Pasta with chicken-liver sauce: a recipe

I really, really hope you like pate.

Late to the game, as usual, I only got turned on to pate earlier this year but I am hooked. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I just love the rich, slightly earthy flavor.

This pasta, therefore, is really my cup of tea. It combines the basic elements of pate only melted down into a creamy pasta sauce.

And I love that it also meets two of my other favorite recipe requirements: it can be made in advance and it's easy but elegant!

The original recipe (which comes Grace Parisi at Food and Wine magazine, based on a dish from Chef Corey Lee) calls for fettuccine or tagliatelle, but I used long bucatini, as I thought it would be even better to get some of the chicken-liver sauce into the pasta itself.

But use whatever shape you like. I won't judge.

Pasta with Chicken-Liver Sauce (adapted from Grace Parisi / Food and Wine)

Ingredients
1/2 pound chicken livers
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Salt and pepper
1 pound bucatini, fettuccine or tagliatelle
2 tablespoons snipped chives
2 cups quartered grape tomatoes

Directions
Put the chicken livers in a bowl with the milk and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and pat completely dry.

In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken livers and cook over high heat until lightly browned on the bottoms, about 2 minutes. Turn the livers. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme to the skillet and cook about 2 minutes. Add the sherry and cook, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is evaporated and the livers are cooked through, about 2-3 minutes more. Scrape the mixture into a food processor and pulse until chopped. With the machine on, add the butter and puree until smooth. Scrape the chicken-liver butter into a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot of generously salted boiling water, cook the pasta and drain, reserving 3/4 - 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the chicken-liver butter, chives, tomatoes and the reserved pasta cooking water. Bring to a simmer over moderately low heat, tossing until the pasta is coated with the creamy sauce. Serve immediately.

Note: The chicken-liver butter can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Just let it come to room temperature before using.