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Overhead shot of tagliolini ai fegatini twirled on a white plate with glossy liver sauce and shaved parmesan

Silky Tagliolini ai Fegatini (Chicken Liver Sauce)

Chicken livers simmered with soffritto, sage, and Vin Santo into a silky sauce for fresh or dried tagliolini.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course (Pasta)
Cuisine: Italian (Tuscan)
Calories: 393
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the fegatini sauce
  • 400 g chicken livers trimmed, cut into 1 cm pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 40 g unsalted butter divided
  • 1 shallot medium; finely chopped
  • 1 carrot small; finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 8 fresh sage leaves plus extra for garnish
  • 120 ml dry white wine or Vin Santo
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 100 ml chicken stock
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
For the pasta
  • 320 g tagliolini (fresh or dried)
  • 1 tbsp fine sea salt for the pasta water
  • 30 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus more for serving

Method
 

Make the fegatini sauce
  1. Trim the chicken livers of any connective tissue or green-tinged spots, pat dry, and cut into 1 cm pieces. Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil and half the butter (20 g) in a 12-inch / 30 cm skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, carrot, and celery, and cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft and pale gold.
  3. Add the garlic and half the sage leaves, and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
  4. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the liver pieces in one layer. Sear 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until browned on the outside.
  5. Pour in the wine, scrape up any browned bits from the pan, and let it bubble 2 to 3 minutes until reduced by about half.
  6. Stir in the tomato paste and stock. Lower the heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, until the livers reach an internal temperature of 165 F / 74 C and are no longer pink at the center, and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  7. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the remaining 20 g butter until glossy. Keep the sauce warm over the lowest heat.
Cook and finish the tagliolini
  1. Bring the pasta pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Cook the tagliolini until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes for fresh or 6 to 7 minutes for dried, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
  2. Add the drained tagliolini directly into the skillet with the sauce. Toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce needs loosening.
  3. Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano. Plate immediately, topping with the remaining sage and more grated parmesan.

Notes

  • Trim livers over a bowl of cold water to spot any green bile-stained bits easily
  • Don't skip the pasta water, it's what keeps the sauce from tightening up
  • Sauce should coat the back of a spoon before you add the pasta
  • Keep leftover sauce and pasta stored separately for best texture