CHICKEN LIVER PATE ON TOAST
Serves 8-10
Almost every Tuscan cook has their own variation for crostini ai fegatini- depending on the quantities used the fresh rosemary and Vin Santo add depth of flavor to the dish. Slightly stale Tuscan bread is used as the base for the pâté. The pâté itself can be made well ahead of time, frozen or refrigerated and then brought to room temperature thus allowing the crostini to be assembled with ease at the last moment, or the crostini can be served warm. They are a great starter for a dinner party, or as part of a celebration buffet.
A good Chianti makes an excellent accompaniment, but the crostini are equally enjoyable with a Campari and soda or a Gin and tonic.
INGREDIENTS
300 g/10½ oz chicken livers
1 small red onion
2 Tablespoons of best quality olive oil, preferably Tuscan & from that year's cold pressing
sprig of rosemary
¼ cup of Vin Santo (industrial quality)
fine sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper
25 g salted capers (a scant 1 oz)
slices of Tuscan bread
a further ¼ cup of Vin Santo (industrial quality)
INSTRUCTIONS
Trim the chicken livers removing all traces of the gall bladder. Rinse under the tap and leave to drain.
Peel the onion, and finely slice.
Put the oil in a pan; add the onion and fry (gently) for about 5 - 7 minutes or until translucent, stirring as required.
Add the chicken livers and the leaves from spring of rosemary.
Gently brown the livers on both sides, and then add the Vin Santo, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the livers are tender, turning the livers from time to time.
Rinse the capers well, drain and dry on kitchen paper. Add to the livers and cook for a few more minutes.
At this stage there should be about 2 tablespoons of liquid left.
Take the pan off the heat, cool slightly and then pass the contents of the pan through a Mouli legumes/Food Mill into a bowl.
If assembling the crostini later in the day, refrigerate the pâté and bring to room temperature an hour or so before use. Alternatively, if preparing in advance for a buffet party, place in a plastic container, seal, label, date and place in the freezer. Bring to room temperature about four or five hours before use.
When ready to spread the "paté" on the bread, warm it up in a small casserole, adding further the ¼ cup of Vin Santo and mixing well to make a smooth paste.
If serving warm proceed directly to lightly toasting slices of Tuscan bread (don't remove the crusts). Cut the toasted slices into quarters, spread a generous portion of "paté" on each slice and place on a large serving dish.
COMMENTS
Vin Santo can be readily found in Italian delicatessens, though the quality varies enormously. We prefer to use an industrial/commercial version which tends to be stronger than a Vin Santo sipped as a digestif.
The use of capers stored in salt is just about "de rigueur" for this recipe. Capers stored in vinegar have little to recommend them, not least because of their brassy taste and the fact significantly more are needed to make the dish. Additionally the capers are stored in salt - before using them the salt MUST be rinsed off. The capers do not absorb the salt they are stored in!
It is essential to use the Mouli legumes/Food Mill; the food processor will NOT produce the required consistency, nor will it 'filter out' those parts of the ingredients required for their taste, not their texture.
Tuscan bread is difficult to source outside Italy, but occasionally can be found in Italian delis. Alternatively try our recipe for Pane Toscano. On a number of occasions we have experimented and used an Italian-type bread with a dense interior and a hard crust: one bread in particular substituted quite well, which was encouraging. If you can find Tuscan bread do try it; it has no salt nor any type of fat in it.
So we would be moving on to the next meal which is,
PASTA WHORE'S STYLE
PASTA ALLA PUTANESSCA
INTRODUCTION
This is another traditional pasta dish where the ingredients can readily be found in the store cupboard and the refrigerator. The name originated, in circular style, from the 1950’s when brothels in Italy were not just legal, but state owned; their employees, in essence, were ‘civil servants’. While it was then a common sight to see Italian housewives shopping daily in food markets the aforementioned ‘civil servants’ only had the opportunity one day a week to make their weekly shop; their cooking style demanded ingredients which would sit happily in the store cupboard. Hence the name of this particular sauce which has the merits of being quickly assembled and being full of flavor. It is best served as a one-dish meal.
