I do not have a problem with eating liver, quite the opposite. I grew up eating pate and liver in different forms and it was actually one of my favorite foods for a long time. It still is but since I had a hard time finding 100% grass-fed beef liver or pasture-raised chicken liver I preferred not to consume it at all. So when I finally found beef liver that is 100% grass-fed and local, I went for it. This beef liver pate is delicious.
How to make beef liver pate
Making beef liver pate at home might seem intimidating, but it’s actually super easy and fast. You need the liver, ghee and extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, salt and pepper and a shot of bourbon.
When it comes to the recipe I’m sharing below, one thing I’m not sure about is the cooking time because it depends on how your livers are cut. Some of mine were sliced quite thin, some were bigger, so the idea is to cook them enough so they are not pink in the center anymore, but the overcooked liver is not good.
So what I did after I put the big pieces in the pan, I cooked them for 1, 2 minutes on one side, and then turned them around for another minute, and then started to cut in the middle to see if they are done. The thinner pieces, I took our first, the thicker ones needed more time. So this is the only ‘sensitive’ part of the cooking process.
Eat it with compliant bread, with lectin-free Almond Flax Crackers or vegetables sticks/slices. It’s an excellent addition to a lectin-free tapas platter.
You can serve it as an open sandwich. Apply a layer of the beef liver pate to my Everyday Lectin-Free Bread and top it off with the homemade sauerkraut with red cabbage and carrots.
Beef Liver Pate with Bourbon and Fresh Herbs
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Loading...Ingredients
- 1lbs 100% grass-fed beef liver
- one small red onion or half of a big one
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5oz ghee
- 1 shot bourbon (you can also use brandy or another good quality dark liquor you may have around)
- 3 tbsp of mixed fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh sage, washed, dried and chopped
- salt and pepper
- pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
Instructions
Take the liver out and pat dry. Mine was clean, so depending on how you buy it make sure is all clean. set on the side on paper towels.
Make sure your herbs are ready: washed, dried and chopped.
Chopped the onion and smash the garlic and add them to a heated pan with olive oil - be generous with the oil. Saute until translucent and fragrant, but not burnt, about 10 minutes. Take out from the pan, set aside.
Add about two tsp of ghee to the pan and add the liver (heat to medium to high) and the chopped herbs. Salt and pepper.
Cook for 1, 2 minutes on one side, then turn, cook for another minute and add the shot of bourbon (be careful if you have one flame).
Start checking if they are done (no more pink in the middle) by cutting the center of each slice with a knife. You don't want to overcook the liver. Take out piece by piece once they are done. Some may take longer than others if they are thicker pieces.
Add the liver and everything from the pan to a food processor (I use a blender because I don't have a big enough food processor), add the cooked onions and garlic, more salt and pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, the 2 tsp of ghee and a couple of tbsp of olive oil. Mix well until you get a paste.
Taste and adjust to your liking, you can add more oil, salt and pepper if you need.
Add to a bowl that can serve also as a storage container (not plastic!), I use a pyrex with a lid. Level and add a layer of ghee on top. You can decorate with more herbs or/and keep some pieces of the cooked liver to add on top (not necessary).
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks. (It stores better with the ghee layer on top).
Notes
This is a super easy recipe, but be careful not to overcook the liver. Keep some small pieces of cooked liver for decoration if you want. The ghee layer on top is not necessary but it adds flavor and it helps with the storage.
6 Comments
Erin
July 29, 2018 at 3:57 pmClaudia…where do you get the grass fed beef/chicken liver? I LOVE pate but don’t make it because I can’t find grass fed😕!
Claudia
July 29, 2018 at 5:19 pmHi Erin, I get it from Burgundy’s Local, a local store. Where are you based? There are several vendors that ship across US.
Carol
August 3, 2018 at 7:13 amwhat vendors please? I am in Nashville. And I love liver. In Chinese Medicine, it says, feed liver to support the liver, kidney to the kidney, etc. Also, food shaped like body parts, like walnuts for the brain, kidney beans for the kidney.
Are you on Facebook?
Claudia
August 3, 2018 at 4:55 pmMy favorite one, based in California but I know they deliver in other states is Primal Pastures. But out local Texas one, that I also love and I get everything from them is called Burgundy Pasture Beef and according to their website they deliver across US. I guess Nashville is closer to Texas than California. Try both. xx
Carol
August 3, 2018 at 7:17 amOH. and if you would put LECTIN in your website name I think your work would be much better recognized. Just discovered you on a FB chat group. I’m impressed; thanks for doing what you are doing.
Claudia
August 3, 2018 at 4:58 pmThank you so much Carol! I know, I’m kind of the ugly duckling of the Lectin free blogging world LOL. I just felt I didn’t want to restrict myself, names come and go, but eating healthy, learning how to cook, will stay forever no matter the name. I know I’m loosing from an exposure perspective. I’ll see how I can handle that in the future. But thank you for your feedback, this is really helpful and encouraging for me. xx