The traditional "dietary theory" claims that all the beneficial substances (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) that the body receives from food are most concentrated in fruits and vegetables. This is partly true, fresh fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, but the content of trace elements in them does not always correspond to what is found in meat and offal, especially in the liver.
This is surprising, but in some traditional cultures many centuries ago only the internal organs of animals were eaten. The muscle meat that people often eat today was much less appreciated. And special attention was paid to such an offal as beef liver.
A dietary recipe from it can be made quite simply, since this product cooks faster than meat.
Opinions and facts about the liver
A popular opinion against eating liver is the belief that it is a place of storage of poisons in the body. Although this statement is partially true, and one of the functions of a vital organ is to neutralize toxins, the liver does not contain them. Poisonous compounds that the body cannot eliminate are likely to accumulate in fatty tissues and the nervous system. On the other hand, the liver is the organ of storage of many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, as well as minerals such as copper and iron). These compounds provide the body with some of the tools necessary to get rid of toxins.
Remember that it is very important to eat meat and meat offal of animals that were grown in fresh pasture without hormones, antibiotics or commercial feed.
History Recipes
If you look in the archives of old cookbooks, you can find out that previously many Europeans prepared dumplings, terrines, sausages and puddings from this offal. In addition, onions and beef liver were used as fillings in pies and pies. Diet recipes were also present.
Ancient sources even describe the use of the liver for condensation - the raw peeled offal was rubbed through a sieve and added to the sauce, which was then carefully heated, but not brought to a boil.
A liver recipe from a Spanish cookbook of 1529 reads as follows: "Take onion, cut it into very small pieces and carefully fry with fat bacon. Then take the calf's liver and cut it into slices the size of half a walnut. Lightly fry with onion while it is fried will not lose its color. After that, take a piece of fried bread crumb soaked in white vinegar, mash it well and dissolve in sweet white wine. Then strain through a woolen cloth. Add it to the onion and liver and mix everything. in a saucepan. Put cinnamon and cook until the mass thickens well. "
This dish looks attractive, but it can hardly be called dietary.
Beef liver diet dishes: recipes and descriptions
Currently, special emphasis is placed on proper nutrition, so it is important to choose healthier recipes. A good dish that falls into this category has been translated from an ancient Middle Eastern cookbook. Here it is worth paying attention to the addition of wonderful spices, which are useful and have no contraindications, but usually not used with the liver.
How to cook an ancient dish?
He will need the following ingredients:
- 500 grams of liver;
- 500 grams of soft beef or veal;
- half a spoon of tea salt;
- 8 egg yolks;
- one and a half teaspoons of coriander;
- one and a half teaspoons of caraway seeds;
- 3/4 teaspoon of pepper (sweet if spicy food is contraindicated);
- one and a half teaspoons of cinnamon;
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil;
- 1/4 cup lemon juice.
Bring three glasses of water to a boil with 1/8 teaspoon of salt, add meat and cook for 50 minutes. Shortly before the end of the time, mix another 3 cups of water with the same amount of salt in a separate container, bring to a boil and cook the liver (5-7 minutes). Pour water from both vessels, cut meat and liver into slices of 1–1.5 cm and 2.5–3 cm, respectively, put in a bowl and mix with egg yolks and spices. Heat oil and fry the mixture for about 4 minutes, pour lemon juice and serve.
With this preparation, a tender and spicy beef liver is obtained. Dietary recipes often require the rejection of spicy ingredients. If your case is just that, you can reduce the number of seasonings or discard any of them.
Liver paste
As a diet, you can consider the paste recipe from Scandinavia. Unlike the French versions, the Scandinavian ones usually do not contain alcohol or garlic, and they have a smoother texture.
