This Baked or grilled Greek Lemony Calf Liver, is a super easy to make, healthy and delicious. Marinating the organ reduces its intense flavour and makes it very tender.
Liver is possibly one of the most nutrient-dense superfoods on the planet. It is packed with protein and provides more than the recommended dietary intake for vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin and copper. It is also rich in the essential nutrients folate, iron and choline.
A 100 grams portion of uncooked liver contains around 167 calories and 24 grams of proteins and 5 grams of fat
It takes only 5 minutes to prepare and 40 – 45 minutes to cook.
However, as the liver is twice marinated, you will need about one and a half hours waiting time, before cooking it.
Why marinate the calf liver?
Milk Marinade
Liver has an intense flavour, which many people do not like. Beef liver has a stronger taste than calf liver.
However, in both cases you can eliminate this intense flavour by marinating it in fresh milk. It also helps tenderize the organ, which results into a very soft meat, which melts in your mouth. One hour is enough to do the work but if you do not have the time to wait, you can marinate it overnight, which only makes it better.
What do I do with the leftover milk?
You know me by now. I don’t like wasting food.
Well, if you have a cat or dog, you can feed your pet with it (my dog loves it and I give him a little to drink). Otherwise unfortunately you have to discard it. Most cats and dogs can drink cow’s milk or goat’s milk, in small portions. However, some of them may be allergic or lactose intolerant, so if you know your pet is not allergic or lactose intolerant, you will have to make your own decision on this or consult your Vet.
Second Marinade
The second marinade is optional, but this will give the liver the lemony-garlic flavour, which makes it delicious!
Marinade ingredients
I use extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, wine and garlic. The spices I use are salt, pepper, oregano and smoked paprika, However, the spices are versatile and can be changed according to your taste.
Grilled Calf Liver Souvlaki (Kebabs)
Souvlaki (kebabs or kabobs) is a classic and very popular Greek street food.
A different approach to this recipe is after marinating the meat in milk, you pat dry the liver and season it as you like.
I used the classic Greek seasoning: salt, pepper and oregano. However, you can also make it using the second marinade as well.
You them put them on skewers and grill them.
You can do this in your oven grill, in a cast iron or on the bbq.
Oil the grill rack. Grill the livers, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total.
If you liver pieces are thick, the best way to check when it’s done is to use a thermometre. The internal temperature of the liver should not exceed 55°- 60ºC before removing it from the grill.
If you are grilling big pieces, you should let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting it.
Grilled until golden on the outside but still rosy and tender inside, it is truly luscious.
In the picture above you can see the grilled liver, souvlaki and sheftalia, served with tzatziki and tambouli (tabbouleh).
What can I do with leftover Calf Liver?
After making the baked liver, I had some leftovers, as one of my sons was going to come and eat with us on that day. However, due to bad weather he had to stay home.
I stored it in the fridge for a couple of days and the idea of reheating it did not appeal to me.
I was thinking of ways I could use it and one of them was to make a marinara sauce, cut it into small pieces and add it to the sauce last minute and serve it over spaghetti.
The other idea was to puree it and combine it with some minced meat I had in the freezer to make some meatballs.
I used the recipe of my Cypriot meatballs, which have a grated potato in them, with onion, parsley, mint, salt, pepper and cinnamon. The only ingredient which is not included in these meatballs is garlic, which I added.
They turned out quite good!
Baked Greek Lemony Calf Liver
This baked liver recipe is super easy to make and very healthy, as it is packed with protein and provides more than the RDI for vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin and copper. It is also rich in the essential nutrients folate, iron and choline.
Ingredients
- 700 grams of calf liver
First marinade:
- 2 cups milk
Second marinade:
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp mild mustard
- 1/2 cup white dry wine
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Instructions
- Ask your butcher to cut the liver into 2 cm (about 0.78 inch) slices.
- Wash the liver and let it drain.
- Put it in a bowl and cover it with fresh milk Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Let it soak for about 1 one or more hours, if you prefer
- When ready to cook, put it in a casserole dish without washing out the milk
- Αdd the mustard, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, the garlic and all the spices Flip it several times to coat all sides with the marinade and let it marinate for about half an hour.
- Cover it with the casserole lid or make an aluminum tent and bake in a preheated oven to 180oC for half an hour.
- Remove the lid or the aluminum tent and turn the liver over Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes.
- Serve with some rice pilaf or mashed potatoes and some of its sauce
Nutrition Information
Yield 7 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 292Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 569mgSodium 1160mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 27g
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Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!