Dish of Beef Liver and Onions
(click to enlarge)

Liver and Onions


East Africa - Uganda   -   Ini na Vitunguu
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 w/rice
**
1-1/4 hrs
Prep		 This is an exellent traditional recipe for liver and onions to which we have added a few modern touches. Liver and other "variety meats" are very popular in Uganda, as they are in Eastern Europe.

1
1
ar
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10
3
6
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1/2
1
2/3
1/3
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3
1/2
1
2
-----
ar
#
t

---
oz
cl
oz
---
T
t
t
t
---
T
c
T
T
---

Liver (1)
Citric Acid
Water
-- Vegies
Onion, Red
Garlic
Bell Pepper, green  
-- Seasonings
Curry Powder (2)
Paprika
Salt
Pepper, black
-------------
Oil
Water
Tomato Paste
Lemon Juice
-- Garnish
Parsley
PREP   -   (45+ min - 35 min work)
  1. Wash LIVER and slice about 3/8 inch thick, removing any fat and obvious plumbing, and pulling off external membranes. I usually cut in strips about 3/8 inch thick and 1 inch wide, as it's not easy to make wide slices of liver.
  2. Soak Liver in Water to just cover, acidulated with 1 t Citric Acid or Juice of one Lemon for 1/2 hour or more (see Note-3). Drain well.
  3. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice about 1/8 inch crosswise. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Mix.
  4. Blast BELL PEPPER black with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skin under running water (see Note-4). Cut into 1/4 inch wide strips about 1 inch long. Mix with Onions.
  5. Mix all Seasonings items.
  6. Chop PARSLEY for Garnish.
RUN   -   (20 min)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan, heat Oil and fry Liver on both sides until just cooked through - right when it stops being springy - longer and it will be tough. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  2. Stir in Onion mix and Fry stirring until Onions are translucent - don't overcook.
  3. Stir in Seasoning Mix for 30 seconds.
  4. Add 1/2 cup Water and Tomato Paste. Bring to a boil and simmer about 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in Lemon Juice, then Liver just long enough to warm it up.
  6. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley.
NOTES:

  1. Liver:

      Beef or Pork Liver will work fine (observant Jews and Muslims are forbidden Pork Liver). Livers all taste much the same and have similar cooking properties. The photo example was made with beef liver.

  2. East African Curry Powder:

      You can easily make a very tasty Curry Powder by our recipe East African Curry Powder. You could also use a Madras style powder (Ship or Sun brand), but I recommend the above mix in this recipe.

  3. Soaking Liver

      Some people consider the taste of liver objectionable - but there are ways to improve that. Many recipes call for soaking liver in milk. I almost never have milk on hand - but I've found more scientific sources that explain exactly why soaking in acidulated water will stabilize certain chemicals that cause these tastes. A few recipes say to soak in buttermilk, which makes more sense than plain milk, because it's acidic.

  4. Torching Bell Pepper

      This is not called for by the pattern recipe, but I usually do it for any stew, especially if it might be reheated. It gives the pepper a more delicate texture and avoids annoying loose skins. With the Kitchen Torch, it only takes a couple minutes.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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