If we talk about peasant cuisine in Rome this dish is the king.

Rice with chicken giblets is an example of the use of all the edible parts of any product. The entrails of the chicken did not need to be bought because they were in the chicken itself and a tasty white ragù was prepared with them.

In other places in Italy it is called "chicken financier" and its history begins in Piedmont in the Middle Ages. Indeed, a first recipe is told by Martino de’ Rossi, called Mastro Martino, in his Book of Culinary Art printed around 1450.

A later version was told in 1800 by Giovanni Vialardi and it is in these years that it takes the name of 'Financier'. In those years, in fact, this dish had entered the tables of the wealthy and financial men who wore jackets called 'financier'.

Another story, however, seeks for the name to be linked to the gifts that the peasants made to the guards, called financiers, in order to enter the city.

There is not much to say, the financier is a complex sauce made with cocks combs, sweetbreads, meat, mushrooms. The Roman version is a simpler version made with the entrails, cocks combs and ‘wattles’ (an appendix that some birds  have on the head hanging from the lower jaw) of the chicken.

Recipe of rice with chicken giblets

Take the entrails of the chicken taking care not to break the bile bag, otherwise it will become completely bitter. Divide and begin to clean them starting from the durello which, after having opened and washed it, is cut into small pieces.

We put the durello in a pan with chopped onion and oil, then heat and brown it. We add a little hot water to help cooking whenever needed.

Then we will put the heart, the cocks comb and finally the liver which cooks faster. All are flavoured with a sprig of rosemary, which we will then remove. We add salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the rice by boiling it in a light chicken or vegetable broth. Two minutes before the end of cooking, we will put the rice in the sauce, flavouring it then, with the flame off, stir in the butter and parmesan.

Here this simple, tasty and inexpensive dish is ready.

In the glass you can pour a young and fruity red. I drank a rosé wine from Syrah grapes produced in Lazio. Syrah or Shiraz is a grape variety that produces excellent wines and the major producers are in Lazio and Tuscany.