Okay, I really really disliked liver and onions when I was a kid. Uhhhhh. The reason why? Well, apart from the fact that my parents told me it was beaver tail (uh, yeah, true story), but it tasted so disgustingly nasty to me.
I still have a liver block to this day. However, my husband, mother and sister are liver freaks! Well, I will have a few little tastes of it, just because I am cooking it, and I must admit that it is pretty good. ...BUT...Everyone seems to love the way I cook liver.
I also must admit that I took a few pointers from my fabulous mother-in-law. With my own recipe, I even passed the southern grandma test by Kenney's grandmother from Texas! If you can pass this test, you are liver queen! I hope you enjoy it the way everyone else does...
Organically grown is best for you.
1. Rinse liver steaks gently in cold running water.
2. In a rectangular casserole dish, mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
3. Warm 2 large frying pans on medium heat with 2 tbsp olive oil in each.
4. Once pans are warm enough to sizzle a drop of water, dredge each liver steak well in the flour mixture in the casserole dish, and place into the pan (2/pan).
5. While liver is cooking, slice the 2 onions.
7. When liver steaks are golden brown on both sides, take them out of the pan and reserve them on a plate.
8. In one pan, on low heat, start sauteeing sliced onions in 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter (=1 pat). 1/2 way through cooking them to be soft and slightly caramelized (golden brown), you may add 2 tbsp of the left over dredging flour to help give a nice crust.
9. In the other pan, start making a roux (which is a term for cooking 1/2 oil, 1/2 flour into a paste and then browning it before adding any type of liquid for a gravy, sauce or soup) with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, and ~ 1/2 cup of the left over dredging flour, on medium low heat. It should be a very thick paste.
10. Constantly stirring the roux, wait until it is a peanut butter color (or slightly darker depending on the richness of flavor you desire), then start adding the chicken or beef stock slowly. At first, add a small amount of liquid (~ 4 tbsp), and mix in thoroughly with the roux. Gradually adding increasingly more stock, thin out the paste until it is the consistency of gravy you desire. This will take approximately 2 cups of stock. It may be more depending on exactly how much flour you used and the conditions.
* Tip: Don't be afraid to add more liquid if you feel you need it. If you have run out of stock at this point, just add water, or even some more red wine.
11. Add the red wine and honey to the gravy (and any other seasoning you feel you may need) at this point.
12. When the gravy is ready add the golden brown sliced onions (you may need to add a little bit more liquid as some evaporates during the rest of the cooking...don't be afraid to add a little more.).
13. Add the liver back into the gravy and smother it.
14. After it is warmed back through, serve and ENJOY!
Southern Style Corn Cakes:
~1 cup white flour (what is left over from dredging the liver steaks)
3/4 cup corn meal
1/2 can creamed corn
1 egg
~ 3/4 cup milk
1 splash of white wine (if desired)
1 tsp baking powder
peanut oil or butter for the pan
Salt & Pepper to taste
1. Mix all ingredients (except butter or oil) in the same rectangular casserole dish with a whisk or a fork.
2. Get pan warm on medium heat and coat pan with peanut oil and/or butter.
3. With a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop the mixture in the pan, like you would make pancakes. Pan will fit 3-4 depending on how big you make them.
4. When the corn cakes have little bubbles forming on the top side, flip them over. They should be golden brown on the bottom.
5. When the other side is golden brown, repeat with the rest of the mixture.
6. Enjoy!
* Note: I made this tonight, and it was my best batch ever. Honestly...
Kenney looks happy, and his plate in this picture is almost clean...He had another helping after this...LOL :D
I even had a few bites, and kind of liked it...Maybe it's an acquired taste. Maybe I just didn't like my mom's...(Sorry Mom!)...LOL
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you are a new liver lover!
Have a blessed weekend!
Kimberly Edwards :D
P.S. If you're interested in learning how to eat healthier and do your part to help the environment by eating and cooking with organic foods,
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