Neko-Chan » Sun Dec 04, 2011 11:24 am
I'd like some tried and true recipes for offal, mainly liver though. I have a post with recipes saved somewhere, but I have to go find it first. Call it an adventure in trying to broaden my tastes.
Neko-Chan » Sun Dec 04, 2011 11:47 am
Right, found the original post I made on the other forum (there was some formatting error or something I think):
"I used to be disgusted by the idea of eating offal. Granted, there are some parts of an animal I still will refuse to even think about eating, but I've lately found myself eying things such as heart, liver, kidneys and tongue. I think the idea of self sufficient living and survivalism and concepts such as nose-to-tail eating have gotten me to thinking about those less thought of meats that in reality were what the poor people ate because that's what they had, and it was food.
I bought a package of ox tails, totally elated, because I love ox tail stew. That's hardly offal though, just something that doesn't show up often. Shortly after that I subscribed to Mark's Daily Apple and got the free newsletter and Primal cookbook. In it were recipes for beef tongue, liver, and heart. Shortly thereafter, I bought a package of ox heart and froze it for a winter meal. Today I went to the butchers shop in town and asked if they carried beef tongue. The answer was yes, the product was cheap, and I came home with a beef tongue in my bag.
I'm pretty sure that if I had been mugged, the robber would have gotten quite a fright. :P
The heart and tongue are being frozen for winter meals later on, but I want to know if any of you out there are also nose-to-tail eaters.
I'll post these recipes, but remember that all credit goes to The Primal Blueprint Reader Created Cookbook, from http://www.marksdailyapple.com, and no credit goes to me. Well, aside from subscribing to the newsletter to get the free cookbook. :P You can too!
Cajun Blackened Chicken Livers with Lemon and Garlic
INGREDIENTS
? 1 pound chicken livers
? 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
? 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, depending on how
spicy you like it)
? 1 teaspoon garlic powder
? 1 teaspoon onion powder
? 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
? 3/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
? 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
? 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
? 1/2 teaspoon salt
? 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
? 6 cups spinach leaves, lettuce leaves or half a head
iceberg lettuce, shredded
? 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
? Juice of one lemon
? 1 clove of garlic, crushed
DIRECTIONS
Trim chicken livers, discarding connective tissue and separating larger livers into two lobes. To make Cajun seasoning, mix together paprika, cayenne, garlic and onion powders, black and white peppers, thyme, oregano and salt. Add livers to the seasoning mixture and toss to coat then brush livers with either melted butter or olive oil.
Choose your cooking method:
a) Preheat broiler to highest setting. Place liver on a rimmed baking sheet and on top rack in oven, broil under high heat. Turn once, until blackened on outside and centre of thickest part is pink, about 8 minutes.
OR:
b) Place chicken livers in a cast iron pan pre-heated to medium and cook on both sides, about 2–3 mins per side.
Place hot chicken livers on lettuce or spinach. Combine butter or olive oil, lemon juice, and 1 clove of crushed garlic in a hot pan until garlic is very lightly browned, then drizzle over livers and greens as a warm dressing.
Tender Beef Tongue with Onions and Garlic
INGREDIENTS
? 1 beef tongue
? 1 medium onion, finely chopped
? 1 shallot, finely chopped
? 2 cloves garlic, minced
? 1 jalapeno (optional), sliced in half or minced
? Pinch of red chili flakes
? 1 bay leaf
Put all ingredients into a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer for about 3 hours until tender. Let cool until you are able to handle. Peel off skin and slice.
You can also cook it all day in a Crock Pot with a little bit of liquid or braise it in the oven like a roast, or for a faster method, put in a pressure cooker for just over an hour.
Crispy Liver Hash Brown Patties
INGREDIENTS
? 1 pound minced beef liver
? 1–2 raw potatoes, peeled
? 1 raw carrot, peeled
? A fist-sized piece of celery root, peeled
? 1 onion
? 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried
? A pinch of black pepper and salt
? 1–2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Grate the vegetables and mince the onion. Mix these with the minced liver. Add spices and melted butter.
Heat butter or oil in a pan and drop small portions of the liver mixture into the pan to form patties. Fry the patties several minutes on each side until nicely browned.
