Not processed, although high fat, high calories and high in cholesterol, LOL.

It is most certainly not health food, but it's not processed in the manner that bacon or hot dogs are, being cured with chemicals and then "smoked", again with chemicals.

Your homemade pate should not be full of nitrates or nitrites, preservatives or chemicals, just lots and lots of fat.

Annie

I think "homemade" is the important word. Who knows what's in commercially packed patés and what they do to the meat to make it work for them?

I often hear about the evils of processed potato chips. I've never had a homemade one which was properly crunchy. The ones I buy, however, are very reminiscent of the potato chips of my childhood. And the ingredients are potatoes, safflower oil and salt. Exactly like mom's but crunchy The bag is fancy, looks like mylar (think LEM) and are injected with some kind of gas for cushioning. It might be nitrogen, which would help keep them fresh (no oxygen) but it's just deconstructed air and doesn't stick, nor is there an issue with ingesting nitrogen. Why do people buy processed potato chips when they can have beautiful real potato chips? I know not. But most foods come in processed and real versions. :)

If you Google healthier chicken liver pate recipes you'll find many with reasonable amounts of butter. It freezes well, so you can make some, eat a little, and keep some for later. Its not at all the same process as industrial food which is to be avoided at all costs!

Here's one

https://wellnessmama.com/15535/perfect-pate-recipe/

I use the chefsteps one

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/chicken-liver-pate

Oh, the ChefStep recipe looks great and good directions.

No, not at all processed. My recipe does not use any butter. Many do not. Similar to the Wellnessmama linked above.

Not a pig-out food but really good for you in small portions.

Same with homemade hotdogs and sausage. Not processed.

hot dog recipe, HERE

Checked out the recipes--yum! Saved them. Am going to try Ina's truffle butter chicken liver mousse for Easter.

My friend makes her chopped liver with hardboiled eggs, no schmaltz - it's delicious!

Islay, I like the Chefsteps recipe you posted too. I made chicken liver pate years ago and I know I used mustard in the recipe, but cannot recall anything else about how I made it. But... I want to try pate again. (I have enough liver in my freezer...)

Since DH loves chopped liver I've found a way to make it so that it lasts and has a different flavor. Instead of schmaltz or heaven forbid, coconut oil, I use a some reserved bacon fat (no nitrite variety) and some grass fed butter. I saute the chopped onions in the fat and then use organic chicken livers. DH likes it moist so I add a little mayo to the end product. I also rice a hard boiled egg and mix that in the final product. To make sure that he doesn't eat too much, I freeze half of the chopped liver before I've added the mayo. So far, so good.

Mom used to soak her livers in milk before sauteing, but DH doesn't find the taste too strong unless it's a bad batch of livers, so I skip that step.

My mom always added mayo to her pate. I've always done it, too. Now I'm just looking for something a little different.

I love chicken livers and they are a staple item in my diet - I use them often in omlettes, stir fries and in chicken liver stroganoff. I often make pate at the holidays as a gift item. They do NOT need to be soaked in milk. Chicken livers are quite delicate and have a delicate flavor as well. The milk soak is typically used for beef liver as a tenderizer and an aroma neutralizer but it pulls iron out of the liver and so a water soak is recommended instead. Chicken livers themselves are very nutritious - a high, low calorie protein source, lots of vitamin A and B12 and a source of iron and folates. It is what you add to them that ups the calories and the fats.

The recipe I use IS butter heavy but since the pate is an occasional treat and not a diet staple, I tend to overlook the calories and fat content :-) My recipe calls for the livers and diced onions to be cooked lighty in a water bath until done. Then transfer the drained livers and onions to a food processor, add room temp butter and whatever other seasonings you prefer. And a good wallop of sherry, brandy or Scotch whiskey! Process until smooth and creamy. Freezes well.

Note: what I make is pate, not chopped liver, so no eggs :-) You want a very silky, smooth consistency.

heaven forbid, coconut oil

Not all coconut oil is coconut-y. Virgin coconut oil has that taste, but processed (since we're talking about processed foods) is completely neutral. The coconut oil from LouAna, for instance is totally tasteless, but not something I personally would add to a paté.

Interesting about soaking the livers. I've always done that for beef liver because I was taught that the purpose is to soak out any toxins that might be left in there, but never bothered for chicken liver. Does it really change the flavor that much? I must say I don't see much difference between a water soak and a milk soak for beef.

coconut oil may not be "coconutty" but it for sure is not "buttery"....and that's my only objection.
I slice a couple of onions very thinly and slowly caramelize them in a couple T. of butter....slowly until very caramel colored and soft. Then remove them to a bowl, add more butter to the pan and sautee the chicken livers....about a pound...add a big clove of crushed garlic towards the end ...
Then I put the onions and the livers which are just done and perhaps still a little pink inside, into the cuisinart and process until smooth....adding salt as needed and a glub or 2 of dry sherry....
Chill until firm and enjoy!

Lindac, that sounds delicious. I'm not a big fan of liver.

coconut oil may not be "coconutty" but it for sure is not "buttery"....and that's my only objection.

Well, no, that's certainly true!

My mother always added some sherry to her pate, too!