After yesterday's curry lunch onslaught, we went for lighter fare for dinner. A good plate of chicken liver pate and some nice Chianti were the way to go last night. It's super simple to make and tastes great. As always, use good wine to cook with. If you are going to drink an Italian red (such as the recommended Chianti) along with this, you should spare 1/2 cup of it with which to cook. Your mouth will thank you for it.
We stayed in a B&B outside of Florence a few summers ago and got to cook a full-scale dinner under the instruction of the owner. It was delicious and this is the recipe:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons anchovy paste or 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
8 ounces chicken livers, rinsed and patted dry
½ cup dry red wine, such as Chianti
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 1-inch-thick slices Italian peasant bread
In a 10-12" saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat until smoking. Add the onion, capers, and anchovy paste (or anchovies) and cook the onion is until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the chicken livers and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the chicken livers to a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times, until chopped to chunky puree. Transfer to a bowl.
Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Toast the bread, turning once, until golden brown. Spread the liver mixture over the toasts and serve immediately.
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