Liver with onions on a bed of polenta

Name: Liver with onions on a bed of polenta
Ingredients: 300 g chicken liver 2 large red onions salt pepper oil 1 glass of wine garlic 500 l water cornmeal for polenta as needed parmesan

Meat - Liver with onions on a bed of polenta by Sanziana C. - Recipia

I don't know how others feel, but whenever I hear the word "mămăligă" (polenta), I instantly feel the urge to get cooking, just out of instinct, and whip up something to put on top of it. This happened to me last week when I saw someone posting about golden, steaming mămăligă, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I made liver with onions, just like my grandmother used to, but I tweak a few small things to suit my taste. The first time I burned them because I was watching a video and forgot they were on the stove. Don’t make my mistake! One time I made them too dry, another time I added too much wine, and they turned out bitter, so now I’ve found a version that works really well for me. It’s not complicated, but the result won’t be the same if you skip a step or rush something. Oh, and I should mention that my first attempt at adding parmesan to the mămăligă was a bit much, and it turned into melted cheese—like a cheesy polenta! Since then, I’ve been more careful… Let me quickly tell you, so you know whether to dive in or not: I usually get about 2 large servings, enough to fill you up completely, or 3 smaller ones if you’re not too hungry. Cooking time: including boiling the mămăligă, a maximum of 40 minutes, unless you start cleaning the stove in the meantime. Difficulty: honestly, it's about beginner to intermediate level, meaning you don’t need master chef skills, just patience when stirring, because mămăligă can easily go wrong if you don’t keep an eye on it. I keep coming back to this combination because it’s the kind of dish that doesn’t require fancy ingredients but rewards you with something delicious and filling. It’s great after a long day when you don’t feel like inventing something new, and it works well if you have reliable guests who appreciate a classic taste. The onions and wine change everything with the liver; they’re incomparable to the plain ones, and the mămăligă with parmesan is a little indulgence—it’s not an everyday thing, but when you make it, you feel like you’ve worked harder than you actually did. 1. First, I tackle the liver. They’re not picky at all, but they do need a bit of attention at the start. I take them out of the box/container and quickly rinse them under cold water. Don’t soak them, or they’ll lose their texture. I pat them dry with paper towels—this is important. If you see any membranes or odd bits of fat, cut them off with a sharp knife. Some people leave them whole, but I prefer to cut them in half for more even cooking. 2. For the onions—two large ones, preferably red, but yellow works too. I peel them and chop them however I can: sometimes into rings, other times into cubes. Honestly, I haven’t noticed much difference, but the rings look better in the end if you want a rustic appearance. 3. Use a large frying pan; otherwise, the liver will pile up on top of each other, which isn’t good. I add about 2-3 tablespoons of oil—you can use butter too, but I prefer the classic route. I let the oil heat up well without smoking, then add the onions directly. I keep them on medium heat; don’t rush them, as they’ll become bitter if they burn. About 5-6 minutes until they’re soft and slightly translucent. 4. Now the liver goes into the pan over the onions. A little salt and pepper—don’t be stingy, but don’t dump it all in at once either. Gently stir so you don’t break them, and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes without constantly turning them, so they get a little crust. 5. At this point, I add garlic, usually 2-3 cloves, but if they’re small, I throw in 4. I crush them directly over the liver, as I feel this way the flavor comes through better. I stir gently again. 6. The wine—this depends: I use dry white wine, about a small glass, roughly 100 ml max. If you add more, it can turn bitter. Pour the wine over everything, let it bubble and evaporate the alcohol for about 3-4 minutes on fairly high heat. You’ll know the alcohol is gone when it doesn’t smell like a bar anymore. 7. While the liver is cooking, I put the water for the mămăligă to boil: about half a liter for 2 hearty servings. Don’t forget the salt; otherwise, it’ll be bland. When it boils, I grab a whisk and sprinkle in the cornmeal while stirring continuously. I don’t know how much, just enough until it starts to thicken nicely, so it’s neither too thick nor too runny. 8. After 10-15 minutes of simmering (on low heat, as it bubbles like crazy), I taste it—if it sticks to your teeth, it needs more time. When it’s done, I turn off the heat, toss in a handful of grated parmesan (if I don’t have any, cheese will do), and mix quickly. 