AUTHENTIC  ITALIAN  RECIPES

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 RISTORANTE  d'ANNAMARIA

Fegato alla Veneziana (Calf liver by the Venetian)

This recipe comes from a friend of the family who originally comes from the Venice (Venezia) area. She says " The dish was superb by the fact that he (her brother)did not add parsely. There are also those who add a drop of red wine vinegar before serving. It is  useless to say that one must eat this dish with freshly made polenta. For the wine - a good Pinot which has a delicate flavor and a dry aroma. No-one could resist a dish like this. My husband eats it and he doesn't even like liver."

Well, there you have one person's opinion. Try this recipe even if you're not fond of calve's liver.

Ingredients for 4 persons

Calf liver                           18 ounces

White onion                       12 ounces

Olive oil (extra virgin)        as needed

Butter (unsalted)                 2 ounces

Salt and Black pepper          to taste

Parsely (Fresh)                    as needed

How To Do It

Cut the liver into bite-sized pieces, but not too small.

Peel and thinly slice the onion and place in a large hot skillet with the butter and a line of olive oil.

Sautee the onions over a low flame - stirring often. (Just let them become transparent - do not brown them.)

When the onions are cooked, add the calf liver and bring the flame up to a medium flame.

Cook the liver for just a few minutes. (The longer you cook the liver, the tougher it becomes.)

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle lightly with finely chopped fresh parsely.

Optional - Serve with hot polenta. (follow the cooking instructions on the package).

If you can't find polenta, a very close facsimile is yellow corn meal or corn flour. (Once again, follow the cooking instructions on the package for corn meal mush.) I've been told that polenta is made by using a quantity of water that is 4 times the weight of the polenta or corn meal. Give this a try. If you like it a little softer, add a little more water or vice versa.