Ask Zarela: Higado Encebollado- My Mother’s Smothered Liver

Photo by Laurie smith www.lauriesmihphotos.com

Photo by Laurie smith www.lauriesmihphotos.com

Aaron said your mom’s Liver and Bacon recipe is yummy – but I still cant find it on your website…

Recipe: Higado Encebollado

Summary: There were many great cooks on both sides of my family. I am lucky enough to have cooked with most of them, even one or two generations removed. This liver recipe was personally taught to me by one of my father’s aunts. She was married to an American gentleman, and when I use that term I mean a gentle man. My uncle Bob, who came from pioneer Texas stock, was well known and respected all over the parts of Arizona and Mexico where I grew up. My dad used to say that he was tops as an appraiser of beef on the hoof. He married my aunt Josephine long before I was born. My aunt’s mother-in-law used to fix liver this way and I have converted many a liver hater with precisely this recipe.

Ingredients

  • Higado de Res Especial Special Smothered Liver 8 1/2-inch slices of liver, preferably calves’ liver 1 quart boiling water 1 tablespoon vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 garlic cloves, finely mashed Salt and pepper Flour as needed Bacon grease or oil

Instructions

  1. Place slices of liver in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them. Allow liver to blanch. When grayish in color, remove from hot water and remove skin from edges of the slices. Marinate in mixture of vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic, salt, and pepper for at least 30 minutes. Remove liver from marinade and roll in flour. Brown in hot fat, then reduce heat and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Avoid overcooking. Turn once only. Serve with fried onions and crisp bacon slices, with pickled serranno peppers on the side if available. If not, pickled canned jalapeño chiles are a must.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: dinner

Culinary tradition: Mexican

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ustomers, especially men, come in often for my mother’s smothered liver