Mamma Mimi’s Italian Cooking Tutorial: Episode Five: Crostini Neri
This episode uses your knowledge from Episode 4: Soffritto and shows you how to make a Tuscan classic and hidden gem: Crostini Neri! This is a delicious meaty sauce made in Tuscany to be served on bread as an antipasto (starter). It is rich and fragrant and a favourite with the boys!
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Crostini Neri
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
250g Pork Mince
500g Steak Mince
3-4 Chicken Livers
500ml Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1-2 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 small jar of Capers
1 small jar of Anchovies
Soffritto:
– 1 small Onion (equiv. small shallot)
– 4 Garlic Cloves
– 1 small handful of Parsley
– 1 small handful of Basil
– 1 small handful of Celery (mostly leaves)
– 1 small Carrot
Olive Oil
For the serving:
Loaf of Tuscan Bread (or, if unavailable, a Baguette or Ciabatta)
Method:
Chop Soffritto very, very finely, until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Gently fry until you notice a change of colour.
Add the Minced Meat and cook until the oil is bubbling and it is browning well.
Meanwhile, prepare the Chicken Livers; holding the liver with one hand, use a very sharp knife and scrape it with a good amount of pressure, until a fatty vein is revealed. Hold onto the vein as a gripping point and continue to scrape. This will separate the good Liver from the fat/veins. Discard veins and keep good Liver separately. Chop finely.
Create a space in the centre of the pan and add the Chicken Liver, leaving it to cook briefly in the centre before stirring it in with the meat.
Continue to fry.
Very finely chop your Anchovies and Capers, the smaller the better.
Create a space in the centre of the pan and add the Anchovies, along with some oil from the jar, leave it to cook briefly in the centre before stirring it in with the meat.
Repeat the process with the Capers.
At this point, it is important to taste the sauce and tailor the quantity of Anchovies and Capers added accordingly.
Once you are happy with the flavour, mix your Tomato Puree with your Chicken Stock and slowly add as the meat cooks, until it resembles a sauce.
Serve on toasted Bread! (The sauce is very rich, so about a tsp of sauce on each slice should be enough.)
Tip:
Don’t let the meat burn – cook it very slowly.
Song: Una Furtiva Lagrima – Enrico Caruso 1904