Wine to accompany this dish should be young and red.
Before starting consider reading Cooking Pasta.
INGREDIENTS
40 g/1½ oz salted capers
130 g/ 4½ oz Kalamata or other black olives (un-pitted)
2 large cloves of garlic
3 – 4 Tablespoons of best quality Olive Oil
3 small tinned anchovies, stored in oil
2 cups of home made passato
8 - 12 large fresh basil leaves
freshly ground pepper, a few twists
300g - 450g/ 10½ – 16 oz of hard spaghetti (e.g. Barilla No. 5)
water for cooking the pasta
a handful of coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons of best quality Olive Oil
INSTRUCTIONS
40 g/1½ oz salted capers
130 g/ 4½ oz Kalamata or other black olives (un-pitted)
2 large cloves of garlic
3 – 4 Tablespoons of best quality Olive Oil
3 small tinned anchovies, stored in oil
2 cups of home made passato
8 - 12 large fresh basil leaves
freshly ground pepper, a few twists
300g - 450g/ 10½ – 16 oz of hard spaghetti (e.g. Barilla No. 5)
water for cooking the pasta
a handful of coarse sea salt
2 teaspoons of best quality Olive Oil
INSTRUCTIONS
A little while before commencing the recipe wash the salted capers and leave them to drain.
When ready to cook, bring a large stock pot of salted water to a vigorous boil.
Weigh out the dried pasta and put to one side.
While the salted water for the pasta is coming to the boil, pit the black olives and coarsely slice.
Remove the husks from the garlic and coarsely slice. Discard the husks.
Dry the drained capers. Using a mezzaluna very finely chop the dried capers, the black olives and the garlic and put to one- side. This is the battuto/mire-pois.
When the water has reached a vigorous boil, add the pasta and stir several times. When the water again reaches a vigorous boil, start the timer and cook for 8 minutes (or as per manufacturer’s recommendation). Stir the pasta well on a few occasions whilst it cooks.
Immediately after you start the timer for the pasta, start making the sauce.
Heat the oil (best quality) in a heavy based pan over a low to medium heat. Add the drained anchovies, stirring gently until they 'dissolve' in the oil. Add the battuto/mire-pois. Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes.
When the battuto/mire-pois has taken a little color, spoon off any excess oil, add the home made passato and stir well.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring from time to time to incorporate the passato.
Put one basil leaf aside. Remove the mid-veins of the remaining basil with a small sharp knife, tear up the leaves and add to the sauce. Stir well. Add a few twists of freshly ground pepper.
Cook for about a further 2 - 3 minutes or until the sauce has amalgamated. Taste for seasoning.
Check that the pasta is 'al dente' - if so drain into a large colander. Vigorously shake the pasta in the colander to remove all the water, and empty into a large serving dish.
Dribble in about two teaspoons of oil and toss very well.
Add all but circa 2 tablespoons of the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Add the remaining sauce as a pool of sauce in the center of the pasta and decorate with a fresh basil leaf. Serve immediately.
COMMENTS
It is imperative plump, un-pitted, high quality black olives are used in this recipe – pitted olives when stored loose much of their taste. Vacuum-packed ‘Greek-style’ olives are not appropriate for this dish.
Capers packed in salt are preferable to those stored in vinegar; those stored in vinegar give a 'brassy' edge to the sauce. You should find capers stored in salt in your local Italian delicatessen. Remember to wash the capers for up to 10 minutes before starting to cook.
The basil takes the sharp 'edge' off the sauce. Refrain, if possible, from washing the basil – it becomes limp after washing.
As ever use the best quality olive oil that you can find. Remember to spoon off any excess oil after the battuto/mire-pois has ‘taken colour’ and before the passato is added. It is important that the garlic itself cooks to a golden stage, but does not turn brown or burn – this is best done with a little more oil than the sauce itself can support, hence the need to spoon off any excess oil prior to the addition of the passato.
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