Description
Pasztet is a highly versatile and adaptable Polish Pâté. Hits all the notes: smoky, rich, flavorful. Serve with crusty bread and top with horseradish, pickles, or cranberry jam.
Ingredients
For Stock
- 1/5 kg (1/2 lb) Streaky, raw, uncooked bacon (or pork belly)
- 1 kg (2lbs) Pork (shoulder is ideal)
- 1 kg (2lbs) Boneless stew beef*
- 2 Carrots* (see notes)
- 2 Leeks
- 2 Parsnips
- 2 Onions
- 0.5 kg (1 lb) Chicken liver
- One Chicken breast
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 Bay leaves
- 4 Jamaica Pepper - Allspice berries (in Polish “ziele angielskie”)
- 7 -10 cups cold Water
Add Later
- 1 White breadroll (or 1/4 - 1/3 loaf of bread; stale is fine)
- 5 Eggs
- 1 tsp ground Black pepper
- 1/5 tsp Nutmeg
- more seasoning, to taste
Optional
- Breadcrumbs, to line the pans
- Prunes
- Shelled pistachio nuts
Serve With** (See notes for more options)
- Crusty bread
- Horseradish sauce
Instructions
Prepare the Stock
- Chop the bacon, beef, chicken and pork into chunks.
- Put them with the vegetables, Jamaica Peppers (Allspice berries), Salt and bay leaves in a large pot.
- Cook on low heat for 1.5 hours (or more).
- Let stock cool completely.
Prepare the Pasztet
- In a separate dish, soak the bread roll in the stock.
- Put the chicken liver in hot water for 3mn.
- Remove the Jamaica Pepper and Bay leaves from the pot.
- Use a small-eyed mincer, meat grinder attachment to a KitchenAid or chopping blade on a food processor to mince the meats. If using a mincer, mince everything three times.
- Taste now (before you add the eggs) and season as desired.
- Mix in the eggs, nutmeg, pepper, and optional ingredients. (Feel free to process these as well.)
- If necessary, add stock to desired consistency. Most pastztets are meant to be sliceable, but if you may choose to make a more spreadable pâté, you may need more stock.
- Grease long, narrow tins and cover it in breadcrumbs, to keep the Pasztet from sticking.
- You may also line the loaf tin with parchment paper to keep from sticking.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven (190’C) for around 1.5h.
Serve
- Let it cool before cutting.
- Enjoy with some horseradish, on a slice of crusty bread.
Notes
- Pasztet can be frozen. However, it's best to freeze the Pasztet mixture before baking in a freezer-proof jar or Ziplock bag.
- Other popular serving accompaniments: pickles, pickled mushrooms, cranberry sauce or lingonberry jam, raw onions, tomatoes, fresh chives.
- Make sure to listen to Gabriela's episode, Slavic Folk Tales and Childhood Memories in The Bone Roots while you make your Pasztet!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizers, Beef Dishes, Chicken, Main, Pork Dishes
- Cuisine: Eastern European, Polish, Slavic
Nutrition
- Calories: 164
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 218
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 5
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 14
- Cholesterol: 115