Chicken Livers; a food I have discovered not much appreciated this side of the pond, but a dish often on the menu in my home country of South Africa.
This delicacy is filled with health benefits, brimming with vitamins and minerals, rich in Vitamin B12 and iron which supports red blood cell production to prevent anemia and keep the immune system in top form. Packed with protein, a good source of selenium, Vitamin A and folate, many good reasons to enjoy this food!
‘Good for you’ said, to many this does not represent good, so at the request of my colleagues at our finals workshop I prepared two different chicken liver dishes popular in South Africa, Chicken liver Pâté and Chicken Livers ‘Peri Peri’; both where very much enjoyed, here are the recipes to inspire.
The key with chicken livers is not to overcook them, this renders them dry and grainy, also important dry the livers well before cooking, and sear in a hot pan, much like a steak, this delivers a nicely browned outside and creamy smooth centre.
Chicken livers pair well with spicy or sweet flavors, below is recipe for Chicken livers ‘Peri Peri’ This wonderfully hot spice is used in a variety of dishes such as chicken wings and chicken livers, usually with a blend of other spices to modulate the heat and add depth to the dish.
‘Piri Piri’ or ‘Peri Peri as it is more commonly known is a spice of East African oirgin, and very popularly used in Southern Africa. It is the small, extremely spicy African Bird’s Eye Chili, spellings of the word vary, ‘Pili Pili’ is the Swahili word for ‘pepper pepper’ (so good they named it twice!)
True ‘Peri Peri’ spice is not easy to track down in the USA, beware of cleverly marketed blends containing little or no of the spice, with fillers and often sugar. The closest spice to match the heat and taste is the Mexican ‘Pequin’ spice, available ground at most Mexican markets.
Print‘Peri Peri’ Spice Blend
Ingredients
6 tsp. ‘Peri Peri’ or Pequin spice
3 tsp. Spanish Paprika
2 tsp. dried Oregano
1 tsp. Tumeric
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Cardamom
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, keep in a airtight glass container.
Chicken Livers ‘Peri Peri’
Ingredients
1 Lb Chicken livers
1 medium Yellow Onion, small dice
2 cloves Garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 cup fortified wine such as Madiera, Port or Sherry
1 cup Tomato Purée
1 heaped tsp. ‘Peri Peri’ spice blend
Salt & Pepper to taste
Ghee for cooking
Parsley or Chives, diced and Sourdough Bread to serve.
Instructions
Rinse the chicken livers, and carefully separate the lobes and trim away excess fat and skin. Dry well on paper towels, the chicken livers will not brown well if they are not dry.
Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a heavy skillet over high heat, add a little ghee, quickly add the chicken livers and brown well, turning once, do not overcook. Remove to a plate, they will not be fully cooked at this stage.
Turn the heat down to medium high, add a little more ghee to the pan, add the onions and sauté until well caramelized, this process will take about 10 minutes.
About halfway through, add the garlic.
If the onions stick to the pan add little splashes of water to release, the liquid will cook off and the onions caramelize.
Add the spice, briefly sauté and deglaze the pan with the fortified wine. Allow the wine to cook down by half, add the chicken stock and tomato purée , and return the chicken livers to the pan. Turn the heat down low, cover and simmer until chicken livers are just cooked through, two or three minutes, they should still be pink in the middle (do not overcook!)
Adjust the seasoning, top with chopped parsley or chives and serve with crusty sourdough bread.
Chicken Liver Pâté
Description
This recipe is gluten and casein free, the ghee could be substituted for regular butter. The artichokes are used in place of heavy cream to add a creamy consistency, well cooked white beans or puréed cauliflower could be substituted.
Ingredients
1 Lb Chicken Livers
1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
1/2 Head Garlic, slow roasted
1 cup Ghee (aproximately)
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Fortified Wine such as Madiera, Port or Sherry
1 cup bottled Artichokes, rinsed
2 tsp. Tomato Paste
1 tsp. Peri Peri spice, or spice of choice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Rinse the chicken livers, and carefully separate the lobes and trim away excess fat and skin. Dry well on paper towels, the chicken livers will not brown well if they are not dry.
Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a heavy skillet over high heat, add a little ghee, quickly add the chicken livers and brown well, turning once, do not overcook. Remove to a plate, they will not be fully cooked at this stage.
Turn the heat down to medium high, add a little more ghee to the pan, add the onions and sauté until well caramelized, this process will take about 10 minutes. If the onions stick to the pan add little splashes of water to release, the liquid will cook off and the onions caramelize.
Add the spice, briefly sauté and deglaze the pan with the fortified wine. Allow the wine to cook down by half, add the chicken stock and tomato paste, and return the chicken livers to the pan. Turn the heat down low, cover and simmer until chicken livers are just cooked through, two or three minutes, they should still be pink in the middle (do not overcook!)
Place the chicken livers, onions and all the cooking liquid in a food processor along with the artichokes and process until smooth. Add enough ghee to give a smooth consistency, season to taste.
Spoon the pâté into a shallow dish, smooth over and top with melted ghee, to prevent oxidation. Refrigerate until set, serve with a bread and cracker basket.
Enjoy!
In Health and Wellness,
Carol
Have a great liver or offal recipe to share? My friend Lydia at Diving Health is holding a recipe contest! To view the entries click here:
http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2012/10/offal-odd-bits-challenge-recipe-link-up/
