What to do with chicken giblets

The spinal cord is probably the part still inside the detached neck... Also, if the poultry is whole, there should also be a heart and a gizzard. Try to collect a few of each. With the livers, make crostini di fegatini. With the rest, make a version of rbuttolnik, a Russian pickle soup. Recipes are below.

Crostini di fegatini Chicken liver crostini (based on Cucina Italiana, published by Accademia Italiana della Cucina)

8 slices of stale French bread, grilled 150 g (0.33 lbs) chicken livers, skinned, rinsed and chopped 40 g (1.4 oz) not too lean raw ham, chopped 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil some lemon juice 1-2 onion 2-3 sage leaves, rinsed grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese salt, pepper

In a pan, sautŽ the chopped ham, onions and sage leaves in olive oil. When the onions are transparent, add the chicken livers and brown all over a high heat, adding 2-3 tablespoons water. Salt and pepper. Take out the sage leaves. Chop the pan contents in a grinder, food processor or a blender. In a bowl, mix everything with butter and a bit of lemon juice until smooth. Spread each slice of bread generously with the mixture, sprinkle on some parmesan and put in a very hot oven for a few minutes.

Rbuttolnik Serves 6

500 g (1 pound) chicken giblets (necks, wings, gizzards and hearts), cleaned and rinsed 50 g (about 4 tablespoons) pearl barley 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 5-6 dill pickles (salty, not vinegary type), cubed 2 carrots, whole, peeled 1 parsley root or 1 parsnip, scraped 1 onion, whole, peeled 1 cup pickle brine (salty, not vinegary), or more to taste some parsley leaves or dill, finely chopped 100 g (about 1 1-5 cup) sour cream bay leaf black peppercorns salt and ground pepper to taste

Put the giblets in a pot with 2.5 l (2.5 quarts) cold water. Add the onion, carrots, parsley root and peppercorns. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cook for 1 hour. Meanwhile put pearl barley in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, cover tightly and let stand for 1 hour. Strain and briefly rinse under running water. Add the pearl barley, to the soup and cook for 15 minutes. Add he potatoes and bay leaf cook for 10 minutes. Add the pickles, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes longer. Add the pickle brine and bring to the boil again. Taste for seasoning. If the soup is not salty enough, it is preferrable to add more pickle brine rather than salt. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream as well as parsley or dill in each plate.

Victor