Recipe: Chicken Liver Pilav and Greek Stuffed Chicken/Cyprus-Style Chicken - Some recipes for Rita

This sounds like a good Greek recipe for chicken livers with a difference.

CHICKEN LIVER PILAV WITH NUTS
Servings: 4

500 g chicken livers
200 g rice
75 g butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
45 g pine nuts
30 g almonds, slivered
2 tablespoons seeded raisins
2 tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped
500 ml water
extra sping onions, to garnish

Rinse chicken livers, trim as necessary, cutting off any dark sections and dry them.

Cover rice with boiling water, stir well and pour into a sieve. Rinse with cold water until water runs clear.

Heat 45g. butter in pan, cook livers for 3 mins until brown but still pink inside. Season with salt and pepper and remove from pan.

Add half the spring onions to the pan and saute until lightly golden. Drain and set aside.

Heat remaining butter in a heavy based pan. Saute remaining spring onions for a few minutes then add pine nuts, almonds, raisins and saute for 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes rice and water with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Top the rice with extra spring onions and livers. Reduce heat to very low and cook for further 10 to 15 minutes.

Fluff up rice with a fork and serve hot.

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GREEK STUFFED CHICKEN,
CYPRUS-STYLE CHICKEN
Serving Size : 6

1 roasting chicken
3 tbsp vegetable oil or butter
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds
3/4 cup raw long-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cups water
salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch granulated sugar
1/2 cup currants
melted butter or vegetable oil

Wash and dry the chicken, reserving the liver, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil or butter and saute the almonds and liver, then remove with a slotted spoon. Chop the liver and set aside with the nuts.

Add the rice to the fat in the pan and saute over medium heat, stirring constantly, then pour in the wine, water, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is almost tender.

Stir in the almonds, liver, and currants and remove the pan from the heat.

Spoon the stuffing into the large cavity of the chicken and close tightly with skewers. Truss the chicken and brush the surface lightly with melted butter or oil.

Set in a baking pan, breast side up, and bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until tender, in moderate oven (350 F), turning with 2 wodden spoons every 20 minutes and basting frequently with drippings. Remove the stuffing from the cavity and transfer to the center of a warm platter. Carve the chicken and arrange around the stuffing. Serve warm.

Note: For a popular mainland version, substitute pine nuts, nutmeg, and a little chopped celery and parsley, and soaked bread for the almonds, cinnamon, and rice.