Here's how I do it: Fry 4 slices of bacon until crisp. Meanwhile, slice half a large onion. When bacon is done, remove and drain, lay liver slices in hot bacon grease, salt and pepper. Brown on bottom and turn and brown on the other side. Now, some people like their liver medium rare, some like it done to shoe leather. I like it so that it is still tender but no pink inside. Test for the doneness you like. When the liver is done, transfer to plate and then add the onions into the pan and fry until caramelized. Since you don't want gravy, that's all you have to do. I make gravy afterwards, only to put on mashed potatoes, I don't like it on the liver. I have also sliced the liver into thin ribbons and cooked it that way but I dislike handling raw liver so don't do it that way often. The less I have to look at and handle raw liver the better.

I don't use bacon grease, but that sounds good. I actually rinse my pieces of beef liver first, pat dry, then lightly flour them, slice onions and place over top of liver, then fry all until the liver is browned on both sides but still tender. Don't always make gravy, but it IS good over mash. potatoes like rita says. Mmmmm, now I'm hungry for liver and onions.

School cafeteria where I taught had the best liver and onions. Students rarely ate, but teachers sure did. Haven't had any since I retired, 24 years ago.

Yuck! Even the smell of liver cooking is enough to make me gag! DH loves it though so he gets it when we eat out as I won't cook it.

The typical European preparation of calves liver is to saute it in butter (with onions sauteed first in the pan), with or without a flour coating. I don't eat it often but i do like it and its cousins (like foie gras, often also sauteed in butter) and just standard pates of various kinds of various bird livers.

Look around, you'll find some recipes of this type.

No advice as I hated it but I would cook it for DH. Most of the time though, he cooked his own with lots of onions.

So funny. We are going out to dinner tonight and DH and I were just perusing the menu.

There is an appetizer that I like that uses chicken livers and caramelized onion in a parmesan basket. I grew up liking chopped liver, again chicken livers.

I.m not a fan of regular liver. I would dredge in flour and fry with olive oil. Maybe saute sweet onions in a different pan.

Do not cook liver over a high heat. (I wouldn't even use the term 'fry'.)

I do not care for calves' liver, but like beef liver. I like mine slightly pink inside -- I like most meat medium rare.

I never get to cook liver because DH doesn't like it, and I'm too lazy to make two entrees. He decided he didn't like liver when he lived at a fraternity house and isn't willing to give it another chance. (Did anyone ever have good food at a fraternity house? If the cook at his house even had a good recipe for anything she took it with her when she left -- along with the silverware.)

I don't like it but my DM made very good liver. She told my DS that the trick to hers was to put a little bit of sugar in the flour that you use for dredging it.

My dad liked liver and my mom used to make it for him once in a while. As I recall, she made it pretty much as posted above. I don't mind the flavor, but I can't get past the texture. It's too soft for my tastes.

I only want it about once a year and then I eat it and won't want it again. Usually I've made the trip to the one and only place around here that has it on the menu, about 45 minutes from here. DH isn't crazy about it and since I really don't like cooking it I go to this place to get it. But I did make it about a week ago, it was good and I won't think about if for a long time.

I haven't had this in years but back in the day I'd stir fry it, with onions and Bell Peppers in a Wok. A little Soy Sauce and a bed of Rice.

OK, ready? We grew up absolutely loving this version of pan-fried liver, and I have no earthly clue how my mom (who is a Chinese immigrant) came upon the recipe. She could barely read English at the time (mid-60s), so there were no cookbooks or magazines to consult:

• Rinse and pat dry the liver.
• In a bowl, beat 1-2 eggs, and season w/ Lawry's salt (qty to taste, I suppose). Set aside.
• The coating ingredient: corn flake crumbs. Yup. Mom was too frugal to purchase a box of crumbs, so she used to use a rolling pin over flakes.
• Dredge the liver in the egg mix, then the CF crumb mix. Fry in an oiled pan til golden brown.

Come to think of it, I should ask my brothers if they share my love of liver (prepped this way and otherwise) -- one conversation we've never had! :)

ETA: Served with ketchup!

Ugh. I'll stand with pudgeder. Outside.

I dredge my liver in a mixture of flour, pepper and seasoned salt. Double dredge it. :) Meaning, dredge it all, then a few minutes later, dredge it again. Then heat up your frying pan and add your margarine. Make sure you use enough because it'll be absorbed by the flour. Once the margarine is browning, add the liver. Fry on each side only 2 or 3 minutes a side. Don't over cook it or it'll dry out and be like leather. I fry the onions in a separate frying pan. I don't put gravy on mine, I like it straight up with lots of fried onions. You can always skip the onions and fry bacon instead. Or do both.

I adore good calve's liver with some bacon and caramelized onions! It's very hard to find unless one lives in a very large city.

So, then comes beef liver. At the boarding school in Maine where my DH taught, they served this multiple times each winter. I was expecting "strongly flavored shoe leather" in a school cafeteria and was delighted that it was delicious! I asked the head of the dining hall his secret. He said that he soaks it in milk for 3 days before cooking it, changing the milk daily. It not only removes the strong flavor that is part of it being beef liver, but the enzymes in the milk tenderizes the meat as well.

Any liver should be cooked to the "just pink" stage. Any further cooking will result in something tough and strong-tasting. It's why most people detest liver - they've never eaten it properly cooked in their lives.

I always fried the bacon first, then caramelized the onions in the drippings - liver comes last. I always very lightly dredge it in flour with salt and pepper, shaking off any excess. It really is best if gently sautéed in butter. Yummy!

