I recently bought some chicken livers. I was lily-livered about trying them, but I knew they were good for me, so I dove right in. I have hidden liver in our food before, but never just eaten the liver straight up.
I started by soaking them in some buttermilk to draw out any bad stuff, after all, the liver is just a big filter to catch bad stuff. I know if you get organic, pasture raised livers they are far less likely to have anything objectionable in them, but I always want to be extra sure... especially since I am not used to eating liver anyway.
I then trimmed them up, did a double dip (flour, then egg, then flour again), and threw them in a hot fry pan with coconut oil. I fried them up until they were crispy outside and served them alongside cheesy eggs for breakfast. My son just loved them! I think he liked them better than I did. I was very pleasantly surprised!
If you are hesitant to try new foods, just think: mind over matter. Jump in! You can do it. Baby step your way to better health. Pick one new food each trip you make to the store and try it. If you want some really good recipes, some great research, and some ideas on what new foods you might want to try, check out Sally Fallon's book "Nourishing Traditions." It's worth every penny you might spend on it!
Showing posts with label Nourishing Traditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nourishing Traditions. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sneaking in some Liver
Today, I did a total Mom thing. I got sneaky.
See, I have been doing a lot of reading and have discovered something amazing: did you know that liver is good for you? I didn't grow up eating liver. My parents both detested it. Liverwurst on crackers, we did, but not liver per se. The only way most people knew to cook it back then was until it was gray and grainy and maybe with some onions thrown in for good measure. It doesn't have to be that way!
I have an acquaintance in my home town. Some of you might know him if you watch the Food Network. His name is Hans Rueffert. He came in second for the first season of "The Next Food Network Star." He said that liver doesn't have to be gray and grainy! He said it can even be pink inside and then it won't be grainy. Really! He inspired me to find out about it.
Reading Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions taught me that liver provides copper, zinc, iron and vitamins A and D in abundance as well as being a fabulous source of antioxidants. Sally says to get very fresh, organic liver and soak it in lemon juice for several hours to draw out possible impurities. I have heard elsewhere to soak it in milk (I assume, of course, that raw milk would be best) to accomplish the same thing. So, I decided to try some liver...
OK, the huge calves liver I saw at the store was quite daunting, so I decided to start small with chicken livers. Then, I saw a wonderful package of turkey offal (pretty much: neck, liver, heart, and gizzard, I think) for 70 cents. There was the liver we could start with. I know organic would have been tremendously better, but I am on a severely restricted budget right now, so I had to go with what I could get.
Somehow, I didn't think my 11 y/o son would just jump for joy at the thought of turkey liver, seeing how he had never had liver and had grown up hearing everyone around say that it was yucky, so I got "Mom Sneaky." I chopped the liver into teeny, tiny pieces. Hamburgers were on tap for this evening's meal, so I casually mixed in the minuscule pieces... quickly before he got home from playing. I usually mix the hamburger and spices with my hands. I tossed in the pieces after soaking them a while in milk and straining them. Guess what? It looked awful! They were not hiding well. They looked like little brown leeches in the burgers and even stuck to my hands like the little suckers. Thinking quickly, I made the patties and got them on the outdoor grill before he got home. The sun had just set, so he couldn't easily see the meat on the grill. We usually take our burgers medium, but I let them go a bit longer to cook through.
He raved about the wonderful burgers. He had half a pound's worth of meat! He put cheese on his and ate it on a bun. I sauteed some mushrooms in butter and poured it over mine, sans bun. The burgers were insanely divine! After we were done eating, I told him that he had eaten liver in his burger. At first his eyes got really big, then he just said that they were pretty good burgers in spite of the liver. I have to wonder though: was it in spite of the liver or because of the liver?
I guess we'll have to try some different liver applications in the future to find out for sure.
Leave a comment and tell me about your liver recipes or funny experiences!
I'm linking this post to Kelly the Kitchen Kop's "Real Food Wednesday." Head on over to her blog and check out some of the fabulous links to real food recipes and stories. Definitely worth a look!
See, I have been doing a lot of reading and have discovered something amazing: did you know that liver is good for you? I didn't grow up eating liver. My parents both detested it. Liverwurst on crackers, we did, but not liver per se. The only way most people knew to cook it back then was until it was gray and grainy and maybe with some onions thrown in for good measure. It doesn't have to be that way!
I have an acquaintance in my home town. Some of you might know him if you watch the Food Network. His name is Hans Rueffert. He came in second for the first season of "The Next Food Network Star." He said that liver doesn't have to be gray and grainy! He said it can even be pink inside and then it won't be grainy. Really! He inspired me to find out about it.
Reading Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions taught me that liver provides copper, zinc, iron and vitamins A and D in abundance as well as being a fabulous source of antioxidants. Sally says to get very fresh, organic liver and soak it in lemon juice for several hours to draw out possible impurities. I have heard elsewhere to soak it in milk (I assume, of course, that raw milk would be best) to accomplish the same thing. So, I decided to try some liver...
OK, the huge calves liver I saw at the store was quite daunting, so I decided to start small with chicken livers. Then, I saw a wonderful package of turkey offal (pretty much: neck, liver, heart, and gizzard, I think) for 70 cents. There was the liver we could start with. I know organic would have been tremendously better, but I am on a severely restricted budget right now, so I had to go with what I could get.
Somehow, I didn't think my 11 y/o son would just jump for joy at the thought of turkey liver, seeing how he had never had liver and had grown up hearing everyone around say that it was yucky, so I got "Mom Sneaky." I chopped the liver into teeny, tiny pieces. Hamburgers were on tap for this evening's meal, so I casually mixed in the minuscule pieces... quickly before he got home from playing. I usually mix the hamburger and spices with my hands. I tossed in the pieces after soaking them a while in milk and straining them. Guess what? It looked awful! They were not hiding well. They looked like little brown leeches in the burgers and even stuck to my hands like the little suckers. Thinking quickly, I made the patties and got them on the outdoor grill before he got home. The sun had just set, so he couldn't easily see the meat on the grill. We usually take our burgers medium, but I let them go a bit longer to cook through.
He raved about the wonderful burgers. He had half a pound's worth of meat! He put cheese on his and ate it on a bun. I sauteed some mushrooms in butter and poured it over mine, sans bun. The burgers were insanely divine! After we were done eating, I told him that he had eaten liver in his burger. At first his eyes got really big, then he just said that they were pretty good burgers in spite of the liver. I have to wonder though: was it in spite of the liver or because of the liver?
I guess we'll have to try some different liver applications in the future to find out for sure.
Leave a comment and tell me about your liver recipes or funny experiences!
I'm linking this post to Kelly the Kitchen Kop's "Real Food Wednesday." Head on over to her blog and check out some of the fabulous links to real food recipes and stories. Definitely worth a look!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)