Chicken liver-- made Italian

It was just a day...but felt like an ages since I have written. A seminar was the mad culprit. Anyway, that is in the past tense now and feels good to be back to known territory :) Question is, what am I to write about ? Well, I have a few recipes to share..just wondering about my mood, so that I can do justice to that recipe of which I will write today. And by justice I mean make it sound and look as good as it is!

Each one is :)

Okay..guess it shall have to be a quickie.

Ever tried livers? Chicken, beef, lamb? In some cuisines, I feel, they occupy a very important place. Especially cultures and cuisines borne out of shepherd communities. Apparently, shepherds were reluctant to discard any part of the animal that serves as food. And hence came up with interesting recipes to make livers. A few good examples would be Turkey, Israeli, Ethiopian (as a matter of fact all north African nations), Pakistani and Indian cuisine as well. However, I have to admit that I am not a very big fan of liver cooked in any of these cuisines. All of these look very rich and overly spicy. Something I am not terribly a fan of. Except maybe plain oven fries. Which, as we all know, are definitely not a delicacy particular to any region of the world.

However, having said that I must also admit that I adore livers and I have been making quite a lot livers-- mostly chicken livers-- my way. And that way, interestingly is very Italian in its flavor. Lots of herbs going around. A hint of mustard..maybe coconut. All of this adding to the very strong flavor of livers, make for a very interesting side dish. And to think this recipe and its minor variations are really my own creation, makes me very happy to present it to you

Its also a very cheap source of protein and Iron.

So lets get into the guts of this dish and see how it turns out.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken liver. You can also use lamb or beef livers

3-4 cloves of garlic. Minced. You can vary the amount of garlic to your liking

1 medium size onion. Chopped

1 big tbsf Paprika

half a tsp of grated ginger

1 big spring of fresh rosemary. You can substitute with half a tsp of dried rosemary too.

2 tsp of lime juice

4 cups of water

2 tsp of good quality olive oil

Two big handful of bread crumbs with Italian seasoning.

Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning

Parley for garnishing

Its really easy to do

Clean the chicken livers (they look a little intimidating with red color, but don't worry, its just how livers look! Nothing gross or dirty :)). Place the livers along with the rosemary and grated ginger in a pot. Add the water to it and bring it to a boil over high heat. Boil fora good 15 minutes.  Once done ( the livers will look firmer and will have lost their deep red color), drain off the  water and scoop up the livers. Let them cool for 5 minutes and then chop each into small pieces.

In a skillet, heat the oil. Lower heat and add the onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes till they just start to brown up. A quick tip: If you want to brown up onion in less oil, lower the heat and saute the onions. Do not move about as much so as to let the color develop. Add the minced garlic and chopped up liver and saute for a good 4-5 minutes. Add the paprika. When they look mixed up enough, add the lime juice and bread crumb.  Give a mib stir to miz everything. Wait a beat. Mildly season with salt and pepper. Remember that bread crumbs already have a lot of seasoning in it. And take it off the stove.

Garnish with parsley. And serve warm with Pita bread.

A very good and healthy side dish to go with your wine. And left overs..always go as fillers into sammies for me :)

Happy eating and healthy living