As I can't eat pork, and all commercially bought pates contain pork (even chicken liver pate!) I always make my own using chicken livers. Thinking I'd give you a recipe and method of how easy it is (not to mention how much better tasting), I photographed the ingredients and the step by step method.
Thankfully it was only my iPhone that I dropped in the finished item and not my Nikon! As you know, you can't wash phones, so I (disgustingly) licked it clean before wiping it with a damp cloth!
You need:
1 pack chicken livers (defrosted if frozen - my local butcher sells them in big packs)
3 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
8oz butter (not for those dieting)
Herbs of your choice, but I tend to use parsley, sage & oregano
Splash of sherry (optional)
This fella on my worktop makes lots of things, including making pate a breeze.
I use my mincer attachment to mince the chicken livers on a coarse screen prior to cooking (speeds up the time taken to cook it. If you don't have a mincer, then chop up the livers (or use kitchen scissors to cut them up).
I then push my garlic and onion through the mincer for two reasons. 1) it clears all the liver out, and 2) the onion is now the same size as my minced liver. You can obviously chop your garlic and onion finely instead. Add all your herbs to the liver and onion mix in your bowl (as well as your splash of sherry if you're using it).
Melt half a pack of butter (4oz) in a large frying pan, make sure you don't brown or burn your butter or your pate will taste awful.
Add the ingredients from your bowl and fry until the onion is transparent and the livers are cooked.
I use this cooking time to wash my mincer attachment ready for the next stage.
For the cooked liver mix I then use the fine screen on my mincer as I like a fairly smooth pate. Push the cooked liver mix through the mincer and collect in a clean bowl. If you don't have a mincer, you can use a food processor or a blender (or hand held stick blender) to make it smooth, or alternatively, you can leave it fairly course in texture. It's all down to how you prefer your pate.
Cut up 2oz of butter into small pieces and mix thoroughly with your minced livers until melted.
Transfer your pate to your serving dish. I add a bayleaf for decoration before gently melting the remaining 2oz of butter, straining this through muslin (to produce clarified butter) and then pouring this over the top of your pate. This both seals it from oxidisation and also helps preserve your pate.
Chill in the fridge until cold, then enjoy with crackers / toast, salad and a nice home made chutney.
I'll try and get round to sharing my apple chutney recipe with you which goes beautifully with chicken pate, cheese, hams etc.
Enjoy! If you make your own, please remember to come back and let me know what you think of it, won't you?
