Libamáj Sülve

Libamáj is a delicacy eaten at Christmas and on other special occasions. It is also commonly found on the menus of Hungarian restaurants. The recipe below comes from Száz Specialitás by Mariska Vízvári.

Ingredients:
Goose liver, heart, fat
Garlic
Goose fat
Onion
Salt

Method:
“Wash the liver and rub all sides of it with plenty of salt,” writes Vízvári. “Put it in water which just covers it and set aside for two or three hours until it turns white. Slice the heart in half along its length and discard the clotted blood. Set aside for two or three hours, then wash it in clean water. Put the liver in a pot which is only a little bit bigger than it, add melted fat to fill a quarter of the pot, one halved onion, one garlic clove, one “slapped” teapoon of salt and enough water to cover the liver. Cook uncovered until the water evaporates, but remove the onions before this happens. When only fat remains under the liver, put it in the oven for no more than five minutes, until the top turns red. Leaving it too long in the oven will make it dry. It can be served cold, in which case you’ll have to place it in a deep glass bowl, pour the filtered fat on top and let it cool. Prepared this way, both the liver and the fat can be eaten with bread. When served hot, it has to be removed from the fat, cut into slices and served dry, and the fat can later be eaten with lángos or toast or used to make rántás.”