Lily Livered

Not many people like liver.  I love it and, if you follow these dictates, you might like it too.  The process is quite simple and in three steps:

1) Cook some nice bacon until crisp in a large cast-iron frying pan.  Drain on paper towels and wipe out the pan with more paper towels.
2) Saute a thinly sliced onion or two in sufficient butter until golden brown but not burnt.  Salt and pepper and remove to a warm plate. (Optional)
3) It is important to prepare the calf's liver by removing the outside membrane and any large internal veins.  (The calf's liver should be very pale and fresh ... not gamey ... otherwise forget it.  Beef liver is what has ruined most people's taste for this dish.)  Add more butter to the frying pan and a good dollop of peanut oil.  Heat until wisps of smoke appear.  Salt and pepper the liver liberally, lightly flour it, and add to the frying pan.  Sear quickly until you get a brown crust on both sides but the inside is still a little pink.  Remove to a serving dish. Add a little white wine or water to the frying pan to make the au jus. Top with the fried onions and/or the crisp bacon. 

Serve with mashed or escalloped potatoes (see: Escalloped Potatoes) ... topped with the au jus and sided with maybe sauteed Brussels sprouts (see: Brussels Sprouts).  Enjoy!  (And you know it is very good for you too!)

A Boston Legacy

Baked beans can be a sublime treat ... if prepared correctly.  First get yourself a real crockery bean pot (as above).  Then buy two packages of dried navy beans (they're cheap).  Next pour both packages of these beans into a copious amount of cold water ... sorting through them for small stones and damaged beans.  Change this water one or two times to remove all the dried-bean processing detritus.  Then cover and place them in a cool spot overnight.  In the morning change their water once again, drain them, and fill your bean pot to about 3/4ths full ... discarding the remainder.

Now add to this bean pot:
- one medium-sized onion, finely diced
- a teaspoon each of dried mustard and salt (It is actually safer to add the salt later in the cooking process ... in added water ...as this early addition can sometimes make the beans tough-skinned.)
- a good pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg ... and a small pinch of minced cloves and dried ginger
- a quarter cup each of black-strap molasses, ketchup, and dark-brown sugar
- a good splash of the juice (and spices) from a jar of sweet-mixed pickles

Next add cold water to this bean pot until the beans are just covered ... and stir well.  Cut a pound of sliced bacon in half (across the slices) and place one half part on top of the beans.  Place a small piece of aluminum foil on top of the bean pot before you replace the cover (to reduce its moisture loss).  Put the bean pot in a slow oven (about 250 degrees F. for six to eight hours ... checking every hour or so to keep its moisture content up.  You might be able to skip the last addition of water as you don't want the final result to be too juicy.

Serve with baked ham, knockwurst, or barbecue (chicken, pork, or beef brisket), a tossed salad, and crusty bread.

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