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Iscas com elas
Iscas com elas: thin slices of wine-marinated pig's liver, fried and served 'with them', the potatoes
In the old tascas of Lisbon's Baixa and Alfama, iscas com elas was cheap, filling food for workers: thin slivers of liver marinated overnight in white wine, vinegar, garlic and bay, flash-fried and served 'with them', the boiled potatoes that soak up the sauce. This contains pork (pig's liver); calf's liver works too. The marinade uses white wine, which contains alcohol; stock with an extra spoon of vinegar is a good alcohol-free option. A common mistake is slicing the liver thick: it must be thin so it cooks through fast without turning hard. Chef's tip: dry the slices well before frying so they sear instead of boiling.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
To cook
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix ¾ cup dry white wine, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 4 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp sweet paprika and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Add 1 ⅓ lb pig's liver, turn to coat, cover and marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
240 minStep 2: Boil 1 ¾ lb waxy potatoes in salted water for 15–20 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Drain and keep warm.
20 minStep 3: Lift the liver out of the marinade, keeping the liquid, and pat the slices dry with kitchen paper.
Step 4: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Fry the liver in batches for 1–2 minutes a side, until browned outside and no longer pink in the middle (160°F on a thermometer). Move to a warm plate.
8 minStep 5: Pour the marinade into the pan and boil for 3–4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until reduced to a few spoonfuls of glossy sauce. Remove the bay.
4 minStep 6: Return the liver and potatoes, toss in the sauce for a minute, scatter with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does iscas com elas take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of dry white wine?
- Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
- What can I use instead of white wine vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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