by Lisa

This dish is an all-time crowd pleaser and a family favorite. I’ve been making it since before we were married, and both Ella and Finn ate it well before they were a year old.  I’ve converted my entire family, my husband’s family, and all of our closest friends. We’ve met very few kids who won’t eat it, and there have been several holidays where a good helping of fegatini constituted most of the kids dinner.    It’s easy, it’s healthy, it’s protein rich, and it’s one of the most delicious things you can serve, especially alongside a glass of prosecco.

To give you an example of just how good this is, and of the lasting impression it can make in your gastronomic memory, when I made the first batch of this year back in November, Ella smelled the early stages of cooking and shouted in from the other room, “You’re making fegatini!”  and she and her brother clamored around the stove until it was ready. In fact, the dish is simmering right now as I type, and Finn just walked in the door and said, “Mmm, It smells good in here!”

Don’t let the ingredients put you off.  Unless you’re a vegetarian, you’ll love this. No matter what.

I start making fegatini on Thanksgiving, and then we have it pretty steadily through the cold months.  It  keeps for several days in the refrigerator, freezes really well (you can double the recipe and save half for later), and it’s is just as good for a lazy Sunday dinner or a quick lunch or an easy weeknight appetizer as it is for a family celebration.  If you have fegatini in your refrigerator, and a decent bottle of Italian bubbly, you will really want for nothing.

I found the recipe originally in Bon Appetite, and there are many variations, but none I’ve found as good as this one.

Fegatini

  • 1 lb organic chicken livers
  • 3-4 anchovies
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup white whine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • olive oil
  • chopped sage, 1/2 tablespoon, to taste
  • zest of one lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a large saucepan, sautee onion, garlic, and anchovies in olive oil on medium heat until anchovies are dissolved and onion is soft.
  2. Add chicken livers and cook until nicely browned on all sides but not cooked through.
  3. Add white wine and simmer until nearly evaporated.
  4. Add chicken broth and cook until livers cooked through, breaking up livers with a fork, and most of the liquid is evaporated. There should be some liquid left in the pan.
  5. Let cool slightly and process until smooth in a food processor with the sage and lemon zest. Add more sage or zest to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I rarely add salt and never pepper, but you might like to.)

Serve at room temperature on toasted slices of Italian bread.

Buon Natale!