Last updated at 10:11, Thursday, 28 October 2010

OH no, I can hear you say... not liver! Over the last 10 years or so all sorts of offal have become less and less popular and, I don’t think I am wrong to surmise that many ‘younger’ people are very squeamish about cooking it.

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I don’t think that the name ‘offal’ helps at all – it sounds horrible even before you get it off the butcher’s shelf. Perhaps it is time for a make over and re-branding!

If you look back in old recipes books you will find lots of dishes using different types of offal many of which have fallen out of favour. One reason for this is that nowadays we don’t have such a pressing need to eat the cheaper cuts of meat and to make the very most out of every animal that we kill. We expect a great choice of the more expensive cuts of meat and we can afford to eat them. Perhaps with the current economic downturn there will be renewed interest in eating this sort of meat – I was surprised to find that four generous portions of liver cost under £2! Now that is a good buy and we haven’t even touched on how nutritious it is.

I admit to being in the ‘squeamish’ category and so decided that I had to learn more about liver and the best way of cooking it. Liver has had a lot of bad press recently mainly because it has been overcooked and served incorrectly. My school dinners were generally good but ‘liver day’ was not very popular.

It is very easy to overcook liver and overcooked liver turns grey and tough and, understandably has put many people off eating it.

My recipe uses calf’s liver which is the best to start with as it has a lighter flavour than other livers and when cooked correctly it does melt in your mouth.

There are only two simple rules to follow. Firstly, go to a real butcher and ask him/her to prepare it for you and to cut into thin slices – this way you won’t have to touch it which puts many people off. Secondly, it is important to sear the liver over a very high heat so that each side is well browned and the centre is still a bit pink. The liver will only need a couple of minutes on each side so it is very quick and simple to cook.

I have cooked the liver with sage which is still growing in my garden at the moment and goes particularly well with it. I have also used caramelised apple slices which are a nice contrast.

The apple harvest has been so good this year that if you have your own tree then you probably have so many that you don’t know what to do with them! I am lucky to receive bags of apples from friends with trees and so am always looking for ways to use them. There are obvious ones such as apple crumble and apple pie or just lightly cook them in a very little water and serve with custard or crème fraiche. If you have far too many then the cooked apples will freeze well for eating later in the year.

There are not so many ways to use apples in savoury recipes but these caramelised apple slices go well with the liver and the sage and would also be a good accompaniment to other meats such as roast chicken or pork. If you like to make your own preserves then apple chutney made now will be perfect for Christmas to eat with cold cuts of meat such as ham or turkey.

English apples are available now in all the supermarkets, they have a very distinct flavour and ‘appley’ smell, if you have the opportunity to taste freshly squeezed apple juice it is really delicious. One of the most popular English apples is the wonderful Cox’s Orange Pippin apple. This curiously named apple is good for eating and for cooking is at its best now and can’t be beaten for flavour. I have used these in my recipe. They don’t ‘fall’ that is break down on cooking like the traditional cooking apple the Bramley.

Many of the old varieties of apples have died out the traditional orchards unable to compete with imported apples have been closed. However a lot of work has been carried out lately to preserve some of these apples and to plant new orchards and as a result of this consumption of English apple have improved over the last few years.

This morning my local supermarket was offering four sorts of English apples (more than in previous years): the Worcester, Spartan, Bramley and, of course, the excellent Cox. The larger part of the display was given over to the varieties of apples that we cannot easily grow in this country. There were Granny Smith apples from France, Braeburn apples from New Zealand and Pink Lady apples from Chile. All, not surprisingly, were more expensive than the English varieties no doubt because of the cost of transporting them, not just from Europe but from half way across the world. The wider economic and environmental costs involved are indisputable. It is really crazy to have apples from Chile, South America on sale in Egremont!

CALF’S LIVER WITH SAGE AND CARAMELISED APPLES

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoon extra virgin oil
80g (3 oz) butter
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 medium Cox’s Orange Pippin apples cored and sliced into wedges.
A little brown sugar
400g (14 oz) calf’s liver, prepared and thinly sliced
2 tablespoon plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sage leaves
A little stock or sweet wine such as Masala wine*
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

METHOD
1. Heat the oil and some of the butter in a large frying pan.
Add the onions and cook over a low heat until nicely browned and some of them crispy around the edges. Remove from the pan, add a little more butter if necessary and then add the apple slices. I prefer to cook them with the skin intact but peel them if you prefer.
Sprinkle with the sugar and then allow them to cook gently until golden.
Try to keep them whole. Remove from the pan and set aside with the onions.
2. Pat the liver dry with kitchen paper. Put the flour onto a large plate and season it well with the black pepper and salt. When you are ready to eat put the heat up high and add the livers and the sage leaves.
Sear them very quickly on one side and then turn them over and do the same on the other side until they are browned. (Don’t keep flipping them over and over.) The inside should still be pink. Remove and keep to one side.
3. Add the stock or Masala wine and cook for a few minutes until slightly reduced.
Put the onions and sage leaves back into the pan and add a little more butter. Add the apple slices and gently stir them into the buttery sauce.
4. Serve the liver with creamy mash potatoes and then pour over the sauce with the onions, sage leaves and the apple slices. Sprinkle with the fresh, chopped parsley if you wish.
You could substitute the Masala with Calvados.
This is a liqueur that comes from Normandy in France which is made from apples and would work very well with this dish.

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First published at 15:47, Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk