Pan-Seared Chicken Livers With Risotto Sartù
This recipe comes via Executive Chef Michele Baldacci of acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant Locanda Vini e Olii.
At Locanda Vini e Olii, we cannot stress enough the importance of quality ingredients. Tuscan cuisine is so simple, usually only consisting of 4-5 ingredients. It's about cooking things simply and properly, and letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Use good olive oil, good salt, good produce and good meat. The rest is easy.
A sartù is a traditional Neapolitan dish in which all of the leftover ingredients (livers, heart, etc.) are baked inside of a risotto dish that somewhat resembles a volcano. This dish is a play on that traditional recipe, but separates the livers from the rice, searing them on high heat and then serving them on top of a risotto terrine.
- 8 chicken livers
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 leaves sage
- 1 cup vinsanto (or sweet white dessert wine)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch fresh pepper
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces taleggio cheese
- 2 cups chicken stock
- In a cast iron pan, heat the oil on low, add garlic cloves and remove them when they become a light brown color.
- Turn the heat up to high, and before the oil hits the smoke point, add the livers and sear them for about 30 seconds. Flip them over, add salt and sage, and sear the other side for another 30 seconds. Add the Vinsanto and reduce until the liquid has a nice glazed texture.
- In a small pot, heat the oil on low, add rice, stir for a minute then add the stock, little by little. The rice should always be just barely covered with liquid.
- Cook at low heat until rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
- When rice is done, add the taleggio and mix well.
- Coat the inside of a small aluminum mold (think cupcake tin) with extra virgin olive oil and scoop in risotto with a spoon. Fill to the top and press down using the back side of the spoon to make sure the risotto is completely filling the mold.
- Invert onto a plate, remove tin, and you should have a nice little risotto terrine.
- Serve the livers around the risotto and drizzle a bit of the sauce on top.
- Grind some fresh black peppercorns and eat immediately.
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