Tuscan Chicken Liver Pâté

, from Issue #41. August, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Tuscan Chicken Liver Pâté

The capers, anchovies and balsamic vinegar add a lovely depth of flavour to the pâté and marry well with the chicken livers.

Serves: 6–8

INGREDIENTS

400 grams fresh chicken livers
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon capers
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To serve
grilled crostini
2 eggs, hardboiled, peeled and chopped
cornichons

METHOD

Trim any sinew and connective tissue from the livers and discard. Cut each liver into 4 pieces.

Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan over a medium heat and add the onion, rosemary, garlic, capers and anchovies with a small pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the onions are very tender, stirring occasionally. Add the livers, season and cook gently for 5 minutes. You don’t want the livers to get a hard crust. Add the wine and vinegar and cook for a few minutes until reduced a little but the mixture is still very soupy. Cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a food processor and add the Parmesan. Blend until very smooth, taste and season if needed. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the flavours to develop.

To serve: Transfer to a dish and serve with crostini, eggs and cornichons. Makes about 1½ cups

The pâté will keep for 3 days, covered and refrigerated.