To prepare a beef liver diet paste , the recipe for which is described below, you will need:
- 300 grams of beef or calf liver;
- 300 grams of lean pork (e.g. tenderloin);
- 1 onion, chopped finely;
- 2 tablespoons butter (and a little more to lubricate the mold);
- 2 tablespoons of bran flour;
- 300 ml of milk;
- egg;
- a pinch of ground cloves;
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Cooking Pate
First of all, pork and beef liver should be cut into small pieces. A diet recipe involves refusing to add fat, so your meat should be as lean as possible. Lightly grease the sides and base of the pan with butter and set it aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grind onions, liver and pork through a meat grinder 3-4 times, until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan with moderate heat. Add flour to it and fry for several minutes. Pour in the milk slowly, stirring until a thick, smooth sauce is obtained. Add the crushed liver mixture and mix to make the mass homogeneous. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly. Mix with egg, cloves and add a little salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into a greased pan, put it in a baking dish and fill the mold with 2/3 water. Place the paste on the central shelf in the preheated oven and bake in the water bath for an hour and a half. To check it for readiness, insert a thin knife or toothpick in the center. When the paste is ready, the toothpick should be clean.
Remove the cooked dish from the oven and leave it to cool in a saucepan. When it cools, turn it over on a plate and serve as part of a buffet or use to make sandwiches. Many products will suit him - mustard, watercress, gherkins, grapes and chutney. All of them are perfectly combined. This is a great way to answer the question of how beef liver can be cooked in the oven.
Diet recipes are present in traditional cuisine. What do they look like?
Russian variant
A delicious liver recipe for traditional Russian cuisine is also suitable for diet food. How to cook a liver with sour cream?
Ingredients:
- 1200 grams of chopped liver (veal or beef);
- 2 onions (chopped);
- 1 cup sour cream;
- 4 tablespoons butter;
- 2 cups beef broth;
- 2 tablespoons of freshly cut dill;
- salt and pepper.
Cooking
Rinse, dry and sprinkle each piece of liver with salt and pepper. Dip in flour, fry a little on both sides in oil and remove from pan. Sauté the onion until golden, and then lay the liver and onion in layers in a deep pan with a thick bottom. Pour in beef broth, mix well and add sour cream. Combine all ingredients carefully and cover. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Open, stir well, cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
Remove the liver from the pan, place it on separate plates and pour the sauce into slices. Sprinkle with dill. This is a very good option to solve the problem of how beef liver can be cooked. The diet recipe should be supplemented with a side dish in the form of boiled potatoes or rice.
Japanese recipe
The Japanese consider the liver an important part of the nutrition of pregnant women. A dish according to the recipe below is also considered very useful, despite the fact that the composition contains alcohol.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of beef or calf liver;
- 1 tablespoon of grated ginger;
- 1 bunch of Chinese onion;
- 2 tablespoons of miso red paste;
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce;
- 1 tablespoon sake (rice wine) ;
- 1 tablespoon of water;
- 1 teaspoon of potato starch.
How can beef liver be cooked? Dietary Recipe (Japanese)
Cut the liver into bite-sized pieces and pickle in a mixture of soy sauce, miso, sake and ginger for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the sauce, dry and lightly fry in a minimum amount of oil. Remove the liver from the pan and place the finely chopped Chinese onions. Then re-lay the main ingredient, add the sauce used for pickling, and mix well. Add a spoonful of water, put a little potato starch, mix quickly and simmer until the liver is ready. Serve immediately.
Liver drink
As you can see, beef liver can be cooked in different ways. Diet recipes with photos suggest its stewing and baking, but can it be eaten raw? A liver drink has been developed as a stress reliever. It will also be useful to people with low hemoglobin. For him you will need:
- 50 grams of raw beef liver, cut into tiny pieces and frozen;
- 1 cup freshly squeezed tomato juice;
- 1/2 lime juice;
- 1-2 raw egg yolks;
- 2–4 tablespoons of coconut water;
- 1 tablespoon of raw cream;
- 1-2 teaspoons of bee pollen (optional).
Mix everything in a blender. You can add fresh papaya if the taste of the drink seems unpleasant to you. You can also soak liver pieces with sour milk or lemon juice before freezing to reduce strong aroma.