Liver- 2 ways!

While many people don't care for the flavor and texture of liver, it's something I grew up with and enjoyed greatly. Ours was always deer or elk liver harvested from the meat my father and brother hunted, and it was a treat we looked forward to every year after hunting season. Mom would mix it with sauteed onions or mushrooms and add a can of the quintessential kitchen standby, cream of mushroom soup. That was before we knew it had MSG and really wasn't nutritionally something we wanted to consume, but it was quick, easy and tasty, and it made me love liver! DH loves liver too-- but mostly chicken livers, (I"m so lucky to have such a willing eater) he used to grab the deli ones that are fried, in the grocery store. So-- that said, we are trying to get more liver into our diet, because as you might know organ meats are so nutriously dense that they are not to be missed! When prepared correctly they can be quite tasty and are incredibly affordable as organ meats go. Here are my two favorite ways to prepare them.





I recently found this recipe and it's terrific. The garlic and lemon make the perfect tasty flavor to contrast with the liver and when eaten with a side of sauteed onions or mushrooms they are really good. Cut up in smaller peices I think the texture is less noticable. So before serving to little ones I'd chop them up small. Follow the directions closely -- dry the liver on paper towels before you put it in the pan and do it dry like it says-- it works!


http://www.food.com/recipe/stolen-garlic-chicken-livers-110936





The other one is from one of my favorite regional cookbooks and includes the great creamy sauce I've grown to love, only without the toxicity of a can of Cream Of Mushroom soup. It's from the Colorado Cache Cookbook.

Chicken Livers in Sour Cream

1/2 cup butter
1/3 pound of fresh sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, sliced
1 pound of chicken livers
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup sour cream

3-4 servings.

Melt butter in skillet. Add mushrooms and onion and saute until onion is limp. Add chicken livers and saute for 1 minute. Cover and cook slowly for 15 minutes. Stir in sherry and sour cream and heat, but do not boil. Serve over rice or patty shells.