Crostini di fegato (Chicken liver crostini)

• Preparation time: 20 minutes.
• Cooking time: 20 minutes.
• One carrot.
• One onion.
• One stick of celery.
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.
• 300g chicken livers.
• White wine or stock.
• One dessert spoon capers.
• 4 anchovy fillets.
• Freshly chopped sage.
• 50g butter.
• Salt.
• 500g unsalted bread.

Cut the onion into rings and fry in the oil the chopped carrot and celery. Clean and wash the chicken livers, chop them roughly, add to the fried ingredients and brown well. If they dry out too much, moisten with a little stock or white wine, but allow it to evaporate well. Cook for twenty minutes, then remove from heat. Add the capers, anchovy fillets, chopped sage leaves and butter. Using a large kitchen knife, chop the entire mixture very finely. Lightly toast the slices of bread and spread with the liver paste. If the slices of bread are crisped under a grill, they may be moistened with a spoonful of stock before spreading with the liver mixture. I like my crostini crispy, however, so prefer not to do so.
 
The liver paste could also be served in an attractive bowl, surrounded with crisply toasted bread and decorated with herbs. Originally this spread was called peverada and was made using saffron which was widely grown in the countryside around the city.