Rabbit Liver

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Here in Valencia, you can buy rabbit in every supermarket and butchers shop. It is most used in paella, but is also sold ready jointed for baking, roasting or grilling. Our local branch of Carrafour sells rabbit liver in 1/2 kilo packs. We have grilled rabbit liver once a week. It is sweet and full of flavour. It is also very nutritious. We always wondered if you could use it to make pate in the same way as chicken liver.

Luckily, we saw an article which shows that you can – so we did – and it was great. Here is the article.

Mention liver to most people and you’re bound to get one of two answers: YUM or ICK! In my experience, liver has had more of an ick factor. I’m not sure why. I think it’s just a texture thing along with a very strong flavour. Or maybe it’s because I grew up with a father that loved to coat liver with flour and cook it with onions, then expect us children to eat that awful smelly stuff. What can I say? I was a kid. I didn’t like broccoli either.

Enter adulthood and I discovered pate. Mmmmm… Rich, smooth, creamy, delicious pate. I immediately loved it. Little did I know it was basically my fathers liver and onions pureed and served cold with crackers. But pate is expensive in the store, so I didn’t eat it too often.

Fast forward to my homestead. Now that I raise the bulk of my own meat, I have lots of liver. Putting it in the stock pot with the bones and such just seemed to be a waste. So I decided it was time to try my hand a thome made pate. Liver is very nutritious. It’s a good source of Thiamin, Zinc and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A,Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, PantothenicAcid, Iron, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium.

After searching the internet for recipes, I settled on one from Hoyt Archery. It seemed simple and contained herbs that I like and had on hand. I especially liked that it called for soaking the liver in milk. I had heard that this made the liver much better tasting. And I just happened tohave fresh raw goat milk in the refrigerator. Of course I also had 2-1/2 lbs of fresh rabbit liver, much more than the recipe called for. So I multiplied all the ingredients by 2-1/2 and got down to it.

Liver Pate

1pound liver
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup brandy

Place the liver and milk into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. I actually let mine soak overnight. When you are ready to start cooking, put the liver in a colander and drain well.

In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat melt four tablespoons of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until they are soft and pale. You don’t want to brown them. Once the onions are soft, add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Again, do not brown it. You just want the wonderful aroma. This should only take a minute or two.

Carefully add the liver to the onions. Then add in your spices. This recipe uses thyme and bay leaves. But you could use just about any spice you like. I tend to cut the salt in half when I cook. I find that most recipes don’t need as much as they call for. If I feel something needs more salt when I’m done, it’s easy enough to season it afterwards.

Gently stir and sauté until the liver is browned on the outside, but still slightly pink in the inside. I test this by simply slicing a bit of the liver using the slotted spoon I’m cooking with. At this point, I thought it smelled wonderful. I was ready to grab a fork. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t enjoy this aroma when I was a kid.

Once browned, remove the skillet from the heat. Pour on the brandy. Don’t forget to have a nip for yourself! Return the skillet to the heat and light the brandy. *POOF* Flambé! What can I say? I’m a pyromaniac. I love to flambé! Besides, the flames only last for a minute or so until the alcohol is burned off. But if you have guests that have never seen it, they’ll be most impressed.

Continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. The liver should be cooked through, but it should still be tender. Again, test it by slicing into it to make sure it’s brown throughout. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the liver and onions to cool slightly. Remove the bay leaves.

Carefully spoon the liver and onions into a food processor. Depending upon the size, you may have to do this in batches. Puree the mixture until smooth. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and add them to the pate. Pulse to blend. Don’t worry about over processing at this point. You want everything to be smooth and blended together.
Taste your creation. If you need to adjust any of the seasonings, now is the time to do it. Just be sure to pulse the mixture to make sure any additions are thoroughly blended in.

Before packing your pate into a mould or other container, oil the mould with a little olive oil. This helps to prevent it from sticking. You can also use plastic wrap. Since I had a very large batch, I used a 9” loaf pan. I lined it with plastic wrap and then used a paper towel to wipe the inside with olive oil. Next, cover the pate with plastic wrap, pressing it down onto the surface to eliminate as much air as possible. Air will cause the surface to discolour. This doesn’t hurt the flavour or freshness of the pate. It just doesn’t look as nice. Pop it into the refrigerator until it is firm, at least 6 hours.

One great thing about pate is that it freezes well. So if you’ve made a large batch like I did, simply slice it up, seal it, and freeze it. I have a vacuum sealer. If you are freezing any meats, I highly recommend buying one. It sucks all the air out of the package and seals it up perfectly for freezing. I made each package about 4-5 ounces which is a good serving size for entertaining.

To serve, simply unmold it onto a plate and add garnish. Pate is great with crackers, flat bread, or toast. Serve it with your favourite cheese and a glass of wine. Once you realize how quick and simple it is to make, you’ll never take potato salad to a potluck again!

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Rabbit Liver

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