Chicken liver pate

It never ceases to amaze me how many people consider chicken liver pate to be unhealthy. It was once considered the number one brain food and was always highly recommended for mums-to-be. Where did all this wisdom go? Now we consider it to be a sinful indulgence that clogs the arteries - what nonsense! With quality ingredients, it’s jam-packed full of essential nutrients.

• makes

  2 small jars

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  8 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g organic chicken livers
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 slices of bacon
• 1 clove of garlic, sliced
• 250 g organic butter
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 tbsp fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or parsley, finely chopped

Chilling time 1 hour

Instructions

Heat 60 g butter in a fry pan, add onion and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add bacon and chicken livers and sauté till opaque. Add herbs and white wine and reduce to just a moist consistency. Remove from pan and let cool.

Transfer all ingredients to a blender, add remaining butter and blend until smooth. Transfer to glass containers with a lid and refrigerate.

Note

• Don’t overcook the livers; seal them both sides and then remove from heat. Blend all ingredients only when cooled.

• It’s important to use organic liver only; it’s the detoxifying organ after all.

• Additional melted butter can be drizzled over the top to preserve colour and help to keep the pate from forming a skin on top.

Recipe from Rocket Fuel on a Budget by Joanna Rushton, with photographs by Helen Coetzee. Published by Joanna Rushton.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.