Old Fashioned Braised Liver And Onions

As a child I never liked liver. In fact I loathed it; the look, the taste, the texture, everything in fact. So much so that one of my earliest memories involves the offal stuff. It was an early Friday evening in the Gee household. It was Nottingham’s Goose Fair weekend and the whole family was heading out for an evening of thrills, spills, candy floss and cocks on sticks. Since we wouldn’t be home until we’ll past my bedtime dinner was served early. As I sat, all excited at the prospect of going to the fair, a new experience for me, I waited eagerly for my dinner. Whether or not this was the first time I remember trying it I very definitely did not like it. They tried everything to get me to eat the vile stuff, cajoling, feeding, playing aeroplanes, cutting it up into tiny pieces, nothing worked. I remember my granny telling me to sit under the huge kitchen table so the fairies could change it into something nicer. Back up at the table I saw through their ploy. They had minced the liver and mixed it in with the mashed potato. I still refused to eat it so the next trick was to mix a generous dollop of tomato ketchup into the stodgy mess, which made it look as bad as it tasted. I never did eat that dinner and I never ate liver throughout the rest of my childhood.

Jump forward 16 years and I was now newly married and living with my in-laws. My mother-in-law, like my mother, was not renowned for her cooking skills but she was a past master at anything which could be put together and left to do it’s own thing for the next few hour such as stew, corned beef hash and braised liver and onions. Imagine my dismay when she proudly presented us with this dish. Since I wasn’t exactly her first choice for a daughter-in-law anyway it would have been churlish of me to refuse so I dutifully set to. To my surprise I actually enjoyed it, and soon worked out that it was the way she’d cooked it. Since that day it has been a regular on our meal menus. And as I was quickly learning, when you are on a tight budget, liver and onions is a cheap, nutritious meal when served with mashed potatoes and peas. I do have to be in the right mood for it though. 

Update

Since writing this post I have become the proud owner of a Ninja Foodi 14 in 1 and have successfully made this recipe using the pressure cook mode.

• 1lb liver
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1pt beef stock ( ½pt if using pressure cooker)
• flour
• 1 cup milk

1. Soak the liver in the milk for 30 minutes
2. Pat the liver dry, coat with flour and place into an ovenproof baking dish
3. Scatter the sliced onion over the liver
4. Pour the beef stock over the liver and onions
5. Cover the dish with foil and braise in the oven for 1½ – 2hrs. When cooked the stock should have thickened into a tasty gravy
6. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and garden peas

If using an electric pressure cooker:

1. Soak the liver in milk for 30 minutes.
2. Pat the liver dry and coat with flour.
3. Set the Ninja to sauté and pre-heat.
4. Add olive oil and when hot sauté the onions until they start to soften.
5. Add the liver to the pot and sear on both sides. Turn off the sauté function.
6. Add the stock and deglaze the pot.
7. Close the lid, set to pressure and cook for 10 minutes.
8. When done Quick Release the pressure.
9. Serve with creamy mashed potato and seasonal veg.