Luscious liver pate

Let's make one thing clear - I am generally not a fan of liver.  Indeed organs in general are a problem for me, despite lots of people telling me how marvellous they are for me I can't get past the texture or the smell.

However I love this liver pate!  It's smooth, delicious and versatile - working with almond crackers, sourdough or oatcakes.

It's also very easy to make.  I had the fear with this dish for quite a while as my husband had always prepared liver in our house.  Now I quite enjoy making it in the evenings when the children are in bed and I can watch something on Netflix whilst I cook!

Liver is a fantastic source of nutrients such as iron, folate and B vitamins (especially B12).  It is also high in Vitamin A.  In theory our bodies can make vitamin A from plant sources by converting beta carotene but in practice our bodies are often very poor at this (especially if you have any digestive issues) so it's good to eat foods that are a direct source.

This recipe will make enough pate for 1 large or 4 small terrines.  I tend to go for small and then I can freeze three, thus having enough pate for around a month.  Or a standby starter dish if I decide to have some friends round to eat!

I would go for the very best livers you can find.  It cost me around £5 for the organic liver needed to make this recipe so it goes quite a long way.  (I bought mine from Graig Farm)

Ingredients

450-500g organic chicken livers (rinsed and chopped in half)

160g of butter 

1 onion 

1 clove of garlic 

1 medium chilli 

Salt and pepper to taste
Bay leaves and peppercorns to garnish

Method

- Add 2/3 of the butter to a large frying pan and gently fry the onions in the butter until they are translucent 

- Add in the chicken livers, garlic and chilli and fry until cooked through - should take around 10-15 minutes 

- Blend the mixture in a food processor and then spoon into containers leaving at least 1cm clear 

on the top. Press down with the back if the spoon to get a flattish surface 

- In a clean pan melt the remaining butter then pour it over the pate (I find this easiest to do it with a large dessert spoon)
- Garnish (if you care to!) with bay leaves and peppercorns

- Leave to cool and then cover and keep in the fridge