Grilled Beef Heart with Roasted Chili Peppers
INGREDIENTS
? 2–4 chili peppers for roasting
? One beef heart
? 1 tablespoon of cumin
? 1 teaspoon salt
? 1 teaspoon black pepper (or 2 tablespoons of your
favorite seasoning rub)
DIRECTIONS
Roast or grill chili peppers until skin is black, then remove the skin in a basin of water or under running water. Remove the stem (and seeds for less heat) and slice thinly. Slice the beef heart in half lengthwise, which will reveal the white inner gristle and maybe even a valve. Remove both with a knife or kitchen scissors.
Rub the heart halves with the spices. Over medium-high heat, grill the heart until the outside becomes crispy and the inside is still slightly pink. Slice the beef heart into thin strips and mix with the peppers. Serve with lime or lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.
Slow Cooked "Heart On Fire" with Creamed Kale
INGREDIENTS
? 1–2 hearts
? 2 chopped carrots
? 3 chopped celery hearts
? 1 chopped onion
? 2–3 (depending of size) chopped garlic cloves
? 3 chopped jalapenos (de-seeded to tame the spiciness)
? 3/4 cup coconut flakes
? 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
? 1 teaspoon chilli powder
? 1 teaspoon red pepper
? 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
? 1/2 teaspoon allspice
? 1/2 teaspoon cloves
? 2 teaspoons cilantro flakes (or 1–2 tablespoons finely
chopped fresh cilantro)
? 1 large bunch of kale, sliced
? 1/2 can of coconut milk
DIRECTIONS
Cut the heart in half and remove any valves and connective tissue with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Put 3/4th or so of the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, jalapenos, coconut flakes and spices in the bottom of the CrockPot to make a good base. Place the heart in the Crock-Pot and cover it with the remaining veggies and spices. Add a cup or so of liquid (broth or water) and cook on low for about 6 hours. When the heart is cooked, put the kale in a large pan, pour in the coconut milk and sauté until kale reaches desired softness (I like mine a little on the firmer side). Slice the heart into small pieces. Serve over kale.
I intend to be trying the Beef Tongue recipe, and a modified mild version of the Heart on Fire when it gets chillier here.
I've done oxtail stew, which was tasty, and the beef heart is out thawing. I decided to try the grilled recipe instead, so I'm hoping for the best. :) I'll let you know how it goes.
The recipe resulted in a fantastic piece of meat! Well, I didn't actually follow the recipe too closely. I rubbed the heart pieces in EVOO, sea salt, black pepper and cumin, and then grilled it on the outside till crispy, then sliced it thinly and added the pieces to sauteed onions and green bell pepper. Like you would for a fajita, but with no wrap. It made for thin tender pieces of richly flavored meat, like any other piece of beef, but better because of it's fine texture.
I heartily approve. :D
THe beef tongue spent all afternoon yesterday, and all of this morning cooking in the crockpot. Let me tell ya, it takes a LONG time to loosen the skin. Peeling the tongue weirded me slightly, but I got over it, because it smells so delish. It's just been simmering plain in hot water, no spices or anything, and the broth smells rich and hearty, the meat tender. I'm thinking some kind of mashed potato and gravy thing with thin slices of the meat, fried onions, and veggies. Mmmm."
wifezilla » Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:01 pm
I was never a liver fan until I started frying some for hubby and decided to season it with rosemary and made a cream sauce with parmesan cheese. It's delicious that way.
Neko-Chan » Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:51 pm
That sounds all right. As per another thread, I'm trying to round out my nutrition by including a broader range of foods. Do you have a recipe for it? I can get a hold of lamb livers and chicken livers with little effort down here.
I've only ever had beef liver, so is there a difference between livers from different animals, or is it pretty much the same thing?
We're having beef heart tonight. :)
Farmfresh » Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:55 pm
Love this thread! I grew up eating all manner of offal and still do. Love the thrift and variety of offal-ly good recipes!
Grandma Nettie's "Headmeat" also called Scrapple
12 ½ pounds hog head meat -
neck bones, pig feet, ears, snout, tongue etc. can also be used. (everything but the squeal!)
2 Tablespoons salt
8 ½ cups broth (from above)
2 ½ cups oatmeal (or gluten free oats)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
-----
Take meat scraps and 2 Tablespoons of salt and add to pressure cooker with 1 quart of water.
Pressure at 10 pounds of pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Allow the cooker to set and cool until pressure drops by itself.