On the rare occasions that I make it, I do as Debby just posted. Now I'm hungry for it!

"ETA: Served with ketchup!"

Heavens no!

I do it exactly like Debby also. Most important thing is not to overcook liver. DH hates it so mostly I order it out. I have loved liver my entire life. Was one of the few things I liked back when I was very picky eater as a child. I believe that is why it is the only meat I eat with ketchup to this day.

Sorry, Elmer. Our dad wanted to fit in and be the 'best American' he could. Unfortunately, his points of culinary reference were limited to the old country; and I suppose he was too proud to simply ask. Soooo....we grew up with Thanksgiving turkey accompanied by strawberry jelly (instead of cranberry sauce, which I introduced to my family somewhere in the mid-80s). Ketchup (yes, again) substituted for salsa in/on burritos. Onion dip -- what's that? Must be mayo -- close enough!

I have never thought of liver being part of a heathy diet plan

My mother used to take a bus to Ohio to visit her sisters and parents a couple of times a year. Dad would take her to the bus statio then make a quick trip to the market on his way home. It was guaranteed that we would have delicious sauteed liver and onions, mashed potatoes, and gravy for supper that night!

Another way to enjoy liver.

Finely chop some onion. Fry in butter until transparent. Fry some liver in more butter. Let cool. Take a cube of butter and put both the liver and onions with it through an old fashion hand meat grinder twice. Chill well. Best on good rye bread. Bests out the fanciest foie gras in my opinion. Better than chopped chicken liver.

I love calves liver. I do soak in milk for a half hour, pat dry then lightly dredge in seasoned flour then lightly saute in bacon fat that I keep in the freezer. haha I remember when I was a child requesting liver for my birthday dinner. I rarely eat liver now because I don't want to suffer a gout flare up. Liver was always served with a dollop of HP Sauce on the side

watchme, is that a Russian preparation?

I looked but couldn't find it. Many many years ago Heloise published a recipe for Non-liver lovers liver. Supposed to be so good even people who hate liver would like it. Unfortunately, I looked through all my old stuff and can't find it. Maybe someone else has it.

This is a simple dish, meaning that the main ingredient (the liver) isn't 'disguised' by elaborate seasoning. It needs to be high quality -- fresh, without membrane or heavy veining. If you don't like the 'soft' mouth feel of calves liver, try beef liver instead.

Dear Heloise: I once read a
recipe in your column for fixing
liver that you said "even nonliver
lovers will love.,,

"I call this recipe French Fried
Liver. All you do is cut the liver
into strips as for french fries. Kitchen
shears are great to use for
this. Place the strips in a bag
with a mixture of seasoned cornmeal and fine cracker crumbs.
Shake the bag to coat them evenly.
Fry the strips in deep, hot fat.
The liver fries rather quickly so
watch it carefully. Drain on
paper towels.
These strips may be frozen, if
desired, then thawed out in warm
water when ready to cook. Drain
them well before putting them into
the cornmeal mixture." —
Heloise

November 27, 1985

Found on Google, what she means by seasoned cornmeal I haven't a clue.

ETA: I haven't tried this.

Haven't prepared in a long time, but used to make liver and onions frequently. I soaked the liver in a lightly salted water for a few minutes to draw out some of the blood, drained and patted dry. Lightly salted and pan fried until just no pink showed. Usually cooked onion in a bit of butter, then removed and added liver. We loved it.

Let somebody else do it? LOL.

Thanks, sherry!

Dad used to make it a lot. He probably used bacon drippings. He cooked until just done. He might of used butter, but I doubt it, bacon drippings were "free". Of course as kid's we wouldn't touch it. I like it now, but my husband doesn't and won't try it. His mother fried until they were hard chewy chips and they had to eat it.

You're welcome Annie. What do you think she meant by seasoned cornmeal? Just salt and pepper? There didn't seem to be a lot of spices used way back.

I totally winged it, just taking bits of different recipes. I soaked the liver in milk for an hour. Seasoned flour with salt, pepper and paprika. Sauted a bunch of onions...took them out of the pan....put in the liver after put in the flour...I had no idea was it was supposed to look like...the meat started sticking so I threw the onions back in the pan...cooked a little more then took it off the burner and covered it with foil and just put it to the side. It sat quite a while before mom ate. I wasn't there when she ate it but she said it was "delicious". I didn't try it. I was grossed out just by the look of it raw.

My DM used to make it now and then. The secret was always fairly thin sliced calves liver. She bought it from the butcher and soaked it all day in either milk or buttermilk. Dredged in flour with salt and pepper twice as someone else mentioned. That gives it it a good coating. I can’t remember if she carmelized the onions first or last. I haven’t had it in a long time but there is an old style cafeteria in town that still serves it. People love it.

My Mom dredged it in flour and added it to a frying pan full of sauteed onions. After a few minutes of cooking on each side she removed the liver and deglazed the pan with a bit of wine. She then served the liver and onions with the pan drippings. Yum.

I don't know if it's a purely Russian recipe Elmer but it's the way my Russian family and their friends did it. Pashtet was on every Russian table during every holiday meal or celebration. Some would add other things like grated carrot. Like most ethnic recipes everyone has their favorite. This one was ours.

Google translate suggests that is pâté. There are favorite regional variations all over Europe so maybe or maybe not the ingredients could be specific to the area of your ancestors or Russia in general? Interesting.