Jess isn't quite the offal fan that I am, so my goal has been finding a 2nd liver dish other than pate that she'd enjoy. On Friday I noticed a recipe on Mark's Daily Apple that sounded like it might fit the bill. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/pork-beef-and-liver-terrine/
I was informed by Jess I couldn't call what I made a terrine since I omitted the nuts, but it came out great and she even agreed! I used ground pork, ground beef, and beef liver, wrapped in bacon all from Meadow Haven Farms. I used bourbon instead of brandy and we didn't have any allspice in the house. I'll probably go a little more adventurous on the flavoring next time. I followed the directions themselves pretty closely and it was pretty labor intensive, but in the end worth it. We enjoyed a piece tonight sprinkled with some fresh parsley and a little Dijon mustard.
For those that aren't big fans of the taste of beef liver, but are trying to find ways to mix it in due to being such a nutrient powerhouse, this might be a good option. It's not overly liver-y, has bourbon in it, and is wrapped in bacon!
Yes, please. I typically find that the bacon we get from MHF is too strong to eat on its own. So we'll almost always use it exclusively in scrambles/stir-fry where the strong taste makes the meal awesome. Do you typically use the bacon the same way? And if so, was the bacon in this recipe not overpowering everything else (there's a lot of bacon there haha)?
ReplyDeleteNothing new here, and this won't help the folks that are trying to mask the liver flavor, but for what it's worth here's the recipe Lizzie and I have been using:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nourishingdays.com/2010/06/beef-liver-with-bacon-onions-and-garlic/
I actually like it legitimately...Lizzie kind of likes it haha.
Disclaimer: I promise we're not stalking you. After seeing that Jim had already posted twice (be cool, Jim!), I almost didn't post.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway! I have to admit that terrine recipe on MDA scared me a little (it was so...pale) but your beast loaf (not sure I'll ever say "meat loaf" again) looks really good.
I'll second the recipe Jim posted. It's really good as long as you make sure your bites include some bacon and onion rather than just a mouth full of liver (mmm, grainy). Also, I'd definitely recommend trying braunschweiger if you haven't already. It's not off-putting in taste or texture, and it mostly just tastes like a fancy hot dog (in a good way). Really good just cold with a slice of apple or sauteed with onions.
Lizzie & Jim - Glad you guys are posting some of your recipes, I love trying new things. I've actually been looking for a new liver and onions recipe, so will give that one a shot. That's also a new website to me, will have to take a look around.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, the picture on MDA did look pretty grey and not all that appetizing, but the ingredients swayed me to give it a shot. The bacon is not going to be crispy, it's more like a wrapper. Chilling it and weighting it down helped everything tighten up and come together. I just finished up having some for lunch.
I'll post my liver pate recipe the next time I make it. That might be another option for you, it comes out very smooth and has almost a sweet finish to it and pairs well with carrots, celery, apples, etc. Jess and her parents all really liked it, so it comes with some pretty high marks.
As far as the MHF bacon goes we baby ours a bit. Because it's pretty thick we've found that baking it in a cast iron skillet at around 350 for 20-30 minutes works really well and it comes out like pork candy. A little snap, but not burnt or chewy, just melts in your mouth. We add it to a lot of dishes, but also enjoy it on its own. It easy pretty rich though, so usually no more than a piece or two.
I saw that I missed adding this step and it wasn't in the MDA recipe either. Make sure to remove the visible silverskin that runs along the outside of the liver pieces. It's just connective tissue, but doesn't break down, so will just make the dish chewy. This is true for any time you're preparing liver. It's not as big of a deal here since it's going in the food processor, so should get chopped up pretty small.
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