Recipe: Ukrainian Portobellos & Garlic-Laced Livers

Ukrainian Portobellos
and Garlic-Laced Livers

Serves 4

Chicken livers have a natural compatibility with mushrooms. In this recipe, chicken livers are fried in butter and an extravagant amount of garlic. They're then mounded on meaty, grilled portabello mushrooms and served. Noodles are a good side dish, or better yet, a rustic, Eastern European bread-any kind will do: sour, potato, rye, sesame, dill, flaxseed, onion, challah, and caraway are all fine picks for sopping up the good and garlicky mushroom juices.

Mushrooms:
4 portobello mushrooms, caps about 5-inches
in diameter (1 pound)
2 tablespoons mild olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Livers:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons mild olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
1 pound chicken livers, trimmed and patted dry
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Cook the mushrooms:

1. Heat a grill or broiler until very hot.

2. Pluck or cut the stems from the mushrooms. Coarsely chop the stems and set aside for cooking with the livers.

3. Combine the olive oil, soy sauce, and garlic. Baste the mushroom caps on both sides.

4. Grill or broil the mushrooms until just cooked, turning halfway through. Set caps gill side up on four plates or a serving platter. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Cook the livers:

1. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, toss in the garlic. Stir it around and cook about 30 seconds. Add the livers, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown on the edges but still pink in the center. Dump in the reserved chopped mushroom stems. Stir and cook until mushroom pieces are soft and chicken livers just cooked through (a little pinkness inside is okay). Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.

2. Spoon the livers and their pan juices on top of the mushroom caps and serve warm. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Recipes

Martha Stewart's Stuffed Mushrooms with 5 Variations

Fin de Siècle Cream of Mushroom Soup

Happy Turkey Scaloppine with Morels

Risotto with Fresh Morels and Apples

Kate's Global Kitchen for October 2002:
10/04/02     Ukrainian Mushroom Feasts
10/11/02     Tarka, Ghee and Me: Quick Warm Ups with Indian Spices
10/18/02     New Zealand Spinach, or Bushy Warrigal Greens
10/25/02     Taking the Pumpkin Out of the Pie

Current Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Global Kitchen Archive