Sunday 7 June 2015

You've Got to Liver Little!

Fegato Saltato con Pancetta e Scalogne & Insalata di Portulacca e Ravanelli con Condimento di Mirtilli Americani & Yogurt
Pan-Fried Liver with Bacon & Shallots with Portulac & Radish Salad with a Cranberry Yogurt Dressing


Liver! I know a whole lot of people don't like it... But that's ok- it just means there will be more of it for the rest of us to enjoy!

And enjoy it you will, if you prepare it properly... Because I think that the only reason people tend not to like it, is because they have at some point been unfortunate enough to have tried some dry, tough, mealy and nasty stuff... The stuff of nightmares! That happens really quickly and really easily if you make the one great mistake of adding salt to it during cooking... As long as you don't, you can go ahead and prepare it in so many ways!


 

This was a really quick, tossed in the pan and straight to the plate kind of affair... Super for a hot, summer evening!

So all I needed was a nice salad to go with it... And I was lucky enough to find lovely, succulent portulac greens at the market yesterday... Yummy! With a few radishes and an inspired dressing... Supper was simple! And simply delicious!


 

I had 1 nice slice of veal liver- around 200g or so, to which I added 2 rashers of bacon and 1 shallot. That was the liver taken care of. The simple salad consisted of a good handful of portulac and 4 radishes. The dressing was made from yogurt and cranberry preserves and otherwise, all I needed to complete both components, was 1 lemon, for the juice, a little salt, pepper and good olive oil. And that was it!

 

This isn't the oozy and icky kind of stuff you are used to... It is flavorful, fresh and summery tasting... Are you ready to give it a try?

 
For my dressing I stirred together 2 tablespoons of yogurt, with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon of cranberry jam, a teaspoon of dried oregano and a little salt and pepper for seasoning.

 

It's so much fun to make something a little different and this was so cool and refreshing... And pretty to boot!


Now that you have everything you need to dress your salad, you can get started on the liver... With the bacon and the shallot going into the pan first until you have plenty of fat from the bacon to fry it in.

 
 
Fry the liver nice and hot and add plenty of pepper... But no salt! Remember?!?

 

After a good 3 minutes minimum from each side, add a good sprinkle of oregano and the juice of the other half of the lemon, as well as a little splash of water... This will deglaze the pan and give you some nice juices to go over the liver.

The way to know if it is done yet, is to check that there are no red juices (blood!) coming to the surface, or to prick it with a fork. It's a matter of timing though... You also don't want to overdo it! So, keep your eyes open!


 

Add some finely sliced radishes to the greens, spoon over your yummy, fruity dressing... And you are ready to serve and to enjoy!

 

You can now season your liver too, now that it is safely cooked and still juicy... Add a last sprinkle of oregano and enjoy what so many others out there will never try... It makes it almost, kinda better just knowing that! Hehe!

 

This is just about as good as it gets! And easy as can be to make! Sort of like everything else I make, no?

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