Tuscan chicken livers and courgetti

An excellent food for calming Vata, chicken livers are super-nutritious and tasty. As like increases like, eating livers supports the functioning of our own livers. A little goes a long way and they can be an acquired taste, so here the livers are mellowed with minced chicken and tomatoes, a mix of spices and herbs and fresh courgette noodles.

For a thicker sauce, and to ease in any newbies to liver, blend the livers with the passata first. When you get into this dish you can start to reduce the amount of tomatoes and up the spices.

Serves 3

2 tsp ghee

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, diced

pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

1½ tsp fennel seeds

seeds of 4 cardamom pods, crushed

200g chicken breast or leg, minced

200g chicken livers, minced

150ml (½ cup) passata or 180g fresh tomatoes, skinned and deseeded (see here), or reduced bone broth (see here)

2–3 large courgettes extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

¼ tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tsp dried or fresh sage leaves

1 Melt the ghee in a medium frying pan over a medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic, onion and spices, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes until the onion is slightly soft.

2 Add the chicken and the livers and sauté for a few minutes before adding the passata and the tomatoes or bone broth. Cook for a few more minutes until everything is cooked through.

3 Meanwhile, use a spiraliser to make courgetti. Or use a julienne peeler or a knife to slice the courgettes into spaghetti-type strands. Add the courgetti to the centre of the pan and gently toss through the sauce, then top with a lid, allowing the courgettes to cook for a minute or two.

4 Divide between the serving plates. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. For a fancy dinner date, fry fresh sage leaves in ghee or sunflower oil until crisp and scatter over the dishes.

FEELING
PITTA

Up the ratio of chicken breast or leg to chicken liver.

FEELING
KAPHA

Enjoy the sauce served with plenty of vegetables to balance the nourishing qualities.