Calf’s Liver With Pancetta and Rosemary Recipe

Calf’s liver involtino with pancetta and rosemary

1 hour 20 minutes
serves 4
Easy

This recipe is from the Italian restaurant Radici. The Calf’s liver involtino is delicately soft and tender, served with rosemary and on a bed of creamy mash, this recipe is a great dinner party meal

July 27, 2017 at 5:02 pm

Radici, London N1

“My inspiration for this dish came from stigghiola, a street-food dish from Palermo. It’s made with various kinds of offal, but at Radici we use calf’s liver as it has a delicate flavour that matches the pancetta, rosemary and garlic perfectly. Wrapping the involtino in pancetta gives it a lovely rich, salty flavour. On the streets of Palermo, it is always cooked on a BBQ, giving it a smoky flavour.” Francesco Mazzei, chef patron, radici.uk

Ingredients

potatoes 1kg
extra-virgin olive oil
calf's liver 4 slices (around 150g each)
pancetta 16 slices
chicken stock 300ml
balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 tbsp

Stuffing

pancetta 120g sliced, finely chopped
rosemary 2 tsp of chopped leaves, plus 4 large sprigs
garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the potatoes onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 1 hour, until really soft.
Step 2

Once cool enough to handle, cut in half, scoop out the flesh and mash. Mix with 4 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and season.
Step 3

For the stuffing, add the finely chopped pancetta, chopped rosemary and garlic to a frying pan and cook over a medium heat until lightly crisp. Cool completely.
Step 4

Lay each slice of calf’s liver with a heaped tbsp of the cooked pancetta filling and one sprig of rosemary, then roll to create a sausage shape.
Step 5

Lay out 4 rashers of pancetta, so that they overlap, and then roll the liver tightly in this.
Step 6

Add the chicken stock to a small saucepan and reduce by ²/3. Add the balsamic vinegar and keep warm.
Step 7

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat with a little oil and fry the involtini on all sides until golden and crisp.
Step 8

Put in the oven for 7-8 minutes until cooked through.
Step 9

Heat the olive oil mash and put in the middle of a large plate. Sit the involtino on top of the mash and drizzle with the balsamic stock.