Pork And Pistachio Pate Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut pork and veal into cubes and set aside.
• Cut ham into 1/2-inch cubes. There should be about 2 cups. Set aside.
• Carefully trim chicken livers. Cut off and discard any connecting membranes.
• Heat butter in a heavy skillet and add shallots. Cook briefly, stirring. Add chicken livers and sprinkle with thyme and bay leaf. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Put cubed veal into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend slightly finer than store-bought hamburger. Empty veal into a mixing bowl.
• Put pork into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend a little coarser than store-bought hamburger. Add pork to veal.
• Put liver mixture into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend as finely as possible. Pour and scrape this into the bowl with ham and veal. Add the reserved two cups of cubed ham and the pistachios. Add allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, wine, salt and pepper and blend well with fingers. To test mixture for seasoning, shape a small portion of the mixture into a patty and cook, turning once, in nonstick skillet until cooked through. Taste the patty and add more seasonings as desired.
• Pack the mixture into a 5- or 6-cup loaf pan. Smooth over the top, rounding it slightly. Place bacon slices on top. Cover closely with foil and place pate in a heatproof baking dish. Set the dish on the stove and pour boiling water around loaf pan. Bring the water to the boil. Place the pate in the water bath in the oven and bake 45 minutes or to an internal temperature (using meat thermometer) of 150 degrees. Remove pate from oven and let stand until ready to serve.
• This pate is excellent hot or cold. Cut it crosswise into slices and serve.

Steps:

• Place all ingredients except salt and pistachio nuts in bowl of food processor and process until smooth. Wrap 1 teaspoon of mixture in microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700- watt oven for 45 seconds. Remove from oven and uncover. Taste for saltiness and add salt to mixture if desired.
• Scrape pate mixture into a bowl and stir in pistachio nuts. Transfer to a glass or ceramic loaf pan, 9 by 5 by 3 inches, that either has a nonstick surface or has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray. Smooth out surface with a spatula. Cover pan with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power for 12 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Cut a piece of cardboard to just fit the loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Place over pate in pan. Refrigerate with 2 or 3 heavy cans on top overnight.
• Run a thin knife around the inside edge of pan to loosen pate. Invert onto a serving plate.

Steps:

• Tip the bacon, pork and sausagemeat into a large bowl, then grate in the nutmeg and add the sage, cranberries, apricots, pistachios, ¼ tsp salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix to combine, then cover and keep chilled while you make the pastry.
• Tip the lard and butter into a small pan with 150ml water and bring to a simmer. Weigh the flour out in a heatproof bowl with ½ tsp salt. When the butter and lard have melted and the mixture is steaming, pour it over the flour and quickly mix to form a scraggy dough. Tip out onto a surface and knead briefly until smooth. Cut off a third, then wrap and set aside.
• Roll the remaining pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift using a rolling pin and unroll into a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Press the pastry into the edge and up the side - don't worry if it doesn't reach the top, just press into an even layer and ensure there are no holes.
• Spoon the filling into the pastry case and pack in with the back of the spoon to expel any air pockets. Mound it up in the centre to create a dome, leaving about 1cm of the pastry edge protruding.
• Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness as before, then use a plate as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. You can either top the pie with the pastry lid as it is, or create a lattice effect. To do this, you will need to use a lattice cutter or ruler and knife. Hold the ruler over the pastry circle and, starting from the left or right side, cut 1cm vertical lines in the pastry going from top to bottom, leaving 1cm gaps between the incisions. After completing one line of cuts, move the ruler ½cm to the side and make another line of cuts. Continue all the way along the pastry. Gently tease the holes open with your fingers to create a webbed lattice effect, then use the same 20cm template to retrim the lid. Carefully lift it over the pie, folding over the excess pastry and crimping all the way around the edge to seal. Brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Re-roll any offcuts and use to decorate the pie, if you like (we cut out star shapes). Stick these on and brush with more beaten egg. Will keep covered, uncooked, in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake for 2 hrs until the pastry is deep golden brown. If you have a food thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 70C. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then chill for at least 4 hrs before serving. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the duck breasts and skin in a shallow dish, then place in the hot oven for 20 mins. Discard the shrivelled bit of skin that remains, then pour the duck fat into a bowl to cool. Reserve 6 bacon rashers, then roughly chop the remainder. Roughly chop the cooked duck meat.
• In a food processor, blend the chopped bacon, pork and duck in batches to a coarse texture, then tip into a large bowl. Tear up the bread and soak in the milk for 5 mins. Squeeze out the bread and put in the food processor with the shallots, garlic and livers. Process to a coarse texture, then add to the bowl, mixing well.
• Grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cloves to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar. Stir in the cinnamon. Add the spices to the meat along with 4 tbsp reserved duck fat, the Cognac, eggs and 2 tsp salt. Mix together very thoroughly - the best way is to use your hands.
• Press half the mixture into a 1.5-litre baking dish or similar. Scatter over the pistachios and cranberries, then cover with the remaining meat mixture. Arrange the reserved bacon rashers over the top, tucking in the ends. Cover the dish tightly with foil, then put in a roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the dish.
• Bake for 2 hrs, remove foil, then bake for 15 mins more to brown the top. Cool completely, then wrap in fresh foil and chill. For the best flavour, let the terrine chill and mature for at least 2 days before eating.
• TO FREEZE Make the terrine as stated, cool and then freeze. Defrost in the fridge before serving.