SAUTEED CHICKEN LIVERS WITH SAGE AND WHITE WINE (for six)

 

1-1/2 pounds chicken livers

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons onion chopped very fine

1 dozen fresh sage leaves

1/3 cup dry white wine

salt

freshly ground black pepper

 

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1. Examine the livers carefully for bile-green spots and cut them away. Remove any bits of fat, wash the livers in cold water, then pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels.

2. Put the butter and onion in a skillet, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Then turn the heat up to high and add the sage leaves and chicken livers. Cook for about 2 minutes, turning the livers over frequently, until they lose their raw, red color. Transfer them to a warm plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula.

3. Add the wine to the skillet and let it simmer briskly for 20 to 30 seconds, while using a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan. Add to the pan any liquid the livers may have shed on their plate, and boil it away.

4. Return the livers briefly to the pan, turning them over rapidly once or twice. Add salt and pepper, turn them once again, then transfer them with all the pan juices to a warm platter and serve at once.

 

from Marcella Hazan, The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking