Liverwurst

What to do with all the odds and ends of the beast after slaughter? I have often found myself saving all sorts of bits that are just too good to throw away- tongue, cheeks, liver, kidneys, hocks and trotters, tail and stomach.

OK yes I just heard most of you go "Ewwwwwww"... Sorry but I actually quite like offal. If you are at all squeamish about this sort of thing you had better skip this post.

Nevertheless I sometimes find myself looking at a frozen bit out of the freezer and wondering how the hell I am supposed to use it. I had one of those days recently when I realised I had a bucket of frozen pig livers. Much more than we were going to eat any time soon, anyway I already have most of a beef liver left for frying. One of my absolute favourite dishes is sliced liver with onions fried in butter. Eat it hot with copious quantities of cold beer in front of the fire. Great restorative after a hard days winter labour.
Anyway back to the pig livers.
I had always wanted to make liverwurst and this was my chance.
Take

• 3lbs lean pork shoulder (or all of the odd bits of fleshings left after butchering)
• 2 lbs pork liver (this is about one large whole liver anyway)
• 1 large onion
• 2 tsp salt (pure sea salt is always best)
• 1 tsp fine ground fresh black pepper
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp ground/rubbed sage
• 1 cup iced water

1. Cut the liver into strips and simmer in water until cooked but still slightly pink in the centre.
2. Cut pork into 1 inch cubes
3. Put pork and liver through the fine blade of a mincer. Do this twice to get a very fine consistency.
4. Mix the spices with the iced water.
5. Add the water/spice to the meat and mic thoroughly for at least two minutes.
6. Stuff into large (35 to 45mm) sausage casings and tie into a three truss.
7. Simmer in water kept just below the boil until cooked through.
8. Cool to room temperature before storing. They will freeze well and should keep in the fridge for a week or so.

I was quite happy with this recipe. The liverwurst is nothing like the cheap version of paste sold in the supermarkets. It has a most beautiful herby fragrance to it and a mellow flavour and a firm texture. It is superb with red wine such as a good Shiraz, forcing us to consume a lot of wine recently in the name of thoroughly examining this new recipe. That is a good excuse as far as I am concerned.
I intend to make a second batch soon, when I obtain a couple more pork livers, with a higher ratio of liver to pork and a little more salt. Say three parts liver to two parts pork and an extra teaspoon of salt.
Good food.