Historic Liver recipes (was SC - liver )

[david friedman]

At 9:32 AM -0500 9/28/00, Decker, Terry D. wrote:
>I was perusing Sabina Welserin last night and thinking about liver.  How was
>it prepared?  Were any types of liver avoided?  What was the medical
>philosophy concerning liver?  With Brighid's post from de Nola, I thought a
>thread on historic liver recipes and documentation might be fun.

I'm a while behind on the list, but no one mentioned my favorite 
period liver recipe:

Mufarraka
al-Baghdadi p. 201/11

Take chickens' livers and crops, wash, and boil in water with a 
little salt: then take out, and cut up small. Mix with yolks of eggs, 
adding the usual seasonings as required: then fry in a frying-pan in 
sesame-oil, stirring all the time. If desired sour, sprinkle with a 
little pure lemon-juice. If desired plain, use neither lemon nor egg. 
[end of original]

14 oz chicken livers
14 oz chicken gizzards
1/2 t salt
8 egg yolks
1 1/2 t coriander
1 1/2 t cumin
3/4 t pepper
1 1/2 t cinnamon
2 T sesame oil for frying
1/4 c lemon juice

Bring 3 c water to a boil with 1/8 t salt, add gizzards and simmer 50 
minutes. Near the end of this time, bring another 3 c of water and 
1/8 t salt to a boil and cook livers in it 3 minutes. Drain both, cut 
up small (1/2"x1/2" pieces), put in a bowl and mix with egg yolks and 
spices. Heat oil and fry mixture about 4 minutes, sprinkle with lemon 
juice. Serve. The spices chosen are the combination Al-Bagdadi most 
commonly uses.

Unfortunately, it's very high on cholesterol, so it is a while since 
I've made it.

Elizabeth/Betty Cook