Liver and Pasta Shells

Method

Halve, then slice the onions and gently soften them in a little oil in a deep frying pan. Meanwhile wash the liver, blot it dry and cut it into narrow strips. Toss the strips in the flour, just to give them a light coating, and when the onions are beginning to brown, add the liver strips to the pan, stirring and turning them constantly. When the liver is a little browned all round, add the passata, sherry and sage to the pan and let the mixture simmer gently. I usually put a lid on the pan at this point.

Now prepare your pasta as directed on the packet, in another saucepan, which usually takes less than 10 minutes. 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, add the frozen peas or beans to the pan of liver. When cooked enough, drain the pasta and add to the pan of liver, which should now be tender and not overcooked. You can now serve the meal from one pan.

I have sometimes used these quantities for two of us and frozen half of the finished dish, to use on another day. That has worked quite well, though I think the liver becomes less tender.

It’s not just the local liver and bacon that’s so good; I have a good deal of pleasure trying out the packs of diced pork in different ways, and this method went down particularly well in the Trewhitless household last week. Once again, it’s easy to prepare, especially because you can marinade the meat overnight and it’s all ready to cook, when you want.

It always amazes me, how simply eating the right meal can make a dull day brighter, a cold day warmer and when you’re feeling rather off-colour, put you back to rights. It was on one of those off days that I took myself off to the village to hunt for some liver. I suspect liver is rather like Marmite, you either like it or hate it. To my taste, the liver we can buy locally is really the best ever and I love it. It’s not just the taste and texture, but if I’m under the weather, I can virtually feel all that iron doing me good as I eat it.

There are few dishes as tasty as liver with a rasher or two of bacon (the local smoked is perfect), creamy mashed potatoes and oodles of rich onion gravy, but this seems a rather wintry meal as we approach summer. My favourite liver and pasta dish is ideal at any time of the year and is what got my children hooked on liver when they were younger – Mr T and I have enjoyed it regularly ever since. It’s easy and quick to prepare and quite a cheap meal too.

Mrs Trewhitless