After having spent a year and some to recap the adventures of our ten day trip to Russia, it seems appropriate to save some recipes this trip came with. One of the things I could never get used to in the US is having cereal for breakfast. It just doesn’t do it for me — twenty minutes and I am starving. My parents almost always had a jar of pate — chicken liver, or calf, or duck — in the refrigerator and it felt so appropriate in the morning with a slice of bread and a cup of tea. There was nothing fancy about it — mom frying some livers with onions, mushing them with the fork, adding some butter, salt, and pepper. In the US, offal is not as customary and frequently is looked down on. And livers are available here in any supermarket and not expensive.
WHAT WENT IN
8 Tbsp butter, divided
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 lb chicken livers
3 tablespoons madeira
1/2 tsp kosher salt
black pepper
THE PROCESS
1. Remove any sinewy bits and membrane from the livers so that pâté comes out smooth.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a pan with a teaspoon of olive oil over a medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and sauté until soft, then stir in the garlic and bay leaf.
3. Distribute the livers evenly throughout the pan, cooking for around 2 minutes on each side. Halfway through pour in the madeira.
4. When the livers are cooked, remove the bay leaf and discard, add the remaining butter, and blend everything until smooth. Season to taste, blend again, and place into a serving dish or a jar to store in the refrigerator once it cools.