Beef Liver with Chorizo, Fresh Pimientos, and Sherry

Cheap Eats, In a Hurry

SERVES: 4

Fresh pimientos have a rich, deep sweet pepper flavor. They’re in season at the end of summer and can often be found at farmers’ markets. If they’re not available in your area, use red bell peppers. Some Spanish-style chorizo is sold fully cured; it is firm and dry and is best eaten as is. Others, called semicurado (semicured), are dried for only a week or so and are still soft to the touch; these are best used for cooking, sliced or whole. You can make your own semicured chorizo or buy it from Spanish food suppliers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 links semicured Spanish chorizo , cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 2 fresh pimientos or 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/4 pounds beef liver, membrane removed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 1 cup dry Spanish sherry
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• Lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry, turning once or twice, until just beginning to brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the pimientos, cover, and cook until soft and fragrant, stirring from time to time, about 10 minutes. Stir in the onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and just beginning to color. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
3. Combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the allspice, paprika, and ginger in a small bowl and sprinkle over the liver slices to fully coat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the liver and cook, stirring, until firm but still pink when cut into, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Pour off any excess fat from the pan. Add the sherry and vinegar and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil to reduce the liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo, vegetables, and sage and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Return the liver to the pan and cook for 2 minutes more to warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Calf’s liver or lamb’s liver. If you are not a liver fan, use flank steak, New York strip steak, or fillet steak, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

COOK’S NOTES:

• You can use linguica or andouille instead of chorizo.
• Instead of fresh pimientos or bell peppers, you can use canned piquillo peppers, cut into strips. Add to the pan along with the vegetables in step 4.