Lamb's Liver Páte

I'm a big fan of páte! It has become a bit of a Christmas tradition in our house to have it as a starter on Christmas Day with some Melba Toast. I used to just buy páte in the shop but it rarely tastes as strong as I like. One of the best things about making your own is that you can make it as strong (or mild) as you like. This is achieved simply by adjusting the ratio of butter to livers. I start off with a 1:1 ratio and adjust accordingly. More liver gives you a stronger taste while more butter will mellow it out a bit. This makes over a kilo of páte so feel free to halve the ingredients!

550g Lamb's Liver (or whichever liver you prefer)
550g of Salted Butter plus some for cooking
75ml of Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson)
3 cloves of Garlic (very finely chopped)
2 tbsp mixed Herbs (I used thyme, oregano and sage)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Melted Butter to seal

Notice how I dropped the match into the pan with the fright of almost losing my eyebrows!

1. Clean the livers before cutting away any membrane. Cook over a low heat in plenty of butter until cooked through. Cook over a low heat to avoid a crust forming on the outside. Add to a food processor.

2. Turn up the heat and add the whiskey to the pan. Allow to flame to burn off the alcohol before adding the garlic and herbs. Cook for one minute before scraping everything out of the pan and into the food processor. Add 100g of the butter and puree for a few seconds. Allow to cool for ten minutes.

3. Add the rest of the butter and puree to form a smooth paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put in one large or a few small dishes and cover with melted or clarified butter to seal. Serve with melba toast, some fleur de sel and a little chutney. Perfect as a Christmas starter.

Venison and Lamb's Liver Stew

Gutsy and deep flavoured, just as a good stew should be. I was in the English Market in Cork last week and took the opportunity to pick up some things that are a little difficult to get up my end of the woods. I was a little worried that my bag of stewing venison might not take too kindly to being on an unrefrigerated train for a few hours but it all worked out ok. I love the strong flavour of game, it gives a deeper, fuller flavour than farmed animals and is particularly good on a Winter's day. For this recipe I've decided to enhance the depth by pairing the venison with lamb's liver and took any work out of the dinner by turning it into a one pot. If you can get some venison, give this recipe a try on a cold, damp day.

Serves 4

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
80g Smoked Speck (or Smoked Streaky Bacon) (finely diced)
430g Stewing Venison (seasoned and chopped into chunks)
100g Lamb's Liver (finely chopped)
2 Onions (finely chopped)
2 Carrots (finely chopped)
2 Sticks of Celery (finely chopped)
1/2 glass of good Red Wine
1 Tin of Plum Tomatoes
500ml of Beef or Game Stock
2 Bay Leaves
20g Dried Mixed Mushrooms
200g Button Mushrooms (sliced)
2 tbsp Elderberry Jam
1 Kg of Rooster Potatoes (in 1cm slices)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put the dried mushrooms into a bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.

2. Add the oil to a pan over a medium heat and add the smoked speck (or bacon) and fry for 2 minutes before adding the venison and liver. Brown well all over before adding the onion, carrot and celery. Season and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the wine while scraping up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes to cook off the alcohol before adding the tin of tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, season, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

3. Add the dried mushrooms and their soaking water, the button mushrooms and elderberry jam and stir well. Simmer uncovered for a further 15 minutes before layering the potatoes over the top. Season well and put (uncovered) into a pre heated 180 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Ragu

World Cup, Day 3 - Italy

Ragu

Day 3 of the World Cup. Day 2 proved a shock as Spain were hammered by a fresh looking Dutch side and refereeing errors almost denied Mexico a win. The paella went down a treat with all the family (you can't have paella for two!). Today's menu was more difficult. I love Italian food. I cook Italian several times a week, so what to choose? I settled on a ragu (meat sauce). In Ireland we know this as 'bolognese sauce' but that's just one type of ragu. This is my version - the 'Kinneagh Kitchen Ragu'.

The most important thing with a ragu is a strong meaty flavour. Lamb's liver gives a robustness while the roasted bones raise it another level. I usually add chopped kidney too but somebody raided the butchers before I got there! It's important to let it cook for at least 2 hours to allow all the flavours to develop.

Serves 4

500g Raw Bones (Beef or Lamb)
2 tsp Dried Oregano
5 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Chilli (finely chopped)
1 stick of Celery (finely chopped)
1 small Carrot (finely chopped)
100g Lamb's Liver (diced)
250g Beef Mince
250g Pork Mince
200ml Red Wine (Chianti if possible)
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 tin of San Marzano Tomatoes (or good plum tomatoes)
3 ripe Plum Tomatoes
1 Bay Leaf
50 ml Milk
400g Dried Tagliatelle Pasta
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese to serve

1. Place raw bones onto a baking tray. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and 1 tsp of the oregano. Rub all over the bones and roast in a 200 degree oven for 1 hour. Set aside.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, chilli, celery and carrot. Season well and cook for 7-10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add liver and mince and brown all over. Season and add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and cook for 5-7 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the tomato puree and let it sit for 1 minute before stirring well.

3. Meanwhile chop the tinned tomatoes and remove any hard tops. Chop off the top of the ripe tomatoes and dice. Add all the tomatoes including the juice from the tin to the pan and bring to the boil. Season and add the roasted bones, the remaining 1 tsp of oregano and bay leaf. Stir well, turn down the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add some boiling water if it gets too dry.

4. Approx. 10 minutes from the end, bring 4 litres of water to the boil in a large pan. Add approx. 20g of salt and return to the boil before adding the pasta. Stir and cook until al dente (8-10 minutes). Drain the pasta and set aside. Remove the bones and bay leaf from the ragu and add milk. Stir well before tipping in the pasta. Mix everything together before serving with gratings of Parmesan or Pecorino cheese on top.