My Favorite Liver Pate Recipe
Ingredients
2 tbsp of lard or duck fat
2 large yellow onion minced (if you have SIBO, feel free to eliminate or reduce this amount)
1 lb of liver cut into 1 inch pieces
4 tbsp of duck fat
2 tbsp of freshly cut rosemary leaves
1 tbsp of freshly cut thyme leaves
½ tsp of sea salt
Method
Add lard or duck fat to the same skillet. I prefer using duck fat or rendered fat from pork belly for a richer flavor. Melt the fat in a skillet at low to medium. Add the onions and saute them until they become super soft; may take 8 - 12 minutes. Remove onions and place into another dish to cool down.
Melt 1 tbsp of duck fat on the same skillet you cooked the onions. Add the liver to the heated skillet. Cook the liver until no inner pink color is visible. The liver may take about 5 - 8 minutes to be fully cooked. Turn off the heat and allow the liver to cool down.
Place the onions and liver into a food processor or high powered blender (a normal blender could work but it may not come out as creamy) with duck fat (rendered pork fat is fine here too), herbs, and sea salt; blend until the mixture turns creamy.
Background
Liver pâté dish was pivotable in helping me to start eating offal and to up my blood iron levels through nutrition. My first introduction to making liver pâté was through following the recipe from Mickey Trescott. Since then, I have played around with particular ingredients, techniques, and ratios. My favorite fat to use in this recipe is duck fat and the fat from pork belly dishes.
I decided to write my version of this delicious recipe because people kept asking me how I make my liver pâté. I normally create dishes by depending upon my eye sight, taste, and science background. I realized after measuring what I was doing, I was using different ratios than Mickey's recipe. After talking with folks who have used her recipe, I also realized that I was slow cooking the onions for a longer period. Furthermore, I didn’t add the herbs until the ingredients were all cooled down, which may allow for a stronger herb flavor. In addition, I used a 32 oz container on my Vitamix blender to get the creamiest texture possible (the normal container is a 64 oz container). I am guessing that the types of fats I used made a huge difference in taste and texture too. I typically buy grass-fed or pasture raised products. Lastly, I do spend a lot of attention on how I cook each ingredient; making sure I don’t burn or undercook for nutrition, texture, and taste.
Nutrients
Lard: Monosaturated fats, saturated fats, & polyunsaturated fats.
Duck fat: Monosaturated fats, long chain saturated fats, & polyunsaturated fats,
Onions: Biotin, chromium, manganese, copper, vitamin B6, B1, K, & C, dietary fiber, phosphorus, potassium, thiamin, folate; sulfur compounds (ex. allinase released when it is cut or crushed); flavonoids like quercetin; phenolic acids (ellagic, caffeic, sinapic, & p-coumaric); sterols; saponins; pectin; & volatile oils.
Thyme: Vitamin C, iron, manganese, fiber, copper; volatile oils, such as carvacol, borneol, geraniol, thymol, flavonoids (ex. apigenin, naringenin, luteolin, & thymonin).
Rosemary: Vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, iron, fiber, copper, calcium, mangnesium, & B vitamins; contain powerful rosmarinic acid, flavonoids & volatile oil.
Liver: Phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, Retinol (preformed vitamin A - an easier digestible version of vitamin A), vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, & B vitamins [thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, B9 (folate), biotin, & vitamin B12].
References:
Murray, M. Pizzorno, J. Pizzorno, L. (2005). The Encyclopedia Of Healing Foods New York, New York: Atria Books.
Kresser, C. (2011, February). 9 Steps to Perfect Health - #2: Nourish Your Body. Retrieved from http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-2-nourish-your-body/
Kresser, C. (2011, February). 5 Fats You Should Be Cooking With But Not Be. Retrieved from https://chriskresser.com/5-fats-you-should-be-cooking-with-but-may-not-be/