HaHa!

I knew that would get your attention!

I had to get it somehow, didn’t I? For honestly, would you be reading this if I’d stopped at Beef Liver?

I doubt it.

‘Cuz chances are, like most, you aren’t big on beef liver. I totally understand that, for I’m the exact same. I could never stand the stuff. Hate it. Literally.gag.on.it.

Always have… until now.

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy FoodieNow, I’m not saying that this particular recipe instantly turned me into the biggest beef liver lover the world has ever known.

BUT…

The first time I ate it, I thought “no way”. Not even with bacon. I can’t eat this. Hate it. The flavor, the texture… it’s just not working for me.

But I was determined to at least finish my plate. Like any good mother would tell her child, I told myself that I was going to at least finish what I’d put on my plate. There wasn’t that much in it and I could do it. The food was good for me (plus, I’d been fasting all day that day, so I needed the food…)

And so I did. I ate the entire serving that you see portrayed here.

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

By the time I was done eating, I was sort of okay with the dish, but I still separated the meat from the sauce when I put away the leftovers, determined to feed the liver to the  dogs and use the sauce over a hamburger patty or something. After all, it had BACON, mushrooms and apricots in it and tasted absolutely amazing. It’s just the liver itself I had an issue with…

The next morning, I took the liver out of the fridge to give a little piece to the dogs. They went berserk for it. I never saw them going this crazy for anything before, not even baby cut carrots! (and THESE are there ultimate favorites)

So I decided to cut a little piece for myself too and tasted it cold. Well, whad’ya know, I actually sort of liked it. So I had another piece. Hmmm. Not bad. Not bad at all, I thought to myself.

Then I had this brilliant idea: I cut a few slices into tiny little pieces and added them to my morning scramble, along with a little bit of the yummy tasty sauce. (the one that has BACON in it!) 

LOVED IT! Genuinely enjoyed it.

So I had the very same thing the following morning… and then I was all out.  I ended up eating the entire recipe, after all.

And you know what? I now find myself craving this very dish, drooling mentally over this flavor combination. INCLUDING the beef liver.

I guess I’m almost a convert, now.

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

Hey, I remember a time when I didn’t like blood sausage. Couldn’t even stand the smell of it. Until someone cooked it for me… you guessed it, with bacon!

Today, I not only enjoy the smell, but also love the taste of blood sausage (even sans the bacon) and I’m thinking that I need to find a good source for that too. It’s been way too long since I last had some.

So if I could be made into a blood sausage lover, surely I can learn to enjoy beef liver too.

And this recipe is the one that will take me there, I can guarantee that. I just can’t wait to make it again!

Good for me, I still have 9 packages of the stuff left in the freezer. I get the feeling this number will go down by one prrrretty soon!

Poor doggies, don’t think they’re even gonna get to see the color of it this time ’round! Well, at least, they’ll get to enjoy the smell.

And I might be a good doggy mommy and give them a tiny little piece each. But no more than one.

The rest is mine… mine, mine!

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Bacon, Mushroom and Apricot Beef Liver

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Part I

  • 375 g beef liver, rinsed, patted dry and cut into large slices
  • 2 tsp arrowroot flour
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch ground clove
  • Pinch Chinese 5 spice
  • ¼ tsp Himalayan or unrefined sea salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Part II

  • 4 slices pastured, sugar free bacon, cut crosswise into ½" pieces
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 100 g mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 dried apricots, chopped
  • ¼ tsp Himalayan or unrefined sea salt
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, add arrowroot flour, cacao powder, spices, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with a whisk and set aside.
  • In a large skillet set over medium heat, cook the bacon until nice and crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Transfer the bacon fat into a small bowl and set aside (leave about a tablespoon in the pan)
  • Add the onions to the hot bacon fat and cook until soft and caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic, apricots, mushrooms, salt, black pepper and oregano and continue cooking until the mushrooms are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add that to the reserved bacon.
  • Place your skillet back over the heat source, crank the heat to medium-high, add the reserved bacon fat and heat it well.
  • Dredge the liver slices in the arrowroot mixture and shake to remove the excess. Sear the slices on each side for about 30 second per side, just to give them a beautiful dark brown crispy exterior. You might have to work in batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
  • Once the meat is seared on both sides, put it all back in the skillet (if you had to work in batches) add the onions, mushrooms, apricots and bacon plus one cup of water and the vinegar and give everything a quick stir. Bring to a simmer then slowly stir in the other cup of water, then turn the heat down to medium low and let the meat finish cooking, which will take about 5 minutes.
  • Serve with mashed sweet potatoes and mixed greens.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Hillary's Best Liver Recipe Ever
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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Bacon makes everything better | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

Bacon makes everything better…

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

Come on, doesn’t look so bad, does it? 

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

Look at the richness of that sauce… So robust, so full of flavor!

Bacon and Apricot Beef Liver | by Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

That’s it… I’m so taking beef liver out of the freezer!