Offal meat: a nutrient powerhouse meat
All offal meats are a key part of the AIP protocol. Today, we mainly eat muscle meat and are somewhat put off by offal. Yet, it is one of the most valuable cuts of meats when it comes to nutrition. It is also cheap, which is always welcome on household budgets. And it makes our meat consumption much sustainable. This recipe for an easy chicken liver pate is a great way to train our taste buds to new flavours.
Liver is an amazing source of vitamin A and Zinc. They are crucial for the good functioning of your immune system. For those who are interested, it’s all about the health of your mucosal barriers for example the gut barrier. Its key role is to stop nasties getting from your gut into your blood stream. And it also ensures normal function of inflammatory cells. More about why everyone should eat offal meat here.
As an aside, the health of your skin greatly benefits from Vitamin A and Zinc. So if a well functioning immune system isn’t enough to convince you to eat liver, maybe a great youthful skin could be what motivates you!!
Sarah Ballantyne aka the Paleo Mom has a great article on tips and tricks to eat more offal
Learning to eat offal meat again
Anyway, enough of the science… I used to love liver as a kid, but I’ve lost the taste for it. I therefore decided to re-train my palate by making pâté. After all, I often eat pate from the deli and if you eat sausages or salamis, you are pretty much guaranteed to be eating some offal meat.
Easy chicken liver pate – adapted for the AIP protocol
The easy chicken liver pate recipe below is AIP compliant and adapted from a recipe from Pete Evans, an Australian chef and health coach, who follows a paleo lifestyle.
The AIP protocol excludes quite a lot of food groups, so recipes often include non-compliant ingredients. Read more about what is included or excluded in the AIP protocol here
The first time I made this recipe, I have to say, I struggled “handling” the chicken livers. But as with all things, you get used to it and now, it’s just the same as any other kind of meat. It is really easy to make, so give it a go! And most importantly, it is delicious, my kids love it!
Easy Chicken Liver Pate
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or other AIP cooking fat
- 1 large onion Sliced
- 3 garlic cloves Crushed
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- ½ cup bone broth (Alternative: 1 tbsp gelatine + ½ cup of water)
- 2 tbsp port or sherry Optional - AIP note: even in AIP elimination phase, alcohol is acceptable as it will have evaporated during the cooking process
- 500 g chicken livers
- 500 g minced pork
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 slices Parma / Cured ham (Can also use bacon rashes)
Instructions
- Soften the onions and garlic in cooking fat, over medium heat until softened
- Add the port, broth or water, thyme
- Bring to boil and reduce by half (it should take about 5 mins)
- Put chicken livers, minced pork, onion mixture, gelatine (if using) and salt into a blender and mix until smooth-ish
- Line a terrine mould with the ham, ensuring it over hangs on the sides, so you can fold it back on top
- Put the mixture into the lined mould. If the top isn't completely covered, add 1 or 2 slices on top
- Cover the dish with tin-foil and place the terrine in a dish, with boiling water. Place it in the oven, and bake it for 1h45 to 2h at 130 degrees, until the terrine detaches from the sides. I like my pate slightly pink, so it's more likely to be 1h45 for my taste.
- Take out of the oven and leave it to set in the dish for a few hours (place in the fridge once it has cooled down a bit)
- You can turn it over on a plate, but I prefer to leave it in the terrine dish, as it's easier to store in the fridge. It will keep fresh for 5 days in the fridge (though I have found it's fine to eat for a bit longer than that). It also freezes well.
Notes
- I doubt butchers bother with this when making pate / sausages / salamis etc
- It's all blended so finely, it doesn't matter
- It is added nutrients 😉