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1
Bring the salted water to a full boil. Submerge the cleaned spleen and blanch for 5 minutes. Lift out and allow to cool briefly, then cut into small, rough dice. The surface should be pale and firm — no raw blood aroma should remain.
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2
Melt the butter in a wide, heavy sauté pan over a medium-low flame. Add the thyme and the shallot and garlic. Cook gently, stirring, until the shallot is translucent and completely soft — no colour.
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3
Add the diced spleen to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and pressing the pieces against the base of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. This is where the dish lives or dies: the spleen must be worked continuously for 15 to 20 minutes, breaking down into a coarse, dense paste — it is done when no solid chunk remains and the mass is uniformly spreadable.
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4
At the midpoint of cooking — approximately 8 minutes in — pour in the Vernaccia. The pan will hiss and release steam. Continue stirring until the wine is fully absorbed and the sharp alcohol note has cooked off.
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5
When the spleen is almost fully broken down, add the chopped anchovies. Stir them in and continue cooking until they have dissolved entirely into the spread — no visible flake should remain and the mixture should taste savoury and unified, not of fish.
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6
Remove from the heat and stir through the chopped capers. Taste: the spread should be mineral, savoury, rich, and balanced — adjust with no additional salt, as the anchovies carry the seasoning.
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7
Toast the bread slices until the surfaces are golden and rigid at the edges but still yielding at the centre. Spread the milza generously while both the toast and the spread are still warm — the heat keeps the spread loose and the flavour fully open.