In Venezuela,

you can get beef liver in most butcher shops, cut into steaks. For this recipe, I have left them like this, but I usually prepare it with the liver meat cut in strips.

I paid $6 for 1 kilo of good quality beef liver steaks.

Another change that I introduced this time was the side;

instead of making mashed potatoes,

I baked zucchini and tomatoes in butter, with garlic, salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

And I must tell you that this side is just as good as mashed potatoes to go with this recipe, perhaps because of its buttery flavor which, like the bef liver and the touch of tomato paste, contributes to an overall umami taste.

INGREDIENTS

-1 kg beef liver steaks
-3 medium size onions
-1/2 medium size green bell pepper
-1/2 medium size red bell pepper
-1 cup chopped sweet chili
-1 head porcelain garlic
-1 teaspoon paprika
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 tablespoon brown sugar
-2/3 bay leaves
-1 heaping tablespoon freshly minced garlic
-1 100 ml cooking red wine
-1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro and parsley
-50 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
-1 tablespoon tomato paste
-salt to taste

Cook your favorite side. I baked zucchini and tomatoes rubbed with buffalo butter, garlic, black pepper, and salt.

THE PROCESS

To prepare this recipe, the first thing to do is to wash, cut and sauté the vegetables. I peeled the onions and cut them in two lengthwise and then in half rings. Then remove the seeds and veins from the bell pepper and sweet chili and cut them into wide strips. This way of cutting the vegetables allows them to be incorporated into the sauce, giving it thickness and full flavor.

Once the vegetables have started to brown, turn up the flame for a minute...

...and deglaze the pan.

And now the measure that drives mathematicians crazy: a head of garlic, haha. This one was medium and brought 12 cloves, which is the average, between 10 and 12.

Under the spellbinding influence of Juanito, I minced all the garlic with the help of a mortar.

Then it was time to measure the spices.

I added the beef liver steaks, which I had washed under the tap, on top of the sauteed veggies,

...and added the spices and the minced garlic--which I think is also a spice, isn't it.

I stirred all the ingredients in the pot well, and let it simmer for a couple of minutes, then added the freshly squeezed lemon juice...

... and the fresh cilantro and parsley, finely chopped. I stirred well again. Oh my, the delicious aroma!

After cooking over medium heat for about 30 minutes, this was almost ready. The sauce had almost reached the desired consistency.

It was time for a little tomato paste and the final touch: lemon zest and a lttle more freshly chopped cilantro.

And this, my foodie friends, is it.

I love everything about this recipe: The flavor, the texture, the smell. It's amazing how a little lemon zest can boost a dish.

As usual, I hope this post was helpful 😁

And if you don't like beef liver, you can use the exact recipe for osso buco or mushrooms.

Enjoy!

All text and images are my own. I have taken the pictures with my Redmi 9T cell phone. And if any GIFs here, I've used GIPHY for all them.

Thank you so much for your visit :)

Banner by @andresromero 🖤

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