Makes 2 servings.
Liver - You'll need about a pound if you're hungry. Chicken liver is the easiest to prepare and not overcook but this same recipe can be used for any type of liver.
Salt pork - About two cubic inches worth should do the trick.
Onion - One medium onion.
Salt, pepper, paprika, etc - This should be done to taste. You can also add turmeric, curry, chili powder, etc to give it a further kick.
Buffalo Wings Hot Sauce - This is optional but in my opinion definitely adds to the flavor. Try some Frank's Red Hot.
Chop up the onions and salt pork. Inspect the liver for any green spots. If you find any, cut them off. If you don't remove these spots, the entire dish will taste extremly bitter - this is probably the reason most people don't like liver.
Set a cast iron pan on low to medium heat and add the salt pork. Keep a lid on the pan and stir occassionally. Once the pork is nice and glassy, add the onions and saute them until they are soft.
Add the liver and all the seasonings except for the salt and hot sauce (if using). You should only salt liver when it is almost completely cooked, otherwise it gets really tough and chewey. Chicken liver is the most forgiving in this regard. You can pretty much salt it whenever and it still won't get hard. Other livers are not so kind, so only salt them at the end!
Stir occassionally or flip the livers over everyonce in a while. You'll know the liver is done when there are no more juices in the pan except for the fat from the salt pork. Don't overcook as liver will dry out and get tough.
If you'd like to add the hot sauce, do so once the liver is finished cooking and stir everything up for about 30 seconds.
Optionally, you can also use the oven to prepare this dish. I recommend this if you want to also prepare some home fries to go with the liver. Follow the same basic steps except use a pan in the oven at about 350F instead. Once the onions are sauted nicely, add some potatos that have been chopped up into small little pieces (1/2" cubes or so). When they are nearly cooked, add the liver and finish the recipe from there.
Serve with hearty bread and fresh peppers or tomatos.
© Pal Pocsi 2004