Instructions

1. Select a slightly shiny, pink, organic pork liver, free of discoloration or bruising, preferably one from a young, grain-fed, pasture-raised, heritage-breed pig. You can use USDA-inspected supermarket pork livers, but heritage-breed pigs have more marbling than commercially bred pigs and, therefore, more tenderness.

2. Rinse the liver under cool running water for a minute or two, until it doesn't feel slippery in your hands. Pat the liver dry with a paper towel and place it on a cutting board. If you just pulled the liver out of the fridge, let it sit on the cutting board until it softens up, maybe 30 minutes.

3. Pull the membrane that encases fresh pork liver off by hand. You can usually find an opening where you can slip your fingers to pull it away, but if not, make a small slit in the membrane with a paring knife and grasp it there to pull it off.

4. Separate the lobes by pulling them apart gently, if they're still attached. Trim off any bile spots and bloody clots on the surface of the liver with the tip of the paring knife.

5. Locate the veins about 1/3 inch below the surface of the liver. You can usually spot them if you look at the side of the liver. Cut around the veins a bit with the tip of the paring knife and grasp them with your fingers. Pull the veins from the liver, coaxing them a bit with the tip of the knife, if needed.

6. Slice the liver into strips about 1/3-inch wide with a kitchen knife. Dredge the slices lightly in flour and season them to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7. Pour a few tablespoons of oil, or a combination of whole butter and oil, in a saute pan. You can use any oil, such as olive, peanut or walnut, but don't use butter by itself, since it smokes at a low temperature.

8. Place the pan on the stove and set the heat to medium-high. Heat the oil in the pan until it shimmers.

9. Add the sliced liver to the saute pan. Cook the liver for about 45 seconds on each side, using tongs to turn the slices over. Remove a piece of liver and tear it a bit to check the center. Tender, cooked liver has a caramelized, golden-brown exterior, and a pink interior, like a medium steak.

10. Remove the liver from the oil using a slotted spoon, and then place it on paper towels to drain. The liver will continue cooking for a few seconds after you remove it from the pan.

11. Add any vegetables, such as sliced onions, and saute them in the oil you used to cook the liver. Remove the vegetables from the pan and serve with the liver.