Offal by Picklin' Paul

Say bye-bye to bland

Meat is becoming increasingly bland. Factory farmed, skinless Chicken breasts and anaemic Pork chops are so devoid of taste that you might find it hard to tell the difference between the two. We have let our taste buds become so use to this flavourless cardboard that someone even believes Tofu is a meat.

However, if you’d like to experience a range of tastes and textures that you simply don’t get with other meats try Offal. Its taste ranges from the delicate and sublime to the bloody and gutsy.

Don’t believe me? Try the contrasting flavours and textures of the following recipes. They’re all very simple. They’re all based on liver plus a few basic ingredients. And they display a range tastes that’s million miles away from the blandness of farmed chicken and soya bean curd.

Foie Gras

The king of livers. The best way to appreciate it’s silky texture and delicate flavour is key it simple. A slightly acidic accompaniment helps to counterbalance the fattiness of the liver. (Instead of the jam you might try a glass of Sauterne or Monbazillac.)

Foie Gras on toast with onion jam

Cut in half then finely slice 2 onions. Put them in a pan with a knob of butter and cook slowly for an hour taking care not to burn them. They should by now be reduced to a golden mass. Add a good slug of balsamic vinegar and reduce further until you have a jammy consistency. Put aside to cool.

To eat toast a slice of bread (sourdough is best) and spread on a large helping of Foie Gras. Add a small dollop of onion jam, experience a flicker of guilt and then pop it into your mouth.

Calf’s Liver

Again this has a very delicate texture but with a bit more bite and less fattiness than Foie Gras. The taste is also very subtle and not as bloody or gutsy as you would expect.

Calf’s liver with beetroot

Thinly slice the Calf’s liver and dust with flour. Melt some butter in a frying pan and when it starts to foam add the liver. Quickly fry for 1 minute on each side before removing to a plate to keep warm. Now deglaze the pan with some sherry vinegar before adding some chicken stock and sliced beetroot. Reduce this sauce until it thickens. Finally, whisk in some butter before pouring over the liver.

Chicken livers

Chicken livers are less refined than Calf’s liver and Foie Gras but they’re considerably cheaper and so more accessible to the everyday cook. They have a much grainier texture and courser taste so are perfect for stuffings and pates. Their more robust taste means that they can handle stronger flavours.

Chicken livers with polenta

First cook your Polenta. Recipes for Polenta differ so it’s best to read the instructions on the packet. You want Polenta that is ‘wet’ and quite sloppy. Try adding a lump of butter at the end for a smoother texture.

For the livers chop and fry an onion until golden. Add a handful of sliced mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the Chicken livers - you might want to cut some of the larger pieces in half. Fry the livers for a couple of minutes on each side until cooked. To check cut one in half; it should be slightly pink but not bloody. Finally, add a slug of balsamic vinegar and stir into the livers. You should have a fairly liquid consistency.

Serve the livers with a dollop of Polenta and a glass of red wine.

Pig’s liver

The curse of many a school dining room and one of the 2 things I never used to eat. However, if you don’t cook it for 2 hours Pig’s liver tastes much nicer than the shoe leather we were fed school. It has much more bite than other livers and a much bloodier, iodine taste. As a result the cooking doesn’t have to be so delicate.

Liver and bacon

Chop some rashers of bacon and fry until the fat runs. Now add a chopped onion and fry until golden. Dust the liver in seasoned flour and fry for a 3-4 minutes either side until done.

Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Comments

[Angus Whines]

This made me drool.

[Lebowski]

Mmmm...

And did everyone notice how much he mentioned foie gras? Perhaps, to show your support for Paul, you could all vote for the separate foie gras entry when buffalo wings shows up for the fight.

Just a thought.

[dcchick1425]

You convinced me that liver could actually be good. I never put foie gras into the same category as plain old beef liver but you now have provided me some perspective. I'll still stick with foie gras as my venture, but will no longer scorn the other forms of the organ.

[Scott at Realepicurean]

Great post. I've done a "trackback" on an article from my site.

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