I awoke today with memories of making pate with my father. A Sunday lunchtime sometime in December. Me watching as he plucked little thyme leaves from their woody stem before gently sauteing shallots and garlic in butter. On the counter a brown paper bag of slippery chestnut coloured chicken livers and a bottle of brandy.
I learned a lot from my father when it came to food. We would travel on blustery mornings to Lancashire fish markets where we would pick up nets of barnacled mussels and spend afternoons cooking French classics like Beef Bourgignon in his cottage kitchen. It was an education and he took time to teach me recipes passed down to him such as my great aunt's chocolate mousse scribbled down on a old piece of paper, kept safe between the pages of heavy medical journals and that wonderful chicken liver pate.
Chicken livers always put me in mind of the run up to Christmas. Making homemade hampers of goodies, filling up kiln jars of creamy pate tied up with festive garland to share space with gingerbread syrups and spiced sausage rolls. But the simple chicken liver's application is not solely limited to the humble pate. Like fois gras on a budget, when prepared right they are rosy and pink, creamy and delicate. They lend themselves wonderfully to the richness of sage, brown butter, bacon fat as well as the nutty molasses of dry sicilian Marsala or the acidity of a good dry white wine.
Linguine with Chicken Livers
This dish probably stands out as one of my favourite pasta dishes and pasta cookery aside its a dish that comes together in one pan.
Start by preparing the livers. Trim off all sinews and remove the hearts if attached. Rinse the livers in cold water and chop half into a rough dice and keep the other half whole. Season with salt and olive oil.
Next dice some good quality cured pancetta or better still guanciale and add it to a frying pan on medium to high heat. It is important to render the fat down as it will represent the base of the sauce. Once the fat is rendered add chopped shallot and lower the heat. Saute the shallots in the bacon fat taking care not to burn before adding garlic, chopped sage and finely sliced mushrooms together with a generous knob of butter. Deglaze the pan with a good glug of Marsala or dry vermouth and once the mushrooms are coloured take them out, reserving them for later.
Increase the heat and add the livers, taking time to caramelise on each side. Add more butter and and baste the livers allowing the butter to brown slightly. Once cooked add the mushroom and bacon mixture back to the pan.
In a separate pan cook the pasta for around two minutes less than the instructions specify, making sure it is al dente.
Remove the pasta and add it to the livers, mushroom and bacon, stirring well to coat. Finish the pasta with fresh grated Parmesan, a drop of cream and cracked black pepper as well as more chopped fresh sage.
