Beef liver – who could be a fan after puckering up as a child after being served bitter, metallic tasting liver? Well, beef liver is incredibly healthy and is packed full of iron, copper and B vitamins needed to make healthy Red and White Blood Cells – in fact it has more of these nutrients than any other food! This makes beef liver a super food!

To give you a flavour of the exceptional nutritional profile of liver, here are the nutrients found in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of beef liver:

• Protein: 25% high quality protein – ie 25g per 100g serving
• Vitamin B12: 3,460% of the RDA
• Vitamin A: 860–1,100% of the RDA
• Riboflavin (B2): 210–260% of the RDA
• Folate (B9): 65% of the RDA
• Iron: 80% of the RDA, or 35% for women of menstruating age
• Zinc: 47% of the RDA
• Selenium: 59% of the RDA
• Copper: 1,620% of the RDA
• Choline: Liver provides all of the Adequate Intake (AI) for women and nearly all of it for men (AI is used because there is insufficient evidence to set an RDA)

So, to tantalise your taste buds into giving this super food a place in your diet, in this recipe i’ve played around to make the liver into a creamy, delicious pate. E Voila – try it yourself. You’ll be amazed!

Mise en place

Fat, and tons of it. My favourite fat to use is beef fat / drippings but also use butter or coconut oil

Onion, and lots of them – also caramelising the onions in the fat brings out the sweetness in them

Allspice –  including allspice while creating liver pate creates ALL The difference. Beef liver is fairly powerful, but allspice magically cancels out the liver taste. If you don’t have freshly ground allspice, mix together 1tsp ground cinnamon with 1/2 tsp ground clove and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg.  Taste test and add more all-spice until the metallic liver taste mellows

Grass-Fed Beef Liver – please buy locally from farmers who truly care for their animals

Steeping – traditionally milk is used to remove the bitter metallic flavour of liver. I use apple cider vinegar

Preserving – Store this quick pate in an airtight container and consume within 3 days. This is not a long preserved pate. I add natural preservatives (IE Rosemary) and anti-bacterial (IE garlic) to preserve it for up to 5 days. In all I recommend eating within 3 to 5 days – or freezing your pate in small batches in the freezer. Then you can keep it for about 3 months in your freezer (thaw in your fridge over night)

Herbs – rosemary, thyme or sage can all be used. I prefer rosemary as I trust it has the highest amount of rosemaranic acid it (that is a natural preservative)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp beef fat, butter, or coconut oil (150 g)
• 1 very large or 2 med onions (200 g)
• 14 oz (400 g) beef liver steeped in milk or apple cider vinegar
• 5 or more garlic cloves, crushed or chopped and left for 10 minutes minimum
• I large sprig of rosemary – enough to yield at least 2 tablespoons when chopped
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp of allspice (or 1tsp ground cinnamon with 1/2 tsp ground clove and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg)
• 1/4 tsp of pepper

Step 1 – prepare the liver

• Cut the still frozen beef liver into small slices. It’s easier to cut it when frozen.
• Steep the liver in milk or apple cider vinegar (preferably overnight in the fridge)
• If overnight is not possible, steep for at least 3 to 4 hours
• Use enough liquid to coat and just cover all pieces of liver

Step 2 – cooking

• Cut up onion, mix with fat and cook over a low heat (covered) until caramelized (20 mins to 60 mins). Stir occasionally
• Prepare liver by washing off and discarding milk (if used) – if apple cider vinegar used, leave the liver in the cider vinegar
• Turn up the heat in the onions pan and add the beef liver (and apple cider vinegar, if using)
• Cook until there is no trace of blood, stirring constantly (5 to 10 minutes, depending on quantity of liver used: more liver, more time needed)
• Let the liver and fat cool for a couple of minutes

Step 3 – blending into a pate

• Prepare the garlic by crushing it or chopping (eg in your blender). Leave for at least 10 minutes after chopping
• Add the fresh rosemary to the blender and chop until fine
• Add the beef liver to the food processor, and add salt, allspice and pepper
• Blend till nice and smooth

Step 4 – serving or preserving

• Eat fresh or cool to harden:
  • To make sliceable pate – line a container with plastic wrap, smooth the pate to the container and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour (or until needed). Remove and turn over the container and peel off the plastic wrap and slice evenly
  • You could also simply put the pate in a bowl or some other vessel and scoop it out as necessary
  • Freeze or refrigerate in small batches – consume within 5 days unless frozen
  • After freezing, and defrosting, again, consume within 5 days