Recipe: Liver soup
I know… people are supposed to hate liver. But it’s good for you! Beef liver is high in vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron, and it has a decent amount of vitamin C, too. No wonder in my nutrition class in cooking school the teacher told us about the exam on vitamins in food: “when in doubt, answer ‘liver’ and ‘egg yolk'”.
Of course, there’s a difference both in taste and nutrition profile between the liver from an animal that has been raised in a feedlot and that of an animal that has been raised on a farm. When I asked Mr Farmer about the difference in taste between beef, lamb and pork liver he told me all of them are pretty mild-tasting provided that the animal was clean (all of his animals are, of course).
I’m one of those few people who actually like liver. My grandmother fed me some sort of blended soup with a strong offal taste (I think she mixed sweetbreads and liver) that I loved and still remember with nostalgia. One of my favourite dishes in my mum’s dinner repertoire was fried liver with sautéed onions & tomatoes and a splash of red wine vinegar served with rice.
Since I moved in with Alvaro I’ve been eating a lot less liver, mainly because he doesn’t like it and I refuse to cook two different meals. I’ve cooked it a few times, he has eaten it mainly because he had no choice. I noticed he didn’t protest as much when the liver was finely chopped and mixed with something else (as in these crispy liver hash brown patties) so I started sneaking chopped liver in some of our breakfasts, too.
But there was still something missing in my life and it was that thick unappealing liquid that nurtured me in my early years. I proceeded to prepare a batch of soup with what I had on hand, and it turned out delicious, although I didn’t achieve the same taste profile. I’ll keep trying, I guess.
I cooked a batch of the soup and froze it in individual servings to have it in lazy nights when I don’t feel like cooking. Sometimes I top it with crispy bacon bits and/or a soft-boiled egg, and I usually throw in whatever veggies I have on hand.
Liver soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ghee or butter
- 250 g beef liver chopped
- 50 g mushrooms sliced
- 4 small zucchini sliced
- 2 cups beef stock
- dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 150 g bacon chopped, optional
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a pot, add liver and cook until browned.
- Add onion, cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften.
- Add mushrooms and zucchini, cook for a few minutes until tender.
- Transfer to food processor or blender, add stock and blend.
- Return soup to pot, season with oregano, salt and pepper, heat it until desired serving temperature.
- If using bacon, fry it in a pan until crispy.
- Serve soup with bacon on top (a la croutons).
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9 Comments
Maria Jesus Diaz
I haven´t had liver for long time, however given all the vitamines it has, I think I´m going to give this recipe a go ! ; )
muppy
i do like liver but still struggle with my mind! and i haven’t loved it when i have eaten it. i never ate it growing up. this does look and sound tasty.
john@heneedsfood
Now this is a soup I know I would like. It cracks me up when I mention the word liver and people screw up their face. I love liver!
whilehewasout
I love liver but seriously never heard of liver soup before! Sound great, thank you for sharing.
JasmyneTea
My nan used to make us lamb’s fry, and I loved it! Never thought I’d see liver in a soup, but it sounds fantastic.
sara (Belly Rumbles)
The flavours you have with the liver are appealing and I know they would work. Sadly every time I have tried liver I just haven’t really enjoyed it. With the bacon and mushrooms this soup could sway me.
Dolly
This looks interesting. I’ve never come across liver soup before.
wholepromise
I know that liver is great but the thought of it just gets me.. I think I would be better at it if I knew how to cook it properly. I don’t mind it in pate and I am intrigued by your soup so maybe the time has come to get into it. You are so right about the health benefits. They are amazing…
insatiablemunchies
It may sound somewhat unappealing, but the picture of the soup you made looks mighty fine to me!
I’ve always like pork liver in pates, but never really tried beef liver. Where’s a good place to get good, clean liver?