Monique's Pork Paté recipe

Because the Internets demanded it, here's Monique's pork paté recipe, which originally came from her grandmother.  Having now spent many a Christmas season smelling this as she prepares it, let me assure you all that it smells just as good during the cooking as you think it would smell.

This recipe is also enthusiastically endorsed by Katie the Beagle who has spent hours drooling and staring adoringly at piles of pork, hoping for the one miraculous mistake that will drop it all on the floor.

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Mommer's Pork Paté

 

~ 6 lbs. -- Pork Shoulder (or another fatty cut of pork)

4 Large onions

Bacon strips

6 tablespoons -- Paprika (I use 3 tbs hot paprika and 3 tbs sweet paprika)

3 tablespoons -- Bouillon grains

Mustard

Dash of pepper

Dash of garlic powder

 

The measurements for bouillon, paprika, mustard, pepper and garlic are approximations. Use them to taste.

 

Cube the pork meat and onions and saute until the meat is well browned.

Move the meat and onion mix into a large pot and add water, bouillon, and paprika and simmer for a good hour. Add water as needed to keep the mix from burning or sticking to the pot. Because I make large quantities I have to do the browning in stages and I just keep adding the newly browned meat and onion mix to the pot as I go. When it is done cooking there will be a nice, thick sauce. (At this point, you can take a few spoonfuls out and have that for dinner....) Remove from heat and cool for a couple of hours or even refrigerate at this point for later mincing or creaming.

 

Mince the meat and onion mixture in a meat grinder or food processor adding a few dollops of mustard as you go. The idea is to produce a creamed consistency that will form a nice ball if you take a hand full and squeeze it.

 

Preheat the oven to 375

 

Take a meat loaf pan and place strips of bacon on the bottom. Form a loaf shape with the creamed meat mix, packing it together firmly. Put that in the loaf pan, then cover the top with strips of bacon. Bake for however long it takes to cook the bacon on top, around 45 minutes. I sometimes make several smaller loafs in one loaf dish by wrapping each on the bottom and sides with tin foil and placing them all in the loaf pan together, tightly.

 

This recipe is a lot of work which is why I only make this once a year... And, I have to admit, my pate sometimes comes out a little crumbly which I think has to do with the fattiness of the meat used. Crumbly is not ideal since you want a nice, smooth, pate-like consistency in the end but whether crumbly or smooth, it always tastes great!