Chicken Liver Paté

 

This is one of those recipes that always tastes better after a day or two, but it never lasts that long in my fridge. I based this on one of Jamie Oliver’s recipes.
I hope you enjoy it! ♥

Ingredients:
500g butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pureed
500g chicken livers, cleaned thoroughly!
1 small bunch of fresh thyme. Don’t chop them, they will be easier to remove later
1 glass of brandy (approximately 175ml)
some fresh sage leaves
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying

Method:
1. Clarify about 150g of the butter, throw the white, milky stuff away
2. Fry the garlic and onion in some olive oil until the onion is transparent and set aside
3. In the same pan, add some olive oil and fry the chicken livers and thyme
4. Once the chicken are done to your preference, I like mine a little bit pink inside still, add the brandy
5. Let it simmer until about 1/4 of the brandy evaporated
6. Remove the thyme , and put everything else in a food processor. Don’t forget the onion and garlic!
7. Process it until it is a puree
8. Add the rest of the butter and blend till smooth
9. Add salt and pepper to taste
10. Sieve the puree.
11. Scoop it into your bowl, place some sage leaves on top, and scoop your (hot) clarified butter over it.

It takes about an hour to set. This is a little bit of work, but oh, so worth it! ♥

Avocado Dip

 

I make this dip so regularly I can do it my sleep! It is very quick and very easy. I make this for chips, nachos, veggies and even to use as spread on a toast! It is really healthy and very, very delish! ♥

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado
1 tub of low fat cottage cheese
15 ml lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Peel the avocado and remove the pip
2. Add all the ingredients, besides the spices, in a blender and wazz it up
3. Scoop it out into a bowl, and stir in your spices.

Viola! Done! How easy is that? ♥

Mussel Paté

 

This is also fantastic as a spread! It takes about 5 minutes to make. It’s incredibly easy, quick and tasty! Perfect for those moments when you want a dip, spread or paté now. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:
500g cooked, smoked mussels – drained
1 small chopped onion
1 minced garlic clove
200ml cream cheese

Method:
1. Blitz it all in a processor.

Done! 🙂

Chickpea spread

Here is my super easy, super quick chickpea spread. Another one that just takes five minutes to make! Enjoy ♥

Ingredients:
1 can drained chickpeas (410g)
15ml tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped mint
125ml peanut oil (you may use any oil you want, I just prefer the peanut oil with this)
250ml cream cheese

Method:
1. Whazz everything, besides the oil and cream cheese, in a blender.
2. Add the oil slowly while stirring.
3. Stir in the cream cheese.

Roasted Garlic Aioli

 

This is one of the most delicious things to make, and always such a treat! It beats any Aioli that you can buy in any shop. And it is really easy! It just takes a little patience 🙂

LEARN TO LOVE GARLIC! ♥

I recently read a book about a woman and her family who moved to Provance to make goat’s cheese. Somewhere in the story they made and ate aioli. It sounded wonderful. I searched high and low for a recipe, found one, made it, with raw garlic like you should, and put it in a nice bottle. A couple of days later we made prawns, so I took the bottle out, and we proceeded to eat it all, it was THAT good. But raw garlic consumed in vast quantities, is not to be recommended. We had garlic reflux for at least 5 days. So, I changed the recipe. The roasted garlic makes it a lot milder, and gives it a fantastic smoky flavor.

“A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.” – Old New York proverb

Ingredients:
1 house of garlic, the end chopped off, sprinkled with olive oil, and baked at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes, or until soft.
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon cold water
1 cup olive oil – or if you prefer: ½ cup olive oil and ½ cup sunflower oil mixed

Method:
In a mortar, and with your pestle, grind the salt and garlic in ONE direction, until it’s a paste.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the garlic paste, mustard and yolks until smooth.
Add the water and lemon juice, whisking all the time. (Here is where an electric mixer comes in handy)
Add the oil, literally drop by drop, while whisking constantly. NEVER STOP WHISKING.
If the mayonnaise separates, you may add an extra yolk.

This will make just over 250ml of aioli, and will keep in your fridge for no more than a week. It’s best to make it when you want it.

Bagna Cauda

♥ This is a warm vegetable dip called Bagna Cauda.
I ate this for the first time at an ex-boyfriend’s house when his mom made it for his 21st. I fell in love with the dish immediately, and over the years have been researching recipes and perfecting my own version of it. It is such a sure way to get people to eat raw vegetables. I even ate raw broccoli! 😉

Be sure to serve it with a warm, fresh bread. Also, since most people don’t like a meal without meat, I sometimes make a steak and cut in into strips for those that want it. ( I can hear the men say AMEN!)

This dish always works best if you keep it in a hot plug in pan thing, and dish it out in small quantitites as you need it.

So here it is, with lots of love ♥

Ingredients
1/2 cup peeled, crushed garlic
1/5 cup olive oil
500g butter
1 tin capers
1 tin anchovy fillets
250ml double cream

Method:
1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and the olive oil to form a paste
2. Cook this paste over a low heat
3. Add the butter
4. Add the capers and anchovies – cook until the anchovies start melting
5. Add the cream, bring to almost boil (just bubbling) and serve

*Tip: If you are sensitive to the garlic smell, soak your garlic in whole milk for at least an hour before you use it. This will remove a lot of the garlic smell.