Tuscan Chicken Livers Recipes

TUSCAN CHICKEN LIVER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat one tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Add pancetta, and cook, stirring, until it just begins to brown. Reduce heat to low, add another tablespoon of oil, and stir in shallots and sage. Cook for about a minute, until shallots have softened.
• Add livers, capers and optional anchovies. Stir, adding 3 to 5 more tablespoons oil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until livers are putty-colored but have not become stiff. Stir in most of the wine.
• Bring to a simmer, and season generously with pepper. Add salt if needed. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until some of the liquid has cooked down and mixture is thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon but is not dry. Remove from heat, add bay leaf, and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Briefly reheat mixture, adjusting oil, wine and seasonings to taste. Remove bay leaf, and serve spooned over toast or on polenta, pappardelle or mashed potatoes.

TUSCAN CHICKEN LIVERS

Steps:

• Wash chicken livers under cold running water. Dry well, and season with salt and pepper. Dust chicken livers with flour; set aside.
• In a large nonstick saute pan, combine olive oil, onion, sage, chopped garlic, red-pepper flakes, capers, and anchovies. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add chicken livers, one piece at a time. Cook, covered, until evenly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Add Vin Santo, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the saute pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomato, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. (The dish should be slightly soupy. If it starts to become dry, add a little water.) Remove the saute pan from the heat, and stir in parsley.
• Rub the toasts with the whole garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with black pepper. Spoon the livers over the toasts, and serve immediately.

ITALIAN INN FRIED CHICKEN LIVERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Take the chicken livers you are preparing and dredge them in sifted salt, pepper, and flour. Shake off excess. Slice yellow onion in rings and add livers and onion slices to cast iron skillet. Fry until nicely browned and crisp. Then add Worcestershire sauce.
• This was the "secret" ingredient that set them apart from ordinary fried chicken livers. Fry them in olive oil, and be sure the oil and skillet are VERY hot before adding the livers and onions.

TUSCAN CHICKEN-LIVER CROSTINI

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken livers under running water and pat dry with paper towel. Cut away any greenish discolored parts. Cut the onion in half and slice each half thinly. Mash the garlic with the flat blade of a knife and chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add onion and garlic and cook gently until onion is softened. Add chicken livers. Turn heat up to medium and cook briskly until livers are thoroughly browned.
• Add white wine and chicken stock. Lower heat and simmer approximately 20 minutes, until livers are cooked through. Mash the livers with a fork, or pass them through a food mill to puree them. The texture should be more grainy than smooth. Mix with capers, taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with the sliced bread, either plain or toasted.

ITALIAN STYLE CHICKEN LIVERS WITH ORZO

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Drain and set aside.
• In a skillet, heat olive oil.
• Add onion and garlic and cook until soft.
• Add chicken livers in a single layer and saute until firm, about 10 minutes, turning once.
• Add wine and seasonings.
• Cover and simmer on LOW heat about 5-10 minutes, or until livers are no longer pink inside.
• Uncover and continue to simmer until wine is reduced by half.
• Toss with pasta, warm through, and serve immediately with parmesan cheese if desired.
• (NOTE) This recipe just evolved, and I usually do not measure, so proportions are approximate.
• Add more or less wine if desired, and if it seems like too much pasta, then don't add it all.
• I'd taste it first before you add the cheese.
• You might like it without.