Even before I switched to Paleo, I have always heard that organ meats are insanely healthly and everyone could benefit from them...but my problem is, I have never, ever had a bite of organ meat in my life. Mommy focused on chicken, lean beef, lean pork, and lamb whenever we had meat. I would like to incorporate organ meats into my diet, but am afraid to try them. Ive heard they taste awful if you werent raised eating them. I have no idea how to select a piece, prepare it, and cook it. What are good ways to ease myself into organ meats?
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This was asked recently here: http://paleohacks.com/questions/81324/how-can-i-eat-organ-meats#axzz1fhst3MyH with some good suggestions. Including mine! :) |
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You could buy liverwurst or braunschweiger. US Wellness Meats makes both of these from grass fed animals. |
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Try canned smoked cod liver, its like poor mans foie gras. Very soft in texture and doesnt much like canned fish at all. Try veal sweetbreads in restaurant. |
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You've never tried organ meats yourself. You're "afraid" to because you've "heard" they taste awful. How to "ease your way" organ meats? Try easing their way into your mouth. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only way of finding out, for yourself. A journey of a single chews begins with a single bite. |
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I was terrified of liver up until a couple of months ago, because I hated it as a kid on the very rare occasions we had it. But the way I prepare it now makes me looooove liver. I make chopped liver with LOTS of caramelized onions and some apple cider vinegar. The onions are sweet and the ACV adds a tangy, fruity flavor that goes well with red meat. Caramelize the heck out the onions for maximum sweet, like this: http://allrecipes.com/howto/caramelizing-onions-step-by-step/ ...and then follow this recipe, subbing ACV for the wine (or use the wine if that's your preference; they're both good for masking the liver if that's what you're after): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chopped-liver-recipe/index.html Once I made this, I lost my fear of liver, and I stopped letting expensive grass-fed liver go bad in my fridge while I got up the nerve to cook it and eat it. :) |
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Hmmm organ meats - I once found out that my parents, both with Eastern European backgrounds, fed me as a small child what at the time they called "soft schnitzel".... It turns out that this was lambs brains crumbed and fried.... Aparently it was one of my favourites as a toddler. I haven't revisited this one yet... And you can all imagine my vegetarian-teenage face looking aghast when I first discovered this! I like livers made into a pate like substance with some pork lard - Sisson has a good basic recipe which you can adapt to taste. |
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I hated beef liver. I decided to choke down a few oz per week anyway. I've been doing this for a few months and, now that you mention it, I like it! I didn't even notice the progression from hate to like until I saw this post. |
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I like the taste of liver honestly, and I never ate it while I was raised. The only problem is the texture : it's so weird. The benefits I get from it are big enough to motivate me though. You just need to find a way to distract yourself : watch something funny on TV while eating it, combine liver with lots of really tasty stuff (I love onions, lemons, fried brussel sprouts and grass-fed sausages for example), watch other people eat liver on youtube (that makes me feel more comfortable), ... But you need to try it at least once :) It's ridiculous to be afraid of something you didn't even try. |
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I was not raised to eat liver (or other organ meats) because my mother thought liver was yucky (and still does). In college, I had a dorm-mate who was immigrant from India. Her mother sent her back one weekend with some curried liver, which she made me try. I decided I liked it, but only that way. Then I tried liverwurst, and decided I liked it that way, too. But I still thought it was the preparation. Finally, I tried it in chili (the flavor is barely noticable, and the texture works as a bean replacement if you chop it up to the appropriate size), then a few other forms, and realized that I just plain like liver, regardless of preparation (though some are better than others). I think you have to be prepared for it to taste different from plain old muscle meat, but try to go into it with an open mind. Organ meats don't taste inherently bad. Plenty of people do like them. (I have found that my attraction to liver varies. Sometimes I'm crazy for it, others I could take it or leave it. I suspect being crazy for it means I'm more in need of the nutrients.) |
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Slip them in your chili. Or something. |
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