Tuscan Liver Pâté
I've had this recipe for years, but I'm not sure where I got it, because I wrote it down on a small index card. For those unaware, Tuscany is a region of Italy; more specifically, a region of northwestern Italy, with the its capital being the city of Florence (Italian: Firenze). The famous wine "Chianti" is from this region.
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken livers
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste (mixed with a little warm water to thin slightly)
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper (very little salt, as the capers and anchovies will add salt)
Melt the butter and add the olive oil to a skillet. Add the chopped onion and sauté lightly on low heat. After about a minute or so, add the garlic. Sauté until both just begin to soften, but do not brown, especially the garlic, as it can get very bitter tasting. Add the anchovy and stir, as it will begin to dissolve into the mixture. Add the chicken livers and stir well. Continue to stir occasionally to make sure the mixture does not stick and to be certain the livers are all cooking through. Add the rosemary and the tomato paste, which should be just barely thinned with a little warm water. Stir well to mix. Add the capers, salt and pepper and mix once more. You can let the mixture cool, before putting it into a food processor and pulsing until smooth. It can be served warm or refrigerated. Great with some toasted or grilled Italian breads.
WORD HISTORY:
Caper-English has other forms of this word, but in this case, this is the noun and name of the plant and its edible flower bud, of dull green color, which is typically pickled in a salt brine. The ultimate origins of this word are unknown, but Greek had "kapparis," which was borrowed by Latin as "capparis." This gave French "câpres," and this, plus apparent reinforcement by the Latin word, was borrowed by English in the late 1300s as "capers." The ending "s" was later dropped for the singular, as is was mistaken as being the plural form.
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken livers
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste (mixed with a little warm water to thin slightly)
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper (very little salt, as the capers and anchovies will add salt)
Melt the butter and add the olive oil to a skillet. Add the chopped onion and sauté lightly on low heat. After about a minute or so, add the garlic. Sauté until both just begin to soften, but do not brown, especially the garlic, as it can get very bitter tasting. Add the anchovy and stir, as it will begin to dissolve into the mixture. Add the chicken livers and stir well. Continue to stir occasionally to make sure the mixture does not stick and to be certain the livers are all cooking through. Add the rosemary and the tomato paste, which should be just barely thinned with a little warm water. Stir well to mix. Add the capers, salt and pepper and mix once more. You can let the mixture cool, before putting it into a food processor and pulsing until smooth. It can be served warm or refrigerated. Great with some toasted or grilled Italian breads.
WORD HISTORY:
Caper-English has other forms of this word, but in this case, this is the noun and name of the plant and its edible flower bud, of dull green color, which is typically pickled in a salt brine. The ultimate origins of this word are unknown, but Greek had "kapparis," which was borrowed by Latin as "capparis." This gave French "câpres," and this, plus apparent reinforcement by the Latin word, was borrowed by English in the late 1300s as "capers." The ending "s" was later dropped for the singular, as is was mistaken as being the plural form.
Labels: English, etymology, French, Greek, Italian recipes, Latin, liver, pâté, recipes, Tuscany
posted by Randy at 11:38 AM
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