Steven Lamb
MORE RECIPES
Tagliatelle with lamb’s liver, pancetta and sage; Lamb’s kidneys with mustard and cream; Radishes with chicken livers and lovage; Endive with chicken livers and bacon; Pear and celeriac stuffing
SOURCING
eversfieldorganic.co.uk; graigfarm.co.uk
Liver is the most commonly eaten type of offal – the first organ most of us ever taste – and so tends to be the catalyst for dividing us into pro- and anti-offal camps.
Liver carries very little fat and, while it is powerful in flavour, it’s incredibly delicate in texture. Long cooking can sometimes work – a good ox liver will be beautiful if gently braised for a few hours or so – but usually it is best cooked fast and hot.
Preparing liver is quick and simple. Some recipes suggest pre-soaking in milk or lemon water but you should only do this if you want to mellow the taste. Any visible connective tissue should be removed. All livers are made up of lobes that have ventricles – bile ducts – running through them, though it’s only in larger livers, such as ox, pig and lamb, that these are really noticeable. Removing these ducts is worth it if you want a completely silky liver. Otherwise, larger livers should be sliced across the lobes, rather than along them, so that the ventricles are reduced to very short sections.
It is always preferable to choose liver from an animal that has led a free-range or organic existence, because the general health of any animal will be reflected in its organs. The quality of any meat will suffer if the animal was raised in a polluted environment, but there is evidence that toxins and heavy metals accumulate in the liver and kidneys more than other parts.
Go to a butcher who keeps liver whole. It is easier to judge the freshness of a whole liver as opposed to small pieces swimming in blood, oxidising and going stale. Liver should really be consumed within 3 days of slaughter. It does freeze quite well but if you have very fresh liver it makes sense to cook and eat it straight away.
Calf’s liver is the type most commonly served in restaurants. It is much milder than a robust pig or lamb’s liver. Rose veal calf’s liver offers a particularly sweet and delicate flavour.
At the other end of the scale in terms of popularity and price is ox liver. Typically from intensively farmed beef cattle, it is often poorly cooked, yet ox liver from a grass-fed, organic animal is an exceptional slow-braised ingredient (due to its enormity, it can be tough if flash-fried).
Pig’s liver (pictured next) is less common. Firmer than most livers, it should be served pink or it will be dry. A piece of spankingly fresh, free-range pig’s liver is great in a classic liver and bacon dish, a pâté, or just thinly sliced and dusted with a little flour and chopped sage then flash-fried.
If you love the strong, almost metallic flavour of liver, lamb’s liver is the one for you. The most robust of all, it can easily take on big flavours from spices and chilli.
Venison liver can be fantastic. It’s most often wild or free-range and its rich, dark deliciousness reflects a good life, well spent, with an added gamey note to the subtle liver flavour. A good butcher should be able to source venison liver.
Livers from poultry and game birds offer a much gentler flavour experience, but the welfare concerns that apply to whole chickens apply to chicken livers too. Fortunately free-range and organic chicken livers are easy to find these days. These are delicious quickly fried with a little onion and garlic and perhaps bacon, or sautéed then blitzed with shallots, cream and sage to make a simple pâté.
When it comes to foie gras – the fattened liver of over-fed ducks or geese – there are huge welfare issues. The liver of these birds is genetically disposed to store fat for long migration but, in foie gras production, that trait is exploited to an extreme degree: a programme of force-feeding via a tube, and restricted exercise (i.e. the birds cannot fly), is used to swell the liver well beyond its normal size. A finished goose liver can weigh up to 700g (of which 80 per cent is fat). The resulting liver has a delicate flavour and exotic richness, but many people believe that traditional foie gras production is unacceptably cruel. Force-feeding is prohibited under animal welfare laws in many countries (including the UK).
Most foie gras sold in the UK is produced on an industrial scale in France and elsewhere on the Continent, the birds raised intensively and fed mechanically. It’s not for me. So-called ‘ethical’ foie gras is produced without force-feeding. In this system, free-range geese are allowed to follow their instincts to gorge themselves at will, at certain times of year, resulting in a liver that is still enlarged, but to a lesser degree. Of course, normal unfattened livers from free-range geese or ducks are a delicious option that should not be overlooked.
This smoky pork pâté, spiked with paprika and fennel seed, is incredibly tasty. Using a mincer to chop the meat will give a nice, even texture. If you use a food processor, take care not to reduce the mix to an homogeneous paste. Makes a 1kg terrine, to serve 10–12
Butter or lard, to grease
400g very fresh free-range pig’s liver
400g free-range fatty pork belly, cut into 1–2cm chunks (or strips if using a mincer)
100g streaky bacon, cut into 1–2cm pieces
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
100g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
1 tbsp chopped thyme
50ml port or red wine
30ml cider brandy (optional)
1 tbsp redcurrant, crab apple or other tart fruit jelly
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
3 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
A good pinch of dried chilli flakes or cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp fine sea salt
Black pepper
Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3 and grease a 1-litre terrine or loaf tin (about 22 x 11cm base measurement).
Trim out any tough ventricles from the liver, then chop it into 1–2cm pieces. Combine the liver with the pork belly, bacon and onion, then put them through a mincer: use a coarse plate (8mm) for a chunky, country-style pâté, or the fine plate (2–3mm) for a smoother texture. Alternatively, process the meat mixture in a food processor, in a couple of batches, until well mixed and chopped, but not reduced to a paste. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well (it’s easiest to do this with your hands). To check the seasoning, break off a little walnut-sized ball of the mixture and fry it until cooked through. Leave to cool, then taste it and adjust the seasoning of the main mixture accordingly, adding more salt or chilli/cayenne as needed.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared terrine and level the surface. Cover the terrine with greased foil or a well-fitting lid. Place in a large roasting tray and pour hot water into the tray to come about halfway up the sides of the terrine. Cook in the centre of the oven for 1½ hours, or until a cook’s thermometer inserted into the centre registers at least 72°C. The pâté should feel firm to the touch and be coming away from the side of the terrine.
You now need to press the pâté as it cools in the terrine, to give it a nice, firm texture. Some terrines come with their own platform that fits snugly on top, which you can then place weights on. Alternatively, you can place another loaf tin on top and fill that with weights such as tins of food. Don’t apply too much weight, though, or you’ll squeeze out all the lovely meat juices. Leave until completely cool, then remove the weights.
Refrigerate the pâté until thoroughly chilled. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Eat with good bread, boiled eggs and gherkins.
