Piedmontese Offal Ragù

Ingredients

• 300 g Veal sweetbreads
• 250 g Chicken livers
• 200 g Mushrooms
• 60 g Butter
• 1 Onion
• 1 clove Garlic
• 150 ml White wine
• 80 ml Marsala wine
• 1 tbsp White wine vinegar
• 50 g All-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Parsley
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper

Steps

1. Soak the sweetbreads in cold water for 1 hour.
2. Blanch in lightly vinegared water for 5 minutes, drain, peel away the membranes and cut into bite-size pieces.
3. Clean the chicken livers, removing any green parts and connective tissue, and cut into pieces of similar size to the sweetbreads.
4. If using dried porcini, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes; otherwise slice the fresh mushrooms.
5. Pat all the meats and mushrooms thoroughly dry and dust each kind lightly with flour, keeping them separate.
6. In a large skillet melt half the butter and brown the sweetbreads over medium-high heat until golden.
7. Deglaze with a splash of white wine, then set aside.
8. Repeat with the livers in fresh butter and set aside.
9. In the same pan sweat the finely chopped onion in the remaining butter until soft, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook a few minutes until the mushrooms release and reabsorb their liquid.
10. Return all the browned meats to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and pour in the rest of the white wine.
11. Let it evaporate over medium heat.
12. Add the Marsala and let it cook down to a glossy sauce.
13. Stir in the vinegar and let it flash off so only its brightness remains.
14. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until everything is tender and coated.
15. Scatter with chopped parsley, and serve hot with polenta or crusty bread.

Tips

• Authentic finanziera traditionally also includes cockscombs and other offal; this version keeps to easy-to-find sweetbreads and chicken livers without losing its soul.
• Browning each ingredient separately is the key — crowding the pan steams the meats and you lose the golden crust that defines the dish.
• Serve over soft polenta to soak up every drop of the buttery Marsala sauce.