Chicken Liver Pate

[Molly]

Okay... I've never eaten chicken livers because they smell awful to me, but I was desperate last night, so I tried this stuff. It actually helped way more than I expected it to. If you can get past the nasty smell (I did it with plenty of cayenne, garlic, and onion powders), I definitely recommend giving it a try the next the cravings are bad, and there is no blood available. One word of warning, however: when you open the container, it is full of chicken blood which was (for me) incredibly difficult to resist... I just kept telling myself "I don't want salmonella... I don't want salmonella" and taking really deep breaths until I got them all rinsed off.

Anyway, I cooked them in water at 1/2 power in the microwave until they were done, stirrinmg every 2 to 3 minutes. (Took about 10 minutes in my wimpy microwave.) Then I drained the water and mashed em up with the spices, then just ate it with a spoon. Not bad.

[Terran Nytefyer]

As disgusting as that sounds . . . it also doesn't sound too bad. lol

[Molly]

Yeah... exactly! lol

I think all told I ended up eating about 2/3 of it before giving the rest to the puppies a couple days later... they liked it too! I wish I knew how long it kept, but I really don't trust meat products beyond 2 to 3 days. Did I also mention that chicken livers are cheap cheap CHEAP!? I believe I paid less than $2.00 for the pound... not a bad price for the relief!

[Tannaidhe]

I have always loved pate... there's a brand of canned pate that's like Devil's Heart or something like that... it's pretty cheep, and very good.

Also, one of my favorite sandwhiches is liverwurst, cream cheese, and pickles. I know it sounds disgusting, but you have to try it to understand. Just ask Terran... "No, no, that's disgusting, I'll hate it, I'll puke just from the smell!" "Just try a bite, here.. ::hands over sandwhich::" "::munch munch... thoughtful look... smiles meekly:: Would you make me one?" Hehehehe...

[Terran Nytefyer]

Shoosh, quit giving away the fact that most of teh foods you have me try that I say I'll hate I actually love. You're spilling my secrets, here . . .

[Molly]

Well, since the original post, I've tried several other recipes and methods, and improvised a few of my own. Yesterday, I came up with what I consider to be the perfect chicken liver pate. It tastes wonderful, the texture was perfect, and it still works great to curb the cravings. It's my own improvisation (spicewise) of a Ukranian recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb chicken livers
1 large white onion
½ tsp each: ground cayenne pepper, ground coriander, crushed fennel seeds (crush = rub briskly between hands over the pan)
¼ tsp each: cardamom, turmeric, cloves
1 egg
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (I always use extra virgin)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop onion. In a large skillet, heat onion and olive oil over medium heat. Add spices and stir well. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse livers and drain well. Add livers to pan, and turn heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until livers are cooked through (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Pour it all into food processor and process until a smooth texture is acheived, scraping down sides as needed. Add egg, and process until thoroughly blended. Spoon into a greased oven-safe dish (I use a 1 liter pyrex bowl, and it fits just about perfect.) Bake at 450 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and turn out onto a plate. Can be eaten warm or cold. Allow it to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes before refrigerating it. (Cover snugly with plastic wrap.) Delicious!

[sharonlee]

yumm, that does sound good!

Interestingly, my grandmother (with whom I lived for the past 9 yrs, until her death in Sept) would eat chicken livers regularly, sometimes several times a week, encouraging me to eat as well. This went on until her abrupt illness about 6 weeks before her death. She was 94 when she died (tho most people assumed she was decades younger, my mom instead of grand - right up to her death) and until the final 6 weeks still fixed her own meals, washed the dishes, etc.

Something else she ate regularly was her version of chicken dumplings - she didn't want the meat and all, just the thickened broth. She would take a can of chicken broth, boil it, then add cut-up bits of thawed frozen bisquits; cooked until very thick.

Makes me wonder a bit... Everyone says we were very much alike.

[Molly]

I often wonder how many vamps are in our family trees that simply never told anyone, even their descendants. My mother is undeniably a psi-vamp, as she began having me give her energy when I was a small child, but when I suggested to her that she might be one, she got all kinds of upset and said that vampirism is EVIL. Probably the first time I ever heard her use that word.