A SUPER FOOD and NUTRITIONAL POWER HOUSE..
One of my family’s favourite dinners, we love perfectly pink cooked butter pan seared liver with all the fixings, for my family that is softened fried onions and extremely buttery mashed potatoes and a deglazed pan sauce of port and cream! Some of us grew up on school dinners of over stewed liver and onions which is enough to put anyone off liver FOREVER, but when cooked to perfection juicy fresh butter pan seared liver is a delicacy to dance on your taste buds, a moorish wanting dinner.
QUESTION - Do you like pate? If so that’s liver! Conclusion: Why do you NOT eat liver? Answer it’s all in the cooking and presentation.
Why is Liver a Super Food?
Recipe Below
Geeky Food Science Bit…
High in protein and low in calories.
Liver has more than your RDA of B12, Vitamin A, B2 riboflavin and Copper. Rich in essential nutrients B9 folate, Iron and Choline.
Do Not Eat Liver When Pregnant. Due to VITAMIN A
MISCONCEPTION is that liver can be full of toxins, liver does not store toxins, the liver processes and REMOVES toxins to be dispersed and removed from the body, always source the freshest and organic if possible liver, lamb liver is always my choice.
VITAMIN B12
Formation of red blood cells and DNA and healthy brain function.
VITAMIN A
Supports vision, immune function and reproduction, supports organs like the heart and kidney function.
VITAMIN B2
Important for cellular development and function, helps turn food into energy.
VITAMIN B9 FOLATE
This plays a role in all growth and formation of DNA.
IRON
Essential nutrient that helps carry oxygen around the body, the iron in the liver is HEME IRON, this iron is the most easily absorbed by our bodies.
COPPER
Acts like a key to activate a number of enzymes which help regulates energy production, metabolism and brain function.
CHOLINE
Provides all the adequate intake for woman and nearly all for men for brain development and liver function.
SUMMARY
High protein, provides all of the essential AMINO ACIDS, these are the BUILDING BLOCKS that make up proteins, some amino acids. These are the building blocks that make up proteins, some amino acids can be made in your body and as we age we produce less hence WRINKLES. But essential amino acids come from food, so for ageing eat more collagen preferably marine based collagen as our bodies absorb this better.
HIGH PROTEIN
High protein helps with weight loss as it reduces hunger and appetite, this in turn boosts your metabolic rate which means you use more calories. Helps build and protect muscle growth.
WARNING GOUT
Gout a type of arthritis is caused by high levels of URIC ACID in the blood, liver is high in PURINES which form URIC ACID in the body, therefore if you have or a pre disposed to gout limit intake.
HOW TO HIDE ADDED LIVER TO MEALS
Mince finely and add to…
Spaghetti bolognaise
Burgers
Meatballs
Risotto
Lasagna
Chilli con Carne
Pate!
Pies
Pot Roast
Braised Steak
Scotch Eggs
etc…
HOW TO COOK LIVER PERFECTLY
Ingredients
(serves 2)
500g trimmed high animal welfare lambs liver
50g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
10 Chestnut or Girolles mushrooms torn or roughly sliced
1 large onion finely sliced
2 tbsp rough chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram (optional)
150ml good quality port
250ml double cream
sea salt
fresh ground white pepper
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
1 kg Albert rooster potatoes peeled and halved
250g butter
1 tsp Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp white wine vinegar
30 minutes before your pot roast is ready, bring a large pan of seasoned water to a boil with the potatoes in the pan from cold and simmer for approx 25 minutes until fork tender, drain and leave to steam dry for 5 minutes, season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the saucepan and place back on a low heat until melted, add the potatoes and vinegar, mash to your desired consistency, I like smooth my husband likes lumpy!
This is a really quick cook, prep all your ingredients first and be ready to serve with your plates and cutlery all set up before you start.
First place a non stick skillet on a medium high heat to warm up, this will be for pan searing the liver, meanwhile heat another pan medium hot, add half the butter and oil and as soon as melted add the onions, soften for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms after another couple of minutes turn your attention to the liver.
Add the remaining butter and oil to the pre heated skillet, once melted and sizzling place the liver in to sear, leave for around 1 minute before turning, once only, once both sides have had a minute each take the skillet off the heat, turn the liver one more time and leave to rest, this allows the livers to relax and re-distribute the moisture back through the liver ensuring a beautiful moist mouthful.
Now to finish off the mushroom, port and cream sauce, crank up the heat to high on the onion and mushroom pan, add the port and reduce by two thirds then add the cream and reduce for a minute to thicken, take off the heat immediately and leave to rest, season with the sea salt, pepper, parsley and marjoram if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed to your taste.
Serve the seared liver on top of a generous portion of mashed potatoes then pour all the resting juices from the skillet in to the mushroom cream sauce stir through, pile the mushrooms and shallots high on top of the livers and drizzle or in my case pour over lashings of the port and cream sauce and enjoy.
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