Joan Crawford’s Chicken Livers Wrapped in Bacon

These were unanimously enjoyed at my Halloween party (although approached somewhat gingerly by a couple of guests).  Liver is a funny thing.  Here in the UK a lot of us associate it with school dinners.  A tough lump of stuff dipped in flour and incinerated by the dinner ladies…

But chicken livers are dainty and moist and iron-y.  Wrapped in bacon they are little tiny taste sensations and even the liver averse Mr Rathbone had 2.  I think I could have made twice the amount I did and they would all have been eaten.

They are simplicity itself but for the record here’s how I made them.  I used one little pot of liver from my lovely local butchers shop Morley Butchers – about 200g of liver I reckon.  I also bought 6 rashers of their streaky bacon, cut the rind off and cut each slice into three pieces.  Cut all the nice solid un-sinewy bits of liver into little lumps and wrapped each in a piece of bacon and secured with a toothpick.  Baked in a 200 degree C fan oven for about 20 minutes and served (as Joan would have liked it) very hot. I liked ’em! 

I’m not going to repeat Tony’s joke about the synagogue when these came out of the oven…  Tony was in a naughty mood…

as was Michelle – seen here sipping on Mr Rathbone’s new cocktail sensation “The Dr Phibes Cocktail” – I’ll get the recipe from him as this was a big hit.  Sailor Jerry rum, ginger beer and grenadine.  Delicious.

The Vincent Price Goulash was yummy as usual.  But if I do the potatoes separately again (rather than adding them to the goulash and cooking them in the soup) I’ll use less liquid.  Here’s the only decent pic I got, before adding stock..

A fine old time was had by all.

Favourite moments include Tony doing his Alvin Stardust impressions…

Michelle’s legendary Parkin with little pumpkins made from clementines…

Ringo biting the bat’s head off…

and japes with all the brilliant contents of Doctor Rathbone’s Unlucky Bags…

It was a rocking good Halloween.