Dining Car Calf Liver Recipes

CALF'S LIVER WITH RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a shallow baking dish, combine well the wine, vinegar, garlic, sage and season to taste.
• Add liver, turning to coat.
• Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• In a large skillet, cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp and transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain.
• Drain liver from marinade and reserve marinade.
• Pat liver dry.
• Heat bacon fat over moderately-high heat until hot but not smoking.
• Add liver and saute, turning once, for 2 minutes, or until it is brown outside and still pink within.
• Transfer to a heated platter.
• Add marinade to skillet and boil over high heat, scraping up brown bits, until it is reduced by half.
• Strain pan juices through a fine sieve over the liver and sprinkle bacon and parsley over.
• In my home, we always had broccoli when we had liver (this cause me much grief as a child, but I grew to love it.) Oven-roasted broccoli and asparagus would be great here.

CALVES LIVER AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut liver in small serving size pieces.
• Salt and pepper pieces.
• In a 12 inch skillet heat vegetable oil.
• Make sure it is good and hot (I use medium high).
• Lightly roll pieces in flour.
• Saute in hot oil till brown on one side, turn and brown the other side.
• About 4 minutes per side.
• Remove from skillet and keep warm.
• Add onions to skillet and fry about 5 minutes till crisp tender.
• Put onions over liver and serve.

SAUTEED CALF'S LIVER

Steps:

• Place liver in a nonreactive (ceramic or glass) bowl and pour milk over. Refrigerate, covered, 5 to 6 hours.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. When butter is shimmering, add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring more frequently until onions are very soft and brown, 30 to 40 minutes more.
• Drain liver and discard milk. Pat liver dry with paper towels.
• Spread flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Thoroughly coat liver with the flour mixture, shaking off excess.
• Heat a large (13-inch) saute pan over medium heat and add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the oil and heat until shimmering. Cook (in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding pan) until liver is firm (but not hard) and browned on the outside but still slightly pink in the center, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining liver, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Add sage and cook for 1 minute more.
• Divide liver among plates and top with onions.

CALF LIVER AND ONIONS LOUISIANA-STYLE

Steps:

• Wash liver, put in a zip bag with milk and put in the ice box for an hour or so.
• Remove liver from bag, season with salt and pepper. Dust the liver with flour in a pan and leave them in the flour.
• In a medium sized skillet, sauté the onions in butter until slightly brown and remove and drain Drain any leftover butter in a cup. While doing this, dust the liver once more and set on a plate. Let the liver rest a few minutes.
• Add the cooking oil to the same pan and heat until ready to fry inches Put two or three pieces of liver in the oil leaving a 1" space between each. Keep the oil at a good temperature to maintain frying. Fry liver on each side until golden brown and remove. You are not trying to fully cook it, just brown it.
• Take the liver out, put it a plate and cover it with foil. Pour the oil out into the the cup with the butter in it to make about 1/4 cup; pour this back in the pan and put on a medium fire. Add enough flour to make a small medium brown roux. Add chicken stock (or water) enough to make the roux a medium thickness. Be sure to boil this and sprinkle some garlic powder in it.
• Remove roux and in the same pan return liver, onions (regular and green) and roux. Cook on medium fire for about 15 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes) or so or until liver is done but not overdone.

DINING CAR CALF LIVER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). With a long sharp knife, carefully slice open the piece of liver like a wallet.
• To make the stuffing, grab a sauté pan and melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. It seems like a lot of butter because it is. After 2 minutes, add the ham and the shallot. Sweat it for a minute or two and then add the mushrooms, Cognac, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to draw the water from the mushrooms. Stir in the garlic, parsley, and a pinch of pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Lastly, add the bread and mix everything together. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Spoon the stuffing carefully into the veal wallet. Unlike a real wallet, you want this one only three-quarters full. Squeeze the top to make sure that the bottom is full. Now sew the top shut with bamboo skewers. It doesn't have to be perfect; just shut it so the stuffing doesn't fall out.
• In a small cocotte or other small flameproof casserole, melt 2 tablespoons butter with a pinch each of salt and pepper over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, fit the liver in the pan and place in the oven for 12 minutes.
• Time to make the herb crust: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, let cool, then mix with the Parmesan, mustard, and chives.
• After 12 minutes, take the liver out but don't turn off the oven. With a spoon, smear the buttery crust on top of the liver. Add the stock to the pan, return the pan to the oven, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 135°F (58°C).
• Take out the skewers, let the liver rest for a minute, then slice and serve.