Actually cooking organ meats week after week
“Chopped Liver” may have a bad rap as an underappreciated accompaniment to better fare, but there’s a reason why Chopped Liver Pate has survived the test of time. In deli counters across the country, you’ll find it in big tubs made according to Kosher laws. If you’re lucky, it will still include duck fat or smaltz, which – combined with the livers – are a special source of essential nutrients. Try it yourself and let me know what you think!…
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Classic French Pork Liver Pate stands on it’s own, but also makes a beautiful accompaniment to many meals. This traditional dish may be vilified for the high vitamin A levels or cholesterol in liver. However, it’s longevity in traditional cuisine runs counter to concerns. Perhaps everything in moderation still applies!…
Are you afraid that beef liver is too strong or too minerally and you aren’t sure what to do with it? Are you due for some self-love today? Do you have a beautiful package of grass-fed, grass-finished liver looking back at you every time you open your freezer? If so, now’s the time to start defrosting it. If not, call your best farmer and get some. Beef liver gets an A+ in nutrient-density. And Chocolate Chili Beef Liver Pate has all the right seasonings to keep you coming back for more. …
Everyone loves pie! Blueberry pie. Pizza pie. Steak and kidney pie. Chicken pot pie! It’s not as ‘boring’ as some of the other foods in our home. My daughter gets to bake, again. Meanwhile, I strongly believe we must continue to minimize the ‘displacing foods of modern commerce.’ Offally Creamy and Delicious Chicken Pot Pie is a hearty and nourishing meal to please all of us….
Pate with Italian Sausage Seasonings is the second pâté with sausage seasonings inspired by Alice Waters. Summer chicken livers are easy to find and perfect for this pâté. And they boast the sacred combination of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and K2) that must work together. The media can be so fickle: D getting all the love, A sometimes vilified, and K2 often absent… But the reality is that one without the others may be harmful; these three go hand-in-hand. …
What to do with all those odd bits? Make Stuffing with Giblets and share them with the people that you love!
And count your blessings while you do… That you have a turkey that comes with giblets. That you have the resources for using them. And that you will be able to savor the nutrient density of these goodies, all the while enjoying a delicious meal.
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This week I finished Eating to Learn, Learning to Eat – about the origins and history behind the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Disclaimer: I’ve spent the last year in a collaborative effort to bring back a scratch-cooking kitchen at our school. Meanwhile, learning this history seared my own heart a bit. After seeing the painful evidence that we’d been through all this before (ie. school lunches as a remedy to widespread nutrient deficiencies), I was a bit raw inside. Yet for Seared Beef Heart, leaving it largely raw in the middle is also the secret to its tenderness….
I didn’t start with a strategy of hiding organ meats. Once I learned about the importance of including them in a diverse and nourishing diet, I served them front and center, without apology. Regardless, we incorporate them into all sort of foods now. Sometimes ingredients come up and sometimes they don’t. Whether you do intend to reveal your (secret) ingredients or not, Savory Mushroom Bolognese with Ground Organs is a great place to start!
So what is so important about organ meats? …
Many children nowadays can happily watch bloodcurdling scenes on TV, yet would scream with horror if one of my favorite childhood dishes, roast stuffed heart, was put in the middle of the table for dinner! – Darina Allen
It’s certainly possible.
Mac and cheese, PB&J and chicken nuggets are found on menus far and wide in kiddie portions to appease children with familiarity. American kids have their own subculture of bland-colored, processed foods.
Although, I do wonder – could a plain hot dog count for organ meats?…
Beef Heart Tartare! I’ve been meaning to make this for a long time… probably since last Valentine’s Day!
Speaking of which, I hope you have a wonderful day of L-O-V-E! Find it in yourself to do something silly and love-y dove-y for yourself and your people.
Here’s how it looks in our home: making heart-shaped cards for friends and each other. Actually wearing that pink felted heart-shaped necklace. Giving a giant ‘Love you to the Moon (and back)’ balloon with a smiling heart cuddling the moon to our favorite friend. Serving nutrient-dense organ meats to myself and my peeps, as usual. And… slowing down.
Yep, eating heart is one way of nourishing your heart. But another is listening to and following your heart….