Crostini neri – chicken liver crostini

  • Antipasto
  • 10
  • 45 minutes
Not yet rated

This crostini neri recipe is just the thing to kick off a Tuscan feast. Delicate chicken livers are complemented by the anchovy paste, capers and a selection of herbs for a wonderful antipasti dish.

First published in 2017

This is the simple way my grandma and my mum make the crostini neri, literally the black crostini, a name given after the brownish colour of the chicken liver spread.

Serve on slices of toasted Tuscan bread. You can soak the bread in chicken broth, add a good spreading of butter, or keep it plain, if preferred.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Crostini neri – chicken liver crostini

  • 400g of chicken livers
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 celery stick, chopped
  • 1 sprig of sage, leaves picked and chopped
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50g of butter
  • 3 tbsp of capers, brined
  • anchovy paste
  • salt

To serve

  • 1 handful of capers

Equipment

  • Stick blender

Method

1
To begin, rinse the chicken livers under running water and put them in a saucepan with the olive oil and the onion, carrot, celery, sage, rosemary and bay leaf
2
Season with salt, but be sparing as you will add salty anchovy paste at the end too
3
Cook for about 30 minutes on a medium-low flame, stirring frequently and adding some water if the mixture becomes too dry. When the chicken livers are cooked through, remove the bay leaf and add the capers and the butter. Blend all the ingredients together with a stick blender until smooth
4
At the very end, gradually add some anchovy paste, stirring and tasting every time until you are happy with the flavour
5
Crostini neri can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge: just reheat it over a low flame beforehand. Garnish with a sprinkling of capers and serve with freshly toasted bread

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Giulia is a Tuscan food blogger who has turned her passion into a job and is now a freelance food writer, developing recipes for magazines and food companies.

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