, humans have been eating liver as long as we've been eating other types of meat. Someone told me that the flavor isn't as strong if it is medium rare....I love me a good rare steak, don't know about rare organ meat...

[Irulan]

I used to love liver, but I quit eating it years ago when someone told me that you should not eat it as, as an organ "filter" ( that's it's job in the body) that had a lot of toxins as residue. Anyone know if there's any substance to this?

[shootingstar]

I used to occasionally eat liver as a child/teen. (Chicken which to me was best in terms of taste. I'm trying to remember beef and pork liver but now have problems remembering the taste.)

Then I stopped eating it for ages when I started to cook my own meals after I moved away from home. I know how to prepare it....Asian style which is sauteeing it with abit of soy sauce, oil, onions...or steaming it with same.

I only want to have abit of liver pate on crackers, etc.. which is once a year or so. Perhaps that is 1 alternative, Catrin except some pates might have other stuff.

Otherwise I don't like the smell of blood/raw liver anymore.

[Catrin]

I used to love liver, but I quit eating it years ago when someone told me that you should not eat it as, as an organ "filter" ( that's it's job in the body) that had a lot of toxins as residue. Anyone know if there's any substance to this?

Here is an interesting post on this very thing from Mark's Daily Apple. He considers it more of a processing plant than a physical filter, though that is how some view it. I wouldn't even consider liver from a non-grassfed source myself.

Thanks Shootingstar, a pate might be a good way to start acclimating my taste buds. Someone at MDA suggested shaving small bits from the frozen liver to add to a stir-fry.

[GLC1968]

I used to like liver as a child, so I tried it again when I started the whole paleo thing. I had to wait until my husband was out of town before making it because he hates it.

I sauteed it in a cast iron skillet with tons of onions and it turned out great. You do not want to over cook it, but I did not go with 'rare' even though I love steak that way. I cooked it a nice tender medium. I had a half pound portion and that meant multiple pieces. Clearly it was from different animals (all grass fed from a local guy I know) because the color (darkness) was quite different from piece to piece. I want to say that the thicker, lighter colored pieces were the best tasting to me. Oh, it's also VERY rich, so I was full very, very quickly.

I gave the extra to my dogs and even while I was cooking it, they were going crazy. My dogs don't beg much but they were literally circling me and the grill as I cooked it!

(I had to cook it on the grill because as I went to make it, my stove broke. I put the cast iron pan on the grill to saute it!)

[OakLeaf]

I prefer chicken livers to beef - the most popular recipe is breaded and fried, but I like them just sautéed, too.

I wouldn't ever eat liver from an animal that was given antibiotics, hormones or other drugs, for just the reason Irulan stated. Whether the animal was finished with corn or pasture isn't a deal-breaker for me in terms of whether I'll eat it when someone else serves it to me - that mainly goes to environmental, resource, nutritional and animal welfare issues. I don't think it's unsafe to have an occasional serving or two of corn-finished flesh, and I guess I'd feel the same way about organ meats.

[Catrin]

Thankfully I've developed a relationship with several grass-fed farmers and while I don't get/can't afford the "expensive cuts", I am able to stick solely with grass fed/pastured meat without doubling my grocery budget. I am also really expanding my cooking "toolbox" I've not yet tried chicken livers, and eventually I will try the other organ meats as well. They are quite rich nutritionally, though not something I would eat on a daily basis.

GLC1968, your dogs know a good thing when they smell it! I am thinking some good bacon should also be in that skillet! I don't have a cast iron skillet of any kind, just some good low-temperature stainless steel. At some point I need to get at least one skillet that I can cook on high temps. My cookware works, it just take longer since I can't turn it up past medium. Still gets pretty darn hot though.

[Owlie]

My dad hates liver, so my sister and I were never exposed to it. If someone else cooked it and served it to me, I'd at least try it, but I'm not sure I can stomach the thought of it myself right now. I've had way too much "fun" learning about what it does, so...urgh. But I agree with Oak and Irulan--I'm not eating liver unless I know how the animal was raised.

(Yes, I know it's not actually a "filter," but that's not the point.)

