The Primal Blueprint Cookbook (11 page)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large skillet heat approx. half the fat over medium heat. Brown the steak meat and kidney pieces all over in small batches (so the meat doesn’t steam). As each batch of meat is browned, remove it from the skillet to a casserole on the side. When all the meat has been browned (adding more fat as needed), deglpze the pan with ½ cup red wine, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom. Add the deglazing juices to the casserole.

Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of fat to the skillet and heat on medium. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3–5 minutes.

Lower the heat if necessary to prevent the garlic and onions from burning.

Transfer the onions and garlic to the casserole along with the carrot and tomatoes, seasonings and the segment of oxtail, if using. Stir to combine.

Pour just enough broth, red wine, or water to cover over the ingredients in the casserole and stir gently to combine. Cover tightly with an ovenproof lid or aluminum foil and bake for at least 2 ½ hours or until steak and kidney pieces are fork-tender, perhaps as long as 3 hours. Check halfway through and add a bit of hot water if necessary to prevent drying out.

After removing casserole from the oven, if oxtail or bones were included, remove them and gristly pieces of connective tissue that didn’t soften and melt. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed, then stir in crème fraîche or sour cream to thicken sauce
(optional).
Garnish with chopped flat leaf Italian parsley. Serve with additional crème fraîche or sour cream at the table
(optional).

The amazing Stephan Guyenet of WholeHealthSource.blogspot.com contributed this paté recipe, which might be more palatable for people reluctant to eat liver prepared more plainly. Stephan ranks chicken liver as the mildest liver in flavor, followed by pig liver, calf liver and beef liver (feel free to use whichever liver you prefer).

A small serving of liver from “clean” sources (preferably from producers of animals raised on their natural diets in low stress environments without antibiotics, hormones, or exposure to pesticides), once or twice a week, is excellent source of bioavailable iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin B12.

Paté may be eaten by itself or stuffed into celery sticks or hollowed cucumber “boats”. Small dabs of paté placed on cucumber rounds, garnished with a few fish eggs, makes an elegant and easy appetizer.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Sauté onions and carrots in one table-spoon butter until the onions are browned and the carrots are soft. Add the chopped liver, herbs and remaining butter and cook until the liver is cooked all the way through. Crack the eggs into the pan and stir until they’re cooked. Add salt.

Put everything into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Serve with raw vegetable sticks.

If your grandmother used to make chopped liver, this recipe is probably similar to hers. Similar, but likely not exactly the same, as every grandmother has her own specific methods and ingredient amounts that she believes create the perfect chopped liver. Traditional chopped liver recipes almost always contains onions and hard boiled eggs, and for good reason. Try this dish and you’ll find out why.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Sauté the onion in several tablespoons of fat: butter, lard or oil. The onions should just be getting soft but nowhere near browned when you add the liver to the pan. Flip the livers once or twice until they are cooked through but still slightly pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Let onion and liver cool. Slice the livers into small pieces with a knife then transfer to a bowl and add chopped egg in small batches, mashing the mixture with a fork as you go. If the texture seems dry, add a little bit of oil. Some people prefer the end result to have some texture, others like it totally smooth. Mash until you reach your desired consistency.