Recipe for chicken livers with bacon, leeks, broad beans and parmesan

Every time I’m out visiting my in-laws in Stock, I always stop by Lathcoats Farm Shop. I love their apples and enjoy the trawling the various shelves for something new.

Last time, in addition to the bags upon bags of Egremont Russets, I happened upon some chicken livers from Essex Birds. I think I’ve only had chicken livers maybe once in my life, and certainly not cooked by my own hand, but I’ve been keen to try them for a while – they’re cheap, protein-tastic, and rich in flavour – a little goes a long way, really. So a small 220g pack from Essex Birds (for a pocket-pleasing 99p!) went in my basket and onto my freezer to wait patiently for a bout of inspiration on my part.

Cue the gloomy weather and chicken livers suddenly sounded perfect – earthy and filling. I considered stew – but wanted something that took less than 30 minutes, not more. I wanted as healthy as possible – so out went the creamy dishes.

My internet search revealed that if you want to eat liver, you really should pair it with bacon. I dutifully agreed, deciding to add broad beans (also out of the freezer, to remind us of sunnier days), leeks and a bit of parmesan on top. Sounded perfect to me.

But I’m no fool – there’s no way that was going to fill my husband, who’s recently gotten back into swimming daily at the London Fields Lido. The man needs (even more) carbohydrates – broad beans just won’t pass muster. So into his portion of liver loveliness went 150 g of bucatini (wonderful thick spaghetti with holes down the middle, presumably to increase surface area and soak up even more saucy goodness…)

I know livers turn some people off, but I highly recommend giving them a try. This recipe is really simple and quick, too. Just remember – don’t take a bit of just chicken livers EVER. Ensure there’s a mix on your fork at all times. You’ll thank me.

Chicken livers with bacon, leeks, broad beans and parmesan

(serves 2)

220 g (a small pack) of chicken livers, rinsed and separated into chunks

4 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped

300 g frozen broad beans

1 tsp olive oil

200 g leeks, chopped

25 g parmesan, grated

salt and pepper.

optional: pasta to accompany

Heat the olive oil in a pan and bring a pot of water to the boil (two, if you’re including the pasta). When the oil is hot, add the chopped bacon and fry for a few minutes. When the water is boiling, add the broad beans to one pot and parboil for about three minutes. If you’re making pasta, add it to the second pot of boiling water and cook according to the package instructions.

To the bacon and oil, add the chicken livers, searing on each side for 2 minutes. Add in the leeks and stir well, ensuring everything is coated with the various flavours. Add a ladle of the pasta or bean cooking water to the pan as well as the drained broad beans and reduce heat to medium – season well and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. Add half the parmesan and mix through before plating up.

If you’re having the dish sans pasta, just split in half and serve in shallow bowls, perhaps along with any other vegetable you’d like (though I quite liked it on its own). If one person is having pasta, then plate up half the mixture, and then add the pasta to the mixture in the pan and stir, ensuring its gets fully coated. (Perhaps needless to say here, but if you’re both having pasta, mix it all in together before splitting the mixture evenly.) Top with the remaining parmesan and enjoy!

The bottom line... 

For a standard serving - 410 calories. 

For a standard serving with 100 g pasta - 726 calories

a glorious lamb shoulder (with a rather striking broad bean hummus, to boot)

Yet again I must bow down before Nigel Slater’s greatness. Though I may have one day stumbled upon his ideas myself, I’m grateful to him for ready-preparing them for me. So that one day, when I’m 83, I don’t all of the sudden think, “Oh, broad bean hummus! If only I’d thought of it before!”

Of course, even Nigel Slater’s recipes can take a bit of tweaking here and modifying there. In the June chapter of his Kitchen Diaries, he relays a wonderful-sounding broad bean and dill hummus, which he recommends serving as a dip. Next up, for the main course, a roast lamb shoulder with cumin and mint, which sits on a bed of rocket.

But I thought – why not combine these two into the same course? Roast the shoulder, make the broad bean hummus (with about half of the oil), and serve with a dollop of harissa, some warm pitta bread, and grilled spring onions. It’s like a deconstructed stop at the kebab shop. And it was marvellous.

