Hi, foodies in the Hive!
I hope you're having a nice Sunday 😁❤️
There are recipes that seem to have been forgotten in the back of our minds. Suddenly one day, all the ingredients are there and you say, why not? Has it ever happened to you?
This happened to me with a recipe for beef liver that I hadn't prepared since my son was little. Unlike me, he had only a few opportunities to taste the cuisine of my father's hometown, Parian cuisine, valuable part of our Caribbean inheritance, with strong influences from different European countries that found here a land that after being a colony, became a melting pot of flavors and remembrances.
This is basically a beef liver stew with a thick sauce of intense color and flavor. Traditionally, this would be served with rice and fried slices of ripe plantain instead of mashed potatoes and salad, all in one plate. Just before serving, someone in the family would say, Wait! We need some salad, and he or she would slice a couple of tomatoes, cucumber, and white onion and toss it all with a simple vinaigrette of white vinegar and olive oil.
INGREDIENTS
x 4-5 people
- 800 gr beef liver steaks cut in pieces of about 4 cm
- 2 cups onion, sliced
- 1 cup sweet chili pepper, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons freshly crushed garlic
- 1 heaping spoonful tomato paste
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 150 ml red wine
- 250 ml creamy coconut milk (I used homemade)
- fresh ciboulette and freshly cracked black pepper for garnish
I made mashed potatoes, white rice, and a lettuce, avocado, and back olive salad to go with the stew.
When I was little, forty years ago, Venezuelan grandmothers and mothers fed their children at least once a week with beef liver. They said that children who ate this until the last piece on their plate would grow strong. Without resorting to science, they'd recommend feeding beef liver to those suffering from anemia and to people who had become "pale" or looked "weak." The truth is that beef liver is an exceptional source of vitamins, including A and B12, as well as iron, among others.
Not everyone likes the taste of beef liver. For some, it can be bitter or have too pungent an aroma, so it's traditionally prepared in stews with a touch of sweetness and lots of onion. Today I didn't use as many onions as I usually do because there were only two left in my refrigerator 😏
THE PROCESS
I began by sauteeing the onion, cut in half rings.
I used a little olive oil...
...and added the spices.
While this was simmering, I chopped the chili peppers; I took the pedicels, seeds and veins out.
I chopped the only tomato I had left in the fridge and peeled and crushed the garlic cloves with my old mortar and pestle.
Once the onions had begun to brown, it was time to add the rest of the ingredients.
Everything was bliss. And all of a sudden... Boom! Power outage. Lucky I had just charged an emergency light bulb. Our kitchen is quite dark, even during the day and despite the large windows.
I added the salt. Just a little. I'd check that later. i let it simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.
After that, it was time to add the vinegar and the tomato paste. I had my doubts, but a heaping spoonful was enough to get a thick sauce.
When the sauce had almost completely dried, it was time to deglaze the pan.
I used the last bit of red wine I had left for that.
As is customary, I let the stew cook for 3 minutes with the wine, so that the alcohol would come out and only the flavor would remain.
Finally, I added the coconut milk.
Before my eyes, the sauce became thicker and creamier and immediately, the aroma changed and took me back to my home of many years ago.
The stew was finally ready. In total, it took about 40 minutes of cooking.
While the stew was cooking, I was preparing the sides.
I made mashed potatoes with a little margarine,
and a lettuce, avocado, and black olive salad. Only olive oil and a pinch of salt for a dressing.
Time to eat!
For plating, I just made a bed of mashed potatoes. I made it a little thinner in the center, to make a kind of basket to hold the stew.
I sprinkled some freshly cracked black pepper.
Then I got some ciboulette from my garden, cut into small pieces and sprinkled them on top.
The dish was ready! A simple looking dish with some of my favorite Caribbean flavors. Ihope you have found this recipe useful 😄
This dish took me back to my childhood 😁❤️
What is that dish you loved as a child that you haven't eaten/prepared for a long time?
Bon appetite!
All text and images are my own. I have taken the pictures with my Redmi 9T cell phone. And if any GIFs here, I've used GIPHY for all them.
Thank you so much for your visit :)
