Sykotakia me Lahanika (Braised Chicken Livers with poached Grapes)

 

 

Sykotakia  me Lahanika (pr. see-koh-TAH-khia meh Lah-chah-knee-KHA) are chicken livers with vegetables.  This easy and nutricious recipe is made with chicken livers, vegetables, rice, nuts and poached grapes.

The livers and vegetables with the spices and other ingredients blend together to to make a surprisingly mild gourmet dish.

Many people shudder at the thought of cooking or eating liver but in Greece we eat it a lot.   I love liver, especially, chicken livers, however, I don’t cook it very often as chicken giblets are high in cholesterol and only cook it two or three times a year, mostly during Easter.

Before cooking it, I remove all the visible fat, then boil the livers and discard the water, hoping that this will get rid of some of the cholesterol 🙂  However my cholesterol levels are back to normal and most of the time I do eat healthy, so that once in a while I can indulge into some of my favourite food.

Last year when we went to Switzerland, we visited Grenoble, in France and when we went to a restaurant for lunch, on the menu of the day they served chicken liver with green salad. We loved it so much that when we came back I tried to remember all the flavours to make a similar dish.

Since I never posted this recipe so as actually after a year I made chicken liver again, I am posting both recipes today.

French inspired Green salad with chicken giblets 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo chicken livers
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white dry wine
• 2 ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ cup of walnuts

Green Salad with pomegranate:

• 1- 2 small tender lettuce hearts, coarsly cut
  
• 1 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
  
• 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 cup dill, finely chopped
  
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  
• The seeds of ¼ of a pomegranate
• Salt

Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablepoon pomegrante syrup

Directions

1. Wash the livers and remove any fat.  In a saucepan bring some water to boil and add the livers. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat.  Allow to cool and then drain. (The boiling part is optional).
2. Heat olive oil in the sautéing pan and sauté the onion until translucent.
   
3. Add the chicken livers and sauté on all sides. Add the wine, salt, pepper and bay leaf and finely the tomatoes.
4. Mix well, cover with lid, lower heat to minimum and cook for fifteen minutes.
5. Add the walnuts and cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.
6. Prepare the salad and toss with the vinaigrette.
   
7. Serve the chicken giblets on top of the salad.
   

 

The next recipe is also my concoction.  During Christmas I stuff the turkey with a chicken liver filling and based on that recipe I have made some changes and added some vegetables and more ingredients to make it a meal by itself.  

Fianlly, instead of adding raisins, I poached some grapes and added in the recipe.  However, if grapes are not in season, the raisins  are also wonderful. 

Sykotakia me Lahanika (Braised Chicken Livers with Poached Grapes)

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time:  20 minutes

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo (2.20 lbs) chicken livers and hearts
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5 small courgettes (zucchini), cut into thin slices
• 1 cup of bell peppers various colours, cut into slices
• 10 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup red dry wine
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• ½ cup almonds coarsely chopped
• 1 cup water
• Salt and freshly ground various peppers
• A pinch of cumin
• A pinch of ground coriander
• ½ of the poached grapes with juice or use ½ cup sultana raisins

Directions:

1. Wash the giblets and remove any fat. Cut into smaller pieces about 1 inch and wash again.
2. In a saucepan bring some water to boil and add the giblets. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool and then drain.
3. In a sautéing pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the vegetables. Remove to a platter and set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil and sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent. Add the giblets and sauté for a few minutes.  Add the rice, almonds, (raisins) and spices and the wine and mix for 1 minute.
5. Add the water, lower heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes, checking it every now and then.  Five minutes before the end add the vegetables and poached grapes and cook for another 3 – 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes and absorb all the juices before serving.

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Sykotakia me Lahanika (Braised Chicken Livers with Poached Grapes)

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Recipe by: Ivy Liacopoulou

Category: Main Dish

Cuisine: Greek Cuisine

Sykotakia  me Lahanika (pr. see-koh-TAH-khia meh Lah-chah-knee-KHA) are chicken livers with vegetables.  This easy and nutricious recipe is made with chicken livers, vegetables, rice, nuts and poached grapes.

Ingredients

50 minutes

5

• 1 kilo (2.20 lbs) chicken livers and hearts
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 5 small courgettes (zucchini), cut into thin slices
• 1 cup of bell peppers various colours, cut into slices
• 10 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup red dry wine
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• ½ cup almonds coarsely chopped
• 1 cup water
• Salt and freshly ground various peppers
• A pinch of cumin
• A pinch of ground coriander
• ½ of the poached grapes with juice or use ½ cup sultana raisins

Instructions

Prep

30 minutes

Cook

20 minutes

50 minutes

1. Wash the giblets and remove any fat. Cut into smaller pieces about 1 inch and wash again.
2. In a saucepan bring some water to boil and add the giblets. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool and then drain.
3. In a sautéing pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the vegetables. Remove to a platter and set aside.
4. Add the remaining oil and sauté the onions and the garlic until translucent. Add the giblets and sauté for a few minutes.  Add the rice, almonds, (raisins) and spices and the wine and mix for 1 minute.
5. Add the water, lower heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes, checking it every now and then.  Five minutes before the end add the vegetables and poached grapes and cook for another 3 - 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes and absorb all the juices before serving.

Nutrition information

4.31

https://www.kopiaste.org/2009/10/sykotakia-me-lahanika-braised-chicken-livers-with-poached-grapes/

The above recipe is included in my cookbook Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!

 

Other relevant recipes:

Stuffed Turkey Roulade

Stuffed Turkey

Kokoretsi and Magiritsa

Fried goat liver with whiskey and herbs

 

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

5/5 (2)