Pastured Beef Liver, Prosciutto, and Onions

Liver seems to be one of the big food trends right now- well, at least in my little grain-free/paleo corner of the world.  Why?  Well, it's basically like eating a giant multivitamin.  "But it's high in CHOLESTEROL!!!!" my MIL says.  That is correct, it is.  Just like egg yolks, pastured butter, and many other foodstuffs that we now know to be good for you, heart-healthy, and chock-full of nutrients.  Hopefully by now most of us have realized that consuming dietary cholesterol is not what contributes to high blood cholesterol.  Trans-fats, copious amounts of sugar and a diet high in refined-carbs will do that.  So don't knock it til you try it!  And whatever you do, make sure you purchase 100% grass-fed, pastured beef liver for this recipe.  Do not use grain-fed, hormone-filled meat from a sick animal.  Don't like the taste/texture?  This recipe might do the trick for you, there are tons of tasty caramelized onions and crispy prosciutto bits.  If that still sounds yucky- then grind up some liver and mix it with ground meat for meatballs or meatloaf- you won't even know it's there.

Liver with Prosciutto and Caramelized Onions
1 lb pastured liver
6 slices of prosciutto
3/4 onion, sliced
kosher salt
your preferred fat of choice- i used some nitrate-free bacon fat!

Chop up your prosciutto and crisp it up in just a teensy bit of oil/fat in a large sauté pan.  Once it's nice and crispy, remove it and dump in your sliced onions.  Caramelize those suckers till they're nice and brown.  This will take forever.  Sorry.  Caramelizing onions takes crazy long.  But it's worth it.  Remove your onions, and your pan should be nice and hot.  If it's dry, use a bit more fat/oil.  Then place your liver in the pan.  Season the top with some salt and pepper.  You want your pan really hot so it sears the outside.  Flip it over after about three minutes, to sear the other side.  Your flame should be med-high.  After another three minutes, turn the heat down to medium, and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes so it cooks through.  Before serving, top with onions and prosciutto.

This isn't like, my favorite thing to eat in the world.  But it is very good.  And certainly not gross like so many purport.  Maybe it's because MKG and I grew up eating chopped liver, that we actually really like the taste of it.  I don't know.  I do think that's what I'll try next time around.  Some yummy chopped liver with sliced cucumbers and carrots.  S tried a few bites of it and wasn't so enthused, but that's ok.

Best part about this meal is that it costs like, a dollar per person or something.  Even though it's 100% grass-fed, buying liver is pretty cheap.  I mean, it's offal for christs sakes.  Peeps just aren't that into offal these days.  No worries, more for us.

Try it!  And enjoy that megadose of b-vitamins! XoXoGFG