№ 40Zupa ar cāļu akni

Chicken liver and cauliflower soup Serves 4 · 45 minutes · Adapted from the 1796 recipe; not yet tested.

The book gives 5 to 6 chicken livers; the other amounts below are ours.

Ingredients

• 5–6 chicken livers (about 200 g)
• ½ small cauliflower (about 300 g florets)
• 1.25 l meat broth
• 2 egg yolks
• Salt, to taste (our addition)

Method

1. Trim the livers of any sinew and green patches. Put them in a small pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Take the pan off the heat until the bubbling stops, then bring it back to the boil; do this three times in all. Cut one liver open: it should be cooked through with no pink inside. If not, simmer for another minute or two. 2. Drain the livers and press them through a sieve, or blend them with a ladle of the broth until smooth. 3. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Bring the broth to the boil, add the cauliflower and simmer for 10–12 minutes, until tender. 4. Whisk the liver purée into the broth and bring back to a simmer. 5. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk in a ladle of the hot soup, then pour it all back into the pan, whisking. 6. Stir over low heat until the soup thickens slightly. Don't let it boil, or the yolks will scramble. Season with salt and serve.

Notes

• What the book says vs. what we added: the book has you bring 5 to 6 chicken livers to the boil three times, rub them through a colander, mix them with meat broth in which cauliflower has been cooked, and finally beat in egg yolk. The amounts of broth and cauliflower, the salt and warming the yolks first (step 5) are ours.
• Cooking the livers: "boil up three times" is an old way of timing a short cook. Chicken livers must be cooked right through (no pink in the middle, 70 °C) to be safe, so check before sieving.
• Uncertain points: gabalu 5 līdz 6 probably means "about 5 to 6" (see Piezīmes). The book doesn't say whether the cauliflower stays in the soup. We keep the florets in; you could also lift them out and serve the soup smooth.