Chicken Liver Sauce? Yuck! Don’t think I’ll like this.
Now, I actually like liver, but calf’s liver is more my style. I know there are at least a couple of excellent calf’s liver recipes on tap in a few months. Unfortunately, I miss out on both of them. No, my problem isn’t with the liver.
I have a bit of an issue with the “chicken” part – have never tried chicken liver, but OK, I’ll give it a go. I managed to get a package of frozen chicken livers at my local supermarket. I actually had to ask for assistance – didn’t know what they looked like. Hey, they’re just like calf’s livers, only smaller. OK, I’m feeling a bit better.
My main problem is with the “sauce” bit. I scanned through the directions to see if “purée” was mentioned …. Whew, no mention of using a food processor or a blender on any setting. OK, things are looking up.
Actually this recipe isn’t so much prepared from start to finish as it is assembled from two other separate recipes – Risotto with Parmesan Cheese and Chicken Liver Sauce – already prepared by two of my fellow conspirators, with the slightest of modifications. The only novelty with this recipe is the use of a 6-cup ring mold, of which I was fortunate to have one on hand.

I first prepared the chicken liver sauce, which included some ground beef and pancetta as well as the liver along with small quantities of shallots, garlic, tomato paste dissolved in 1/4 cup of dry white vermouth and 5 whole sage leaves from my herb garden. Hey, looks fine.
Part-way through the sauce preparation, I started the risotto using Arborio rice. The cooking process is very labour-intensive, with plenty of time to think dark thoughts as I stirred the beef broth into the rice. If I didn’t get the risotto right, the whole recipe might be a flop. What would happen if the risotto was undercooked? Would it hold its’ shape in the mold? So I made sure the risotto, which included some grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, was well-cooked before spooning it into the mold. Below is the final result, sitting on my Evesham platter.

What I liked about this recipe:
1. This was actually pretty easy to prepare – didn’t take a long time, considering it involved combining two separate recipes. This was my second time preparing a risotto. I knew what to expect, which made my preparation more efficient than the first time.
2. I got to use some sage from my herb garden
3. The final result was excellent!
What I didn’t like about this recipe:
Once I got over some unfounded reservations caused by the title, all was OK. No problems. Maybe “Mixed Meat Sauce” would work better in the title, at least for me.
Would I make it again?
Yes. I liked it a lot, but I realize that some people don’t care for liver, so I’ll pick my spots carefully.