#133 Liver Pâté
The EASIEST way to get organs in your diet
The way organs have been portrayed in the health space is just distorted. No, you don’t need to eat liver every single day to be healthy. In fact, you absolutely shouldn’t! That’s one way you develop a nutritional imbalance, especially if you’re consuming lots of beef liver which has way more copper than it does zinc.
Organs were always meant to be eaten in tiny quantities. They were never meant to replace the main bulk of your meals. Either have a tiny amount every few days or have a serving or two every week. Think about it. An animal only gives us a few organs for the amount of muscle meat harvested, there’s no way organs should be the main thing you’re eating.
One of the easiest ways to incorporate organs in your diet without even thinking about it is to make pâté. All you have to do is blitz organs and herbs in a food processor and you’ll have the best multivitamin on the planet readily accessible throughout the week.
You can choose whatever type of liver you want to make pâté. Beef liver tastes the most organ like, chicken is the most palatable and lamb is somewhat in between. With organs, just make sure you get them from the right source and that they’re handled properly. You don’t want to get a bad batch that’ll ruin your gut.
Pâté is essentially a creamy, rich spread that you can use a number of different ways. The best thing about pâté is how versatile it is. It literally functions like a spread of butter. You can keep it in your refrigerator for a few days and use on toast, as a side dish or even mix it in with a fresh salad.
Here's how you make it:
Ingredients
500g cleaned liver
200g salted butter
Drizzle of EVOO
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
Spices: Turmeric, garlic powder, smoked paprika
Equipment:
Pan
Spatula
Food processor
Bowl (to let liver cool)
Method
1. Preparing Liver
Soak in milk for 10-20 minutes before cooking (never soak it overnight)
Drain and pat dry
2. Sauté Onions
On medium heat, drop a knob of butter and a dash of EVOO
Once the fat is sizzling, add the onions with a pinch of salt and let them sweat
Cook until the onions are translucent
3. Cook Liver
Add the liver evenly across the pan, cook for 2-3 minutes
Once you see the sides start to brown, use a spatula and flip
Stir with the onions, add a bit of fat and cook for another 2 minutes
Season accordingly. Add minced garlic, turmeric, garlic powder and smoked paprika. S&P.
Cook the liver to about a medium-well. Adjust cooking time according to your preferences (usually about 5 minutes total cooking time is perfect but it depends on your burner)
4. Pâté Time
Once cooked, remove from the pan and let it cool
Transfer to a food processor with the remaining butter to blend
Use the pulse setting so you can control the exact texture you want; you can either make it relatively chunky or a smooth puree.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How do I store the pâté?
Store in small glass containers. I suggest keeping one for daily use in the refrigerator (should last about a week), and to freeze the rest.
2. Must I only use lamb liver?
No, feel free to use beef, chicken or any other liver! The recipe basically works the same.
3. What's the best way to eat pâté?
You can use pâté for just about anything. To spread on sourdough or accompanying some meat.
P.S. If you're eating this for the first time, you make sure to not forget to soak the liver in milk. This makes it much more palatable. However, never overdo it! 30 minutes is the maximum I'd do.
Dessert bingo
What are we making this summer?
Eat orange
You need to be eating more orange
Beautiful cutlery
Make cutlery beautiful, eccentric and weird again
Afford yourself the luxury
❋ FROM HIVE TO JAR: THE ART & SCIENCE OF HARVESTING HONEY
For thousands of years, honey has captivated civilizations—from royal tombs to modern labs, it’s been prized for its taste, longevity, and healing powers. Ancient cave paintings show that humans have been harvesting this “liquid gold” for nearly 8,000 years,¹ and today, beekeepers still follow precise methods to extract honey while protecting their hives.
Here’s a look at how this ancient practice endures, turning bee-made nectar into the world’s most timeless sweetener.
Gremolata is one of those things where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Sprinkled over any number of dishes, it will make every mouthful pop with its bright, fresh flavors.
Along with classic basil pesto and chimichurri sauce, it’s one of the essential condiments made with fresh herbs that you can add to practically anything grilled or roasted. Plus it’s a great way to use up a bunch of parsley!
Gremolata is so simple that you barely need a recipe, but here’s one all the same, just to get you started.
❋ THE SCIENCE OF COLLAGEN—AND HOW TO MAKE MEAN DUCK CONFIT—FROM COOKING FOR GEEKS
Duck confit tastes entirely different from duck cooked almost any other way. Cooking it is all about converting tough collagen proteins—pound for pound tougher than steel—into gelatin.
While this isn’t a fast chemical reaction, it’s a simple one to trigger: hold the meat at a low temperature for long enough, and the collagen proteins denature and eventually hydrolyze.
❋ Read our latest WARKITCHEN magazines:
❋ Get your copy of Optimal Fuel: Your Nutrition Playbook here. It's a cookbook and nutrition guide — all in one. All proceeds go towards an outrageous amount of hearty ribeyes and raw honey!
❋ If you’d like to contribute an article or sponsor a future issue, please send your pitch to rocky@warkitchen.net.
❋ Explore the full WARKITCHEN archive here.
❋ Adding us (rocky@warkitchen.net) to your contacts, or moving us to primary, will make sure you continue receiving these emails.