Cibreo: a traditional Tuscan recipe

One of the typical recipes of the Tuscan tradition has Caterina de ‘Medici among its admirers who, it is said, was so greedy of this dish that she risked dangerous indigestion. Its preparation requires, among other ingredients, chicken crests, bardigli and livers. We are talking about the Cibreo.

The etymological origin of the term is not clear; the most popular theory is that the word cibreo derives from the old French “civé“, onion, which in turn originates from the Latin “caepa“.

The great Pellegrino Artusi defines it as: “A simple but delicate and gentle gravy, suitable for ladies with listless stomachs and to convalescents”.

Istruction

Clean carefully the giblets, especially from the livers, remove the parts in contact with the gall. After washing everything, dip them, with the crests, in boiling water.

Almost at the end of cooking (after 10-15 minutes) add the chicken beans which will only have to be blanched. Once cooked, drain, peel the crests and clean the livers from the fat and filaments.

In a pan, brown the onion in plenty of butter without letting it brown. Meanwhile, cut both the giblets and the ridges into cubes, then flour them and add them to the browned onion.

Sauté for a few minutes, just enough time to cook the livers. Add a few sage leaves, salt and pepper and a pinch of ginger.

If needed, add a few tablespoons of hot meat broth, pouring it a little at a time. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a bowl with lemon juice, salt and a drop of broth or cold water.

As soon as the meat is cooked, turn off the heat and pour this sauce over the offal.

Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then serve the sauce.

It can be accompanied with a slice of Tuscan bread, preferably toasted.

Enjoy your meal!