Lovely Liver

As with most of my latest experiments, my liver consumption has the family asking, "Where did she come from?" Mark asked me to name three people who consume, and enjoy, liver. I thought for a moment and replied, "Cousin Nancy, my dad, and your dad." He then asked me to name "real" people...whatever that means. However, Mark did agree to try this evening's dish to prove that he loved me. I haven't really pulled out the "If you love me you'll _____" in the five years we've been married, so I think he knew I meant business. He hated it though, sadly. I guess I'll just have to settle for the fish oil capsules he's willing to take daily.

Why Liver? Take a look at the list provided by Lynn Razaitis in her article "The Liver Files" published on the Weston A. Price website:
In summary, liver provides:

More nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food
An excellent source of high-quality protein
Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A
All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12
One of our best sources of folic acid
A highly usable form of iron
Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper
An unidentified anti-fatigue factor
CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function
A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA

If you're worried about toxins, that's understandable. Liver gets a bad wrap. Indeed, it is the body's way to neutralize toxins, but it isn't the storehouse for them! Instead, it stores most of the body's vitamin A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron. And if you're worried about the taste, check out that link to Lynn's article. There are some fantastic recipes on there (though I suppose I am jumping the gun, as I can't vouch for any of them...yet). I've only made liver one way, but since I like it, I'm sticking to it.

BREADED LIVER

Make sure the liver is fresh and organic. I choose chicken liver because I like the taste, and it is small and easy to deal with. I always soak it for a few hours or overnight in lemon juice to ensure that any impurities are properly drawn out - and it improves the taste!

chicken liver
lemon juice
spelt flour
dash of sea salt
dash of pepper
butter
EVOO
dijon mustard
shallots
parsley
garlic cloves
whole grain bread crumbs (I use Ian's)
melted butter

The amounts can vary according to taste, so I left them out altogether. I don't look at them anymore. I drain the liver and pat dry after soaking. Then, I mix the flour, salt, and pepper, and dredge the liver in it. Throw those in a skillet with EVOO and butter for a few minutes, til just stiffened. I like to keep my liver as raw as possible to receive all the good enzymes and nutrients, but you can cook it longer if you want. After all of the pieces are cooked, I mix the ingredients from mustard on down to bread crumbs, and brush that over the liver. I drizzle a little melted butter over the pieces, and put them under the broiler for a minute or two. Viola! Breaded liver. Let me know how things turn out. I'll do some more posts as I experiment with the recipes from Lynn's article.