I seem to remember that my Iranian friend has a family recipe for beef liver--I think it goes in rice (not helpful to you, but you might be able to use quinoa (if you eat it) the same way). I'll ask next time I see her. I also seem to remember that there's a Libyan dish (introduced to me by one of the students in our department) that's similar--rice with almonds and liver. Again, quinoa as a possible substitute?

[Catrin]

My dad hates liver, so my sister and I were never exposed to it. If someone else cooked it and served it to me, I'd at least try it, but I'm not sure I can stomach the thought of it myself right now. I've had way too much "fun" learning about what it does, so...urgh. But I agree with Oak and Irulan--I'm not eating liver unless I know how the animal was raised.

(Yes, I know it's not actually a "filter," but that's not the point.)

I seem to remember that my Iranian friend has a family recipe for beef liver--I think it goes in rice (not helpful to you, but you might be able to use quinoa (if you eat it) the same way). I'll ask next time I see her. I also seem to remember that there's a Libyan dish (introduced to me by one of the students in our department) that's similar--rice with almonds and liver. Again, quinoa as a possible substitute?

I don't eat any grains at all - including quinoa As far as knowing how the animal was raised, I am that way with all meat - not just organ. That is one of the nice things about having a relationship with local sustainable farmers who only do grass-fed/pastured stock. It makes sense economically, environmentally and also supports fresh and local. I

[Catrin]

My dad hates liver, so my sister and I were never exposed to it. If someone else cooked it and served it to me, I'd at least try it, but I'm not sure I can stomach the thought of it myself right now. I've had way too much "fun" learning about what it does, so...urgh. But I agree with Oak and Irulan--I'm not eating liver unless I know how the animal was raised.

(Yes, I know it's not actually a "filter," but that's not the point.)

I seem to remember that my Iranian friend has a family recipe for beef liver--I think it goes in rice (not helpful to you, but you might be able to use quinoa (if you eat it) the same way). I'll ask next time I see her. I also seem to remember that there's a Libyan dish (introduced to me by one of the students in our department) that's similar--rice with almonds and liver. Again, quinoa as a possible substitute?

I don't eat grains at all - including quinoa (although it is technically a bit different) As far as knowing how the animal was raised, I am that way with all meat - not just organ. That is one of the nice things about having a relationship with local sustainable farmers who only do grass-fed/pastured stock. It makes sense economically, environmentally and also supports fresh and local suppliers.

[Becky]

Sidebar: I've had great results making "rice" out of cauliflower minced in the food processor. There's a delicious recipe in Well Fed.

[Catrin]

Sidebar: I've had great results making "rice" out of cauliflower minced in the food processor. There's a delicious recipe in Well Fed.

I've read about doing this, my current favorite Paleo cookbook (Practical Paleo) makes good use of cauliflower rice in certain recipes. I've a food processor I've never used...

[Becky]

I've read about doing this, my current favorite Paleo cookbook (Practical Paleo) makes good use of cauliflower rice in certain recipes. I've a food processor I've never used...

Do you like Practical Paleo? I'm feeling the need to buy another paleo cookbook for new ideas. I'd also like to have a paleo slow cooker cookbook. Anyone have any favorites?

[Catrin]

Do you like Practical Paleo? I'm feeling the need to buy another paleo cookbook for new ideas. I'd also like to have a paleo slow cooker cookbook. Anyone have any favorites?

It's the only paleo cookbook I currently have, and I like it quite a lot. The first half of the book is filled with good reference materials, the second half with a nice selection of recipes. Amazon.com has it for the best price. The authors are nutritionists with quite a lot of experience in presenting information to a non-scientific audience.

I would also like to get a good paleo slow cooker cookbook, so let me know what you decide upon and how you like it. I am currently getting some good ideas from MDA, but it would be good to have a good cookbook.

[Owlie]

I don't eat grains at all - including quinoa (although it is technically a bit different) As far as knowing how the animal was raised, I am that way with all meat - not just organ. That is one of the nice things about having a relationship with local sustainable farmers who only do grass-fed/pastured stock. It makes sense economically, environmentally and also supports fresh and local suppliers.

I live in an, um, unenlightened part of the country. We can get local veggies around here sometimes, but I think I'd have to drive to Cincinnati or Columbus for grass-fed beef.

Every liver recipe I can think of that isn't liver+onions is rice-based, probably because that helps cut that strong flavor. Sorry!