This makes a good alternative to that Boxing Day cold turkey or for a quick lunch on Christmas Eve. The quantities below make at least enough to fill a large loaf tin or medium sized casserole (see photo).
I used …
- Meat from 2 roast pheasants and a partridge after the breasts had been eaten hot.
- 5 rashers streaky bacon or equivalent in bacon offcuts
- About 350 gm belly pork
- About 350 gm pigs liver
- 4 plain pork sausages, skinned; or equivalent amount of sausage meat
- 100 gm bread without crusts
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- Handful of leftover garlic roast potatoes (optional)
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- End of a bottle of Calvados
- Half a glass of white wine
- 2 tablespoons garlic purée
- 1 large egg
- Pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper
- Two or three generous pinches of dried mixed herbs
- Olive oil
My finished product in our 40 year old Le Creuset terrine after having been attacked for Christmas Eve lunch.
This is what I did …
- Bone the meat off the pheasants and partridge and chop up very finely. This is best done by hand as a food processor will just smash it to a pulp. Put this in a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the bacon into small pieces, no more than 5mm square. Add to the pheasant mix.
- Cut the belly pork into 1-2 cm cubes, removing the skin, bone and any excess fat.
- Cut the liver into roughly 2cm cubes.
- Put the bread, herbs, salt and pepper, garlic cloves in a food processor and whizz to a crumb.
- Add the left-over potatoes, sausage meat, half a glass of calvados and the egg to the food processor and whizz again to a smooth paste. Add this to the meat mix.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion until translucent. Tip this out into the food processor and add the garlic purée.
- With a little more oil if needed fry the belly pork until the outside is seared and browning. (Yes it will still be undercooked inside.) Add this to the food processor.
- Now fry the liver for a few minutes again until the outside is beginning to brown. (Again it won’t be cooked through, so no tasting the cake mix!) Add this to the food processor.
- Deglaze the pan with another half glass of calvados and the white wine. Add this to the food processor and whizz the whole lot to a rough paste. Add this to the meat mix.
- Mix the meats together thoroughly; don’t be afraid to use your hands.
- Butter the casserole generously or, if using a loaf tin, line it with baking parchment.
- Pour the meat mix into the tin/casserole and firm it down well. Cover with foil or a tight fitting lid.
- Cook in a Bain Marie in the oven at 170°C for about 1½-2 hours. It is done when a knife stuck in the terrine for a few seconds comes out very hot.
- Remove from the oven and if possible weight the terrine to press it. (Use something flat with tins of beans or a brick on it.)
- Allow to cool for a couple of hours and then put in the fridge for at least 2 hours more, but preferably overnight, still with the weight.
- If you made the terrine in a tin you can now turn it out. If you used a casserole you’ll need to serve it from the dish.
- Serve with crusty bread and/or salad.
Notes
- This recipe is very forgiving. You can use any mix of game meats you like. And you can vary the proportions according to taste.
- Some people like to line the tin/casserole with streaky bacon. This holds the terrine together better if it is turned out as a loaf. Personally I can’t be bothered.
- You could use a handful of chopped fresh herbs if they’re available. Sage is especially good. You can even leave out the garlic!
- You can also add a few juniper berries. Put them in with the bread when processing it.
- You can use any odd ends of leftover veg (root veg, mushroom, tomato, potato; greens don’t work too well) but this is entirely optional.
- You can get away without pressing the terrine (as I did) but the result will be more friable and crumbly, and won’t turn out of a tin so well.
- Don’t throw out the bird carcases. Put them in a saucepan with some water, a bit of onion, ends of root veg etc., herbs, pepper and any other meat scraps. Simmer gently for a few hours to make stock. When done, strain off the liquid, allow to cool and freeze in useful-sized portions. It’s good for risotto!