Frank Davis New - Full Recipe

	Order “Liver and Onions” in New Orleans and this is what you’re gonna get! Well, maybe not exactly, ‘cuz frankly it’s not going to be as tantalizingly tasty as this recipe! That’s because I got a couple of little tricks I use in the preparation. So let’s do this—from this moment on, any time you get a craving for real New Orleans Liver. . . remember where you stashed this copy!!
Ingredients:
1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 pint whole milk 2 lbs. calf or veal liver, thinly sliced (about 8 slices) 2 tsps. Frank Davis Beef Seasoning 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 2 cups seasoned all-purpose flour + 4 Tbsp. all purpose flour 1 cup vegetable oil for frying + 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil for roux 3 large onions, sliced in half rings 4 cloves thinly slivered garlic ½ cup burgundy wine or cocktail sherry 1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet 2-4 cups concentrated chicken broth, as desired Salt and pepper as needed ½ cup fresh minced parsley 4 cups water 1 cup Quaker Quick Grits ¾ tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. Tabasco Sauce ¼ stick butter ½ cup shredded Velveeta Cheese
Instructions:
First, take a plastic, glass, or crock-type container large enough to hold all the liver slices. Then drop into that container about a third of the sliced onion and half of the milk. Now get ready to make layers—set one single layer of liver (four slices) on top of the milk and onions; then sprinkle on another layer of sliced onions; then add the second layer of liver on top of the onions. Finally, top off the container with the remaining onions and pour on the remaining milk. Then cover the container tightly and allow the liver to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or preferably overnight). When you’re ready to cook, begin the following steps: Mix the 2 cups of flour with the beef seasoning, salt, and black pepper and place the mixture into a shaker. Heat the cup of vegetable oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium high fire. You’re going to use this to fry the liver slices. Heat the 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a second heavy 12-inch skillet over medium high fire. Drop the sliced onions and the slivered garlic into the skillet with the 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and begin caramelizing them (cooking them until they turn a golden brown) At this point, remove the marinating liver from the refrigerator, discard the milk and onions, and pat the slices dry with a paper towel. Then lay out the slices on a sheet of waxed paper (or freezer wrap) and liberally coat them on both sides with the seasoned flour from the shaker can. Be generous here—it’s the flour that will seal the pores in the liver and keep it crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside as it cooks. Then as each slice is dusted, shake off the excess flour and place the slice into the skillet containing the cup of oil. In the end you want to fry the liver on both sides, trying to turn it only once, until toasty brown and tender. For best results, I suggest you fry only a few slices at a time so that they’re not crowded together in the pan. As you remove the fried liver from the skillet, place it on several thicknesses of paper towels on a platter to drain. While the slices are being fried, keep a close eye on the onion rings—you want them to come out fully browned, but not burned! When they begin to turn a rich dark color, immediately sprinkle over them the four tablespoons of flour, toss everything together briskly, and cook the combination for approximately five minutes (this will actually form the roux that will become your brown gravy). Next, pour into the onions and roux the Kitchen Bouquet and the burgundy wine, stirring continuously. Follow this by adding to the pan just enough of the chicken broth to give the gravy the consistency you desire—the more you add the thinner the gravy, the less you add the thicker the gravy. When you have it the way you want it, lower the flame, cover the pan, and slowly simmer the gravy and onions until the onions soften and the gravy becomes silky smooth. While the gravy is mellowing, it’s a perfect time to whip up your grits. When you’re ready to eat, you can do one of two things: Serve the sliced liver on a dinner plate, liberally covered with gravy and smothered onions, next to a big scoop of grits which you’ve seasoned with salt, pepper, butter, and Velveeta cheese; or Take the slices of liver, submerge them under the smothered onions and brown gravy, put the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the liver and onions together for about 20 minutes, then serve it all together next to a big scoop of grits which you’ve seasoned with the salt, pepper, butter, Tabasco, and Velveeta cheese. Of course, whichever way you decide to go, a stack of homemade biscuits and a plate of piping hot, steamed, buttered broccoli will complement the meal.
Chef's Notes:
Liver prepared using this method is at its best when served and eaten immediately as it is cooked.
When frying the liver slices, avoid overcooking them or they will dry out and become tough and chewy.
Many restaurants (and probably many of your friends) serve beef or pork liver. Usually they are very strong-tasting. Without a doubt, nothing beats "calf" or "veal" for delicateness, so to create the best dishes made with liver I suggest you purchase these.
The flour in the shaker can be covered with plastic wrap, kept in the refrigerator for later use, and used on veal cutlets, chicken, shrimp, and a variety of other foods to be pan-fried.
If you’re rather have your liver prepared with an Italian breadcrumb coating as opposed to a flour coating, see the recipe on Page 91 of my Frank Davis Cooks Cajun, Creole, and Crescent City cookbook.
If you can’t find my beef seasoning where you shop, you can order it directly from this website or by calling 1-800-742-4231 toll free.