Open cooker and allow meat to cool till it is easy to handle - then debone the meat.
Pass the bone free chunks of meat through a meat grinder. A course grind is fine.
Place meat and all remaining ingredients in a large kettle and cook on low heat until mixture comes to a boil.
Stir constantly to prevent scorching.
Turn out into loaf pans and chill until set.
Slice into ½ inch thick slices and dip into “Granny’s Batter” then pan fry until brown or use as a cold lunch meat.
Granny's Batter
2 fresh egg yolks
1 ½ cups cold milk (or ice water)
1 ¼ cups cornstarch
½ cup flour (gluten free will work)
salt
black pepper (plenty!)
-----
Whip all ingredients together well until mixture is very smooth with a consistency like thin cake batter.
Dip in your other ingredients and fry. This is basically a country version of the oriental tempura batters.
Neko-Chan » Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:09 pm
That batter looks good and easy. Oh! Somewhere I have a recipe for "sham ham", made with the hogs head, such. I'll find it...
Right, here it is:
Sham ham
"This rather 'gimmicky' object should not be despised. It is made from pig's head, all the skin and flesh having bee stripped from the outside in one piece, beginning with a cut under the chin. The meat is laid flat and salted dry for 24 hours, turned and salted again for the same time. The odd pieces of meat, the tongue etc., are likewise salted. The meat is rinsed and the head is sewn up to form a purse. The lips and the cut under the chin are joined. Into this purse the pieces of meat are stuffed, the tongue being diced, and the top of the purse is sewn up. Outside, string is used to mould the shape into something resembling a small ham, and it is hung up to smoke. it is kept in the smoky warm air for 3 days (not necessarily continuously) after which is it kept for 1 week in a cool ventilated place. Finally, it is soaked in fresh water, and simmered like a ham for 3 hours.
Carved when cold, the slices are of course boneless, and although on the fat side, they will be relished especially by those who find fault with insipid modern ham. It is good food and cheap."
I don't know what book this came from, it was a photocopied page a friend sent me.
belugasmith » Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:48 pm
I love liver w/bacon and onions! I just cut slices into squares, fry them up really crisp and take them out of the grease with a slotted spoon leaving the bacon grease in the pan. I fry onion slices in the bacon grease and then the liver slices, dredged in flour with salt, pepper and powdered dried garlic. Put the onion and bacon on top of the liver and keep warm in the oven while I mash the potatoes and finish some peppered milk gravy and a vegetable.
I also like menudo but a lot of people won't eat tripe no matter what you do to it. LOL.
Neko-Chan » Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:40 am
We had beef heart last night! I take the heart, thaw it out, rinse thoroughly, snip the little tendons off, slice thinly and grill in a cast iron pan (no seasonings, just as is). I served the heart slices with leek, onion, and mushroom pancakes (the leek and onion raised by moi!), salad and broad beans.
Britesea » Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:42 am
I love liver and onions too, but I don' t bother to dredge the pieces in flour. I cut the liver into small pieces as if I was doing stir fry and cut out the membranes and tough bits, and saute them just long enough that the inside is just pink.
Three dogs were hanging out together when they saw a sexy little poodle come by. Well, of course they set up a howling and barking and generally showing their appreciation. She stopped and looked at them and said "Well, I'm feeling friendly, but you gotta prove to me that you are worth my time by using the words 'liver' and 'cheese' in an original sentence."
"Oh! I love liver and cheese!" said the Beagle. The Poodle snickered and said "Not particularly original..." She looked over at the Yellow Lab expectantly.
"Ummmm, do I hate liver and cheese then?" he said, while scratching at his ear. The Poodle just sighed.
At this point, the Chihuahua sauntered over to her and smirked at his buddies "Leeve 'er alone boys, chee'z mine"
Damummis » Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:44 am
You know, I just can't bring myself to eat the innards.
Neko-Chan » Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:52 am
I sued to think it was gross, particularly liver, but I think I've reached a point where I can learn to broaden my tastes. I mean, there are days when I wander by the meat case and see the packages of liver and start to salivate, and the beef heart are downright delicious, I get hungry whenever I think about it. Plus, my ancestors learned to use everything, so why can't I? Liver is as good a step as any for expanding the diet. That and I want to learn to like it, so I can buy fewer supplements in the future. :P
annaraven » Mon Dec 05, 2011 3:42 pm
I like the flavor of liver. And my daughter LOVES heart. I actually do wonder about eating liver or kidneys - I mean, these are the organs that are supposed to be filtering out the bad stuff from the animal's body. So why are we eating them? Shouldn't we be disposing of those filters? I dunno. Like I said - I like them. Just wonder about it sometimes...