For the lamb:
I used a half shoulder, and, following Nigel’s instructions, cut deep slices into it with a knife. A marinade of garlic, cumin seeds, fresh mint, a tbsp of olive oil (you don’t need as much as NS suggests) and lemon juice should sit on the shoulder for about an hour before roasting. To get it medium-rare, only about an hour at 190 C is needed. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then carve.

For the broad bean hummus:
Use fresh if you can, but frozen work too. If they’re fresh, shell and then boil. If they’re frozen, boil and then shell. It’s tedious at times, but worth it. Blend with olive oil, loads of fresh dill and lemon juice.

For the grilled spring onions:
Spray with a couple sprays of olive oil and put under a preheated grill for about 6-7 minutes, turning halfway through.

Serve all of these with warm pitta bread, a dollop of harissa and a glass of rose. You’ll love it, whether you eat with your hands (me) or with a fork and knife (him).

Calories: minus the wine, one serving is about 800 calories. So it don’t come cheap, necessarily. But it’s by no means over the top. And, as I said, it’s rather glorious, so it’s worth it.

get the June bug

June = summer. It’s as simple as that really. Whether the weather is good or bad, deep down in your bones you know it’s true. The mornings start early, the evenings end late, the meals get lighter and more vibrant to match the days.

June makes me happy. It also makes my job a lot easier, as the produce stands for itself. There’s just no need to do anything but lightly cook the produce that June brings. Strawberries? Eat ‘em raw. (Or maybe with a bit of cream if you must.) Asparagus? Steam it. Jersey royals? Ditto. Tomatoes? They’re getting there. Here are some ideas for a selection of my favourite June produce.

Spinach
Spinach and potato cakes – this is actually an idea from the Asda magazine! It calls for bacon and leeks as well. Serve it alongside a fresh salad of spinach and tomato for a great light dinner. Plus: the cakes can be make ahead of time, and kept in the refrigerator until cooking.

Steamed or freshly wilted spinach makes a great side dish to fish. Just get as much water out of it as you can before serving.

Spinach makes a fantastic base for any salad - just add your favourite ingredients

Spinach, carrot and radish, chopped finely, make a lovely salad.

Swirl some clean spinach into a veggie soup or a curry to liven it up. (This especially works

Welsh lamb
It doesn’t have the same depth of flavour as its more mature counterparts, but nonetheless it’s ever so fresh and very local.

Try Nigel Slater’s lamb marinated with anchovy and mint (yum!). Serve with broad beans, perhaps?

Seared lamb chunks in tomatoes with feta, olives and spinach is really tasty. Cumin gives it a great Moroccan flavour.

Lamb burgers with harissa and tabbouleh tops my list of fabulous dinners. Go for lean lamb – otherwise, it’s a bit too greasy. And don’t forget that harissa’s got plenty of oil in it already.

Braised lamb with broad beans, peas, feta and thyme sounds like a perfect late spring/early summer dish. I imagine eating it on a late Sunday afternoon with the windows open.

Broad beans
Pasta salad with feta, mint, broad beans and peas – yet another Asda idea! I was impressed. However, I do recommend reducing the amount of oil called for in the recipe, as well as using reduced-fat feta.

Broad bean puree is one of my favourites – on its own or with mint, dill, thyme – take your pick really.

For a yummy Mexican tapas, toss broad beans with finely sliced shallots, some fresh chopped vine tomatoes, garlic and coriander.

Broad beans mixed with yogurt make great mezze.

Try just steaming fresh broad beans and serving with salmon.

Strawberries
These little babies are the star of the fruit world, in my opinion. Even early in the season, their juice just jumps off their skins and onto the tongue. It’s a shame they’re not as good all year-round.

They’re best on their own really. But if you must, a splash of cream wouldn’t hurt.

Sinking summer fruit into a jelly is a great way to up the fruit count. Though I wouldn’t do this until late summer really.

Another late summer treat is strawberry sorbet. Olive has a great recipe for it in this month’s issue. Like what you see? You can also browse a sample of the issue.