We rarely eat meat and animal products these days, my body seems to work better on a near vegan diet, on the occasions that we do eat meat and diary I prefer to eat organic, free range products and know exactly where they have come from. Consequently I was somewhat taken aback by an odd craving that took me a while to identify as being for chicken livers.
Like much offal chicken livers are relatively cheap, full of flavour and vitamins and minerals, the bad news is that they are high in cholesterol, but I reckon that we had about 50g each of liver, and our diets are cholesterol free for the majority of the time.
I slowly cooked the livers in a tomato sauce with mushrooms, balsamic vinegar adds some depth and the knob of butter makes the sauce far smoother, it does need a long cook, after half an hour the flavours suddenly gel and work together This is my submission for Ruth’s Presto Pasta Nights hosted this week by Graziana of Erbe in Cucina.
Pasta with Chicken Liver, Tomato & Mushroom Sauce (Serves 4)
2 small onions – finely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
8oz / 200g Chicken livers (please buy free range) – roughly chopped
4oz / 100g mushrooms (sliced)
1x 12oz tin plum tomatos
1 Espresso cup white wine or white vermouth
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs fresh oregano – roughly chopped
1/2 oz butter
Salt & pepper to taste
Finely chop the onions and fry in the olive oil with a pinch of salt until translucent and turning golden. Add the garlic, chicken livers (I cut them into 1 – 2 cm pieces using scissors) and mushrooms, fry for several minutes. Add all the other ingredients, stir and allow to simmer with the lid ajar for at least 40 minutes.
Serve with the pasta of your choice.
Notes: The longer this cooks the better it will be, next time I make it I am going to use passata rather than the tinned tomatos and cook it for several hours in the slow cooker.
Wow, great dish. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
I love chicken livers, but there’s no way my Honey would even try this one. Guess I’ll have to make it when he’s out of town or working late.
Hello, I read this recipe and I want to try it … I have a question ; the time to cook is not to long ? The chicken liver and the mushrooms have a short time to cook. Thank you and scuse me my english , Amalia
Hi Amalia,
It needs to cook for at least half an hour – or far longer. I made this as a quick supper, I imagine that if you let the saice simmer for hours it would change and taste quite different (and also be delicious).
Helen
Great recipe! Is it chives on the topping?
Thank you for sharing this with Presto Pasta Nights!
This looks delicious, and economical. I shall try it this week.
You’ve inspired me with this recipe. It looks delicious. I love chicken livers but have never really cooked them myself. thanks for the inspiration.
This looks delish! i don’t think a bit of liver every now and then is going to do much harm with the cholesterol, i’m sure all that vitamin A makes up for it!! just found your blog and really love it, can’t wait to read your next installment!!
I am the only one I know that likes chicken livers. My mother would make them with apple and wrapped in bacon 1-2x a year as a special treat. I haven’t had them in ions. Your pasta dish looks fabulous and now I’m craving them!
I don’t like Liver but I may have to try them again. Interestingly I heard on Radio BBC2 last night that eating foods with high cholesterol in them isn’t an issue when eating to prevent our own high cholesterol, eating foods high in saturated fats is the issue and also hydrogenated and trans fats aren’t good, all very interesting stuff.
Thanks a lot. I have had a pack of livers in my freezer for months, and, other than pate I could think of no earthly use for them. This is great.
This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing.
It’s a nice, simple recipe and looks yummy, but I think you are seriously overcooking the liver. Chicken livers should be cooked for a couple of minutes at the very most, so they are still slightly pink and melt in your mouth. Don’t you find that cooking them for as long as you do makes them rubbery? I’d seriously recommend lightly sauteeing them and tossing them into the sauce at the end. You will be astonished! :-)
Hi, I want to try this, sounds lovely, but I only have fresh sage in my fridge, will that work? Thanks, Leandra
Of course. chop it finely and do not use too much, I find sage quite powerful!