Liver Pate (Pâté) Roulade


I know, you are probably saying – Liver? Nah, thank you, I’ll pass it. But wait! Make no mistake – this is not just liver. This is delicious and fancy roulade of liver pate, my favorite appetizer. A very presentable starter that is guaranteed to impress your palate and …well, your guests, too. Azerbaijanis love liver pate. It is a popular starter that frequents the tables at wedding parties and other special celebrations. Always a hit.

So, if unlike me you are not friends with liver, you will convert:) at your first attempt to make this appetizer. I know you are already heading to the kitchen: ) So, without much ado, here is the recipe. Note that this is enough to feed a party of about 15. Reduce the ingredients accordingly if you want a smaller roulade. Enjoy!

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours refrigeration
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes 14 inches (35 cm) long roulade

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs (about 1 kg) beef or lamb liver
3 tablespoons oil or butter, for frying
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, boiled and peeled
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2/3 cups (6 oz/ 170g) unsalted butter, softened

NOTE: You can prepare pâté with chicken livers, too, in equal quantity. Just trim the livers and cook as directed in the recipe. Note that chicken livers usually cook faster than beef or lamb liver.

1. Clean the liver by removing the membrane if any. Cut into medium sized pieces.

2. In a medium saucepan, put about 6 cups water. Add liver and bring to a boil. Using a slotted spoon, skim off the froth that will rise to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes or until the liver is cooked. Check to see if it is ready by piercing with a knife or fork. Juices should run clear when the liver is cooked. Drain, then puree the liver in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

3. In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until brown. Remove from heat and puree in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. In a food processor, separately puree the carrots.

4. Place the pureed liver, onion, carrot, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until very smooth. Or, using a potato masher, blend the ingredients together until you obtain a creamy mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste.

5. Place the mixture in batches on a parchment paper (do not use foil paper!) and spread using a large knife, until you obtain a layer about 1/4 inches (0.6cm) thick, 14 inches (35cm) long and 10 inches (25cm) wide. Using a knife, spread butter evenly over the liver mixture.

6. Lifting the parchment paper, slowly roll up the spread to form a roulade. Tightly wrap the parchment paper around the roulade.

7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. When ready to serve, remove parchment paper and slice the roulade into circles (neither too thick not too thin). Serve plain or with bread or crackers.

Nush Olsun! – Enjoy!

And here’s one interesting Azerbaijani proverb:

A house without a guest is like a mill without water (Qonaqsiz ev susuz deyirman kimidir).

So, be my guests today, dear friends!

51 Comments

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  1. That looks so good. I’d be very happy if a host served that for me 🙂

  2. Wow, that’s an original recipe/shape! Your roulade looks beautiful! I love liver pate, so I’d enjoy that delicious creation of yours… I bet it tastes gorgeous with homemade sourdough bread!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. I love chicken liver! Will definitely make it.

  4. Farida, I don’t like liver but I do enjoy pates, as they are mellower in flavour and the texture’s different. I’ll bring the wine!

  5. A wonderful recipe to share with us Farida- there’s so much I’ve yet to make. I’d love to try this one day!

  6. looks delecioussss faridha

  7. That looks wonderful! My 5 year old son was standing next to me when I opened the page and he said “That cake looks good!” Had to laugh when I informed him that it was liver, hehe.

  8. Love the pinwheel shape – ingenious! I’m a chicken liver fan so I think I’d try that version.

  9. it’s such a shame i’m not a fan of pate but that looks heavenly…if it was a cake roll i’d totally have my face in there. 🙂 x

  10. Ohhh! This one looks really good. I used to eat lot of lamb/beef liver as a child, but outgrew the taste when I grew up. But I still LOVE chicken liver, so will definitely try your recipe. BTW, I tried the Zebra cake, and it turned out really well. I will be posting it on my blog with a link to your blog where I got the recipe from sometime soon. ;-))

  11. I love your recipe, in Lebanon we cook liver too, I like it a lot. I’ve noticed that Lebanese and Azerbaijan cuisines have many things in common.

  12. What a fabulous appetizer!! I LOVE pate… Will have to try!

  13. This is so pretty! Believe it or not, I’ve never even thought of making my own liver pate. This is so great, you can make it so many different ways. Thanks for the recipe and the idea!

