Chicken livers with pomegranate molasses
I suppose you could say I stole this recipe. But that’s okay because the person I stole it from also pinched it from somewhere. Apparently it’s a dish in Yalla Yalla - a small restaurant in Soho that Hazel and I went to once, a long time ago. I don’t remember eating livers there - but I don’t really remember anything about the meal other than it was nice. I vaguely remember us vowing to return but I never did.
I suppose I should say something about how this weird (by British standards - does anyone eat liver these days?) liver eating is a result of a conscious decision to incorporate more offal in our diet because it is so nutrient dense. But ignore that bit - basically, the main reason to make it is because it is so tasty. Pomegranate molasses are sweet and sharp - I was worried it might be too sweet for my palate but once you add the fresh seeds, it just tastes perfectly savoury.
It took very little time to cook - maybe 20 minutes all in, depending on your chopping skills. I did change a few things - more shallots and I added walnuts. Somehow, pomegranate molasses and walnuts seemed like a good combination - I have a faint memory of a Persian chicken dish that combines the two, so perhaps that’s next on the list of things to try - and I was right.
A note on chicken liver cooking - all the recipes say to cook until it’s pink. We checked the advice about the risk of undercooked liver and concluded that barely pink is about right. If you have a thermometer, best to check with that - it should be the same temperature as cooked chicken, around 75 degrees C.
CHICKEN LIVERS WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES
Olive oil for frying
1 lb chicken livers (organic, Waitrose, in a packet)
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
A handful of pomegranate seeds
Chopped parsley - include the stalks as you can add them when you’re frying the shallots, as long as you chop them finely
A handful of walnuts
Heat oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken livers on all sides on high heat. If your pan is big enough, you can do it all at once but if not, do them in batches so they don’t just stew in an overcrowded pan.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down and add the shallots and parsley stalks, if using them. Fry for around ten minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, fry for another minute or two, and then return the livers to the pan (with all the juices) and add the pomegranate molasses. Fry for another ten minutes, or until the livers are cooked through. If it looks too dry, add some hot water or stock.
When the livers are cooked, add the rest of the parsley and sprinkle in the pomegranate seeds and walnuts.
We ate ours as a Saturday brunch, with some purple sprouting broccoli and a big green salad.
I suppose I should say something about how this weird (by British standards - does anyone eat liver these days?) liver eating is a result of a conscious decision to incorporate more offal in our diet because it is so nutrient dense. But ignore that bit - basically, the main reason to make it is because it is so tasty. Pomegranate molasses are sweet and sharp - I was worried it might be too sweet for my palate but once you add the fresh seeds, it just tastes perfectly savoury.
It took very little time to cook - maybe 20 minutes all in, depending on your chopping skills. I did change a few things - more shallots and I added walnuts. Somehow, pomegranate molasses and walnuts seemed like a good combination - I have a faint memory of a Persian chicken dish that combines the two, so perhaps that’s next on the list of things to try - and I was right.
A note on chicken liver cooking - all the recipes say to cook until it’s pink. We checked the advice about the risk of undercooked liver and concluded that barely pink is about right. If you have a thermometer, best to check with that - it should be the same temperature as cooked chicken, around 75 degrees C.
CHICKEN LIVERS WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES
Olive oil for frying
1 lb chicken livers (organic, Waitrose, in a packet)
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
A handful of pomegranate seeds
Chopped parsley - include the stalks as you can add them when you’re frying the shallots, as long as you chop them finely
A handful of walnuts
Heat oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken livers on all sides on high heat. If your pan is big enough, you can do it all at once but if not, do them in batches so they don’t just stew in an overcrowded pan.
Remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down and add the shallots and parsley stalks, if using them. Fry for around ten minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, fry for another minute or two, and then return the livers to the pan (with all the juices) and add the pomegranate molasses. Fry for another ten minutes, or until the livers are cooked through. If it looks too dry, add some hot water or stock.
When the livers are cooked, add the rest of the parsley and sprinkle in the pomegranate seeds and walnuts.
We ate ours as a Saturday brunch, with some purple sprouting broccoli and a big green salad.
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