Creamy Peri-Peri Chicken Livers with Jason's Hill Shiraz

Makes 2 portions | Prep time: 10min | Cook time: 15min

A truly South African favourite! These days, I’m really getting into liver as a result of the research I’ve been doing in nutrition science. Liver truly is a ‘superfood’ - it is packed with Vitamin A, B12, copper, folate, iron, choline, riboflavin and much more.

One needs only look at traditional cultures - the liver was always regarded as the most important and nutritious part of the animal and was often given to the chief, leader or hunter. It is also one of the very first things a predator will go for after a kill; their instinct guides them. Somewhere along the way, we strayed from that which I ancestors knew and held dear. But do not fret, here is a delicious recipe to help you include liver into your diet again.

Ingredients:

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 100 g streaky bacon, chopped
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • ½ t paprika
  • 250 g chicken livers, cleaned*
  • 2 T brandy
  • 2 T peri peri sauce (Nando’s or Woolworths)
  • 250 ml fresh cream
  • Freshly milled salt and pepper
  • 1 lemon wedge
  • Fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat.
  2. Fry the bacon in the olive oil until crispy. Remove and drain on kitchen towel and place to one side.
  3. Fry the onion in the bacon fat until translucent.
  4. Add the garlic and paprika and lightly fry together for 1-2min.
  5. Add the chicken livers and fry lightly until slightly browned. 1-2min.
  6. Time to flambé! Add the brandy and using a lighter, set fire to the mixture. Alternatively, if you are using a gas stove, carefully tip the sauce to one side of the pan so that the gas can ignite the brandy. Continuously toss of stir the livers.
  7. Continue cooking the livers lightly - they should remain slightly pink in the centre. Err on the side of pink as the livers will continue to cook even when removed from the heat.
  8. Now add the peri peri sauce and cook for a further minute. Add the cream and reduce for a further 2 min.
  9. Lastly, squeeze the lemon juice from the wedge over the livers and sprinkle generous amounts of parsley. Enjoy as is or serve with Keto herb buns (pg. ???)

*In the event that the livers are not 100% cleaned, follow the simple steps:

  • Soak the livers in water for 10min.
  • Drain the livers from the dater and dab dry using kitchen towel.
  • Butterfly the livers open and using a pair of kitchen scissors, remove any excess connective tissue that may have remained. Also remove any part that appear a slight green colour which could lead to a slightly bitter taste.