Cooking with Wine: Italian chicken liver sauce

by Nick Vagnoni, Posted Dec 21st 2005 @ 10:34AM

Until this dish, I was never a liver lover. Once again, I witnessed the amazing transformative properties of bacon, actually, in this case, pancetta. The following recipe has evolved since I started making it, and over the years I've incorporated aspects of recipes from Saveur, Marcella Hazan and Mark Bittman.

While this 'sauce' can easily serve as a fine pasta course with some pappardelle, my favorite thing to do is turn it into a paté by blending it in the food processor with a little tomato paste. The tomato paste adds an acidic sweetness to the liver and turns the color from that muddy paté-gray to a wonderful rust color.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]

Extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, minced (I've also used bacon in a pinch)
2/3 cup shallots, slivered
a handful (10-12) of fresh sage leaves, torn
Approximately 1 lb chicken livers, picked over, trimmed of fat, and chopped
4 tablespoons capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed, pressed dry on paper towels and coarsely chopped
4-5 salt-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
1 cup red wine, approx
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
1 bay leaf

1. Brown pancetta in 1-2 tbsp. olive oil until it begins to brown. Add shallots and sage and a little more oil if necessary. Cook until shallots soften.
2. Add capers, bay leaf and anchovies and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute more, until fragrant and anchovies begin to break up a bit.
3. Add livers and a little more olive oil if it looks too dry. Continue to cook over medium low heat, stirring and breaking up livers until they've taken on a putty-like color.
4. Add approximately 3/4 cup of the wine and season liberally with black pepper. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly so as to coat a spoon. Remember, this is still a sauce; it shouldn't be too dry. 5. Remove from heat and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Return to low heat, remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning and thickness with wine, salt and pepper.
7. If making paté, transfer slightly cooled sauce to food processor and blend until smooth, adding several tablespoons of tomato paste until paté takes on a rusty color. Serve sauce with pappardelle, mashed potatoes or polenta. Serve pate with crackers or toasted bread.

Filed Under: Spirited Cooking Day, Ingredients, Drink Recipes
Tags: appetizers, chicken liver, dinner, hors doeuvres, pancetta, pate, poultry, red wine, sage, sauce, shallots, wine