THE NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF LIVER. ‘BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS’
Eating a lot of carbs? Meals rich in protein and fat? The ‘healthy’ protein and fats?
All of those ingredients should be present in an athlete’s diet. I’ve already mentioned a couple of times how important diet is. It’s the fuel, it builds muscles and athlete’s disposition often depends on it.
Why is liver so valuable?
Liver contains more nutrients than any other type of food. It’s not really common knowledge, but liver is richer in vitamin C than an apple.
The advantages of liver:
- it’s an excellent source of protein
- it’s a natural source of concentrated vitamin A
- it contains all vitamins from group B, including vitamin B12
- it’s one of the best sources of folic acid
- it contains iron
- it contains minerals, such as: copper, zinc, chrome (it’s the best source of copper and every woman needs it)
- it also contains coenzyme Q10 – a nutrient especially important for our cardiovascular system
What about the toxins though?
Liver’s main function is to neutralize toxins, that’s true. But they’re not stocked inside the liver. Whereas, many nutrients are stocked inside of it. They are used against toxins.
It’s best to choose liver that comes from animals that have been bred in the outdoors, on rangelands.
Choosing and cleaning the liver
Chicken liver should be firm, glossy and evenly coloured, without grey patches or a sour smell. The ingredient list says to make sure it comes from a good, checked source, and that is worth taking literally: liver is an organ meat, so its quality depends entirely on the animal it came from.
Cleaning means removing the connective tissue and any greenish spots, which are bile and taste bitter. Rinse the pieces in cold water and pat them dry, because wet liver will not brown, it will steam.
Fifteen minutes and not much longer
Liver goes from tender to grainy quickly. Fifteen minutes over medium heat is the point where it is cooked through and still soft; past twenty it dries out and the blended cream turns pasty rather than smooth.
The bay leaf goes in with the liver and comes out before blending. Leave it in and the whole cream takes on a bitter edge.
Filling the peppers
Halve the pepper lengthways and take out the white pith along with the seeds, since that part stays tough in the oven and tastes of nothing. Choose a pepper with a flat side so the halves sit steady on the tray rather than tipping and spilling the filling.
Ten to fifteen minutes with the air flow on is enough for the pepper to soften while the filling warms through. Both components are already cooked, so the oven is only bringing them together.
Serving and keeping
Avocado is the suggested partner and it works because its fat and mildness balance the intensity of the liver. Toast or rye bread does the same job.
The liver cream itself keeps in the fridge for two days in a closed jar, so it is worth making the full portion and filling the peppers as you go. If you would rather have breakfasts planned rather than improvised, a weekly menu with a shopping list makes that simpler.
Liver is an undisputed leader of breakfasts of champions. In my kitchen too 🙂
Chop garlic and mushrooms finely. Melt butter and simmer mushrooms with garlic for about 4 minutes. Clean the liver carefully and add it to the pan. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper. Let it simmer over a medium heat for about 15 minutes. Blend it. Clean the pepper, slice it in half, take the white part out and fill the inside with liver cream. Bake it for 10-15 minutes, air flow. Serve it with avocado.
HERE YOU’LL FIND SOME OTHER LIVER RECIPES:
Chicken liver cream in baked peppers
Ingredients
Method
- Chop the garlic and the mushrooms finely.
- Melt the clarified butter and simmer the mushrooms with the garlic for about 4 minutes.
- Clean the liver carefully and add it to the pan. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Let it simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, then remove the bay leaf and blend.
- Clean the pepper, slice it in half and take the white part out, then fill the inside with the liver cream.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes with the air flow on, and serve with avocado.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Remove the connective tissue and any greenish spots, which are bile and taste bitter. Rinse the pieces in cold water and pat them dry, because wet liver steams instead of browning. Liver should be firm, glossy and evenly coloured, with no grey patches and no sour smell.
About fifteen minutes over medium heat, which is the point where it is cooked through and still soft. Liver goes from tender to grainy quickly, and past twenty minutes it dries out, which shows up in the blended cream as a pasty rather than smooth texture.
Yes. It goes in with the liver to flavour it as it simmers, and it comes out before the blender. Left in, it gives the whole cream a bitter edge.
Halve the pepper lengthways and pick one with a flat side, so the halves sit steady on the tray. Take out the white pith along with the seeds, because it stays tough in the oven. Ten to fifteen minutes with the air flow on is enough, since both the pepper and the filling only need warming through.
Two days in the fridge in a closed jar, so it is worth making the full portion and filling the peppers as you go. Two other recipes on the blog use the same base differently: a chicken liver pâté and a cream of liver. If you would rather have breakfasts planned rather than improvised, the Diet & Training by Ann app puts the menu together with a shopping list.
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