Chicken livers with mămăligă (Romanian polenta)

Name: Chicken livers with mămăligă (Romanian polenta)
Ingredients: 300 g chicken livers; 300 ml milk; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 small onion (100 g); 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste; 125 ml water; 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika; 1/4 teaspoon thyme; 1/4 teaspoon rosemary; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Meat - Chicken livers with mămăligă (Romanian polenta) by Natasa A. - Recipia

Chicken livers with mămăligă (Romanian polenta) are drained well after soaking in milk, browned with onion and finished in a tomato paste sauce. The liver stew has a reduced sauce with hot paprika and herbs, and the mămăligă goes on the side. I leave the sauce fluid enough to scoop up with the mămăligă. Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 19 minutes. Rest: 60 minutes. Total time: 89 minutes. Servings: 2. Approximately 320 kcal and 26 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

300 g chicken livers
300 ml milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion (100 g)
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
125 ml water
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Put the livers in a bowl, cover them with 300 ml milk and leave in the fridge for about 1 hour. 2. Finely chop the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for 4 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. 3. Drain the livers from the milk and pat them dry. Put them in the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time and turning them, until browned on both sides and cooked through in the center. 4. Mix 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste with 125 ml water, 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour the mixture over the livers and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until the liquid reduces. Serve with mămăligă.

Notes

I serve them with soft mămăligă, not too firm. The milk stays in contact with the livers, so the dish contains dairy even though it is drained off before cooking. If you save a portion for later, put it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Choose whole livers with an even color; broken ones are more likely to fall apart when you turn them. After taking them out of the milk, drain them well and pat them dry, since moisture makes the oil splatter and slows browning. Their size affects the cooking time: thick pieces may need another 2-3 minutes, and the center should be cooked through, with no trace of pink. If the tomato paste is already salted, taste the sauce after it has reduced and only then add more salt. The sauce should cling to the livers; if it is still watery, leave it on the heat for another minute or two.