  14. I used to eat liver pate for breakfast quite often when I was little.
    I loved it,with some nice tea on the side.
    I am inclined to try making my own, your recipe sounds so easy, and your pate looks absolutely delicious! Great photos! 🙂

    …that is a nice proverb!

  15. I will not pass it cos i love liver….fried..any version. this looks lovely 🙂

  16. You know I had no idea how pate was made…. I like the richness of color that yours has. Not only does this look easy, but it it very appealing to the eyes which is a perfect combo for entertaining. Thank you for posting this! I’ll add this to my list to prepare. 😉

    BTW, I’m still working on my list for your tag. Friday I made ropa vieja & had a hair appointment so my day was gone. Then, yesterday was spent at a swim meet for my son (he broke another team record!). Today is the 2nd half of the meet & then a Ladies’ Tea at church….that’s why I’m writing you this message so early in the morning – have to start my day!

    Big kisses to you & your beautiful family,
    Amy

  17. I do have to say that I am thinking Liver, no way I’ll pass. I confess I ate liverwurst as a child. But I don’t think I could actually make something out of a real liver! Farida, I left an award for you on my blog!

  18. I’d have to say that I’m one of those people that isn’t too big on liver, but I do love foie gras for its buttery taste. I do feel a bit bad every time I eat it though because of the way they mistreat the geese. This looks like it might make a good substitute!

  19. Meltem (sorry Farida :), check out my blog, I have an award for you! 🙂

  20. Oh that is great!

  21. This is great looking & so neat Farida. I love the presentation. The very first line of the post applies to me through & through; maybe it’s something to do with being pushed into inting liver when I was young. I love the look & the idea…any substitutes for liver pate that you can think of? I’m thinking too…cheers Farida, truly a classy post!

  22. i would NEVER turn my nose up at liver. we absolutely love offal (you prob. know that since you visit our blog!). in fact, a tongue recipe will be on it’s way soon. YUMMMY. i must say, i’ve never seen such a beautiful display of pate in my life. it’s almost a ‘too good to eat’ version! usually pate is not very photographic, but this one is. great job, farida.

  23. Have you been peeking at our fridge? Haha. That’s crazy — I just bought beef liver last night and though I’d just go online to look for recipes. I love liver (barbecued!), but your recipe calls to be tried! Thanks for sharing!

  24. George: Thank you!

    Rosa: Thank you! This pate does taste great with sourdough bread. Yum!

    Marija: This pate is equally delicious with chicken livers. So, go for it.

    Peter: This is mellow, indeed. I like the texture of pate a lot.

    Pixie: I know what you are talking about:) So many things I want to try too!

    Sagari: Thank you!

    Elle: You are so funny:) I hope your cutie pie wasn’t disappointed with the taste of the “cake”:) Kids usually don’t like liver, at least that’s the case with my daughter.

    Dana: Thank you! Yes, chicken liver would be great too!

    Diva: Sorry, sugarbar, it’s not a cake:)

    My comfort food: Thank you! I am so happy you tried my zebra cake. I bet it was fun making those cute patterns.

    Mag: Thank you for visiting my blog! You are right, there are some similarities between our cuisines. I love Lebanese food and we frequent our favorite Lebanese restaurant here in Long Beach quite often.

    Alexandra: Welcome to my blog! Glad you like this pate. It is delicious! Let me know the result if you try it.

    Madeline: Thank you for stopping by! Glad you like the recipe. It is not that difficult to make. Talking from experience. Because I myself had not made any pate until only recently:)

    Medena: Thank you, Medena. This pate is not that difficult to prepare.

    Rachel: Thank you, Rachel!

    Amy at familiabencomo: Does your list get longer with each passing day? Mine does:) Oh, congrats on your son’s record! You must be very proud of him! It’s great!

    Gretchen: Thank you for the award! I am honored to have received it from you. You made my day!

    Norecipes: Welcome to my blog! This pate is creamy and has a buttery taste – something I think you would like.

    Medena: Thank you for your sweet award to Meltem. She is very happy – I am very jealous:)

    Chriesi: Thanks for stopping by! Glad you like the recipe.

    Deeba: You can actually use the same method with bean puree (pinto, kidney or anything of that sort). Boil and mash them, the rest is as in the recipe.

