Tonight I decided to venture out of my normal realm of cooking and into the world of organ meats. I had tried (and surprisingly liked) the chicken liver pate served at the Wise Traditions 2009 conference and decided to try it out for myself. It wasn’t too difficult and my home creation tasted just like what was served there made by professional chefs.
Since the spotlight is hardly ever on liver, I’ll take a minute to share some of its great health benefits. It is full of vitamin A, protein, all B vitamins, copper, iron, and folic acid. The liver’s job is not actually store toxins, but it neutralizes them and requires all of these vitamins and minerals to do so.
The best quality liver with the most nutrients is from organic, pastured animals so finding a local farm or resource is a good idea. Unfortunately, I have not located a local farm that offers just liver (instead of whole chickens), so for this recipe I purchased the chicken liver from Whole Foods, where they do have higher quality/health standards than most grocery stores.
The recipe I made is again from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and requires the ingredients below:
- 1 lb chicken livers
- 1/2 lb roughly chopped mushrooms
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 bunch chopped green onions
- 1 clove garlic (mashed)
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 Tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 Tsp dried dill
- 1/4 Tsp dried rosemary
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp butter (softened)
- Salt to taste
I started by melting the 3 Tbsp butter in a large skillet and then added the mushrooms, liver, and onion. I let this cook for about 10 minutes (until the liver was mostly brown) and then added the garlic, wine, lemon juice, mustard, dill, and rosemary. Stirring occasionally, I let this boil until all of the juices were gone.
I then let the liver mixture cool down almost completely before adding it into my food processor along with the 4 Tbsp of softened butter. I added a little bit of sea salt and processed the pate until smooth. The recipe suggests placing it in a crock or mold (I just put mine in a sealed bowl in the fridge to chill) and serving it with whole grain bread or toast, although there are many options.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
You said you purchased the liver from Whole Foods. Did you purchase this on-line, because I am not aware of a Whole Foods in the Grand Rapids area? Also what other health/natural food stores do you frequent in the Grand Rapids area? Thanks!!
Hi Jessica!
Yes, I purchased the liver from Whole Foods in Ann Arbor since we were out that way last weekend visiting friends. There is no Whole Foods in GR, but they do have a request a store page if you’d like to request one here (I already have :) ). I don’t believe they offer online shopping. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/service.php?subject=12#viaemail
In Grand Rapids, I frequent Harvest Health Stores and I used to visit the Health Hutt often, but it recently closed. I think there may still be one open in Muskegon. Hope this helps!
Hi Michelle.
There is a chicken liver pate that my mum and sister sometimes by from the st. andrews farmers’ market near me. It is so delicious!
I can’t remember all the ingrients from the container but one of them is cream and I reckon that adds to the taste!
I bet it’s gonna be hard for me to find a good source of organic chicken livers (how big is each chicken liver anyway?)…we have only a few suppliers of organic chicken…but if I do I really wanna try and make this pate!
Hi Michelle!
You are lucky that it is available at your farmers’ market, I have never seen it at ours! I bet the cream does add to the taste!
I, too, am having a hard time finding a good source of organic chicken livers. The livers I bought from whole foods were maybe 2″-3″ each. I think the wine and mushrooms were a great addition to this pate.
I used the recipe and it came out great! I’m really enjoying it with toasted sourdough bread. I’m glad it makes a lot, should last me at least the rest of the week. :-) Thanks Michelle! I definitely have to get Sally Fallon’s book.
Hi Jenifer, I’m so glad you liked it! And if you have any left over, it freezes really well. And Sally Fallon’s book is great- maybe a little intimidating and first but such a great resource for recipes and food information!
I live alone and a portion of pate can last tooo long to be fresh. I drop a portion for two breaksfasts in a baggie and freeze. Then I can have a variety and the liver is a treat when I thaw it out. Helen
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