Chicken-Liver Crostini: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves8 (ANTIPASTO)

Active Time:45 min
Start to Finish:45 min

RECIPE BY TONY OLTRANTI

January 2009

Anna Di Bene, Oltranti’s grandmother, never let anything go to waste in her kitchen in Lucca, Italy. Whenever she cooked chicken, she saved the livers for this delicious antipasto. Spicy red-pepper flakes and salty capers cut through the richness of the topping.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb chicken livers, trimmed and patted dry
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
3 tablespoon capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sweet (red) vermouth
1 cup chopped parsley
1 sourdough baguette, thinly sliced and toasted
1 lemon wedge

Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add livers and cook over medium-high heat until undersides are browned, about 3 minutes. Turn livers over and add red-pepper flakes, capers, and 1 tsp salt. Cook until livers are just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more. Increase heat to high and add vermouth. Boil, stirring, until slightly thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Transfer livers with a slotted spoon to a cutting board, then transfer sauce to a bowl.
Coarsely chop livers and add to sauce. Season with salt and pepper and gently stir in parsley. Spoon onto toasts and squeeze a little lemon juice over each.

Cooks' notes:

Liver mixture, without parsley, can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat, then stir in parsley, before spreading on toasts.
We've also got a web-exclusive recipe using the leftover capers.

Photograph by Marcus Nilsson