Pate: warning, photos of offfal

Chicken liver pate has become a tradition in our house although I never ate it, or could imagine eating such a thing when I was younger.  Chicken livers?  Shudder. 

An English friend of mine made pate every Christmas and gave us a small bowl.  Amazingly (or so I thought) the family loved it.  When she returned to England I decided to make it myself and found that it was incredibly easy, as long as you could find the chicken livers. 

Chicken livers here come with the hearts.  This absolutely the worse part of making the pate.  I have to put my hands into that soft squelchy, disgusting mess and separate the hearts from the livers. 

I eat the pate but am not an avid fan.  I put in a few big spoonfuls of Dijon mustard and a few hundred grams of fried bacon to take away the offal flavour!  Ridiculous of course.  Chicken liver is the dominant taste whatever I do.  I usually add a few shot glasses of whisky or brandy.  We have neither in the cupboard at the moment so I used a shot of raki instead  this year.  With all these variations and substiutions it is a wonder it turns out so well.  Everyone else seems to love the pate this year so I didn't ruin it. 

Ingredients -

1/2 kilo of chopped chicken liver

250 grams chopped bacon

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves dices garlic

100 grams butter (or oil or margarine, whatever I have on hand)

2 big desert spoons mustard.  Spicy would be nice.

fresh thyme

2 shot glasses of alcohol

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Fry the bacon and put aside.

Melt the butter or oil in a saucepan and add onions and garlic.  Fry till soft, add chopped chicken livers.  Cook gently about 20 minutes.  Add mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, bacon and alcohol of your choice.

Mix well.

Blend with a stick blender.

Eat.

My English friend made sausage rolls each Christmas as well but with sausage meat she brought back from Blighty.  I can find or make the pastry but sausage meat or anything resembling English sausages is not available here.  I've tried quite a few substitutes but greek village sausage or frankfurter style sausages do not give the same taste experience.

One day these too will appear on our supermarket shelf I am sure.  Patience.