So having sinned horribly on my low carbohydrate diet last week (mea maxima culpa!) I am back at it with a vengeance. I don’t care that chicken liver pate may be old-fashioned and reminiscent of Berni Inns where it was served with a withered lettuce leaf and Melba toast that could definitely have doubled up as a loofah if you were desperate. There are times when you can keep your de-constructed snail porridge, I want something delicious and simple and most of all unpretentious. A beautiful home-made pate served with some rocket, dressed with olive oil and a little parmesan or crusty bread or toast if you are not off the carbs, can be tasty and cheap. Chicken livers are so under-rated and under-used.
You will need: 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely, Small handful of fresh parsley (approx. 3 sprigs) chopped finely, 500g raw chicken livers, 250g slightly salted butter, ½ teaspoon of Tabasco, 2 teaspoons dried English mustard, 2 tablespoons brandy (Optional), Salt and pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons groundnut oil
Method:
In a frying pan, add 1 of the tablespoons of groundnut oil and place over a medium heat- Add the chicken livers and fry gently for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are no longer pink in the middle, don’t overcook them, you want them soft.
Remove the chicken livers and set aside on a plate, to cool slightly. (Ellie pictured to the left, about to remove them) Place the second spoon of groundnut oil in the frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and parsley to the pan and cook on low for about 10 minutes minutes until they become translucent but not brown
- Add all the rest of the ingredients in to a food processor and whizz until smooth and creamy. You can add a tablespoon or two of double cream if you like it very creamy
- Place in to a bowl and put in the fridge for at least 6 hours – that’s it! It’s also really good served with some onion marmalade. You can buy some really good ones, otherwise cook some sliced onions very, very slowly in some butter until they are very soft and start to caramelise. When they are really soft and browned, add balsamic vinegar and dark soft brown sugar and cook for a few minutes longer, that’s all you need to do.
The Bombay Boys 
This is almost exactly the recipe my mother used for guests. But it was the 1960’s and pre-food processors, so the chicken livers had to be pressed through a sieve. This is where I learned the meaning of the world conscientious. It became ‘my job’ because I was ‘so-o-o good at it’, but for tiny fingers it was no easy task. I remember pushing like hell trying to get every last morsel through. It seems to me she mixed a little cream in as well as the other ingredients you mention, and then she put it in a mold and after refrigeration, it was upturned and spread with a thin layer of softened cream cheese. Then she lovingly placed half an olive on top of the small mountain to represent the centre of a flower, with pimento slices as the petals. Served with melba toast. So 1960’s.
I love it! This recipe will never be complete to me again unless I have an olive and pimento flower on the top x
This is such a great recipe – and I love the 1960s decorative touches! I shall definitely be making this with the olive and pimento flower. x