9. I pour the mămăligă onto a platter or directly into bowls. On top, I add the liver with the onions and all that delicious sauce. It’s ready to eat right away; otherwise, it loses its charm. If you want, you can sprinkle some fresh parsley on top for decoration; I sometimes add it if I have some. If you’re in the mood, it pairs well with a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions. I’ve also tried it with pickles, especially in the summer and fall when I have open jars. I wouldn’t recommend it with pasta; that doesn’t make much sense. With a cold beer or a glass of dry white wine, it’s amazing. For a complete meal, start with a clear soup and have something sweet afterward—a cake or something simple. If you don’t have liver, you can use hearts and gizzards, but those need to be boiled first; otherwise, they’ll be tough as rocks. If you want to switch things up a bit, you can toss some finely chopped hot peppers into the pan at the end, for those who can handle it, or use green onions instead of regular onions for a fresher taste. Many people add sour cream to the sauce at the end, but I’m not a fan; I feel it masks the flavor of the liver. If you want, you can also try using coarser cornmeal; it has a unique charm, but it takes a bit longer to cook. You can substitute the parmesan with any hard cheese, even telemea, if you don’t mind it melting less. Some say butter works in the mămăligă, but I find it too greasy; it’s a matter of personal taste. It’s best served with mămăligă; there’s no question about eating it with bread, although I’ve seen people do that too. With a tangy salad or some quick-pickled cucumbers, you’ll eat until you’re full. I think it’s nice with a glass of dry white wine to cut through the heaviness of the liver, but it also goes well with cold beer, as I mentioned earlier. Frequently asked questions: How long should the liver be cooked? If you cook it too long, it becomes dry and crumbly, losing its nice texture. Ideally, it shouldn’t be more than 10-12 minutes, including frying and evaporating the wine. Can I use other organs in the recipe? Yes, but not all of them work. Hearts and gizzards, as mentioned earlier, are suitable, but they need to be boiled first; otherwise, they’ll be tough. Pork or beef liver works, but it’s prepared differently; it should be soaked in milk beforehand, or it will be bitter. What if I don’t have parmesan? No problem, you can use grated hard cheese, cheese, or even telemea if you don’t mind it being a bit saltier and not melting the same way. Is wine mandatory? No, but it changes the flavor. If you don’t want to or can’t use alcohol, add a splash of apple cider vinegar and a bit of clear broth for some acidity. How can I make the recipe for more people? Simple: just double or triple the ingredients. Make sure you have a large frying pan; otherwise, the liver will cook in batches, which isn’t as convenient. Mămăligă is easy to make in large pots, but stir vigorously to avoid lumps. Can I freeze the cooked liver? I wouldn’t recommend it; it doesn’t thaw well, and the texture becomes crumbly, and the onions become mushy. It’s better to keep it in the fridge for 1-2 days and reheat it in a steamer or microwave. Approximate nutritional values for a hearty serving would be about 350-400 kcal (with mămăligă and parmesan). You get about 20-22g of protein (from the liver and parmesan), 30g of carbohydrates (mostly from the mămăligă), and around 15g of fat, depending on how much oil and parmesan you added. It’s a fairly balanced meal, especially if you don’t add too much cheese to the mămăligă. The liver is a good source of iron and vitamin A, but be cautious with salt if you have blood pressure issues, especially if you’re adding parmesan too. How to store and reheat: if there are leftovers, put everything in a container in the fridge; it keeps well for 1-2 days. When reheating, it’s better to use steam or low heat to avoid drying out the liver, but you can also use the microwave if you don’t want to dirty another pot. The mămăligă, if it has hardened, can be reheated in steam or you can make little balls and sauté them in a pan; they turn out really good. Ingredients (about what I use) and what each does: - 300g chicken liver – the base, protein source, intense flavor - 2 large red onions – sweetness, texture, good sauce - 2-3 tablespoons oil – for frying, flavor, fat - 2-3 garlic cloves – aroma, a bit of pleasant heat - 100 ml dry white wine – acidity, flavor, enhances the liver taste - salt, pepper – for taste, essential - 500 ml water – for mămăligă, I don’t change this - cornmeal as needed – the "body" of the mămăligă, depends on how thick you want it - 30-40g grated parmesan – flavor, slightly elastic texture in the mămăligă, don’t overdo it

Preparation

We prepare the liver: we wash and dry it, and if necessary, we chop it. In a pan, we heat the oil and when it's hot enough, we add the finely chopped onion. We let it sauté for a bit and then add the liver. We also add garlic, salt, and pepper. We let it fry for a few minutes. We stir and pour in the wine. We let it evaporate. Meanwhile, we put water to boil for the polenta. When the water boils, we add a bit of salt and the cornmeal, being careful to avoid lumps, and we mix vigorously. When the polenta is ready, we add Parmesan cheese and mix. We serve the polenta on a platter and place the liver on top. It is served hot.

Liver with onions on a bed of polenta

Preparation

Tags

Categories