January 2024
Crostini fegatini di pollo (chicken liver crostini)
Restaurateur, writer and broadcaster Russell Norman, who opened popular London trattoria Brutto in 2021, selects recipes from his latest book,
Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook, which celebrates rustic Italian cuisine, including this starter to savour
Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook, which celebrates rustic Italian cuisine, including this starter to savour
Jenny Zarins
In Tuscany, crostini means this dish. It is sometimes referred to as crostini neri (black toasts) and there are as many recipes as there are households and restaurants in Florence. Sometimes it is chunky and coarse. Sometimes it is wet and smooth. Often it is like pâté. Occasionally, it is almost a liquid. At Brutto, we use chicken fat to sauté the shallots, but I’m aware this isn’t always convenient or available in a domestic kitchen, so I have substituted goose fat. You can also use olive oil; the flavour that comes from the chicken livers and marsala is quite convincing whichever frying medium you use.
This recipe is an extract from Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook (Ebury Press, £32).
