Roman-Style Chopped Chicken Liver Crostini

Vitaly Paley transforms a Jewish staple into a rich Italian pâté by flavoring chopped chicken livers with briny capers, salty anchovies and the sweet Tuscan wine vin santo. More Bruschetta and Crostini Recipes

Total Time:
30 mins
Yield:
8
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Ingredients

  • 1 large baguette, sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

  • 1/2 pound chicken livers, trimmed

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 4 large sage leaves, chopped

  • 2 medium shallots, very finely chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 anchovy fillets, chopped

  • 1/3 cup vin santo or dry Marsala

  • 2 tablespoons drained capers, 1 tablespoon chopped

  • 1 hard-cooked egg, coarsely grated

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and arrange them on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake the crostini for 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Let cool.

  2. In a large skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken livers, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, 1 minute. Turn the livers. Add the sage, shallots, garlic and anchovies and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, 3 minutes. Add the vin santo and the 1 tablespoon of whole capers and cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

  3. Transfer the liver mixture to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Scrape the chopped liver into a crock or serving bowl. Fold in the egg and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chopped capers on top and serve at room temperature with the crostini.

Make Ahead

The chopped liver can be tightly covered with plastic wrap pressed to the surface and refrigerated overnight. Let return to room temperature before serving. The crostini can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Originally appeared: February 2006

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