Thursday 21 December 2017

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.



11 comments:

  1. I don’t mind the taste of pate. It’s nice spread on crackers with a glass of wine.
    But I definitely wouldn’t want to put my hands in there either. Yuck
    The few times I have it. I’ll happily just buy it lol

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    1. I did see some pate in our supermarket last year at Xmas but now everyone wants my homemade. I'd much rather buy it believe me and I m sure I would enjoy it more.

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    2. Well yours does sound amazing. And Home made is the best!

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  2. I used to make Paté each winter, but not this year as I still have a stock from last year. Mine is classic French Paté made from Pork with some Foie Gras in the middle.

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    1. I remember your post about pate with four gras. The ultimate in luxury eating!!

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  3. I am lost for words at the food that you actually make from scratch. I can't think of anything to say except I am in wonderment.

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    1. If you want something around here you have to make it yourself or do without. I've learned over the years that food ideas can be cooked by hand, with substitutions and variations. Sometimes my efforts don't taste quite the same, my efforts at Chinese for a start, but it's better than nothing.

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  4. Chiken liver pate is very " Jewish" food,we eat it at our most important holidays, i wish we had some bacon to add...

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    1. The bacon doesn't add much to the taste. Lots of alcohol makes it tastier!! The raki this year instead of whisky was a great success

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  5. Why don't you write a recipe book from a Greek Island LA? I would buy it any way.

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    1. I'll put you down on the order list!! No 1 fan!
      Thanks Dave, have a very merry xmas

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