Venetians replaced figs with onions, that they added to pork and calf liver, cut into strips. They considered bovine offal as a valuable constituent of their diet because of its contribution to high value nutrients. The sweet taste, that the liver assumes, comes from the encounter with white onions. They are the only type of onions there are in the Veneto region, and they are produced in Chioggia. When they are cut they have to be thinly sliced.
There are other kinds of liver that are cooked in Veneto. The Venetian liver differs from the Vicentina for the use of vinegar instead of wine.
Ingredients for 4 people:
600 grams of pork liver
2 white onions
50 grams of butter
4 spoons of olive-oil
Vinegar
Salt and pepper
How to prepare it:
Cut the onions into slices. Put oil and butter in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions with some salt and reduce the heat to a medium-low. Cook them for 20 mins until they are soft and add some water if needed. Put the liver alongside with the vinegar and some salt. Cook for not more than 6 or 7 mins until the liver browns.
When it is ready serve it immediately and do scrape the pan juices onto the liver.