16 May, 2007

For the Love of Liver


Liver Sausage, Beta. Columbus in May Part II.

I love paté. Even more I love a paté that comes in a tube ready for picnicking and is easy to make. I don't want to fuss with aspic and floaty bits and lined loaf pans, I just want a little spreadable love from my cracker.
I got the ingredients from Carfagna's, still my hands down choice for procuring meat in Columbus(Weiland's is a very close and suitable second), they quickly and gladly filled my order and everything looked great.


Here's the ingredient list:

1 lb chicken livers
1 lb pork shoulder
1/2 lb pork fat
30 g shallot minced
21 g salt
6g pepper
no more than one gram of:
ground clove
ground ginger
grated nutmeg
pinch of fresh thyme minced
50 ml white wine chilled


I called this a beta, because I couldn't find a receipe to use, so I made it up. This preparation is very much like an emulsified sausage, it is important to keep the ingredients and equipment very cold.
First I sautéed the shallots just until they softened then chilled them in the fridge. Next I cubed the shoulder and the fat, then mixed them in a bowl with the spices. I rinsed the livers in cold water, then I ground the meat mixture and the livers together through a small plate on the meat grinder. Liver through a grinder is going to look runny, don't worry about it. Using the paddle attachment I stirred in the wine slowly then shifted it into medium for 2-3 minutes.


Now the mixture is holding together. Time to stuff.



The sausage poached in a simmering bath to an internal temperature of 160F. Then into the ice bath. I let the wurst rest on a rack unwrapped in the fridge overnight. And the next morning:

One is really all I need, but since you already made two...

Ma loves her liver sausage. After breakfast we went for a hike in the Hocking hills.

What about a picnic lunch?

This recipe makes 2lbs of sausage which, in terms of paté, is a lot. It probably freezes well, I didn't have any left to test, but I will be making it again soon.

Simple, spreadable, and you can make it yourself.

Cheers.

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