Quick recipe finder Pan fried calf’s liver with wilted spinach, capers and lemon zest confit
The sweetness of the confit lemon complements the earthy flavours of liver and cawl. Served with spinach and a caper butter.
By Daniel Galmiche From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
- 1 lemon, zest removed and cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 x 250g/9oz thick slices best-quality calf’s liver
- 100g/3½oz pig’s caul fat, ready to use
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 100g/3½oz butter
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 200g/7oz spinach leaves, washed
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and pricked with a fork
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp nonpareille capers, rinsed
- 1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Set a small pan of boiling water over a medium heat and add the strips of lemon zest. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and repeat (this will reduce the bitterness of the lemon zest).
Add the sugar and blanched zest back to the pan and just cover with water. Cook slowly for about 12 minutes, or until the strips of zest are shiny and don’t stick to each other. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
Pat dry the calf’s liver and pig caul using kitchen paper.
Plunge the bay leaves into boiling water and refresh in ice-cold water.
Make a two small incisions in each slice of liver. Slice the bay leaves in half and push into the incisions. Season with pepper, then wrap in pig cauls.
Place an ovenproof non-stick pan over a medium-high heat, add a knob of butter and a drizzle of sunflower oil. When the butter is foaming, add the liver and fry all over until golden-brown.
Place the liver in the oven for five minutes, or until cooked to your liking (preferably the liver should be pink/medium as it will be dry if overcooked). Remove from the pan and leave to rest in a warm place. Reserve the pan for cooking the capers later.
Place another pan over a medium heat. Heat a knob of butter and, when foaming, add the spinach and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. When the spinach has wilted, remove from the pan and keep warm until ready to serve.
In the pan used to cook the liver, warm the honey, capers and the remaining butter. When the butter is melted and starting to brown, add the chopped parsley.
Serve the liver immediately with the spinach on the side. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and drizzle over the caper butter.
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