The following recipe comes courtesy of Gail Costa, my brother's love and my dear friend. Thanx to Gail, I've a renewed enjoyment of a nostalgic childhood treat. Some people remember apple pie, and I remember chicken livers. Go figure. But when I was growing up, my dad and I would have fried chicken livers as an occasional treat. It was one of the special things that he and I liked entirely on our own. My mom, bless her heart, would prepare them for us, although she felt a complete revulsion in the task. She would boast that the livers were completely untouched by human hands. Mom' technique was to simply dredge the livers in flour and fry, using very long tongs - easy and delicious. When I tried to reproduce her method years later I completely botched them. Ugh - the worst! I never approached them again, and vegetarianism soon followed.
Here is Gail's technique. Begin by drying the chicken livers. This is an absolutely essential to the browning of the livers. Spread the livers out on a a thick layer of paper towels. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the livers while they dry. Before frying the livers, pat them dry on top with more paper toweling. While the livers dry, saute finely chopped scallion or onion in butter. When the scallions are cooked through, remove them from the pan. Next, you will dredge the livers in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Saute the livers in the same pan that you cooked the scallions in with a bit more butter. Do not overcook, they are best if they are a bit rare at this stage. Return the scallions to the pan, add small amount of white wine, and simmer until liquid has completely reduced. Add more seasoning to taste. Finish with a generous sprinkling of fresh squeezed lemon juice. That's it!
Look out for more chicken liver recipes!
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