Lin said:The figs were for the most awesome Liver & Onions I have EVER had. Bob
truly outdid himself on this and I hope he posts about it sometime.
First, you make a stock:
a bunch of veal bones (I used beef bones instead)
Cover the bones with plenty of water and simmer briefly without stirring,
skimming off foam as it appears on top. Pour off the water and immediately
rinse off the bones. This step is allegedly to remove any coagulated blood
or other impurities in the bones.
Although the recipe doesn't call for it, I roasted the bones at this point.
Cover the bones with plenty of water again and add the following:
carrots, peeled and cut into medium-sized dice
leeks, white and light-green part only, cleaned well and sliced 1/4-inch
thick
Spanish onions, peeled and cut into medium-sized dice
half a head of garlic, cut along its equator, roots removed
a tablespoon or two of tomato paste (I used 1/4 cup of tomato juice instead)
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for five hours. Strain well. If you're
not going to be using it immediately, put it into an ice-water bath until
very cold, and then refrigerate.
Next, you make a red-wine jus:
1 bottle of red wine (the recipe calls for Cabernet Sauvignon, I used Syrah)
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1 cup cleaned and chopped leeks
1 cup peeled and chopped Spanish onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3 sprigs Italian parsley
2 sprigs thyme
Bring all that to a simmer and cook it for 45 minutes. Add 5 cups of the
stock you made earlier. (I had about a quart of leftover stock.) Simmer for
another 45 minutes. Strain well.
Next, you poach the figs:
The recipe calls for 20 Mission figs. The figs I got were a local unnamed
variety, and much larger than Mission figs. I poached 14 of them, but only
used 8 for dinner. (The remaining ones would be VERY nice with a bit of
cheese for breakfast or a snack.)
In a cheesecloth, combine a tablespoon of peppercorns, 3 whole cloves, a
sprig of thyme, and a star anise. Put the figs into a small saucepan with
the stems pointing up. Add wine to the saucepan so that it comes about a
third of the way up the figs. Add the sachet and a cinnamon stick. Bring to
a simmer over medium heat and poach until the figs are soft, about 20
minutes. Cool.
Next, you prepare the lardons:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut batons of slab bacon into pieces 3/8 inch by 3/8
inch by 1 inch, using about 3/4 pound in all. Cook lardons on a rack until
crisp. (I just put them into a cast-iron pan in the oven for about 30
minutes, turning them once.)
Next, you start the potatoes:
This isn't actually part of the recipe, but I thought mashed potatoes would
accompany well. So at this point I scrubbed and began boiling 5 Yukon Gold
potatoes.
Next, you prepare the onions:
Peel 20 cipollini and cut an "X" in the root end. Heat vegetable oil (I used
grapeseed oil) and butter in an ovenproof pan over medium-high heat until
the butter is melted. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions
are nicely browned. Add some chicken stock (I used about a quarter-cup) and
put the pan into the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the onions,
add more stock if necessary, and cook another 15 minutes.
Next, you cook the bacon:
Put 4 slices of bacon on a rack in a small pan into the oven. Cook until
crisp.
Next, you FINALLY start working with the livers:
I used two calves' livers; the recipe calls for slices of beef liver 1/2 to
3/4 inch thick. I like my version better, I think.
Dry the livers well with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, then
coat with flour. The livers seemed quite fragile to me, so rather than
dredging them in flour, I used a sifter to coat them. Gently brush off any
excess flour.
Finish the mashed potatoes:
I left the skins on the potatoes since I like the "chew" of them. I just put
them in the mixer with some butter, milk, salt, and pepper and mixed them
until they were "right".
Cook the livers:
Heat a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil (again, I used grapeseed
oil) and butter over medium-high. When the butter starts to brown, add the
prepared livers. It's important to use a large enough skillet so that the
livers aren't crowded, otherwise they'll steam instead of searing. Cook
until richly browned on both sides.
Assemble the plates:
Put a mound of mashed potatoes on each plate. Put the figs and onions around
the potatoes. Scatter the lardons all around. Put the liver on top of the
potatoes, and place the bacon strips in an "X" on top of the livers. Spoon
or pour the red-wine jus all around the periphery.
Bob
