Equipment
Ingredients
Meat & Offal
- 300 g chicken livers, trimmed of connective tissue and green bile spots, roughly chopped
- 250 g mild italian pork sausage, casings removed
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 200 g cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 150 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 100 g carrot, finely diced
- 50 g celery, finely diced
- 4 garlic, minced
Pantry & Liquids
- 30 ml olive oil
- 120 ml dry red wine
- 400 g tomato passata, smooth crushed tomatoes
- 150 ml chicken stock, warm
- 5 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Pasta & Finishing
- 400 g dried tagliatelle
- 40 g parmigiano-reggiano, freshly grated
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 856 kcal
- Protein
- 43 g
- Carbohydrates
- 94 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 11 g
- Sodium
- 1293 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 10 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 14 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 309 mg
- Potassium
- 1367 mg
- Calcium
- 217 mg
- Iron
- 13.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 117 mg
- Phosphorus
- 709 mg
- Zinc
- 6.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 2740 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 30 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 57 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 13.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 1.25 mg
- Riboflavin
- 2.30 mg
- Niacin
- 22.3 mg
- Folate
- 722 mcg
- Water
- 376 g
- Alcohol
- 3 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Prepare the chicken livers by carefully cutting away any white connective tissue and dark green or yellow bile spots, which will cause extreme bitterness. Chop the livers into small, bite-sized pieces using a chef's knife and a dedicated cutting board.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Cook until deeply browned and the internal temperature reaches at least 71C/160F, which will take about 6 to 8 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery to the rendered sausage fat in the Dutch oven. Sauté until the vegetables are very soft and the onions are translucent.
Add the sliced cremini mushrooms and minced garlic to the pot. Cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown along the edges.
Push the vegetable and sausage mixture to the edges of the pot to create a clear space in the center. Add the chopped chicken livers to the clearing. Sear the livers without moving them for 2 minutes to develop color, then stir everything together.
Pour the dry red wine into the pot to deglaze, vigorously scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release the caramelized brown bits (fond). Allow the wine to reduce until almost entirely evaporated.
Stir in the tomato passata, warm chicken stock, salt, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover partially and simmer gently, stirring occasionally.
About 10 minutes before the ragù is finished, bring heavily salted water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the dried tagliatelle and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
Drain the pasta using a colander, reserving a small splash of the starchy pasta water. Transfer the drained tagliatelle directly into the Dutch oven with the ragù. Toss vigorously to coat the pasta evenly, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.
Divide the pasta and ragù among warm serving bowls. Garnish generously with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped flat-leaf parsley before serving immediately.
Chef's Notes
- The soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) is the foundational flavor of this dish. Do not rush cooking it; allowing it to sweeten and soften balances the earthy iron flavor of the liver.
- Chicken livers oxidize rapidly once exposed to air. Purchase them as fresh as possible and prepare them immediately to ensure a sweet, rich flavor profile rather than an overtly metallic one.
- Reserved pasta water is the secret to a cohesive pasta dish. The starches emulsify with the fats in the sausage and olive oil, ensuring the sauce clings tightly to the tagliatelle ribbons.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can finely mince or even pulse the raw livers in a food processor rather than roughly chopping them, integrating them entirely into the tomato base.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store ragù and pasta separately if possible to prevent the pasta from absorbing all the sauce and becoming mushy.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze the ragù only. The pasta will not survive freezing and thawing well.
Reheating: Warm gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or chicken stock to loosen the sauce before tossing with fresh pasta.
Troubleshooting
Intensely bitter flavor in the sauce
Cause: Gallbladder or bile spots were left on the chicken livers during preparation
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Meticulously inspect each liver and cut away any green or yellowish discolorations before chopping
Chicken livers are rubbery and tough
Cause: The ragù was boiled vigorously rather than simmered gently
Fix: Continue simmering gently for an additional 20-30 minutes with a splash more stock to see if the proteins break down further
Prevention: Ensure the heat is kept low enough that only occasional small bubbles break the surface during the 45-minute cook time
Sauce is too thin and watery
Cause: Mushrooms did not cook down fully, or lid was kept fully on during the simmer
Fix: Remove the lid completely and increase heat to medium-low for the final 10 minutes of cooking to accelerate evaporation
Prevention: Cook mushrooms until dry before adding liver, and partially uncover the pot during the simmer
Cultural Context
The concept of utilizing the quinto quarto (the fifth quarter, or offal) is a cornerstone of rustic Italian cooking, particularly in regions like Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Chicken liver is frequently paired with wide ribbons of egg pasta like tagliatelle or pappardelle, creating a dish where nothing is wasted and humble ingredients are transformed into a deeply nourishing, luxurious meal.
