Fegatelli di maiale

Fegatelli di maiale is an ancient dish prepared throughout Tuscany, in the past usually prepared during the Christmas holidays – not because it is a particularly festive dish, but due to some practical reasons. It was a period when contadini toscani would slaughter their pigs, and this poor man's dish was invented as an attempt to use every single part of the animal. What is special about this dish is that the livers are wrapped in caul fat, or in ratta, how they call it in Tuscan dialect, then flavored with bay leaves and wild fennel seeds, and cooked in lard. The original recipe calls for stems of wild fennel for closing the livers, but nowadays plain wooden sticks are usually used. In Tuscany, the livers can be bought pre-wrapped in caul fat, so this dish can be easily prepared at home. Fegatelli di maiale taste best when paired with light, green vegetables such as spinach, chard, or broccoli rabe.