I keep cooking liver to Pearl’s specifications as her recipe is so easy, and so delicious, but I never seem to get around to telling you lot about it. Well, I found this post in my drafts folder, written at a time when I was I was a bit moody during the first pandemic lockdown. Things are still very weird in the world but it’s a while since I had such a wobble that I needed a liver cure. There will no doubt be another one at some point, and if you too have have a wobble, try this and see if it puts you to rights. It’s medicinal for sure.
Pearl is absolutely correct about the need to use LOTS of onions. Even if you think there are too many, there won’t be, because they will be utterly delicious and they will all get scoffed!
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I took a couple of U.F.O.s (Unidentified Frozen Objects) out of the freezer yesterday morning and they turned out to be a big helping of liver and a triangular lump of mashed potato and peas.
Comfort food! I needed it too, I had one of those “funny days” that are cropping up every now and then during this pandemic. I felt DISCOMBOBULATED but Pearl’s liver sorted me out. Here’s her recipe, written in her own inimitable style.
Pearl Bailey’s Colony Club Liver Supreme
To start with, cut up lots of onions. I mean lots, because I really dig onions.
I put them in a skillet with about a stick butter or more and let them simmer slowly, covered, over a low flame. Be sure to turn the fire way down so that you won’t burn them. Wash the liver thoroughly, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and flour and drop it into the pan right on top of the onions. I suppose when you do it you will take the time to place a piece of liver in there very carefully and neatly. I don’t do it that way because I’m a queer kind of cook. I just pile it in.
Then I keep turning it over and moving it around now and then until each piece starts to look a little brown. Be careful now, you don’t want shoe leather, so don’t cook it too long. Bring it to the point where it is just done enough for your family and then stop cooking.
THANKS, PEARL!
Well, as it was just me, myself and I it was lovely to slice into a bit of liver in the pan and decide when it was done enough for me. I took the liver out, added a bit of water and some homemade brown sauce to the pan to make a gravy and it was DELICIOUS!
Pearl’s Kitchen is one of my top 3 favourite movie star cookbooks
(Vincent Price and Yul Brynner getting the other top spots). I just love the way she writes her recipes as if she is chatting away to the reader. I must make more of Pearl’s dishes. As she writes after the liver recipe, “As you must now by now, I get a lot of pleasure out of finding something new and groovy to cook…” Me too Pearl, me too.
Other Pearl dishes I have made:
Macaroni & Cheese If I Say So Myself
All were VERY GOOD!
You can even make liver and onions look good! (I do NOT like liver, but I do like onions.). Here is a virtual hug sent your way!
Awww, thanks Annette. I haven’t had a big wobble like that for a while, but I’m sure there will be another before this pandemic is over. There is liver in the freezer for that eventuality. Sending you a BIG virtual hug too xx
I’m not at all squeamish when it comes to offal . I love liver, but I can understand why some don’t if they’ve grown up with it as an overcooked greyed out lump on the plate with peas and boiled pots and told ‘It’s good for them’ . But it is a great way of getting a bit of extra iron in the diet . Would have done this last night myself if I didn’t have Pork ‘n peppers in the slow cooker. But yes plenty of onions, get them good ‘n sweated then turn up the heat and flash fry the liver – the poor man’s steak – so it’s calcified on the outside and nicely pinked, but not bloody on the inside. I often dump mine straight onto a bed of mash with cabbage in. I’ve even been known to exclude this and make a liver and onion toasted sandwich ! Madeira/ Worcestershire sauce can be added to pan if so wished . Or a bit of sour cream can be stirred in on serving . Wash down with glass of Porter or Stout. Pearl sure knows her stuff . I’m sure this lifted the spirits of many of her musicians on the road .
STOP MARK! You are making me crave a liver lunch! I absolutely love a greasy spoon caff liver and onions with mash and gravy. YUM!