Tuscan-style Grilled Liver in Caul Fat
Fegatelli alla Toscana
Region: Italy
Category: Variety Meats
Season: Summer
Difficulty: Labor Intensive

This Tuscan recipe for grilled liver will please all but the most finicky eaters.  The liver is wrapped in the caul fat which acts like a self-baster, so that you needn't even hang around minding the grill.  You will need to ask your supermarket butcher to order caul fat most likely.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright, uncooked fegatelli]

Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 1 hour

1 pound pork (preferably) or veal liver, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 pound pork caul fat, cut into 5-inch squares

Six 8-inch wooden skewers

About 1/4 loaf Italian or French bread, cut into twelve 1-inch cubes

12 bay leaves, soaked in tepid water 30 minutes and drained

1. Prepare a low charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on low for 15 minutes.

2. Toss the liver cubes with the bread crumbs, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. 

3. Carefully (because it’s fragile) unravel and spread the caul fat on a surface.  If you are unable to get 5-inch squares, use a patchwork of caul fat.  Place several chunks of liver on each section of caul fat and roll up, wrapping the caul fat into tight little packages.  You should have 12 of these little packages.

4. Skewer a liver roll-up, a bread cube, and a bay leaf, in that order until all the ingredients are used up.  Use 2 liver packages, 2 bread cubes and 2 bay leaves per skewer.

5. Place the skewers on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until the caul fat is golden brown and springy, not mushy, to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Variation: 

Variation 1: Marinate the liver for 1 hour in the juice of 1 lemon, 3 finely chopped sage leaves and leaves from 1 sprig of rosemary; omit bread crumbs and fennel seeds.

Variation 2: Add 3 ounces of pecorino crotonese (a semisoft eating pecorino) or provolone cheese, sliced into thin strips, to the liver packages.

Variation 3: In Sicily, the liver chunks are studded with small pieces of provola cheese and parsley, wrapped in caul, and skewered with onion sections and bay leaves before they are grilled.

Note: 

Posted: 01/02/2007