A very popular Turkish meze is a liver dish called Albanian (Style) Liver ("Arnavut Cigeri" ). To my surprise many years ago, in a conversation with an Albanian friend, I learned that there was no such dish in Albania. Ever since I kept wondering where the name came from. Couple of weeks ago, I finally had my answer!
According to Evliya Celebi, a well-know 17th century Turkish traveler, Albanian workers throughout Ottoman land were the poorest and could only afford this street food served inside a sandwich. Thus, this dish became associated with Albanians.
A must with Arnavut Cigeri is onion, sumac and parsley salad. Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a tart, sour lemon taste.
INGREDIENTS
- 500 gr. veal or lamb liver
- 1/2 glass/cup/125gr flour
- Salt to taste
- 1.5 cup/glass vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions
- 1/2 bunch parsley (optional)
- Sumac
- Rinse the liver, peel the membrane, dice and place in a sieve to drain.
- Put the flour on a plate, add salt. Toss the liver pieces in the flour and coat well, shake off the excess.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the liver cubes over strong heat for about 1-2 minutes. You shouldn’t overcook. Liver should be crispy outside, but soft inside.
- Remove with a colander, place on a paper towel.
- Slice the onions into half-moon shapes and rub with salt and sumac. Add chopped parsley.
- Transfer the liver into a serving plate and garnish with onion salad.
You can also stuff a warm pita bread with liver and onion salad and eat as a sandwich.
Note: You can serve the liver and onion salad separately or mix them together.
- Put the flour on a plate, add salt. Toss the liver pieces in the flour and coat well, shake off the excess.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the liver cubes over strong heat for about 1-2 minutes. You shouldn’t overcook. Liver should be crispy outside, but soft inside.
- Remove with a colander, place on a paper towel.
- Slice the onions into half-moon shapes and rub with salt and sumac. Add chopped parsley.
- Transfer the liver into a serving plate and garnish with onion salad.
You can also stuff a warm pita bread with liver and onion salad and eat as a sandwich.
Note: You can serve the liver and onion salad separately or mix them together.
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