When I made my last meatloaf, I only used half of the liver I had defrosted. The other half I cooked, to preserve it till I was ready to eat it, too. Then Monday rolled around -- Cinco de Mayo! :-) I know, "soup of the day" SHOULD have been tequila, but I had my really-authentic Mexican cookbook out, so I checked the index for "liver."
JACKPOT. Only one liver recipe was listed, but WHAT A WINNER! Outrageously easy, too.
SOPA DE HIGADO
1/2# liver
1 qt. beef stock
your favorite thickener -- I use konjac flour
1/2 c. dry sherry
Cook the liver in bacon grease. Puree it with part of the stock. Add the rest of the stock. Bring to a simmer, and whisking constantly, sift in the konjac flour (or whatever) slowly till it begins to thicken a little. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the sherry when you serve it.
THAT'S IT.
YUM.
'Splendido' Hope that's Mexican for splendid / great
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
close -- i certainly know what you meant! :-)
DeleteI love liver. I grew up eating pork liver it goes well with a lot of dishes. There are days when I crave it and I can eat a good 2~3 portions in one sitting. Then I can't stand the look of organ meats for two weeks after. Self-limiting food reward ;)
ReplyDeleteexactly -- and well that you can't eat too much of it! i understand that liver is one of the few foods SO full of nutrients it's possible to "overdose."
DeleteI can't do it Tess.... I just can't. I probably should try it. Just can't.
ReplyDeletelol -- i DO understand! i grew up liking braunschweiger, but i couldn't stand slices of liver -- it was the texture! i had to learn to like a lot of organ meats, but i think it's worth doing.
Deletesoaking the liver in milk before cooking is said to make the flavor more mild, for those who are bothered by it. smothering it with fried onions and bacon, of course, is the classic camouflage. to my surprise, my husband (who isn't a fan of liver, but is a good sport about trying it) REALLY liked this soup!
Offal is truly an acquired taste. I've tried to expand my dietary adventure by including other "nasty bits" into my cooking, delights such as chicken hearts, kidneys, beef hearts.... Yep. It's really hard to overeat those things. One bite and I'm done.
DeleteThe only offal I can eat on a regular basis is canned cod livers. So delicious but I try not to overindulge. Omega 3 is good, bpa bad.
DeleteOne time I tried to "beef up" meatballs with finely diced chicken hearts. I couldn't get more than two servings down before I start picking out the chicken hearts bits. Manganese overdose?
DeleteSorry for the spam, Tess. Things keep popping into my head :)
lol -- glad to have you -- i don't consider it spam!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOops, it was the wrong post!
ReplyDeleteI will try the soup. My favorite way to eat liver -pate . I just blend together sauteed onions, gently cooked liver, soft butter. The soup should remain a liquid pate. If somebody needs milder tasting liver, opt for the calf one, avoid pig and especially lamb ones. I use a beef liver most of the time..
I should get myself that konjack flour.
i hope you enjoy it! ...i've never made pate that really impressed me -- i need to do a recipe search!
DeleteOften with pate the devil is in details. Liver should be cooked to a creamy consistency, not overcooked. It is easier to achieve with a gentle boiling. Liver has to be pink, but not raw inside. I like to use a lot of bay leaves for the boiling liquid. Your recipe, BTW, gave me the idea how to turn that liquid into the soup. I often use the liquid for the cooking of my buckwheat which tastes so strong that liver taste goes unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteSauteed onions have to be completely soft, without any crunchiness. The main tip - don't skip on a butter. Nutmeg and black pepper provide enough seasoning for my taste. Immersion blender does a fine job. It would be nice to use a mesh colander to remove all not creamy pieces, but I am not a restaurant chef to aim for such level of perfection..
i'll have to take another try at it! :-) thanks for the tips!
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