Wholesome and earthy, obviously don’t try this if you don’t like liver. We do and it was delicious.
Pappardelle with Chicken Liver Ragù – to serve 2 as a main or 4 as a starter
- 200g dried pappardelle
- Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
FOR THE RAGU:
- 200g chicken livers
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ small onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 150ml dry Marsala
- 100ml white wine
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 40g butter
Heat a wide frying pan over a high heat until super hot and smoking. Toss the chicken livers in a bowl with 1 tbsp of the oil and some salt and pepper, then pour into the hot pan in a single layer. Fry for a couple of minutes without moving, until well browned on one side. Turn and fry the second side for 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, chop the livers finely, reserving any juices.
Fry the onion, celery and garlic in the rest of the oil with salt and pepper in a small saucepan over a lowish heat. When very soft (about 10 minutes), add the chopped liver and its juices and fry for a couple of minutes until heated through. Add the Marsala and wine and cook at a very gentle simmer until the sauce is very thick (almost like a pâté) with a little oil risen to the surface, at least an hour. Add about 100ml of water during the cooking if it starts to dry out. Stir in the rosemary and remove from the heat.
Cook the pasta according to the pack and re-heat the sauce in a wide frying pan. Add a splash of water to the sauce if you need to thin it slightly (the liquid part should be creamy). Drain the pasta and add to the sauce with the parsley and butter. Cook together for a few minutes or until the butter has melted and the pasta is well coated in the sauce. Serve with the Parmesan.
Wine Suggestion: Chicken livers have a really strong and rich flavour which should pair well with a good quality Rioja with a little age, such as one of La Rioja Alta Gran Reservas.
(Original recipe from Bocca Cookbook by Jacob Kennedy, Bloomsbury, 2011.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 