This is my take on a traditional Polish recipe for livers with apples. I really enjoy eating liver, it's preparation does not require much work, and it is an amazing appetizer to start your meal with.
Livers can be tricky to prepare. This is one of those things that if prepared well is delicious, but you can easily make it into someone's nightmare. Not everyone likes them, and I can understand that. But I would like to convince those that are not convinced to eat it to try this recipe.
So what makes a good liver? I think there are few steps that you can not omit while preparing chicken liver. Here are few secrets:
Pick organic! Make sure that the livers come from a place that does not feed animals with antibiotics.
You have to clean, trim and discard.
Soak in milk - I tried oat, cow, lactose free any will work
Marinate - in oil and simple herbs
HOT PAN!
DO NOT USE SALT WHILE COOKING IT!
Servings: 2 people Total Time: Time: 35 min
prep time: 15 min. cooking time: 15 min.
Ingredients:
To prepare the marinate and the livers
1.25 lbs of chicken liver (500-600 g)
1/2 cup of milk (use cow milk, but one time I ran out of it and used oat milk- it works!)
1/2 of a purple onion
1/2 of an white onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (sliced)
fresh lemon thyme
rosemary
pepper
Sauce for the liver
2 cups of cherries (I use frozen but you can have)
3 tbsp of bourbon
1 tbsp of agave syrup
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper
Croutons
1/2 of the french baguette
drizzle of olive oil
salt
pepper
fresh lemon thyme
fresh rosemary
Appliances:
Frying Pan
Knife
Baking sheet
Chopping board
Step by step
Rinse the livers and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Clean the livers, by trimming and discarding any visible fat, green parts, or membrane. Put it in a bowl and cover with milk. Set the livers aside for 15 min.
While the liver is soaking, start preparing the croutons. Cut the baguette into slices, and lay it down on a baking tray and a silicone mat. Drizzle the olive oil, salt and pepper it. Chop the herbs and sprinkle on top of prepared bread slices. Bake it in the oven for 7-10 min on 375F. Until they are crunchy, but not dry.
Slice the onions and garlic.
After the 15 min, drain the livers and leave them for a minute in the strainer. Put them in a bowl and prepare the marinade. Mix together olive oil, garlic, rosemary and pepper. Let it sit in the marinate for 10 min.
In a large sauté pan, over high heat, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and quickly fry the onion for 3-4 min, until it get color, but still stays hard and crunchy. Take it out and put it on a plate.
In the same pan start frying the liver, in small batches. Sear them quickly and do not let them cook though. Set a side.
To prepare the glaze and cherry sauce, still using the same frying pan, add garlic, and 2 cups of cherries, rosemary, thyme and bourbon. Let the alcohol reduce and water evaporate. Add agave syrup, balsamic vinegar, a drop of salt and pepper. Let it reduce. Add the livers and glaze them in the sauce for a few minutes until the liver gets cooked all the way through. Add the cooked onions, turn off the heat. Salt it and serve.
Smacznego!
Tips
DO NOT SALT THE LIVER BEFORE OR WHILE COOKING, it will become and taste like a shoe.
The pan has to be hot and don't overcrowd the pan while cooking the liver. It will look and taste terrible.
Make sure to clean the livers.
Quick bite recipes: