Jill's Chicken Liver Pate

   A recipe gifted to me by my fantastic mother-in-law soon to-be, this is an opulent and truly delicious recipe that uses simple but effective ingredients, is really easy to create, and also, like many of my kitchen adventures, not taxing at all on your watch, so the credit here lies purely with Jill (this is where you salute). 

   You will only need around 30 minutes of your time to bring this addictive pate to life, right from beginning to chop to popping it into your fridge to set. Use one of my bread recipes to make a fragrant loaf to smear this on with a dollop of butter - I can assure you this is a foodie's paradise! You will need -

- 2 tablespoons olive oil 

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 2 large garlic gloves, crushed

- 455g chicken livers, trimmed

- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary

- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped thyme

- quarter pint of brandy

- 250g butter, cubed, either salted or unsalted is up to your preference! 

- salt and pepper to season

1. Fry the chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves in a pan for up to 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until they begin to brown. Once done, put them in a bowl and set aside. 

2. Wipe your pan down and add your second tablespoon of olive oil. Fry your livers with all the rosemary and thyme just until they are nicely browned but show a little pink in the middle - that bit is VERY important as if you overcook it will affect the endgame! 

3. Pour in your brandy and set it alight - be really careful at this point, as you can see from the picture you will have a flaming pan! Have a lid to hand to cover and control the flames but after about a minute with stirring, the flames will go out. Allow to simmer for 1 minute. Add all your butter and mix in. 

4. Tip the liver, herb and butter mixture along with the onions and garlic all together into a food processor. If you don't have one don't worry - a smoothie maker does just as good a job. Blitz the mixture until it is smooth and clear. If you wish for it to be extra smooth then I would suggest you sieve it. However, this recipe has not been sieved and the consistency has been fine. Again, that's purely your preference. 

5. Pop the mixture into a dish or jar and leave overnight to set in the fridge. The following day, smear it on some homemade bread with a dollop of real butter for a heavenly light lunch! 

Bellisimo! 

J xx