Liver is a versatile by-product, quick to prepare, tasty and extremely healthy. Not just an alternative to meat products, but in some positions it surpasses meat in quality and properties. It is the liver that is the most common and affordable way to raise the level of hemoglobin in the blood. Please note that only fresh veal and beef liver has this property; in the frozen version, there will be little benefit for hematopoiesis.
When buying a liver, try to choose pieces with the least amount of films and vascular walls, the product should be rich, dark red, firm and juicy. In order to maintain softness and achieve maximum juiciness of ready-made dishes, the liver is greased with dry mustard or slightly soaked in a solution of soda, often dipped in milk for several hours. The basic rules for cooking the liver are simple: it is necessary to fry the liver on a low heat, trying not to dry it out, it is necessary to salt it after the dish is removed from the heat.
Earlier in the article “Dishes from the liver” we have already told you what dishes can be prepared from this product. Today we will continue the conversation and consider how else you can cook the liver (it can be fried, stewed, baked, etc.).
Liver fried with onions
Ingredients:
- Beef liver – 0,5 kg.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Wheat flour – 3 tbsp. l.
- Melted butter – 3 tbsp. l.
- Salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste.
Rinse the liver, remove films and tendons, if necessary, cut into portions, roll in flour. Fry the liver quickly on both sides, set aside. Cut the onion into half rings, fry over medium heat for 5 minutes, flatten, put the liver on top, season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Liver stewed in sour cream
Ingredients:
- Beef liver – 1 kg.
- Onions – 2 pc.
- Sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- Cream 20% – 200 g.
- Wheat flour – 3 tbsp. l.
- Salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste.
Prepare the liver, cut into small cubes, roll in flour, fry in a deep frying pan for 2-3 minutes, stir several times. Add the onion, cut into half rings, cook for 4 minutes. Add sour cream, salt, pepper, if necessary – a little boiled water, mix well, bring to a boil and cover. Reduce heat, simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Fried liver with vegetables
Ingredients:
- Beef liver – 0,7 kg.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Carrots – 1 pieces.
- Bulgarian pepper – 1 pc.
- Green beans – 200 gr.
- Sunflower oil – 3 tbsp. l.
- Salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste.
Rinse the liver, remove the films, cut into arbitrary medium-sized pieces. Cut the onion into half rings, grate the carrots for Chinese carrots, cut the pepper into thin strips. Heat a high-sided skillet or wok, add oil, fry the liver for 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring vigorously. Add vegetables, stir, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes, season with salt, pepper and remove from heat.
Liver with apples in white wine
Ingredients:
- Beef liver – 0,8 kg.
- Dry white wine – 1 tbsp.
- Honey – 1 tbsp. l.
- Olive oil – 2 tbsp. l. + for frying
- Lemon – 1/2 pc.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Apples (sour, hard) – 2-3 pcs.
- Marjoram, dried basil – to taste
- Salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste.
Pour wine into a saucepan, warm it up, add honey and spices, mix, heat, not boiling for 3-4 minutes. Prepare the liver, cut into small pieces and cover with oil and juice squeezed from half a lemon. Peel and seed apples, cut into large slices, onions into half rings. Fry onions and apples in a deep frying pan for 4-5 minutes, set aside. Fry the liver with the marinade for 3-5 minutes, put the apples, mix gently, warm up, pour in the wine, add salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes over low heat.
Liver in a Stroganov’s style
Ingredients:
- Beef liver – 0,5 kg.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Wheat flour – 2 tbsp. l.
- Cream 20% – 200 g.
- Sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.
- Salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste.
Rinse the liver, remove the films and cut into thin long bars, mix with flour. Fry over high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, add the onion, cut into half rings, cook over medium heat until the onion is transparent. Add sour cream, salt, pepper, stir, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, serve with the resulting gravy.
Pancakes made from liver
Ingredients:
- Beef liver – 0,5 kg.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Egg – 2 pcs.
- Wheat flour – 2 tbsp. l.
- Sour cream 20% – 1 tbsp. l.
- Sunflower oil – 2-3 tbsp. l.
- Salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste.
Rinse the liver, cut into medium pieces, peel the onion and cut into 8 pieces. Grind the liver and onions with a meat grinder or blender, add eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper and flour. Knead the dough, add chopped herbs if desired. Put the pancakes on a preheated frying pan with a tablespoon, fry for 3-4 minutes on each side.
All of the above dishes can be prepared from both beef and veal liver; to cook pork, it is necessary to reduce the amount of butter and sour cream. What to cook from chicken liver and unusual ideas on how to cook liver, you can find in our section “Recipes”.