This liver pate will turn haters into liver lovers. You can use any kind of liver you’d like in this recipe (beef, veal, turkey) and substitute the veggies to your preference (don’t like parsnips? Try celery root! Don’t have onions? Leeks or shallots will do! Apples getting you down? Try pears!) It’s a flexible method rather than an exact recipe and it makes a stellar spread, dip or addition to any charcuterie platter. Serve with crackers (mine are grain free), veggie slices, apple slices and whatever else your heart desires.
Quick facts: Liver is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and Coenzyme Q10 which plays an important role in heart health. What’s more, liver is rich in iron.
Chicken Liver Pate
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp butter
- 3-4 medium onions, sliced
- 1 parsnip, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 large apple, sliced
- 2 jalapenos (optional, you can substitute other spicy peppers of your choice or use crushed pepper flakes, chipotle flakes, cayenne etc.)
- 1 lb liver (I’m using chicken)
- 1/2 cup water, stock, apple cider, white wine, etc. for deglazing (as needed)
- Granulated garlic
- Smoked paprika
- Ground coriander
- Cumin
- Salt
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add vegetables (onions, carrots, parsnips, apples, jalapenos), salt and spices* and cook until everything is soft and tender. Deglaze (a fancy word for adding liquid and scraping the bottom of the pan), as needed, to prevent vegetables from burning in pan (usually around about ¼- ½ cup of liquid in total)
- Add liver, season, and cook until just pink on the inside and cooked through
- Let everything cool in the pan for a bit
- Transfer to a deep container and use an immersion blender to whip everything until fully combined, creamy and dreamy. You can use a food processor as well, but the immersion blender creates far less cleanup!
- Refrigerate until set (ie: firm) and enjoy!
- *I don’t ever measure spices – sprinkle in as much or as little as you’d like. If you’re unfamiliar with the flavours of these spices, give them a smell first and think – would this taste good in here? Do I want this to be a major flavour or a minor flavour? Sprinkle in accordingly. To give you an idea, I usually use more coriander (lemony smell) than cumin (pungent smell), and a very small amount of smoked paprika (very distinct, smoky smell).
Video
Liver is high in B vitamins, delicious, and sophreakingood. Step out of your comfort zone and give it a try!
My immersion blender (which I use daily for all sorts of things) can be found here.
