Slow Cooked Liver and Onions
Oven baked or cooked in a slow cooker, this traditional British fare I believe remains a winner. In the past I have always cooked on the stove but this time I wanted to try a ‘slow cooked’ method and it really worked. The liver is gently poached in its own juices with simple flavourings such as garlic, onions and bay leaves.
The gravy after 5 hours of cooking is sublime and delicious when mopped up with a creamy parsnip and potato mash.
I agree liver is not always everyones favourite, but it is definitely a favourite of mine, especially if I am feeling run down and tired, as the nutrients in liver are a natural ‘power punch’ fuel for the body; full of iron, the essential B vitamins whilst being low in fat. Great nutrition with every mouthful.
Ingredients
-
500-550g beef liver- sliced
-
Cold milk soak- enough to cover
-
4 medium red onions- thinly sliced
-
4 cloves garlic- thinly sliced
-
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-
1 tbsp plain flour- dusting for sliced liver
-
60g butter- unsalted
-
2 bay leaves
-
700ml beef stock- plain water or water with a beef stock cube
-
1 tbsp cider vinegar
-
Accompaniment
-
Potato and parsnip mash- nothing else added
-
Sprinkling of parsley- finely chopped
Instructions
-
Stage ONE - prepare liver:
-
01 Place liver into a bowl and cover completely with milk. Leave to soak for approximately an hour (no more).
-
02 After an hour remove liver from milk and pat dry with kitchen paper. Discard the milk. Trim the liver; removing and throwing away any fat, muscle or sinew. Slice thinly and leave to one side.
-
Stage TWO - prepare onions and garlic:
-
03 Slice onions in half, and slice thinly (using a food processor with the slicer blade works a treat). Thinly slice also the garlic cloves.
-
Stage THREE - prepare ingredients for the slow cooker:
-
04 Heat oil in large frying pan, add sliced onions and garlic, and cook until soft. Remove from the pan and place in the slow cooker.
-
05 Add butter to same pan, melt and when hot (but not smoking) add the prepared liver, dusted in flour.
-
06 Quickly sear all the liver in the butter, stirring well. Place all on top of the onion mixture with the pan juices.
-
07 Now add the cider vinegar and stock to the frying pan, bring to the boil and pour all the liquid over the liver, scraping the pan for the tasty bits which sit at the bottom.
-
08 Add bayleaves and touch more of freshly ground black pepper.
-
09 Place the slow cooker lid on top and gently cook for 5 hours on the automatic switch.
-
10 At 5 hours, check the seasoning, adding salt if required and serve with a simple hot parsnip and potato mash, lots of gravy juice and a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
I definitely recommend to soak the liver in milk before cooking, as this will certainly remove the slightly metallic taste which can be found in such a cut, and can certainly put people off. IMPORTANT however, do not over soak, as the milk with its slightly acidic nature, will soften the meat too much for cooking. I highly recommend to always trim the liver well before cooking, as any sinews or tendons etc will definitely make the liver tough during cooking, and always buy from a reputable source.
