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foie de veau a la lyonnaise

Beef, veal, steak & offal

Foie de Veau à la Lyonnaise

By Pierre Marchesseau

Sweet onions softened in butter accompany quickly sautéed calf’s liver. A little broth enriches their savoury juices, and hot white-wine vinegar brings the sharpness that gives this Lyonnais dish its character. Pierre Marchesseau cuts the liver into slender strips, lightly floured before they meet the pan. Parsley finishes a plate that balances tender meat, soft onion and a bright, buttery sauce.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves4
Jump to recipe ↓Recettes et Terroirs ↗

Ingredients

Liver and onions

Method

  1. Cut the liver into strips. Peel and slice the onions very finely.
  2. Heat 50 g of the butter in a sauté pan. Add the onions and let them soften gently, colouring only lightly.
  3. Season the liver with salt and pepper, then flour lightly. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan and sauté the liver strips briskly. Transfer them to a warm serving dish.
  4. Deglaze the pan in which the liver cooked with 75–100 ml white-wine vinegar and the same volume of broth. Bring to the boil, then pour the pan juices over the cooked onions.
  5. Spoon the onions and juices over the liver, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Do not let the onions scorch.

Equipment

Sauté pan; Frying pan; Warm serving dish

Notes

  • Onions: soften them gently and let them colour only lightly. Keep them from scorching.
  • Liver: season and dust the strips lightly with flour, then sauté them briskly in the hot butter.
  • Final juices: use equal volumes of broth and white-wine vinegar, 75–100 ml of each. Bring the pan juices to the boil, pour over the onions, then spoon everything over the liver and finish with parsley.
  • With the meal: the selected source suggests a red Côtes du Rhône.

Photos

1 photo
Foie de veau à la lyonnaiseServingThe source’s liver serving photograph

Foie de Veau à la Lyonnaise

Recipe photos

About this dish

Offal has a prominent place in the cooking of Lyon’s bouchons. Calf’s liver with parsley has its place beside Lyon’s charcuterie, quenelles and other offal dishes, with Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône among the local table wines. Liver and onions also have a life beyond Lyon: Recettes et Terroirs notes this preparation’s resemblance to the Venetian classic.

In Pierre Marchesseau’s version, finely sliced onions have time to soften and take on a light colour, while narrow strips of liver are floured and sautéed briskly in a second pan. That separation matters: the onions need gentle cooking, and the liver needs a quick finish. Broth and vinegar gather the liver pan’s cooking juices into the final sauce, which is poured over the onions before they cover the meat. Parsley is added just before serving.

Recipe and cooking notes adapted from Recettes et Terroirs.