It’s Monday night and it’s the final tie of the FA Cup Third round, where the once-mighty Leeds United have come to Cambridge to play for a place in the fourth round. Being married to an ex-pat Leeds fan, (my own once-mighty-but-mostly-disappointing-these-days team having already been knocked out of the competition) this can only mean one thing. With no-one else to please I can eat whatever I like, which on such occasions is often liver and onions!
Before your face contorts into something resembling a bulldog chewing on a wasp, don’t forget that liver is not only “offally” good for you (apologies for the “offal”pun – ok I’ll stop now), it’s also pretty cheap. Liver contains heaps of iron in a form which is readily absorbed by the body, vitamin A, all of the B vitamins but especially B12, minerals including copper, zinc, chromium, phosphorus and selenium and high quality protein. So what’s not to like? Well for most people the taste, and the rest of the population is mostly repulsed by the texture!
Many will have been put off eating liver at an early age having been served an overcooked, dried out slab of grey-tinged mystery meat, which might have been better put to use in the repair of industrial footwear or the manufacture of brake pads. And in that moment where the single opportunity for liver to make a good first impression is lost, it’s fate is sealed as one of those foods which almost no-one likes, and those that do often won’t admit to it in polite company.
My dinner this evening was a marvel of mere moments, having prepared my luscious liveriness yesterday afternoon. My tame Leeds fan, whilst still not enjoying the texture of the finished article (although I think that the phrase “pencil eraser” was a little uncalled-for and entirely inaccurate) did appreciate the rich gravy enrobing the dish. This of course means all the more for me, and extra portions to stash in the freezer for future solo dining occasions.
For 4 healthy (or 3 greedy) portions, a 500g pack of lambs liver will be more than sufficient, along with a couple of large or 3-4 small onions, peeled and sliced. Cook the onions in a little oil and butter (lactose-free of course!) until they are turning golden, remove them from the pan and set aside. Slice the liver into small bite-sized pieces, then put a couple of tablespoons of plain (all-purpose) flour into a plastic bag with some salt and pepper. Coat the liver pieces a few at a time in the seasoned flour. The pieces can then be browned in a little more oil in the same pan you used to brown the onions (saving both flavour and washing-up). Do this in batches to ensure light even browning of the meat on all sides.
Once all the liver is browned, return it and the onions to the pan over a low to medium heat with a couple of teaspoons of any seasoned flour left over from your bag and season with salt and pepper. Now is also the time to add a few extra flourishes. A couple of good pinches of dried sage, along with a few vigorous dashes of Worcestershire sauce will give a lovely savouriness to your finished gravy. I also like to add a squeeze of anchovy paste or a few anchovy fillets. This adds to the savoury hit as well as giving depth – I promise you that it won’t make it taste fishy. Once everything is incorporated and you don’t see any flecks of white flour, add enough hot stock (I used Knorr Lamb Stock Pots to make mine) to cover the meat and onions and stir gently.
Finally add a couple of star anise. This is a tip I picked up watching a Heston Blumenthal show on TV a little while back. Star anise really helps dial up the flavour of meat dishes when cooked low and slow – just make sure that you fish them out before serving otherwise your next trip will be to the dentist. When the sauce is bubbling, turn it down and simmer gently until the meat is tender and the sauce lovely and thick. If it looks a little too thick, just let it down with a little water, stirring gently. You can then eat it straight away with your choice of veg and maybe some mashed potatoes to help deal with the gravy. Or you can cool it, portion it and stash it for when you have less time or like me, are dining alone!
You never know, you might like it. I won’t tell anyone!
Until next time…
MC
Ingredients (in case you need to add them to your shopping!):
- 500g Lambs Liver
- 2 large onions (or 3-4 smaller ones)
- 2-3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
- A couple of knobs of butter (Lactofree for me)
- Olive or vegetable oil
- A few pinches of dried sage
- A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- A squeeze of anchovy paste/purée or a few anchovy fillets
- Lamb stock
- A couple of Star Anise
Flying Spatula 