Pashtet or Pate in French is a baked paste or pie of meat especially the liver. It can be served hot but its flavor touches the peaks when served after 3-4 hours refrigeration. Lots of variations can be made by using ingredients like ground meat from pork, poultry, fish, or beef, vegetables, herbs, and spices.
In Russia and Ukraine, this dish is prepared with beef, goose, or chicken liver and is known as “pechyonochniy pashtet“. The liver is cooked and then mixed with different ingredients and then again cooked or baked. Sometimes it’s served without any other preparation. In Russia, it’s usually served in plate or bowls but sometimes it’s molded into the shapes of animals.
A similar recipe is “Chopped Liver” in which hard-boiled eggs are used and fats is used instead of butter.
In some countries, Pashtet is shaped as a sausage called “liverwort” and served as a whole or sliced.
Table of Contents
Ingredients:
- Crust-less white bread: 2 slices
- Garlic (Minced): 2 cloves
- Chicken or Calves liver: 2lb
- Butter: 1/3 cup
- Black pepper: 1/4 teaspoon
- Egg: 1
- Chicken stock: 1/2 cup
- Onion (Thinly sliced): 2
- Salt: To taste
Method of preparing Pashtet
- Melt butter in a large skillet and add sliced onion. Cook until they are light brown.
- Now add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. When onion and garlic begin to brown, add liver and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the liver changed its color and no longer brown.
- Add cooked liver, bread, black pepper, salt and chicken stock in a food processor and blend to a smooth and fine mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the casserole dish and pour all the mixture over onto it. Bake it for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes and then refrigerate for 5-6 hours preferably overnight.
- Garnish and serve.
