Chicken Liver Terrine

This is a recipe from my Mom, Dorothy Rosario. It takes a little time to put together, but it's a delicious terrine. Serve it with an apricot chutney (found here on my blog) and crusty slices of bread.


Ingredients:

1 lb fresh chicken livers, cleaned
1/2 c. port wine
1/2 t. dried thyme
4 bay leaves
1 lb. sausage meat (ground pork; or a combination of pork and veal)
1 slice bread
Enough milk to soak the bread
1 egg
1.2 c. dry white wine
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper
1 slice ham, thick cut, about 5.5 ounces
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
Pistachio nuts - a handful, chopped
1/2 lb. thin slices of bacon (pound them if they are too thick)

Marinade the chicken livers with the port, thyme, and 2 bay leaves (crumbled) in a bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Reserve 1/4 of the chicken livers. Place the rest through a food processor with the ham and coarsely chop.

Chop the onion and garlic.

In a large bowl, add the ground pork, the liver/ham mixture, bread, wine, garlic, pepper, pistachio nuts, and onions. Mix with a large spoon.

Line the bottom and sides of a terrine dish, meatloaf pan or 7" square pan with the bacon.


Add 1/2 of the meat mixture into the pan.

Layer the middle with the reserved livers (coarsely chopped). Top with slices of bacon and the two bay leaves.


Cover the pan with tin foil or with lid. Place in a pan of hot water 1/2 way up the sides and bake at 375 degrees for 1.5 hours, or until the center reads 150 degrees.

When out of the oven, place a weight* on top of the terrine and pour off the excess juice. Cool, keep covered, and refrigerate overnight. Three to five days is much better.


*For the weight (I use a curved terrine), I wrap in tinfoil a cardboard piece, lay it on top of the terrine, and weigh down with soup cans. This is weighed down overnight.

To Serve: I used French bread and toasted them, which were lightly brushed with olive oil. Serve with my apricot chutney recipe.