Liver & Onions

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    Woo hoo!  The organ hater had to work last night, so for the rest of us, it was liver and onions for dinner.  I get abnormally excited when I get to make this, because on this, I know what I'm doing.

     There's an art to cooking liver.  I almost never order it in restaurants because so few people can do it well.  It's usually criminally overcooked.  I mean, it's already dead, you don't need to kill it again.  If it gets chalky, you've done something wrong.  And yes, I'm a cooking snob when it comes to...well, not just liver, I guess, but a lot of things, but it's my blog....deal with it.

     I start by heating about an eighth of an inch of oil in my pan.  The liver is simply seasoned with salt and pepper and lightly dredged in flour.  Once I'm sure the oil is really hot, in go the liver slices.  I sear them quickly, just a couple of minutes on each side, and then take them right back out of the pan.  The onions go in next, and I cook those for about five minutes by themselves.  I lay the liver back over them, throw in a splash of white wine to loosen all the happiness from the bottom of the pan and to create a little steam, and then I put the lid on.  Five or so more minutes on medium low heat, and it's done.  Last night I added some roasted potatoes and some broccoli, and it was perfect.

    I'm a big proponent of "head to tail" cooking.  I believe we should use every possible part of the animal, and that some of the best dishes come from unexpected places.  When I open my restaurant, I think I'm going to have an uphill battle on my hands when it comes to this, both with finding suppliers who make all the cuts available, and with convincing my customers to try some of the more unusual things.  But I will.   I have respect for the sacrifice the animal makes for us, and won't waste anything if I can help it.  I also like to give people new experiences with my food...after all, only offering something they can't get anywhere else will keep them coming back.