Love For Liver, Part II: Chicken Livers With Pomegranate Molasses

This weekend chicken livers were on sale at Kroger, which means they cost a cheek-slappingly low 90 cents(!) instead of $1.42. Seriously, when was the last time you could buy a pound of meat that provides 487% of your RDA of iron for less than a dollar?

Syrian Foodie in London claims this recipe is for one of his very favorites, and after preparing it, I'm happy to say now it's one of mine, too. Its success is due to the rich balance of butter, booze, and fruity sweetness. Btw, if you can't find ghee at your local supermarket (check the foreign foods section), you can clarify butter yourself.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound chicken livers

• 1 tablespoon ghee

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

• 3.5 ounces of red wine

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon cold butter

Directions

1.  Pan fry the chicken livers in ghee until they are brown on the outside.

2. Add molasses, red wine, salt, and pepper.

3. Cook livers one or two minutes more, just until tender.

4. Remove livers and reduce sauce by a quarter.  

5. Add  cold butter to sauce and mix thoroughly. Pour on top of livers and serve with bread or rice.

Love For Liver, Part I: Kebdeh Mtajaneh

One of my many culinary-writing goals is to compose a cookbook comprising only recipes for liver (from all different animals).  People who discount the edible potential of this organ due to its metallic taste (easily masked or eradicated through proper preparation) are missing out not only on a terrific offal experience but also on an incredibly cheap powerhouse source of nutrients.

I spend a lot of time reading Syrian Foodie in London for inspiration, so when I came across not one but TWO recipes involving liver, I was extremely excited. And, remarkably, I had all the ingredients on hand already save the liver itself.

Like Syrian Foodie in London, I substituted chicken livers for the more traditional lamb livers due to the former's availability. But next pass I will try the latter if I can track some down.  Recipe below is slightly adapted from the original.

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken livers

• 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic

• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander

• 1 red chili (chopped)

• Salt

• Pepper

• Lemon

Directions

1. Pat chicken livers completely dry with paper towel.

2. Remove any gristle. Or not. (I like the little fatty bits.)

3. Heat olive on medium heat in a wide saucepan.

4. Add liver, garlic, and chili. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until livers show just a smidge of pink.

5. Add coriander, some salt and pepper, then cook until livers are just brown (about 2 more minutes). You want the livers to be tender, so don't overcook.

6. Garnish with more coriander and squeeze of lemon.

I ate this liver with some popcorn and a nice Chardonnay.