Crostini neri (or crostini Toscani) – toasted bread with chicken liver sauce

Cooking and preparation time are taking into account that the vegetable broth has been already prepared. If you want to do your own vegetable broth you will have to add at least one hour to the preparation time.

Ingredients:

• 400 gr chicken livers
• water
• vinegar
• 1 big onion (preferably white)
• extra virgin olive oil
• butter
• desalted or marinated anchovies
• desalted capers
• vegetable broth
• 1 shot glass of Vin Santo (Italian dessert wine)
• salt
• pepper
• 3/4 leaves of sage

Steps

1. Prepare the vegetable broth by boiling 1 litre water with vegetable broth powder. You can prepare your own vegetable broth by boiling 1,5 litre water in a large pot with 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped stalks celery, 1 chopped carrot, 1 medium potato cut into large chunks, some cloves garlic, some leaves of bay, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least an hour, covered with a lid
2. Soak the chicken livers in water and vinegar for 20 min
3. Slice the onion into thin layers
4. Simmer the onion with a bit of butter and oil
5. Moist the onions with thin slices
6. Add the livers and cook until soft by pouring broth when necessary
7. Add salt and pepper
8. Cut some slices of bread
9. Bake or toast it in the oven until golden brown
10. When the livers are soft (after around 15 minutes), season with the sage leaves
11. Transfer everything in a blender with cold butter flakes, anchovies and capers
12. Add the vin santo
13. Blend everything
14. Serve hot with toasted bread.

I hope you will enjoy one of my favourite traditional Tuscan dish!