It’s a child’s privilege—and punishment—to help with the Thanksgiving turkey. The responsibility of assisting in the preparation of the main dish is heady, indeed. Turkey is pretty much the definition of Thanksgiving for many kids, and they may dream of the moment when that golden bird is brought out to the big table and all the hungry eyes turn away from the bird for a momentary glance of appreciation toward the tot who is beaming with pride. It may be this kind of dream that would fuel a blond child of seven to throw her hand up and volunteer for the job.
But when she gets to the kitchen in the morning, forgoing the traditional hot chocolate and parade-watching done by the non-chefs of the house, she discovers a pinkish, pebbly-fleshed monster with a gaping hole. What’s worse, the poor girl learns that it is her job to remove, with her small hands, the creature’s internal organs (cutely nicknamed “giblets” to make her feel better). Her duty is great, and she suffers through, pulling out the neck and dealing with the gizzard, but the reddish, gooshy liver is too much to handle. So she runs screaming from the kitchen. And she is thankful in later years that no one told her then that it was those items that made the gravy taste so good. It would already be a long time until liver would come back into her life.
Livers are appreciated in most cultures and cuisines throughout the world, but consumption is low in North America. Is that because in our quest for ultimate information we know that the liver is the clearinghouse for a body’s toxins? That it secretes bile? Maybe it was the preparation by a million moms who bought beef liver, fried it up with onions, and slapped its stinkiness on a plate in the McCarthy era. For some, liver might just be part of the food-oddities column—classified creepily as “organ meat,” or tucked between the cow tongue and headcheese. The tradeoff is that we are missing out on a global delicacy rich in iron, protein, and vitamin A.
If you want to give liver a chance, get thee to a local butcher. If you haven’t found one in your neighborhood, you can use Clancy’s Meat & Fish (formerly Lippka’s Linden Hills Meat) in Minneapolis. It’s a great little shop. When we’re talking straight liver, the kind that can be successfully fried up with some mushrooms and onions, your best bet is calf’s liver. The younger liver will have a smoother texture and more delicate flavor. Calf’s liver is pinkish, compared to beef liver’s reddish-brown hue, and is much more tender than the elder. Besides beef and calf, the most popular livers are lamb, pork, chicken, and goose. But the true beauty of this organ is how it performs in the hands of an artisan.
OK, maybe chopped liver isn’t necessarily artisanal, but it has been unfairly maligned. (“What am I, chopped livah?!”) Served on Jewish holiday tables for eons, the dish that may contain onions, hard-boiled eggs, and chicken livers is a cultural icon for the laborings and celebrations of life. Spread on a thick piece of rye bread, maybe with a little corned beef, the simple is transformed into the inspired.
Chopping liver is only the beginning. The Germans not only make liverwurst sausage; they also indulge in leberknödel, or liver dumplings. Cod liver oil has been used since at least the eighteenth century as a cure for rheumatism and wasting diseases. It makes you wonder who was the brave soul who first squeezed a fish liver and drank it. Livers are prepared in terrines, pastes, mousse, stuffing, and, of course, pâtés. But of these remarkable preparations, the most delectable has to be that of foie gras.
The original and classic foie gras (fwah grah) is made from goose liver with techniques that date back to the Egyptian dynasties. Now a specialty of the southwestern region of France, foie gras is the liver from a goose that has been force-fed, fattened on grains on an accelerated schedule for four or five months. This mimics their natural behavior and physiology before a long flight. These special geese gain an enlarged liver, which after harvesting is soaked overnight in milk, water, or port. The resulting flavor is extraordinary and the texture velvety smooth.
The fact that this culinary luxury is the darling of many five-star chefs’ menus has put it in the spotlight. But with fame comes scandal. A San Francisco chef’s home was recently attacked by animal-rights extremists who spray-painted his house, wrecked his car, and threatened the lives of his wife and child—all because of his association with Sonoma Foie Gras. Never mind that Sonoma Foie Gras is not a factory farm, but a small, local producer that cares for their birds in accordance with the highest standards. Why let the truth get in the way of your headlines?
To sample some of the local talent’s foie gras, the sophisticate heads to La Belle Vie in Stillwater. The ever-clever chefs have wrapped a diver scallop and French Rougie foie gras in serrano ham. With the accompanying Black Mission fig sauce, each bite has a mingling of nutty, salty, and sweet flavors. If that’s too fancy for your pants, Figlio has just debuted a killer burger with porcini mushrooms and caramelized onions, topped with foie gras. It’s a little bit of heaven in each mouthful.
Still can’t get your brain around the internal organ thing? What are you, chopped liver? You should be so lucky.
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