|
Pan-fried Chicken Livers with Caramelized Onions,
Country Ham
and Madeira Sauce
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
olive oil
2 cups of raw yellow onion (1 large), cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cups chicken livers or 1 pound (select nice looking firm livers, which have
deep dark color)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces of very thinly sliced country ham
Preparation:
Onions:
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a heavy bottom frying pan over high heat
until the oil is smoking. Lay the onion slices in the hot oil. You want to
keep the slices intact and not loosen them into rings until after the
initial searing. Leave them there for 1 or 2 minutes without turning to
start the caramelization process. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the
onions caramelize and turn golden brown. At this point, the slices may break
out into rings. Watch the heat and reduce it slightly if it appears that the
onions are beginning to burn. An additional teaspoon of the oil can be added if the pan
becomes too dry and the bottom begins to scorch. When the onions have
browned, remove them from the heat until ready to serve.
Livers and Ham:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Trim any fat or sinew from the chicken livers. Rinse under cold water, and
then leave them in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to remove any residual
blood. Remove the livers from the water and place them on absorbent paper
towels to drain. Any excess water will splatter when the livers are placed
in hot oil.
Combine flour, salt and pepper, mixing well. Dust the livers with the flour,
making certain to cover them completely so that there are no wet spots
showing. Shake off excess flour so that it does not burn in the pan.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom frying pan over medium-high heat.
Gently place the livers in the hot oil. They will spit and splatter in the
oil. Cover with a lid or splatter guard. Sauté them on one side for 1-2
minutes until golden. Uncover the pan, flip the livers over and shake the
pan. If all of the oil has been absorbed, add a little more one teaspoon at
a time.
Put livers in 350 degree oven for 3-4 minutes or until they are firm and
their centers are cooked through. While the livers are cooking, sauté the
ham in a heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat until the ham edges are
curled up. Add the caramelized onions to the frying pan to reheat while the
livers are cooking.
When ready to serve, remove the livers from the oven. Place the livers and
ham on a plate. Mound the onions in the center. Spoon Madeira Sauce (recipe
follows) around the ham, liver and onions. Serve immediately.
Note: The caramelized onions can be cooked ahead. However, the livers and
ham are best when cooked right before serving
MADEIRA SAUCE
Makes 1 pint
Ingredients:
Veal Stock:
5 pounds of veal bones, in small pieces
olive oil
6 ounces of tomato paste
Roughly chop:
1 large yellow onion
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
white portion of one leek, no leaves
12 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
6 cracked black peppercorns
8 springs of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
10 parsley stems
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Madeira Sauce:
1 1/2 quarts of veal stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, roughly chopped
2 cups roughly chopped tomatoes, juice, seeds and all
1/4 cup chopped parsley stems
1 cup red wine of drinking quality
1 cup Madeira wine
salt and white pepper to taste
Preparation:
Veal Stock:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Rub the veal bones with a little olive oil. Place the bones on a large
baking sheet with raised sides and put on the top shelf of the 500 degree
oven. Roast the bones for 30-35 minutes or until a nice dark golden color is
obtained. Remove the pan from the oven. Reduce the heat to 450 degrees.
Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, smear the bones with tomato paste.
Add the chopped vegetables to the bones and return the pan to the oven.
Continue to roast for another 30 minutes.
Remove the bones and vegetables from the oven. Put them all into a large
stockpot. Take a little of the water and deglaze the baking sheet, scraping
the bottom to get all the little bits of browned drippings and vegetables.
Add the rest of the water, the chicken broth, bay leaves, peppercorns,
thyme, parsley stems and garlic to the stockpot. If the water does not
completely cover the bones, add enough to cover.
Slowly bring the stock to a boil, and then reduce it to a simmer. It is
important to reduce the heat as soon as a stock reaches a heavy boil.
Boiling continually will cause it to turn cloudy. Skim off the fat. Simmer
the stock for 4 1/2 to 5 hours. It should have a good flavor and color.
Strain, pressing all of the juices out of the vegetables. Let it cool and
refrigerate until ready to serve.
When stock is chilled, it is easy to remove the fat from it. The fat will
rise to the top and you can lift it off with a spoon. You should have a
product of 1-1/2 quarts of degreased veal stock.
Madeira Sauce Reduction:
Place the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onions, garlic,
tomatoes, parsley stems and sauté for one minute. Add the red wine and
Madeira and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently
until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds.
Add the reduced veal stock to the rest of the ingredients, and continue to
reduce by simmering. You will get a nice, dark color and intensified flavor
as the liquid reduces. Reduce the liquid by one third (approximately 2
1/2cups). Strain the mixture, pressing all of the juices out of the
vegetables, then strain again through a fine sieve. Return the sauce to the
stove and reduce the volume by another third, skimming off any foam that may
come to the top. At this point, you may strain once more through cheesecloth
or a very fine sieve. Or you may serve the sauce as is.
Season with salt and white pepper to taste and a splash of Madeira if
desired.
Note: It is important NOT to add any salt during the cooking process
because salt would concentrate as the liquids are reduced and an over salted
sauce will result.
|
