NOURISH

For the Love of Liver

NOURISH LAURA POE MATHES

For all my meat-eating folks out there, it’s time to talk about liver. While the idea of eating liver may conjure up images of your grandma serving liver and onions as you plug your nose, this is actually an important and nourishing food. Until the last couple decades, liver was a staple in the human diet for millennia and for good reason: liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available to us.

Unfortunately, tastes changed a few generations back thanks to the advent of processed foods, making hyperpalatable foods easily accessible and leading many away from cooking in general. More recently, ethical and environmental issues with conventional agriculture have soured many people’s views on eating animal products at all. We’ve lost the tradition of cooking with the whole animal, steering us away from eating liver and other organ meats. Sadly, this is the wrong direction to go in if we want to nourish ourselves and the land. Eating nose-to-tail means using as many parts of the animal as possible and not just the muscle meats (think steak, roasts, etc.), and this way of cooking and eating needs to make a comeback.

The odd bits, also called offal or organ meats, are just as nutritious as, in some cases more so than, the rest of the animal. As a dietitian, I find that many people lack the vital nutrients that are so abundant in organ meats like liver, and instead consume supplements or less bioavailable (as in, less well absorbed and utilized by the body) plant foods in attempts to bring balance to their health. Eating more traditional foods may be a better first step than taking more supplements.

While bone broth is all the rage right now (and rightly so, as it is an incredible, healing food), other parts like liver should be included in the diet as well, along with heart, kidney, tripe, tongue, skin and fat. Liver has been an essential part of indigenous diets all over the world, especially for children, the elderly, ill, and pregnant and nursing women, as it was prized for its healing properties and extraordinary nutrition. Liver truly cannot be matched by most other animal foods and any plant foods in terms of nutritional value, hence its earned title of superfood. Because of the incredible nutrition found in liver, it should be included and revered in the diet.

With its unique composition and balance of nutrients, I think of liver as a multivitamin/mineral in food form. While plant foods are important sources of fiber, phytochemicals and other nutrients, emphasizing specific animal foods is a must when it comes to creating a nutrient-dense diet.

What exactly does this superfood offer? It is pretty incredible: liver is the best source of bioavailable vitamin A (retinol) and is packed with vitamins B12, D and K2, folate, choline, niacin and riboflavin. It is rich in minerals, including zinc, iron, phosphorus and copper. Liver also contains potassium and vitamin C, which are commonly thought to be in plant foods only. Organ meats like liver provide amino acids like glycine, which helps to balance the amino acid methionine found primarily in the muscle meats, which is important for maintaining health when consuming animal foods.

To get the maximum benefit from liver in your diet, you only need to eat a few ounces once or twice per week, which can be easy to do if you know how to cook with it. Eating liver can take some getting used to and it’s not my favorite flavor, but it is my favorite food nutritionally speaking, so finding ways to get it in is important. Liver is commonly consumed as spreads like pâté and mousse, as well as in the Wisconsin favorite, braunschweiger, but these may not be staples in most people’s diets. Of course, there is always liver and onions, but this is not necessarily a crowd-pleaser these days. My solution to this less-palatable but essential food, and our favorite way to eat it at my house, is to grind the liver and mix it into ground beef or pork, as a way to disguise it in many different dishes. I typically use a ratio of about ¼ pound of liver to 1 pound of ground meat; this mixture can be used for tacos, burgers, chili, meatballs, sloppy joes, laab (a Thai dish) or any dish that features ground meat, such as meatloaf.

You can use the liver from just about any animal, such as cows, pigs, chickens, ducks or lamb, and I encourage you to choose pasture-raised sources when you can. Liver can be tricky to find at most grocery stores, so it is best obtained by talking directly to a farmer in your area, such as at a farmers market or through online channels that connect you to area farmers. Some stores with a local-food focus may carry organ meats as well. Use a local, trusted source of meat when purchasing liver and other organ meats to ensure you are getting a highquality, nutritious product. Nose-to-tail eating that includes superfoods like liver uses the whole animal, which reduces food waste, supports farmers, protects the planet, honors the life of the animal used for our food, and nourishes eaters.

Supercharged Meatloaf

Meatloaf may not be the hippest dish, but it is a great wintertime comfort food to nourish the whole family. It is one of my favorite ways to get a little liver in and a perfect introduction to disguising liver with ground meat. When chopping liver to add to recipes, try to grind it in a food processor or meat grinder when it is still half-frozen to help create the right texture and prevent it from becoming a puree. Feel free to use ¼ cup organic ketchup as the topping in lieu of the homemade sauce below.

Serves 4-6 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the meatloaf: 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin powder 2 tablespoons whole milk or nondairy milk 1 pound ground beef (80/20) ½ pound ground pork ¼ pound beef or chicken liver, ground 1 cup diced onions 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 2 eggs, beaten 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped ½ cup chopped fresh parsley ½ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup sourdough breadcrumbs (store bought or homemade from day-old sourdough bread); you can substitute 1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs or ½ cup uncooked oats or almond flour for glutenfree or grain-free variations) ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese For the sauce: ¼ cup tomato paste 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar Pinch of salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. 2. In a small bowl, whisk the gelatin into the milk to dissolve, then set aside. 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, liver, onions, garlic, eggs, parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs,

Parmesan and dissolved gelatin. Stir with a spoon or by hand to create a uniform mixture, being careful not to overmix. 4. Transfer the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan, gently pressing to create an even layer. 5. Cover with foil or parchment and bake for 45 minutes. 6. While the meatloaf bakes, prepare the sauce by whisking the sauce ingredients together until well combined. 7. After 45 minutes, carefully remove the pan and spread the sauce over the top of the meatloaf. Leave the pan uncovered and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads at least 165 degrees F. 8. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.