If you’re throwing away your organ meats when you butcher a pig, sheep, goat, or cow, you might want to think twice about including them in your diet.
Many cultures relish organ meats not only because they provide essential nutrients they also taste amazing.
Our ancestors most likely ate the organ meats first. They are higher in just about every nutrient than regular muscle meats. See “The Liver Files” for liver nutrients.
I’ve made liver pate with freshly butchered beef, lamb and pig that I’ve either raised myself or caught (pig). These livers were healthy, free range and grass-fed.
I would not recommend eating store bought liver unless you know that the animal was not fed GMOs or factory farmed.
Curry berry tree
This recipe calls for curry berry leaf*. This tree is grown in Hawaii and other tropical, sub-tropical climates. It is specifically used in many Indian dishes. It adds a unique flavor to the dish and also a bit of sweetness.
If you do not have access to this tree, you can substitute other herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage.
Prepare the liver by cutting off the attachments including the gall bladder. Make sure you remove it most carefully because you don’t want to slice it open and have the bitter tasting liquid ooze out onto your liver.
Cut off any thing that doesn’t look like liver or is stringy or fatty. Wash and cut it into cubes to prepare for cooking.
Sheep Liver Pate with Curry Berry Leaf:
- 1 fresh sheep’s liver diced
- 2 tbs of lard for frying onions
- 1 Maui onion chopped
- 4-6 cloves of garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 whole curry berry leaf
- 1 tsp organic tamari soy sauce
- 2 tbs of cream
- 1/2 cup of lard
- 2 tbs cooking sherry
- coarsely ground pepper
Add 2 tbs. of lard into a cast iron skillet. (I have rendered fat from organically raised beef but you can use some of the lamb fat or pig fat.) Saute the onions until clear, try not to brown them. Add liver, curry berry leaf, salt and pepper and cook until done. Toss garlic in at the end to avoid burning it. Add 1/2 cup of lard (or butter) until melted. Remove from heat.
Put the contents of the skillet into a food processor. Add tamari soy sauce, cream and sherry and blend until smooth. Scoop out into a container for cooling. Smooth out the surface and add coarse pepper to top it. Refrigerate and serve with crackers or bread.
* Use only the curry berry leaf. The fruit is edible but the seed is poisonous if digested.