Crostini fegatini di pollo (chicken liver crostini)
Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook, which celebrates rustic Italian cuisine, including this starter to savour
In Tuscany, crostini means this dish. It is sometimes referred to as crostini neri (black toasts) and there are as many recipes as there are households and restaurants in Florence. Sometimes it is chunky and coarse. Sometimes it is wet and smooth. Often it is like pâté. Occasionally, it is almost a liquid. At Brutto, we use chicken fat to sauté the shallots, but I’m aware this isn’t always convenient or available in a domestic kitchen, so I have substituted goose fat. You can also use olive oil; the flavour that comes from the chicken livers and marsala is quite convincing whichever frying medium you use.
This recipe is an extract from Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook (Ebury Press, £32).
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cover the cleaned chicken livers with the milk in a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to cook the dish the next day, drain the livers and discard the milk (or give it to your dog).
Step 2
Heat the goose fat or olive oil in a large frying pan and gently sauté the shallots with a pinch of flaky sea salt over a low to medium heat, until glossy and soft.
Step 3
While the shallots are cooking, finely chop the herbs, capers and anchovies, then add them to the pan and continue to sauté and stir for another few minutes. Add a little extra olive oil if necessary. Pour in the white wine and then turn up the heat to a bubble, until the liquid is reduced by about half.
Step 4
Add the drained livers and fry until they colour and are incorporated into the shallot and herb mixture – about 4-5 minutes.
Reduce the heat and continue to cook, stirring, for a further 10 minutes.Step 5
When most of the liquid has evaporated, set the pan aside for 5 minutes, then pour into a blender and pulse for 30 seconds. The mixture should have a thick, mousse-like consistency. Pour into a clean pan, place on a low heat, taste and add more salt if necessary. Add the marsala and continue to heat, gently stirring until it looks smooth and spreadable.
Step 6
Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then spread the warm mixture onto the baguette toasts to serve.
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