Polish Mushroom Chicken Pate {Pasztet Grzybowy}
To support our sandwich addiction, Poles come up with different varieties of meat and fish spreads to keep it interesting. Paté, in Polish called “pasztet” is a popular and cheap topping, made of chicken, pork or turkey meat, vegetables and spice mixture, baked and made into a spreadable paste. Aromatic with herbs and garlic, it is served cold, often garnished with pickles, onions and horseradish, if you’re into spicy.
Recipes for pasztet may vary by the chef, as there is really no one right way to do it. As long as you have the meat and liver, spices and additions can be changed as one pleases. I’ve made more basic pasztet before, and today I’m making a mushroom variety. I’m adding dried mushrooms and also fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms for more earthy tone.
Next to deviled eggs {jaja faszerowane}, chicken in gelative {galaretka}, vegetable salad {sałatka jarzynowa}, sour rye soup {barszcz biały} and fresh sausage {biała kiełbasa}, pasztet always finds its way onto my Easter table. Since Easter is just a week away, I’m thinking all things Easter and making some now.
This batch will last me a good few months. I will eat some right away, some will be served on Easter and the rest will be frozen in small portions. When I have a craving again, I’ll just pull it out of the freezer and done and done. Sandwich ready in no time.
Polish Mushroom Chicken Pate {Pasztet Z Grzybami}
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken cooked*
- 1 cups (1 oz) of dried mushrooms **
- 4 oz of fresh oyster mushrooms
- 4 oz of fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 2 large onions
- 3 large carrots
- 8 oz of bacon
- 1 container (20 oz) of chicken livers
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbs of pepper
- 1 tbs of marjoram
- 2 tbs of chopped parsley
- 1 tbs of salt
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- 3 eggs
Instructions
Place dried mushrooms in a medium pot, fill with enough water to cover put another 1/2 cup. Soak overnight or until soft. Boil for 20 minutes, set aside to cool.
Wash chicken livers, and drain on a coriander. Sauté in a couple of tablespoons of butter until fully cooked, about 15 min. Feel free to sprinkle with a favorite spice mix, or just salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Peel and cook carrots until soft. Set aside to cool. Mince fresh mushrooms and onions and sauté in a few tbs of butter until golden around the edges. Set aside.
Take chicken meat off the bone and put through a meat grinder. Once livers are cool, also put through the grinder. Next grind the carrots and garlic. Now, grind the bacon into a SEPARATE DISH.
Preheat oven to 35o°F. To the meat mixture add sautéed mushrooms and water they were boiling in and onions, chopped dried mushrooms, chicken stock, pepper, marjoram, chopped parsley. Mix well. At this point I added another tablespoon of salt. But please taste your mixture first. It may not need as much. If satisfied with the spice level, add raw eggs, and ground up bacon, mix well.
Place into baking dishes. This lot makes about 3 loaf pans worth, but you can bake it in a larger or smaller dishes. Bake for 50 - 60 min, until golden brown on top. Cool completely and refrigerate.
Notes
* I like using rotisserie chicken for its flavor. Oven roasted chicken would also work great, or even boiled chicken leftover from making stock or chicken soup.
** I found a great mix of dried mushrooms: yellow boletes, oyster mushrooms, porcini and portobellos.
Since this is such a large amount of pate, once cooled in the fridge overnight, I cut it into smaller portions, wrap in plastic wrap or vacuum wrap and freeze.
Pate is best enjoyed cold on bread, garnished with pickles and/or onions and horseradish.
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Do you have to add Add liver to the chicken pate?
No, paté will be pretty delicious without them as well.
Chicken and bacon and mushrooms. Oh, my. Could be the best combination so far. Thanks Anna.
Anna,
I have enjoyed using a few of your recipes; you do share interesting and helpful information which is valuable and everything is much appreciated.
It is unimportant but I only want to point out a spelling error on Step 2 of the instructions for this recipe:
…” and drain on a coriander”.
colander is what you meant and basically everyone knows that but maybe someone wouldn’t know.
You are impressive with speaking & conversing and typing using the English language. I’m not picking on you at all!
Thank you for all that you do and share with everybody.
God Bless you and your family.
Merry Christmas!
Jenki Ania! My kind of intuitive European cookery. I’m making this for my husband and mother in-law for Easter. I’m Ukrainian and the rest will be for Ukrainian Easter Lunch with my Ukrainian family.
Yey!! Welcome!!