Olympic Marinated Skewers
Marinated calf’s liver skewers with feta, dried figs, and paximadi (barley bread)
City/Region: Greece
Time Period: c. 6th century B.C.E.
The flavor of these skewers is very good, but I hate liver. The texture is terrible, it gets stuck in your teeth, and it can have a weird metallic taste. I recommend making this, but with a different cut of meat. A sirloin would be nice.
The rest of the meal is made up of feta, figs, and barley bread, which was the Olympic athlete’s diet up until about the 6th century B.C.E., when they began eating meat. Even the ancients had fad diets!
These skewers get an A+ on flavor, but an F on texture, so make adjustments according to your tastes.
“Cut up good liver, marinate in oil with salt, cilantro, thyme, silphium juice, vinegar; grill on a spit at high temperature; serve.”
Ingredients:
- 1 lb (1/2 kg) calf’s liver (or another protein if liver isn’t your thing)
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) red wine vinegar
- 9 tablespoons (135 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A pinch of asafoetida powder*
- A small bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
- Feta, for serving
- Dried figs, for serving
- Paximadi or other barley bread, for serving
*See notes below.
Instructions:
- Cut the liver into bite-sized pieces, about 1”.
- Pour the vinegar into a large bowl, then add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly. This will help the oil and vinegar emulsify. Whisk until well mixed, then whisk in the salt, asafoetida powder, cilantro, and thyme. Add the liver, making sure the meat is coated evenly and set it aside to marinate for an hour on the counter or in the fridge overnight.
- Once the meat has marinated, put it onto skewers and grill over an open fire or in the oven. I cooked mine on a little grill for about 4 minutes on one side, then I flipped them and cooked them for another 4 to 5 minutes on the other side until they were cooked all the way through.
- Serve the skewers forth with feta, figs, and paximadi for a complete meal fit for an ancient Greek Olympian.
Notes
- Asafoetida is a very pungent ingredient that imparts a wonderful garlicky umami flavor when cooked. Be sure to store it in a sealed container (or two) or your whole pantry will smell sulphurous. You can find it called hing at Indian markets or at the link below.
- Link to asafoetida: https://amzn.to/3R2zRRZ
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