Liver, King of the Organs

Bet THAT caught your attention!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I had a very interesting and informative one. I spent 14 hours over the course of the weekend in a cooking lab for my Masters program learning all about Organ meats, Ferments, and bone broths. The overall gist of this class was to learn about traditional healing foods and how to prepare them. I admit, when I first read over the syllabus and began my reading in preparation for what was to come, I wasn't thrilled. I thought, "Oh I'll never eat any of this stuff! It's gross and takes way too long to prepare. I have no interest in fermenting foods or eating Liver."

*48 hours later* An amazing woman, mother, chef, and instructor named Monica Corrado changed my mind. Monica was our traditional foods cooking lab instructor for the Nutrition & Integrative Health program at Tai Sophia. Monica is a REAL Food chef and holistic nutrition educator, with a background in holistic nutrition, biodynamic agriculture, Ayurveda, and other alternative healing modalities. Originally from MD, she now resides in Colorado with her family and her practice Simply Being Well.

Since the bone broths and Ferments that we made are still brewing and I did not yet get a chance to taste them or see the whole process through, I am just going to discuss the Organ meats today and namely Liver. Functionally, the Liver is a very important organ in our bodies because it filters out all the toxins. It does not store toxins, but if the Liver is working very hard and an animal is killed for eating there is definitely a possibility there will be a few toxins that were not filtered through all the way. No worries! There are a few things we can do to prevent getting sick that I will discuss in a bit. First I want to take you through my Liver eating experience!

Various cooking methods of Liver & Onions

So Monica begins talking about all the health benefits of Liver (high in Vitamins A & D, B vitamins, iron, copper, and zinc and as I look around the room I see many upturned noses. She also tells us that Liver is considered sacred by many cultures around the world and is often saved for pregnant women and those who are weak from illness. Liver is the most nutrient-dense traditional food and has more nutrients per ounce than any other food. It is also rich in B-12 which makes it a great source of energy for athletes.

Oh reeeeaaallyyyyy??? Now she has my attention! But how much of this stuff do I need to eat for it to be beneficial?

Answer: 3-4 oz./week of any animal Liver, but especially from a pasture raised grass fed cow will have you smilin', dancin' and tappin' your toes in no time!

Next question, do I really have to eat this stuff? Why can't I get it in a pill? 

"BUT WAIT! YOU CAN!" says Monica in so many words...and next thing we know we're standing around a table with a big hunk O' frozen Cow's Liver. If any of you saw my facebook page over the weekend you know what's coming...

So the easiest, most tasteless way of eating Liver if you just can't stomach it is to freeze the whole Liver for at least 14 days (IMPORTANT: this kills all the bacteria) and then chop it up into teeny tiny bite size pieces for swallowing with your morning supplement regimen. Seriously! It's as simple as that! Poppin' Liver pills or "shooting" Liver like a shot....whatever you wanna call it - it works! Just 2-3 pieces a day is all you need.

Shots! Shots! Shots Shots Shots of Liver!

The second most disguised way of eating Liver is to shave it into a beverage, soup, shake, or other dish so that you and your family will never even know it's there! I know I know...again, this sounds pretty gross if you're not into Liver. As long as you wait till the very last moment before you are going to consume whatever it is that you're shaving frozen Liver into it will only change the flavor slightly to not at all. I would start with something that already has a strong flavor like this Pottenger's Liver Cocktail below or a shake made with berries, spinach, ice, and organic unsweetened yogurt.

Grating frozen Cow's Liver into Pottenger's Liver Cocktail (Scroll to bottom for recipe)

If you mix the Liver in with a cold drink it will help keep the Liver from defrosting too much and prevent much flavor escaping into your beverage. You could also try grating about 1 tsp into a bowl of chili or broth just before serving. Come up with your own concoction and let me know how it turns out!

I discovered this past weekend that I don't Love Liver, but I do like it and with all those nutritional benefits it contains I will not pass it up in the future. The Pottenger's Liver Cocktail is a MUCH healthier option on a hungover morning than a Bloody Mary. (Maybe keep some frozen Liver on hand for those crazy weekend nights, have your friends over for brunch the next day and surprise them with this???....I think I just lost a few brunch buddies...) The sauteed Liver & Onions were very tasty, some more than others. My suggestion: if you're willing to give it a try, start by sauteeing the Liver in bacon fat and then add the crisped bacon bits back in. DE-VINE. The Pate was not my favorite, but I have had it before and liked it so I plan on trying various recipes to perfect it. The next time I have a fancy dinner party in 5 years I can amaze all my fancy guests with some fancy Pate on a fancy platter : )

For those of you who have never tried cooked Liver, Love Liver, or are willing to give it a try, go to the Recipe section of my website found here for sauteed Liver & onions and Pate recipes complete with PICTURES!!!

Pottenger's Liver Cocktail AKA Bloody Mary Substitute

Ingredients: 

2 tsp grated grass-fed Lamb, Beef, or Buffalo Liver

6 oz fresh organic tomato juice

dash of Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper

squeeze of fresh lime juice

1 tbsp homemade liquid whey (powdered whey can not be used)

Directions:

Finely grate the frozen liver and mix well with the remaining ingredients. Drink immediately!