Pork liver pâté with green peppercorns & sage

Winter

I think people get a little nervous about making pâtés and terrines. They think it’s beyond their abilities or something. The truth is... it probably is. (I’m joking, it’s not.) Rather, the truth is the majority of pâtés are really easy to put together, as long as you have a mincer. What’s more, making your own pâté means you know exactly what’s gone into it and where the meat has come from (something you can never really be sure of when you buy pâté from the supermarket or delicatessens). I use pork back fat in my pâté, which helps keep it beautifully moist, as well as streaky bacon offcuts. And I always seek out the freshest liver I can get hold of. Your butcher will be able to help you with all of these ingredients. Brined green peppercorns are characterful little things and liven up a pâté in a way I adore.

Makes 1 large terrine

Ingredients

300g (10½oz) very fresh pig’s liver, cubed and tough ventricles removed
300g (10½oz) fatty pork belly, cubed
300g (10½oz) fatty bacon offcuts, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons chopped sage
1 glass of red wine
75g (2½oz) fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon green peppercorns in brine
150g (5½oz) pork back fat, cut into 3–4mm (⅛in) cubes
about 300g (10½oz) thinly sliced streaky bacon, to line the terrine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place the liver in a large bowl with the pork belly, bacon offcuts, onion, garlic and sage. Mix thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or overnight.

Set up your mincer fitted with the coarse plate (7–8mm/⅜in). Pass the meat and liver mixture through the mincer and put it back into the bowl. Add the wine, breadcrumbs, green peppercorns and pork back fat, and season with some salt and pepper. Mix well.

At this stage you can fry a little patty of the mixture, if you like, taste it and adjust the seasoning of the main mixture accordingly. Remember to compensate for the fact that this pâté will be served cold, which takes the edge off the seasoning.

Heat the oven to 120°C/235°F/gas mark ½–1. Line a 1-litre (35fl oz) terrine with cling film, leaving some overhang around the edges. Line the terrine with the bacon, leaving enough overhang to envelope the meaty mixture. Spoon in the pâté mixture and level off, then fold over the overhanging bacon, then the cling film. Cover with foil – or, if using a traditional terrine dish, use the heavy lids. Stand the terrine in a high-sided roasting tin and pour in enough hot water to come two-thirds up the sides of the terrine dish. Cook in the oven for 1½–2 hours. Check the core temperature of the pâté with a temperature probe; it should register no higher than 72°C/160°F. Remove the pâté from the oven and leave to cool completely. Refrigerate for 12–24 hours before serving.

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