Livers!!!!

Chicken livers, that is. 

I know, I know. I feel like a nut job for this one. But hear me out. 

1 lb of chicken livers is $4 from my local farmer. Livers are a nutritional powerhouse, as they are storage units for nutrients such as vitamins A, K, D, E, B12, folic acid, CoQ10, iron, and copper. Organ meats are 10-100 times higher in nutrients than muscle meats. Did you know that??

Liver is especially recommended for people with anemia, skin issues, and thyroid dysfunction.

I wanted to learn to make pate first, in remembrance of incredible liver pate Billie and I had at BLT steakhouse in Hawaii. 

Paleo problem: traditional pate recipes are butter and whiskey laden. So I contacted my Paleo hero, Nell Stephenson a.k.a. Paleoista, for help. 

Soon after, she posted a Paleo-approved pate recipe. Click here to find it! 

Next I found a hidden liver meatball recipe. And we love meatballs! So I gave it a shot. Delicious. One tip- serve these with Dijon mustard for dipping!! 

"Paleoista's Pate"
Copied from: Paleoista 

Ingredients

• 4 strips uncured bacon from pastured pork
• 1 pound livers from pastured chickens
• 1 clove garlic, minced (use more if you like)
• 1 cup minced onion
• 4 tbsp chopped parsley
• Olive oil, to taste

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in cast iron skillet. Remove and set aside to drain and cool.
2. Add chicken livers in bacon fat and cook until brown and well done.
3. Add onion and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add garlic and onion and sauté until browned.
5. Remove from heat and cool.
6. Add parsley.
7. Put into blender and process on puree till smooth.
8. Chop bacon and stir into puree.
9. Add olive oil as needed to create your preferred consistency.
10. Press into glass loaf pan.
11. Chill.

"Turkish (Hidden liver) Meatballs with Paleo Cacik"
Copied from: The Paleo Mom 

Ingredients (Meatballs):

• 2 pounds ground meat (I use 1 pound of ground grass-fed beef and 1 pound of grass-fed liver, which I blend in a blender)
• ¾ cups fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin Seed
• 1 ½ tsp Chili Powder
• ¾ tsp Salt, to taste
• 1 tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp ground Pepper
• 1 cup Flaxseed Meal
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1-2 Tbsp tallow or extra virgin coconut oil

1.     Mix ground meat and seasonings (everything except the onion and the flax) in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
2.    Heat tallow or coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add diced onion and cook until soft and starting to caramelize.  Remove from heat and let cool.
3.    Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4.    Mix cooled onion and flaxseed meal into the meat mix.  Form meatballs with your hand (whatever size you like, I usually make 2” meatballs because it’s less work) and place on prepared baking sheet.
5.    Bake for 15-20 minutes (15 minutes for 1” meatballs, 20 minutes for 2” meatballs, or until internal temperature reaches 160F).  Enjoy!

**Remember to serve with dijon mustard, my recommendation!

Ingredients (Cacik):

• 1 ½ large English cucumbers
• 1 cup coconut milk yogurt (I used a lesser amount of canned coconut milk instead!)
• 1-2 tsp Salt
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 Tbsp mint, finely chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to taste

1. Slice cucumber very thinly (I slice 1/8” thick using my Mandoline Slicer).  Place cucumber in a colander and toss with salt.  Let drain in the sink for 1-3 hours.
2. Rinse cucumber thoroughly and either let sit another hour to drain the water or dry using clean tea towels or paper towel.
3. Mix cucumber, crushed garlic, chopped mint, and coconut milk yogurt.  Cover and refrigerate 1-8 hours.
4. Just before serving, stir in olive oil.  Serve with meatballs!

RECIPE UPDATE:  I’ve taken to using 2-4 Tbsp of arrowroot powder as a binder for the meatball mix instead of flax seed.  I think it works equally well as a binder, without having the phytoestrogen problem that flaxseed has.