Neko-Chan » Mon Dec 05, 2011 3:51 pm
I guess it depends on the animals diet. That's usually what makes me pause as well.
Farmfresh » Tue Dec 06, 2011 7:35 am
Personally I don't eat liver or kidneys unless I know it was from a grass fed animal or at least one that I know HOW it was raised.
We either raise our own meat animals or buy them from a local farmer that I agree with on animal care issues. I tend to forget sometimes that everyone doesn't have a choice like that.
crunchy_redneck » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:39 am
My favorite offal is chicken livers, simmered sloooooowly in broth, butter & onions.
Then cook a little rice, mince the livers & mix it all together.
After seeing the difference between MY chickens livers and storebought, I refuse to eat any storebought. Storebought are ugly & they stink. I'll eat MY chicken livers raw and gross DH out something fierce. They taste wonderful in small batches.
Heart is awesome, sliced very thin & pan fried. I've had deer and beef.
Deer & chicken feet get used in broth. Snip off the toenails first tho...
Chicken lungs I usually leave inside the carcass, they practically dissolve when you simmer the bones for broth.
When we process a random chicken, heart, liver & gizzard gets put in a growing zip top bag in the freezer until I get enough for a whole meal.
Neko-Chan » Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:29 am
Well, I did it. I bought a packet of "lambs fry", which is liver. We'll see how well I manage in cooking it! Apparently one recipe suggests I soak the liver in three changes of water, every half hour.
Neko-Chan » Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:53 am
Okay. I made liver and onions, with a white wine gravy (I would have used red wine, but the white was open) that's spicy (I added chilli powder). Even with the gravy and onions it's... well, if I concentrate, I can think it's turkey or chicken giblets (which I enjoy, for some perverse reason), but even then, only just. It's more like the flavor of lamb meat mixed with turkey giblets texture and flavor. It's pretty hardcore. I suspect I may enjoy it mixed in with other things, like meat pies, or ground in among sausage or in stuffing, etc. (In places where it's pretty much disguised, yeah.) This will be a hard habit to get used to.
Farmfresh » Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:44 pm
I have had best luck feeding the unconverted liver by using this recipe.
Smothered Liver and Onions
Beef or Pork liver slice thin or into small strips
1/2 pound of good bacon
4 onions (prefer yellow for this dish)
1 quart tomatoes
2 jalapenos +/-
Prepared rice
-----
Fry up plenty of bacon.
Remove from pan and drain the excess grease, but hang on to it for later.
Heat up pan till grease starts to smoke a bit and add liver.
Quickly sear on each side and remove from pan, then fill the pan with shredded onions... add back some of the grease if necessary.
Start cooking the onions and then put the liver back in the pan.
Turn the heat down to medium and cover the liver and onions with a quart jar of tomatoes.
Add sliced jalapenos, and crumbled bacon. Cover the dish and let simmer until the onions are tender. Salt and pepper well.
I serve this smothered liver over a bed of rice. The tomatoes take some of the bite out of the liver which most people really like.
Added ... Be careful with liver. Most people tend to overcook it and this makes it hard and chewy. Treat it gently a quick braise then low heat.
Neko-Chan » Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:20 pm
I think that's exactly what I did: overcook it. It was pretty chewy. The texture itself is a little... hard to get used to. i think I might try grinding up the remaining liver and mix some in with beef mince, onions, garlic and spices, and make a meat loaf, or hamburgers.
Neko-Chan » Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:24 am
There were beef hearts on sale, MASSIVE ones for a dollar each. I bought two (I already had two or three in the freezer). I'm rotating stock now, so tonight we're having heart. I've been slicing it thinly and sauteing with onions and peppers, and sometimes bacon. Might have it with rice tonight. We'll see. I've got tons of veggies to use.
I also made a creamy beef mince and chopped lambs liver gravy, with onion, garlic, herbs and tomato, which I served on rice a while back. Hubs isn't crazy about liver, and he made it clear that the next time I make it, it should just be for me. >_>
