Duck liver with creamy polenta, sautéed mushrooms and greens
A 25 minute iron-rich dinner for cold autumn nights
Hello friends,
Yesterday I introduced the Recipes Collection section, moving recipes from past posts + new ones into one place so you can browse, save, and cook them fast.
Each recipe uses a quick-scan format, Substitutions for constraints, and a one-line why it works, so you get the mechanism, not just the method.
This recipe is part 2 of Autumn Warmers mini series: slow, gentle, restorative cooking for colder days.
As autumn settles in, I thought it proper to share another favourite of mine: duck livers with creamy polenta, mushrooms, and greens. Rich, earthy, buttery-soft and unfussy, this meal is your hormone-friendly dinner date.
Why it works: hot, short sear keeps livers tender; lemon + parsley cut richness; 4:1 water:polenta → creamy, spoonable base without babysitting.
Iron-rich, cosy, and weeknight-simple.
Serves: 2 Prep: 10 min Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
400 g duck livers, trimmed, patted dry
250 g mushrooms (shiitake/oyster/mix), sliced, wiped clean
150 g green beans + 150 g broccoli florets (or 300 g mixed greens)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3–5 sprigs parsley, chopped
2–3 tsp ghee (or olive oil)
½ lemon (juice)
Polenta: 80 g quick polenta + 320 ml water (4:1), 10 g butter, 15–20 g grated parmesan/pecorino
Sea salt & pepper
Optional spice mix: ½ tsp each dried Italian herbs, paprika; ¼ tsp onion powder
Method
Bring 320 ml of water to a simmer; whisk in polenta. Cook per pack; stir in butter + cheese. Keep warm, covered.
Steam beans 10 min; add broccoli for last 3–4 min until tender-crisp.
Heat 1–2 tsp ghee medium-high; sear livers 6–7 min total, turning once.
Deglaze the pan with a splash of water; season with salt, pepper, and spice mix.
Toss livers with half the parsley; cover and rest.
In a second pan, add 1 tsp ghee and sauté mushrooms until browned at the edges.
Season mushrooms; finish with lemon juice + drizzle of olive oil.
Fold in the remaining parsley and the garlic off the heat.
Plate polenta → mushrooms → livers → greens. Serve immediately.
Substitutions
Cheaper version: use chicken livers (cook ~5–6 min).
Dairy-free: olive oil; skip cheese; add 1 tbsp nutritional yeast for savouriness.
No steamer? Microwave greens with a splash of water in a covered bowl for 2–4 minutes.
Read next
The science behind the recipe:
Browse all recipes: Recipes collection
Tried the recipe? Reply in comments with MUSHROOM: shiitake, oyster, button and what substitutions you made.
See you next cycle, friends.
xx, Ana
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