glass of wine.
Note: a home mincer is a most useful attachment to a domestic kitchen, whether manual or electrically driven. How many butchers do you know who will mince chicken livers for you, anyway? If taking the food processor route, please make sure that the pulse button is employed using a tentative digit.
Mix everything together in a large bowl or, for ease, the bowl of an electric food mixer using the flat beater. Tip into a plastic container, say, put on a lid and keep in the fridge overnight.
The next day, first preheat the oven to 375°F.
Pile the mixture into a terrine mold of about 1 quart capacity or, if you like, use 3 or 4 foil takeaway containers (see above). Smooth the surface using your hand, first dipped into warm water—this really helps—leaving a very slightly domed finish to the mixture. Place the terrine(s) into a deep roasting pan and surround with tap-hot water. Loosely drape a sheet of kitchen foil over the terrine(s), but don’t tighten it around the tin. Cook in the oven for about 1½ hours if in one single container, or for slightly less—say 1 hour—if using foil containers.
Remove the sheet of foil for the last 10–15 minutes, so allowing the top of the terrine to brown a little. Once cooked, remove from the oven, take the terrine(s) out of the roasting pan and leave to cool completely at room temperature. Wrap the terrine(s) in plastic wrap and put into the fridge. Ideally, leave there for 2 days—and up to 5—before cutting into thick slices, directly from the container. Eat with hot, buttered toast and cornichons.
spiced chicken liver pilau
serves 4, for a light lunch, say
2 tbsp oil
14 oz fresh chicken livers, well trimmed and cut in half
4 tbsp butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 scant tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
5 cloves
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 large pinches of dried chilli flakes
11 oz basmati rice (Tilda or other brand)
15 oz chicken stock
1 heaped tbsp currants
4–5 strips of lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander leaves
2 limes, halved
I cannot call this fragrant dish of rice anything other than a pilau, as it leans so much more towards the Asian than it does to the French pilaf, simply because of the spices involved. That being said, the process involving rice ratio to liquid remains, as always, the same: volume or weight of rice to one and a half of liquid. Veer not from this directive at your peril.
Note: many will say that rice needs to be washed, rinsed and soaked before beginning to make a pilaf/pilau. However, when using a very good-quality basmati rice (such as Tilda) I have never found this to be necessary. Moreover, when I have done this washing and soaking business in the past, occasionally thinking I should because my peers have talked of it so insistently, hey presto!—my pilaf has overcooked, perfectly.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based, lidded pot until almost smoking. Add the chicken livers in a single layer and briefly fry on each side for seconds only; they must still be undercooked within. Lift out and put on to a plate. Add the butter to the pot, fry the onions and garlic until pale gold, then stir in the coriander, cloves, cardamom and chilli. Tip in the rice and gently stir around for a couple of minutesuntil it is well coated with butter. Pour in the stock and bring up to a simmer. Tip in the currants and lemon zest, taste the liquid and then season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a simmer and now reintroduce the chicken livers, burying them underneath the rice. Switch off the heat, put on the lid and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, but don’t take the lid off for a further 5 minutes; this allows the pilau to finish cooking. Gently fluff up the rice with 2 forks, taking care not to break up the livers, while also deftly mixing in the chopped coriander. Serve directly
Note: a home mincer is a most useful attachment to a domestic kitchen, whether manual or electrically driven. How many butchers do you know who will mince chicken livers for you, anyway? If taking the food processor route, please make sure that the pulse button is employed using a tentative digit.
Mix everything together in a large bowl or, for ease, the bowl of an electric food mixer using the flat beater. Tip into a plastic container, say, put on a lid and keep in the fridge overnight.
The next day, first preheat the oven to 375°F.
Pile the mixture into a terrine mold of about 1 quart capacity or, if you like, use 3 or 4 foil takeaway containers (see above). Smooth the surface using your hand, first dipped into warm water—this really helps—leaving a very slightly domed finish to the mixture. Place the terrine(s) into a deep roasting pan and surround with tap-hot water. Loosely drape a sheet of kitchen foil over the terrine(s), but don’t tighten it around the tin. Cook in the oven for about 1½ hours if in one single container, or for slightly less—say 1 hour—if using foil containers.
Remove the sheet of foil for the last 10–15 minutes, so allowing the top of the terrine to brown a little. Once cooked, remove from the oven, take the terrine(s) out of the roasting pan and leave to cool completely at room temperature. Wrap the terrine(s) in plastic wrap and put into the fridge. Ideally, leave there for 2 days—and up to 5—before cutting into thick slices, directly from the container. Eat with hot, buttered toast and cornichons.
spiced chicken liver pilau
serves 4, for a light lunch, say
2 tbsp oil
14 oz fresh chicken livers, well trimmed and cut in half
4 tbsp butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 scant tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
5 cloves
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 large pinches of dried chilli flakes
11 oz basmati rice (Tilda or other brand)
15 oz chicken stock
1 heaped tbsp currants
4–5 strips of lemon zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander leaves
2 limes, halved
I cannot call this fragrant dish of rice anything other than a pilau, as it leans so much more towards the Asian than it does to the French pilaf, simply because of the spices involved. That being said, the process involving rice ratio to liquid remains, as always, the same: volume or weight of rice to one and a half of liquid. Veer not from this directive at your peril.
Note: many will say that rice needs to be washed, rinsed and soaked before beginning to make a pilaf/pilau. However, when using a very good-quality basmati rice (such as Tilda) I have never found this to be necessary. Moreover, when I have done this washing and soaking business in the past, occasionally thinking I should because my peers have talked of it so insistently, hey presto!—my pilaf has overcooked, perfectly.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based, lidded pot until almost smoking. Add the chicken livers in a single layer and briefly fry on each side for seconds only; they must still be undercooked within. Lift out and put on to a plate. Add the butter to the pot, fry the onions and garlic until pale gold, then stir in the coriander, cloves, cardamom and chilli. Tip in the rice and gently stir around for a couple of minutesuntil it is well coated with butter. Pour in the stock and bring up to a simmer. Tip in the currants and lemon zest, taste the liquid and then season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a simmer and now reintroduce the chicken livers, burying them underneath the rice. Switch off the heat, put on the lid and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, but don’t take the lid off for a further 5 minutes; this allows the pilau to finish cooking. Gently fluff up the rice with 2 forks, taking care not to break up the livers, while also deftly mixing in the chopped coriander. Serve directly
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