About Me

Vivica Menegaz

Nutritionist, Author, & Blogger

Hi I am Vivica, welcome to my blog! I am a certified nutritionist and the creator of the Healing Foods Method. My philosophy of healing is to let the right foods delight you, nourish you and make you healthy!

French Pate’ Meatloaf and 10 Good Reasons Why To Eat Liver!

French Pate Meatloaf

My first time

The first time I made this dish I could not wait to taste it. The whole house was filled with incredible bacony and meaty aromas during the whole two and a half hours it cooked. I was basically drooling as I removed it from the oven!

Photographing it was the hardest part. Have you tried to concentrate on composition while your mouth is non-stop watering??

Finally I could not wait, with camera still hanging from my neck I grabbed the slice I had cut to take a photo, put it on a small plate, and ate it right there, on the floor of my studio, taking a bite of Cornichon every other bite of meatlof….I was in heaven!

The wonderful aromas had been just a small preview of the rich, bold flavors of the meatloaf. I think many french chefs would be proud of my accomplishments here!

I could spend another hour describing the juicy, tender, bacony taste, but that would never get you any closer to the actual experience.

How about YOU give it a try?! It’s really not that hard, and it will make you dinner guests swoon! Oh and did I mention the added bonus? It comes with extra health benefits!

French Pate Meatloaf Pan

The bonus: 10 Good Reasons To Eat Liver

  1. It’s a superfood!
  2. Contrary to popular belief: Liver does NOT store toxins in its tissues.
  3. Organ meats contain 10 to 100 times the nutritional content of muscle meat
  4. 100 grams of liver contain 53,400 IU of vitamin A (which being a whole food vitamin will NEVER be toxic to the body!!)
  5. Is one of the best sources of Folic Acid
  6. Contains easily assimilated Iron
  7. Contains an unidentified anti-fatigue factor
  8. Liver is the best source of the trace mineral Copper
  9. Rich source of B vitamins (which are crucial in balancing your sugar handling mechanisms)
  10. Is a great source of high-quality protein!

And if those are not enough…remember, it’s delicious!!!

(You can read heremore about the nutritional proprieties of liver).

 

PS did you know this recipe war featured on the famous “Paleo Grubs” website? Check out their fantastic meatloaf recipe roundup HERE!

French Pate Meatloaf 3

French Pate Reincarnated as Modern Meatloaf
 
Author: 
Cuisine: Paleo, French
If French Pate and American Meatloaf married and had a baby, this would be it! Of course this would be a modern baby so it would follow the Paleo guidelines. No grains and no dairy here! All ingredients should be fresh and made from scratch. For ingredients' local resources please consult the notes.
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons of ghee
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ pound chicken livers, cleaned and separated
  • 2 teaspoons Herbes De Provence
  • ¼ cup cognac
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 slices of bacon + 6 slices to line pan
  • ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (Check out these ones!)
  • 1 teaspoon Allspice
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup coconut cream
  • ½ cup cassava flour (omit for low-carb and keto)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water
  3. Melt ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat, Add the onion, the garlic and saute' until translucent
  4. Raise the flame, add the chicken livers and sprinkle with the Herbes De Provence
  5. Quickly saute' on high heat until seared on the outside but still pink inside.
  6. Before turning off the flame, add the cognac and let evaporate
  7. Remove the livers to a plate to cool
  8. When cool chop into small pieces and add to a large bowl
  9. Now add the ground beef to the same skillet used for the liver, after reheating it on a high flame
  10. Quickly sear the beef, breaking it up well, it should be still pink in some places
  11. Remove the beef and add to the same bowl as the liver
  12. Now add the 4 slices of bacon, after chopping it into very small pieces
  13. Add salt, pepper and allspice
  14. Beat the eggs with the coconut cream until frothy and add to the bowl
  15. Add the cassava flour
  16. Add the sundried tomatoes drained from the soaking water.
  17. Mix all ingredients until well blended
  18. Line a 9x5x3 glass or metal loaf pan with the remaining 6 slices of bacon, arranging them across the width
  19. Pout the meat mixture into the pan, pressing down well, even with your hands
  20. Fold bacon slices over if they stick out form the sides
  21. Cover loaf pan tightly with foil
  22. Now place loaf pan into a metal baking pan large enough to fit it
  23. Pour boiling water into the baking pan until halfway up the sides of the loaf pan
  24. Place pans in the oven and bake at 350°F until thermometer placed inside the pate reaches 155°F, about 2.5 hours
  25. At the end of cooking time, take out the loaf pan from the oven and let cool for 10/15 minutes.
  26. Remove the meatloaf from the loaf pan by inverting it on a serving platter and serve while lukewarm accompanied by French style Cornichons
Notes
Ingredients local resources: Organic, free range chicken livers from Wookey Ranch 4181 Wookey Rd, Chico, CA 95973 Ph. 530.343.2479 OR Chaffin Family Orchards 606 Coal Canyon Rd. Oroville, CA 95965 Ph: 530.533.8239 or 530.533.1676

French Pate Meatloaf 2

 

By Vivica Menegaz

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Comments 24

  1. Debbie says:

    This looks delicious!!! And yay for the anti fatigue factor :).

  2. Callie says:

    Can I substitute coconut flour for the cassava?

    • The Nourished Caveman says:

      Hi Callie.
      You definitively could, but expect both different flavor and different texture. Taste is a very personal thing, so you might like it just as much! 😉

  3. This looks so amazing! Question: does the cognac have to be included?

    • The Nourished Caveman says:

      Thank you!! About the cognac, it is just a flavor question. You can skip it or substitute it with brandy or spiced rum.

  4. Alina says:

    Hi,
    Thank you for the great recipe!
    What are possible cassava substitutes?
    Thank you.

    • The Nourished Caveman says:

      Hi Alina
      I would use coconut flour, especially because it’s lower carb. In the light of things as I see them now, it’s a better choice! it’s also very mild flavored (so you will not taste it) and it binds well, so it will help the meatloaf stay together!

  5. deb says:

    just curious…..when do you add the sun dried tomatoes?

    • The Nourished Caveman says:

      Sorry Deb I thought it was clear when it said to add all the ingredients….I added a line to make sure you know when to put the tomatoes!! 🙂

  6. Malainie says:

    I love chicken livers! Could I use more chicken livers and less ground beef?

    • The Nourished Caveman says:

      By all means!! More liver the better!! YUMMMM

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