Bacon and Beef Liver Pate

Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods there is, and wrapping it in bacon and fresh herbs makes it genuinely easy to love. This smooth, rich pate is a small daily way to bring real organ meat into your week, which is one of the quiet cornerstones of this way of eating.

Beef liver is a source of highly absorbable iron, zinc, vitamin A, and B12, nutrients involved in energy, immune regulation, and the repair the gut is doing, in concentrations most foods cannot match. The bacon and coconut oil add fat that carries those fat-soluble nutrients and rounds the flavor. A little goes a long way.

Cook the liver just to done, then blend it silky with the bacon and herbs. Chill it, then spread it on cucumber or carrot slices and eat slowly.

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 small onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound beef liver, rinsed, patted dry, cut in 2 to 3 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Fresh herbs to garnish
• Carrot or cucumber slices for serving

A note on swaps: this recipe is already AIP elimination compliant as written. The source mentions ghee as an option for tolerance, and that is not AIP compliant, so coconut oil is used here to keep the pate smooth and rich.

Method

• Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Lift it out to cool, and leave the rendered fat in the pan.
• Soften the minced onion in the bacon fat over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
• Add the liver pieces along with the rosemary and thyme. Cook 2 to 5 minutes per side, until no longer pink in the center. Let the mixture cool slightly.
• Transfer the liver mixture to a high-powered blender or food processor. Add the melted coconut oil and sea salt. Blend to a thick, smooth paste.
• Finely chop the cooled bacon and fold it into the pate. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with carrot or cucumber slices.

The pate keeps several days in the refrigerator and freezes well, so it is a good batch food to have on hand.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*