Chicken Liver Pâté

Pâté is an interesting beast. It can be polarizing for some. Mention foie gras (which is duck liver, but not just any duck liver, it’s the liver of a duck forcibly fed corn beyond it’s natural capacity) to a animal lover or activist and you’ll most likely at least end up with a big stink face being thrown your way or worse, some sort of indignation that you could dare eat something that was conjured up by some pretty horrific methods (they’re probably right on the methods, they’re pretty bad).

Pâté itself doesn’t necessarily need to come from duck or geese. It’s just essentially a mixture of ground meat and fat that’s spread on a delicious piece of spread.

It’s been said that the origins of some forms of Pâté goes as far back as the ancient Egyptians who would eat geese after the winter was finished and their livers had expanded. Eventually, foie gras made it’s way to Europe where it would be considered the ‘Dish of Kings.’

Outside of foie gras, Pâté is very popular throughout Europe and the West in its various forms. Liverwurst or braunschweiger are both basically Pâté.

When I was traveling in Italy I was able to try their crostini toscani, which is basically pureed chicken livers with onions and garlic that are then spread on a piece of bread. It’s heavenly. It’s a mixture of savory, salty, and richness that just does wonders for your taste buds. When I tried it I knew I had to make it at home. First of all it’s delicious, second of all it’s pretty cheap! This is a great party dip or spread, especially if you have friends who are foodies and not folks who poo-poo anything that’s not mainstream or out of their comfort zone.

Chicken livers are very healthy and good for you, they’re a great source of protein, folate, vitamin A, and Iron. They tend to run high in cholesterol so be weary there if you have problems. You should also avoid chicken livers if you’re preggo because too much vitamin A is not great for the baby.

I adapted this recipe from Food & Wine.I prefer to serve this dip lukewarm as I feel it really captures all the flavors well.

Ingredients –

1 Pound of Chicken Livers

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 Cup of Chopped Onion (Fine)

1 Tsp. Ground Sage

2 Tsp. Fish Sauce

1 Sprig of Rosemary

1/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 Cup of Kalmata Olives (PITTED!)

1/4 Cup White Wine

Method

Step 1 – Clean the chicken livers (trim off excess skin or any weird stuff)

Step 2- Heat butter in pan with 1 tbsp. of olive oil.

Step 3- Once oils are heated, add onion, olives, sage, and rosemary (until onions are softened)

Step 4- Add fish sauce, the real recipe calls for anchovies but I didn’t have any. Stir for about 5 minutes then scoop ingredients into a bowl.

Step 5- Add another 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet, heat and then add your livers (season with salt and pepper).

Step 6- Cook on a high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, then add back your onion mixture.

Step 7 – Add your white wine, and allow it to reduce.

Step 8 – Remove the sprigs of herbs and pour all the ingredients into a blender.

Step 9 – Run the blender until you have a nice smooth dark brown consistency. If you’d like it to be smoother, add more olive oil.

Step 10 – Serve on warm baguette slices, and get out of the way as everyone devours it.