Well, the cooler weather of last week has left Vancouver and now we're back to beautiful, bright, sunny days, albeit a chilly morning start. I don't know where you are in the world but I can feel Autumn's imminent arrival and am in the mood for cooking my food slow. I no longer want to think about salads and barbeques, I'm dreaming of stews, casseroles and hot pots. Do you feel the same, I wonder? I'm also more inclined to batch cook on cooler days, there's nothing like the pull of a warm oven and this recipe is one I'll be turning to throughout the next couple of seasons since it's easy, satisfying and freezes like a dream for lazy days ahead. There is no greater culinary thing than a one pot meal and if you loathe washing dishes as much as I do, I'm willing to bet you'll agree on that!
You do know that organ meat is possibly the closest thing to God's own pharmacy, don't you? It is that good for you, experts say we should be eating it at least twice a week and if you don't believe me then read this post from the Paleo Mom who says "organ meats are the most concentrated source of just about every nutrient, including important vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and essential amino acids". We eat a lot of liver in our house and I guess I'm lucky as everyone loves it, though personally I will eat anything if I know it's doing me some good. I hesitated then, to give that statement some careful thought but yep, I really would eat anything if I knew it was doing me good! However, I do appreciate there are people who neither share our taste buds, nor our views on the lengths they would go to for optimum health. Of course one way of eating it is to chop it up into tiny little bits, freeze it and then swallow it down just like you would a pill. Or you could make this recipe!
Don't look upon this page and think, 'hurrumph, how dull is that?'. This is comfort food my friends, and comfort is precisely what we are all in search of.
bolognese sauce
You could, of course, cook this in a slow cooker (which I don't have), cook it faster on a higher temperature, or on the stove top even. But I like to put it in the oven, close the door and forget all about it, plus I don't fancy a kitchen full of condensation! I haven't added garlic to this recipe as my son doesn’t tolerate it well, you on the other hand should feel free to add a couple of crushed fat cloves of the stuff if you can! Now, about that liver. If you truly dislike it, I would be inclined to puree it first, that way it will blend in seamlessly and no one will be any the wiser. Devious, eh?
(serves 4-6)
Print recipe here
2 tbsp solid fat, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large beetroot, grated
2 sticks celery, chopped
310g pastured chicken livers, chopped (or see note above)
900g grass fed beef
3 cups (500ml) beef stock
3 tbsp coconut aminos (I use this one)
2 bay leaves
6 stems fresh thyme
1T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp salt (I use this one)
Preheat the oven to 250˚F/130˚C.
Heat 1 tbsp fat in a large lidded casserole (Dutch oven), add the onion and sauté on a low heat for approx 8-10 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the celery, carrots and beetroot to the pan and cook a further 5 minutes, then remove everything to a plate and set to one side.
Put the other tablespoon fat into the pan, add the livers and cook 2 minutes on a medium heat. Add the beef and cook for 5 another minutes. Add the reserved vegetables, together with the herbs, stock and coconut aminos. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid and place in the oven. Cook for as long as you possibly can, but for a minimum of 3 hours, checking a couple of times to make sure the sauce is not drying up. I will happily let mine sit in the oven for 5-6 hours, the longer the better, I think, to let all those flavours develop nicely. When it looks and tastes rich and satisfying, you're good to go!
Remove the bay leaves and leafless thyme stems and serve over courgette 'noodles' (zoodles).
zoodles
4 large courgettes (zucchini)
1 tbsp solid fat
Cut the ends off each courgette and peel the skin if you wish (I didn't). Using a spiraliser or a julienne peeler, make long 'noodles' from each courgette. Heat the fat in a large sauté pan, then add the courgette. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender, or however you like to serve them, being careful not to overcook them or they will break up.
Another absolutely wonderful recipe that I can't wait to try. Bonus that it contains organ meat! 🙂
Yay, so glad to approve Martine. Happy nutrient density cooking 🙂 🙂
I just made this (and I have left it in the oven to cook for a few more hours), although I had to make a few substitutions, as I am in away in Finland on an artist residency and do not have access to everything. I couldn't find chicken livers, so I used pureed beef liver. It's the first time that I've ever eaten liver or cooked liver as an adult.
It's good! Really good! 🙂
I think my body must really need the nutrients. The liver didn't smell so hot cooking, so I decided to freeze half of the strong mix that I had on the stove and added some additional ground beef to what went into the pot. I'll definitely be making this again with the other half of the liver mix.
The other subs that I made were dried instead of fresh spices, added a bit of dried basil, more salt, and left out the celery and coconut aminos. I've been AIP since March, GF for 2 years, and previously was a vegetarian, but I am not healed enough to tolerate any reintroductions. I'm hoping the liver might help my gut heal faster!
Hi Lori, I'm honoured that you should use my recipe as your first 'taste' of liver. Thank you 🙂 Also, am SO pleased you enjoyed it!
Best of luck with your healing. Liver will definitely help you on your way!
A trained chef who has her hands on AIP! This is so exciting. Everything looks lovely. THANK YOU.
That's kind, thank you so much for your encouragement Michelle 🙂
Just googling this recipe again, as when I made it last it was spectacularly tasty. Thanks again!
That's great to hear Sylvie. I should make up some more, thanks for the reminder 🙂
I'm new to liver and still trying to get myself pumped up to actually cook it - but curious why you used chicken liver instead of beef liver for the recipe?
Hi Michelle, I already have a beef liver recipe on the site and chicken liver is what was in my freezer when I made it first time. Chicken liver is lighter in texture than beef so I think it is a better choice but there's no reason why you can't use whatever you have to hand.
We've got company coming, and I would love to try this recipe, Kate. 🙂 Would you have any ideas on how to do this up in a slow cooker? We've got a hot spell coming up and the thought of having the oven on during those days makes me want to run screaming. lol I've got some ground beef on hand (already cooked) and would be pureeing the chicken livers. Thank you so much for any advice you can give, and also for the great recipes. I haven't been disappointed with a single one! ^_^
Hi there Cindi, I'm not an expert in slow cooking but I found this for you. http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/tools-test-kitchen/article/convert-recipes-to-slow-cooker. This recipe would be ideal for slow cooking and, as far as I can tell, you would need to reduce the amount of liquid by 40-50%. Do let me know how it goes, I'd love to know 🙂
And thanks so much for the compliments 🙂 🙂
I just put my pot in the oven for the second week straight.
We made this recipe last weekend and were DELIGHTED with the finished product. It tastes decident and satisfying and healthy. Even our 4 year old enjoyed it.
It reheats great. Worth the time and effort to prepare it.
thanks so much for this fabulous healthful recipe!
and thanks for the awesome feedback, I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it 🙂
I love it, looks delicious! Can,t wait to try your recipe.
Thank you. Enjoy!
what percentage of fat should the beef be?
I never use lean ground meat but use what you prefer.