The evenings are getting brighter, so let’s have salad for dinner. If you shudder at the thought of dark, sticky liquorice laces, don’t worry, fresh fennel is a completely different style of aniseed flavour. Fennel is crisp, fresh and just what we need after a few months in hibernation.
I have paired it with grapefruit here. The combination of citrus and aniseed is delicious. You need to balance any sweetness with a generous pinch of crunchy sea salt. I suggest using salad leaves as a base to even out these full flavours, but the more robust kale works really well with the citrus dressing.
With all of this freshness, it is nice to have something warm and luxurious, so I serve this with pâté toast. I associate it with Christmas and my mother sending us outside to pick bay leaves while she clarified the butter.
By the time we came back inside with all sorts of foliage, she would have the golden liquid poured over the top and was ready to scatter on a few pink peppercorns. Pâté is for life and not just for Christmas. It feels unbelievably decadent, probably because it is half butter with a splash of brandy lingering in the background.
I only buy ready-made pâté when I know the chicken livers are trustworthy: that is, free-range or organic. Our local farmers' market in Midleton has amazing homemade pâté, either at the Ballymaloe Cookery School stall or Barry Tyner's stall. He sells only pâté and it is usually snapped up early by loyal customers.
It is very easy to make your own, provided you can source perfect chicken livers and have a food processor to hand. Just clean the livers, removing any membranes, then gently cook in butter until there is no trace of pink. Do not overcook them. Add a splash of brandy and a crushed clove of garlic.
Blitz it all in a food processor, then allow to cool before adding plenty of butter. You will need to use real butter for this. Butter-flavoured margarine will not work, nor will any low-fat versions.
Pot the smooth pâté into little jars or bowls and top with clarified butter and a bay leaf or sprig of thyme. There is no real need for the clarified butter if you are eating it straight away, but I like it. There are plenty of recipes online with lots of variations. If you do go to the trouble of making homemade pâté, then don’t worry about how much fat is in it – just enjoy it.
Some slices of buttery avocado are fantastic through this salad. If you are vegetarian or just don’t feel like pâté, then spread some crushed avocado on to the toast. The textures are wonderful when this is all served together.
For the toast, use any good bread, such as sourdough; day-old is best as it cuts better and toasts well.
I love to use the Medieval loaf from Cork-based artisan bakery Arbutus. The wholemeal bread is studded with figs, dates and nuts. It is the type of compact loaf that should be wrapped in cloth and stowed in a saddle bag for a journey somewhere magical. Just don’t forget the pâté.
FENNEL SALAD WITH PÂTÉ TOAST: SERVES 4
The five ingredients
- 1 loaf of sourdough or rye bread
- 2 bulbs of fennel
- 1 large handful of salad leaves
- 1 red grapefruit
- 250g good-quality chicken-liver pâté
Method
Slice the bread as thinly as possible. This works best if the bread is a few days old.
Toast or grill the bread until golden, keeping in mind that it will brown quickly because it is so thin. Have two or three slices of toast per serving. Once the toast is done, lay it on a cooling rack to crisp.
Slice the fennel as thinly as possible. A mandoline is great for this. Place in a large bowl. Gently tear the salad leaves into bite-size pieces. Add to the fennel.
Peel the grapefruit and remove as much bitter pith as possible. Cut each segment into about three bite-sized pieces. Add to the bowl along with any of the juice, two tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch of sea salt. Toss everything together gently. Divide between four bowls.
Spread the pâté on the toast and serve with the salad.
- Every Thursday, we'll tweet the five ingredients from @lillyhiggins and @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes
