Organ meats

[missbrett]

Reading NT, there is a whole section on organ meats and while it kind of creeps me out to think about eating them, I am also intrigued by Sally Fallon's arguments and arguments from other sources that talk about the merits of consuming organ meats. Is anyone into organ meats? If so, what do you make and how often? Recipes?

I think that if I were to start with one, I would start with liver. I have never eaten liver. I have always assumed I wouldn't like it for the same reason people say they don't like brussels sprouts. Most have never tried them, but have simply heard that no one likes brussels sprouts. I thought this about brussels sprouts for a long time, and then I tried them and I LOVE them. So, I wonder about liver. I salw that our local Whole Foods sells fresh chicken and beef lever from local sources, so I am considering trying to make something. I have no idea how to go about this. Looking for your experience to guide me.

[Purple Sage]

I love both chicken and beef liver. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I've always loved it. I don't have any recipes for you (I just fry it in butter or bacon grease in a cast iron pan) but just wanted to say that there are some of us out there who actually like the taste of liver.

[cristeen]

Ive actually converted 2 liver haters recently. A- not all liver is the same, and B- how you prepare it makes a big difference. One of these ladies had the mental block on it, and the other had only tried it fried.

I can't stomach it just fried up. In part due to texture. But pureed and mixed with tasty things, i love it! Whether thats pate or the decadent liver flan, its all yummy.

When i make liver flan, it makes a huge batch, so thats pretty mch all i eat all week. But its lovely on a salad w some thinly sliced kumquats.

[CherryBomb]

I'm trying to accept organ meats. I've never been in to them. Dh LOVES liver. I've got a big beef heart in my freezer that I need to tackle.

[Arduinna]

Personally, I'd start with something like tripe which is not nearly as strong smelling and flavored.

[missbrett]

I can't explain why, but I have a much bigger mental block with tripe than I do with liver. Not sure why.

Cristeen - can you post your recipe for liver flan?

Does anyoe make homemade pate or liverwurst?

[Chicharronita]

I've discovered a tasty way of making chicken livers:

Cut up liver into small pieces.

Cut up bacon slices into 1-inch pieces and fry them (I like them at the chewy/crunchy stage).

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and add the liver to the bacon grease. Cook up the liver until it is browned. Remove from grease, and mix with the bacon. Let sit a few minutes. The liver becomes chewy/crunchy like the bacon, and together they taste fantastic.

You can also fry up some onion in the bacon grease. DH and I like bacon and liver with onions, but dd doesn't.

[Magelet]

tripe icks me out too. I love poultry liver, though it took me a long time to like it. I ate small bites of it repeatedly (every couple days for about 2 months, because I had chicken liver where I worked) before I really got used to the taste and started to like it.

I like it fried, but the part I like best is the little bits that fall apart, not the whole chunk, so I usually chop it up, fry up a chopped onion, and then add teh chopped chicken or duck liver.

I don't eat it that often, because I don't currently have a source for pastured chicken livers, so only if the chicken we buy (not pastured) has one with it, or I see some that's really good quality and fresh at the market. Every other month or so? I'd love to do it more but have to get a good source of really fresh decent quality liver.

We also eat heart. Usually goat or lamb. We cut it up, try to cut out the tough bits, marinate it in something acidic (which takes away the bloody taste a bit), then fry it up and serve it with rice and stir fried cabbage usually. It's yummy. Parts of it are really too tough for me to eat, but I'm not very good with tough foods, so I just nibble the tough bits and get what I can off them. DP eats all of it up no problem.

[missbrett]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I hope to try something with liver soon.

Missconstance, are you out there? Are yougoing to try liver with me?

[MissConstance]

I'm here I'm here... Liver eh? Let's just get the bacon down first.

[Hedgehog Mtn]

I want to eat more organ meats but blech LOL. Last weekend we bought a steer in quarters (hanging) I asked for the liver when we picked it up and he had 2 from the same grass-fed farm so he sent them (along with a heart and tongue I didn't see until I got home) I ended up putting one of the livers in with the hamburger as I ground it. We've eaten it 3 times already and I can't taste it at all. If you can maybe section a liver and freeze it adding a small section chopped to any hamburger meals you cook?

[redvlagrl]

I make a mean chicken liver pate. DD has loved it from when she was 6 mths old (gave it to her in lieu of rice cereal for the iron).

Saok very fresh livers (trimmed of anything disgusting looking) in milk for 30 mins or so. Pat dry and heat up some butter in a pan. Fry the livers for just a couple of mins on each side - they should still be a tad pink in the middle. Set aside. Fry onion and garlic in the same pan and deglaze pan with something. Brandy, port or wine is nice, Verjuice or juice is ok too. I also add herbs too - thyme or sage is very good. Stick the livers, salt/pepper and onions/garlic and juices in a food processor and add a goodly amount (1/2 a stick or so) of butter and a good glug of heavy cream. Whiz it up until v smooth. Put in fridge. If you don't want the outside to oxidise cover with top with melted butter (chip this off and discard/reuse as you eat it). It also freezes well.

For use as baby food, I just did the livers and whizzed them up with some soaked prunes so they were v nutrient dense. Delish.

For pork livers you do the same, but don't cook the liver. Whiz up and put in a baking pan (you can line the pan with bacon). You bake in a bain marie (ater bath) in the oven until firm. You can weight it as it cools so it's dense or just leave if you don't mind the texture.

[missbrett]

Thanks for the pate recipe. I think that is how I will give liver a try.

Cristeen - can you post your liver flan recipe?

[harrietsmama]

also looking for the liver flan recipe

[redvlagrl]

Oh I also forgot that I add the turkey liver to my stuffing which is bread, herbs, onions, prunes, brandy and the chopped up liver. i try and get an extra one or two to do this. it's delish and everyone likes it even though it has liver in it!

Prunes and liver are a wonderful combo.

[cristeen]

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...09&postcount=4

[cyclamen]

Here is a great recipe for bolognese ragu that includes a few chicken livers.  I love chicken liver, but I'm especially eager to try this recipe this weekend because I'm hoping my boyfriend will enjoy it.  He doesn't really like offal that much; I grew up with it, so I love it.

You can (actually, must) also add chicken livers to dirty rice.

In Korean restaurants and stores, you can get a thinly sliced piece of meat in some soups (it usually comes packed with blood sausages) that I always assumed was the heart, because it is crenallated and white, almost like a cartilage, but softer.  I don't know why but I assumed it was the heart.  But I bought a heart and it's all meaty.  So I have no idea what this meat is.  Maybe the ear?

And when my mom makes gravy louisiana style, she adds the giblets!  Yum yum.

[redvlagrl]

The Korean stuff might be tendon, which is wonderful.

[cyclamen]

I don't think it's beef tendon, because tendon is too irregular looking (though it sounds delicious).

There's a picture of the platter on this page.  The stuff I'm wondering about is the stuff in the middle, though I'd like to know what it all is, actually.

http://seoulsoondae.com/

Hmn... could it be sliced pork feet?