Chicken Livers in Wine

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Hello!  I hope you are having a great weekend!  The weather around here is so lovely.  The sun is out and melting the rest of the ice on the ground.  I'm celebrating this wonderful change in weather by making the next recipe in the Family Weight Watching chapter from the GH Cookbook of 1963.  I present to you Chicken Livers in Wine (3 servings).

(recipe and instructions are written as found in cookbook)

Chicken Livers in Wine
(170 calories per serving or 205 calories per serving on toast)

1/2 lb. chicken livers
1 tablesp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 teasp. dried minced parsley
1/2 teasp. dried minced chives
2 whole cloves
3/4 cup dry sherry
1 large red-skinned cooking apple, cored, thinly sliced, then quartered (about 2 cups)
1 teasp. all-purpose flour
Salt
Toast points prepared from 1 1/2 slices of bread (optional)

Wash livers; remove connective tissue.  In butter or margarine in medium skillet, saute livers, celery, parsley, and chives until celery is light brown; remove mixture from pan; add cloves, sherry, and apples; simmer, covered, 5 min., or until apples are almost tender.  Make paste of flour and a few drops of water; stir into apple mixture; simmer until thickened; return livers to pan; heat until warm; add salt to taste.  Serve on toast points, if desired.  Makes 3 servings.

Notes:

• I had to add much more liquid to the flour to make a paste that would dissolve into the sherry.  The first time I tried it I used just enough water to bind the flour and then added it to the sherry and apples and the flour would not dissolve.  The next time I added the hot sherry to the flour and used enough to make a very loose paste.  This dissolved into the apples and sherry and thickened the sauce.
• Use your own discretion on how big or small your livers should be cut.  The same with the apples and celery.  If you like bigger, bolder flavors than keep them larger.  If you like more delicate bites feel free to chop them smaller.
• If you would like to use fresh herbs I would increase the dosage to 1 tablespoon and I would add them at the end of the cooking time to add fresh flavor.  Dried herbs are stronger than fresh - that is why you would need to increase the amount.
• If you would like to update this recipe even further, along with the fresh herbs, I would use the salt throughout the dish instead of at the end.  Add a touch of salt to the liver mixture at the beginning, and then add another touch of salt to the apple mixture while it is cooking.  Taste the dish at the end to see if you need more salt.  A touch of pepper would be nice and counter well with the sweetness.  A dash of hot sauce would be good as well.
• This was actually a very mild tasting dish.  The flavors did not compete with each other.  The liver taste was not strong, and neither was the sherry.
• I cooked the apples for a few minutes longer than the 5 minutes.  When I added the liver back to the pan I put the lid on and cooked it for about 5 minutes longer to really incorporate the flavors.
• If you would like to make this without the sherry I would replace it with stock (vegetable or chicken).  Apple cider could be good as well.
• This is considered an appetizer yet this would make a lovely meal for one, or a lovely meal for two with a side dish.