Wild Liver with Root Wood-Smoked Bacon, Porcini, and Huckleberry Sauce on Crostini and Local Greens

Recipe courtesy of Andreas Fischbacher

December 20, 2021

Ingredients

  • 1 pound freshly harvested liver (any kind; can substitute other scallopini meat)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 7–8 cloves garlic, sliced
  • ½ pound root wood-smoked speck or pancetta of choice, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cold
  • 1 pound porcini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thickly or quartered
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 4 shallots, diced
  • 1 cup red wine (preferably thick and heavy in flavor, or a marsala)
  • ¼ cup huckleberries, washed (or lingonberries)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic syrup (store bought or 80% reduced balsamic vinegar)
  • 6–7 slices rye bread or crostini
  • ¼ pound fresh greens
  • ½ cup vinaigrette of your choice (preferably homemade)
  • 1 tablespoon quality grain mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash out liver (creek water is fine) and inspect for parasites (like ringworms). If liver is not desired, tenderloins are easy to access when carcass is hanging to ripen meat. Cut into thin scallopini.

In a cast-iron pan, render speck until crisp. Set aside, saving fat. Brown garlic into chips; set aside. Sauté shallots in speck fat (add oil if needed); remove from pan. In the same pan, sear liver or scallopini meat in bacon fat or olive oil until medium-rare. Set meat aside; save drippings. Sauté the porcinis in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Set mushrooms aside. Deglaze pan with wine. Add berries, season with salt and pepper, and allow liquid to reduce. Add balsamic syrup; finish by adding cold butter. Liquid should be saucy consistency. Return drippings from meat and mushrooms to the pan and remove from heat.

Brush bread with olive oil and grill over an open flame. Toss greens with vinaigrette. Smear mustard on grilled bread. Top with tossed greens. (Optional: Add small, blistered heirloom tomatoes.) Top greens with liver or meat scallopinis. Add porcinis. Drizzle with huckleberry ragout. Finish with crisp speck and garlic chips.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound freshly harvested liver (any kind; can substitute other scallopini meat)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 7–8 cloves garlic, sliced
  • ½ pound root wood-smoked speck or pancetta of choice, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cold
  • 1 pound porcini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thickly or quartered
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 4 shallots, diced
  • 1 cup red wine (preferably thick and heavy in flavor, or a marsala)
  • ¼ cup huckleberries, washed (or lingonberries)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic syrup (store bought or 80% reduced balsamic vinegar)
  • 6–7 slices rye bread or crostini
  • ¼ pound fresh greens
  • ½ cup vinaigrette of your choice (preferably homemade)
  • 1 tablespoon quality grain mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste