Nutritional value
Liver is the single most nutritious food of all, with excellent protein and a huge range of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Because it's especially rich in B vitamins (needed by every cell in the body), iron and folate, eating it regularly is invaluable for anyone malnourished or under any kind of stress.
However, non-organic liver should not be eaten more than once a week, because large amounts of vitamin A are added to animal feed which accumulate in the animals' livers. Feed for organically reared animals has no such additives, so their livers contain normal and entirely beneficial levels of vitamin A.
To cook
Overcooked or kept-warm liver quickly becomes tough and unpleasant. Cook it very slowly and only until the slices have just ceased to be pink in the centre -a few minutes only. Serve at once.
* Get your butcher to cut you ultra-thin slices of pork or lambs' liver.
Flour them, then cook gently on top of ratatouille; or on a cushion of well-cooked, thinly sliced onions, and serve with buttery mashed potato and peas.
* Cut liver into various small shapes. Simmer briefly in chicken stock, with ready-cooked onion, potato, tomato, bacon pieces and grain mustard; call it 'Wolf Stew'.
* Make pate. Fry chicken livers in butter with well-cooked onion and garlic. Puree, cool and serve on toast.
* Make a delicious Bolognese sauce with chopped chicken livers instead of mince. Mash the cooked livers down well with a potato masher and no one will guess what the meat is!
* Avoid using the word 'liver' if you think it will put anyone off.
Kidney has similar nutritional benefits to liver. In winter, make delicious steak and kidney pies using equal quantities of steak and kidney; sometimes add mushrooms.
There are many more tasty ideas in Mary Whiting's Dump the Junk! (Moonscape, 7.99)