Ingredients / Shopping List
400g chicken livers2 med onions25g butterSaltFreshly ground black pepperI tablespoon red wineI cox appleI clove garlic4 pieces sun dried tomatoesTopping: black peppercornsmelted butter
400g chicken livers2 med onions25g butterSaltFreshly ground black pepperI tablespoon red wineI cox appleI clove garlic4 pieces sun dried tomatoes
Topping: black peppercorns
melted butter
Prep to Cook:
Frying pan, spatula, veg knife, chopping board, food processor
Prep:
Peel and dice the onion into fine pieces
Peel and finely dice the garlic clove.
Slice and dice the sun dried tomatoes
Peel, core and dice the apple
Cook:
Melt the butter in a frying pan
Add the onions, garlic and the chicken livers
Stir and cook until the liver changes from red to brown
Add the sun dried tomatoes and the apple and the wine
Add salt and black pepper
Simmer for 8 – 10 minutes
Cool slightly and transfer to the processor and blend for 15 seconds
Tip into a pot, or several small pots and level out
Melt 25g butter and brush gently over the surface of the pate
Chill and store in the refrigerator
Chicken Livers are cheap to buy and cook quickly. They make a good starter because they can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge. Keep very organised and hygienic whilst making pate and remember to chill and store at below 5ºC. Liver pate provides a good source of iron in the diet.
Cooks Know How:
Cooking chicken livers may seem a bit scary but they are tender portions of meat so cook quickly in the frying pan. If overcooked they become tough and chewy so stick to the timings suggested. Chicken liver meat is high in protein and low in fat so adding butter helps flavour and moistness of the finished pate. Other flavour additions are the sun dried tomatoes and the apple which sweetens the pate. You can be heavy with the seasoning because you eat pate cold. Chilling food flattens the flavours and therefore more salt and pepper can be used. Once cooked the whole mixture can be processed or blended to make it into paste. In order to maintain the flavour and prevent darkening on the surface it is best to brush the pate with melted butter to seal it. You can decorate by adding bay leaves or peppercorns to the butter.