    Jonathan: Thank you! Tongue recipe sounds intriguing, although honestly I am not a big fan of it (we make it in Azerbaijan too). But I’ll check out your version. Maybe it will appeal to me:)

  25. That’s really an amazing rolling job! I’ve made cakes that way before and they almost always fall apart on me and turn into a miserable mess. I’m a little up in the air about the whole live thing but I’d definitely at least give it a try. I trust you 🙂

  26. Stunning. Even though I am not a liver fan, I do appreciate the artistic flair of Swiss rolling. Amazing roster of recipes, Farida. Thanks for coming by my blog; I don’t know when I would have discovered you on my own. You have many lovely offerings.

  27. I LOVE liver and not only chicken liver, but also calf’s and lamb. I was so intrigued by this recipe and will definitely try it. Serve it with melba toast?????

  28. Well, leave it to you to make liver look enticingly delicious, not to mention, artsy.

    Farida, I made liver pâté last year, and really liked it. But I quickly learned that handling chicken livers makes me queasy.
    So I decided that, next time, I’ll have someone else clean and prep the slippery little devils for me.
    Between you and me, I’m a culinary wimp, but I’m getting better.

  29. Joy: How funny:) Let me know if you opt to try my recipe:)

    Erin: This pate is not that difficult to make. Let me know if you have any questions when you prepare it.

    Susan: Thank you for your nice words!

    Nina: Glad you like the recipe. Please give it a try, it’s’ easy and yummy!

    Marysol: Believe me, I am in the learning stage myself too:) There is so much I want to learn and it’s a never ending process:)

  30. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your pic looks great!

  31. lovely pic, thanks farida. i am glad that u like my recipes.

  32. Hi Farida this is one lovely recipe you have shared with us and thanks 😀 I will have to try this out sometime!

    Rosie x

  33. Erik: Thank you!

    Anjali. Thank you!

    Rosie: Glad you like the recipe. Hope you try it:)

  34. I love liver – this looks really stunning Farida! Well done, the photos are great too.

  35. facinating recipe. my husband loves liver, and I will definitely mention this recipe to him.

  36. Farida, I have been looking forward to your new website ever since you mentioned you started working on it! This is great! Congratulations! Alot of hard work but the results are definitely worth it!

  37. I thought it would last at least for couple of days. No way. I made it yesterday night, when my teenagers went to bed. Now at 6 p.m. it is over. Just imagine, 1.5 kg of liver which they usually do not like much. Thank you, Farida for your wounderful site.

  38. I always check y0our site when want to make something special for weekend family dinner. My daughter is a big fond of your site. She saw the recipe for mimoza and is going to make it.

  39. Farida, before seeing the proverb, I really wanted to be your guest! Thats why I reached here without commenting in the mushroom soup section.This pic was so attracting to make me reach here, as all your pics do!
    I have left a reply for your comment in my recent post, pls check it.
    Hope u r doing well, hope to send a mail to you soon.. 🙂

  40. Farida,

    S?n? halal olsun! ?sl Azeri balas?san.

    Öpürem,

    F?rqan?

  41. O wow! I love pate … but in a rollade even better! Love it!

  42. Ayyy Feride, I have completely forgotten about liver pashtet:-) You are awesome, I will definitely cook this soon.

  43. Thank you for this recipé. It is similar or a deconstructed concoction I make with liverwurst and cream cheese on crackers, or party rye or pumpernickel bread. Consequently, I shall use cream cheese, for its tang, instead of the butter.

    I am happy to have found your blog, as I enjoy eating in many languages, or tongues!

  44. Great recipe for Liver Pate, thanks! 🙂

    Just wondering if waxed paper will work to roll it up with, rather than parchment?

  45. JESSE REICHART: I haven’t tried it with wax paper but my logic tells me it should work. To be on a safe side, try rolling on it first.

  46. Hi Farida Joon,

    I usually add walnuts to this recipe. I think it gives to it uniqe taste. Did you tried to add to it walnuts?

    Thank you for great recipes. Going to try to make it for my friends, hopefully they will enjoy azery cousine.

  47. I love the recepie!!! Nice, I ll make one tomorrow 🙂
    is it just plain softened butter inside?

  48. NIGORA – Yes, plain unsalted butter, softened.

  49. I make it and it is very delicious!!!

  50. Feride, just wanted to share that my mom use to add a hardboiled egg into the mixture. I am gonna try this recipe tomorrow!

    • Eggs is an interesting addition. Thank you for the idea. Enjoy the recipe!

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