Fegato alla Veneziana
Fegato alla Veneziana is a Venetian classic of thinly sliced calf's liver cooked swiftly with sweet, slowly melted white onions, served over soft white polenta.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Wide frying pan
- •Heavy-based saucepan
- •Wooden spoon
- •Whisk
- •Chef's knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 36 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Bring the water to a boil in a heavy-based saucepan with half the salt.
- 2
Rain in the white polenta flour in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
- 3
Lower the heat and cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until smooth and pourable.
- 4
Warm the olive oil and butter in a wide frying pan over low heat.
- 5
Add the sliced white onions and a pinch of salt to the pan.
- 6
Cook gently for 25 minutes with two tablespoons of water until the onions collapse and turn sweet without browning.
- 7
Pour in the white wine vinegar and let it bubble away for 1 minute.
- 8
Turn the heat to high and add the thin calf's liver strips to the pan.
- 9
Sauté briskly for 2 to 3 minutes until the liver changes colour but remains pink and tender inside.
- 10
Take the pan off the heat immediately and season with the remaining salt, pepper and chopped parsley.
- 11
Ladle soft white polenta onto warm plates and spoon the liver and melted onions over the top.
Chef's tips
Never salt the liver before it cooks, as salt draws out moisture and toughens the meat. The onions must be cooked until completely translucent and jammy before you turn up the heat for the liver.
Ingredient substitutions
- white polenta flour → yellow bramata polenta flour, though white polenta is traditional in Venice
- white wine vinegar → a dry white wine like Soave or Pinot Grigio
Storage
Keep any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Reheating
Reheat very gently in a warm pan with a splash of water just until warm, without recooking the liver.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overcooking the liver, which turns it tough, dry and metallic in flavour.
- •Browning the onions too quickly instead of stewing them slowly into sweet softness.
- •Salting the raw liver before pan-frying.
Serving suggestions
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