Today is Friday and that can only mean one thing....it's the weekend!
If you are anything like me, you are by now, SKINT. BRASSIC. COMPLETELY BRASSO!
So, here for your delectation is a post Christmas recipe(s) for the meat eaters and the veggies a like.
The lovely thing about pate is, that it is a decadent little snack or a luxurious ingredient to your gravy or stuffing. I love a good meaty stuffing. ;)
These recipes are meant to be inexpensive (you are likely to have most of these ingredients especially the Port lying around after Christmas) and should make you feel that, just because you have very little money right now, doesn't mean that you can't look after yourself inside and out.
Chicken Liver and Port Pate
You will need:
Port (left over from Christmas)
Butter (1 Brick)
Chicken Livers (1 packet will be enough)
Sour Cream
Garlic (to taste but definitely more than the original recipe asked for)
Shallots (as liberal as Garlic).
Method:
Poach the livers in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until cooked.
Drain the livers and put to one side. Using the same pan, add a knob of butter and the garlic and shallots and fry them on a low heat until they become transparent. If you have any fresh herbs lying about, thyme would work well in this process.
Once the garlic and onions have become transparent add a generous glug of Port. Then, reduce on the same low heat until it is almost syrup-y.
Add the livers for a little bit.
Pour all this, by now fabulously smelling mixture into a food processor. Add some sour cream (aprox 2 tbsp) and then blend it like it was a Gremlin threatening to ruin your family Christmas.
Add roughly 3/4 of a stick of butter to this lovely paste. Tip: the butter should be at room temperature and diced to make it easier for the blender.
Blend again until smoother than a smooth thing and scoop into a dish.
Please feel free to lick the bowl afterwards.
Put dish in the fridge and wait to set.
Eat as required. Happy Days!
Sorry, I also mentioned something for the Veggies...
Mushroom and Chestnut Pate with Port
You will need:
1 x punnet of chestnut mushrooms
Lots of Garlic
Lots of shallots
Port
1x pack of pre cooked chestnuts
300g of cream cheese.
Method:
Fry the shallots and garlic in a little butter on a low heat until they become transparent.
Add a huge glug of port and reduce until the liquor has become syrup-y.
Add your sliced punnet of mushrooms and fry until cooked and floppy looking. (mushrooms should be the only thing that is acceptable when they are floppy).
Pour the mixture into your blender and add the packet of cooked chestnuts and the cream cheese.
Blend until smooth but a bit choppy looking (err...a regular small and bumpy mixture).
Spoon mixture into a dish and put in the fridge.
As before, lick the bowl.
Job done!
Enjoy,
Ginger Wilde x
Quick update: I have been advised, and rightly so that I should mention that the recipes above are not actually mine. Please check out the new Bibliography List for the source of my recipes. I don't want to get done for plagiarism!
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