Field terrine or pâtè de campagne

The recipe that Miriam ( El invitados de invierno ) brings us is one of those that we love: a very traditional country paté, which you will really enjoy simply by accompanying it with some good bread. Bon appetit!

Pâté de campagne or country terrine is a classic of popular French cuisine that is eaten with a few pounds of bread and that is why, among other virtues, we like it so much.

This terrine, which is traditionally made with various types of pork, lean meat, liver, bacon, etc., is characterized by a rather coarse texture. It is not a spreadable pâté as we know it, but is eaten in thick slices on rustic bread . And it is enjoyed. A lot.

This particular recipe comes from an English newspaper , because the Anglo-Saxons are the ones who write the best about gastronomy, I've told you. Although the recipe is very traditional , I have taken the liberty of adding some dried cranberries to provide a sweet counterpoint that, in my opinion, goes very well with so much fat. Because it has loads of fat, so if you have a slice for breakfast you can already consider it a snack. Seriously.

Triana glass dishes and rectangular terrine with Le Creuset press

Ingredients

• 500g minced pork, preferably shoulder if it is white pork (and if you use Iberian pork loin, your eyes will roll back in your head)
• 250gr bacon, chopped
• 250g pork liver, chopped
• 5 tbsp. cognac/rancid wine
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 sprigs rosemary or dried leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 egg
• 70gr of bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. peppercorns, green or various colors
• 1 good handful of dried cranberries, rehydrated
• 1 good handful of nuts, to taste (optional)
• 250g fresh bacon or pancetta in very thin slices to line the mould

Elaboration

1. We will ask our trusted butcher to mince the mixture of meat and liver for us or we will do it with a home mincer , so we leave it completely to our liking.
2. Once the mince is done, we put it in a salad bowl and add the spices, alcohol, rosemary and garlic. Mix well, cover with plastic and put the stuffing in the fridge for at least four hours or up to a whole night.
3. If we use dried fruit, such as blueberries, we rehydrate it in hot water. We can also rehydrate it with liquor, but we must bear in mind that the flavour will be stronger.
4. Place the crumbled breadcrumbs in a bowl with the milk and let it soak for 10 minutes. Then add the beaten egg and salt and blend.
5. We add this panade , as the French call it, to the meat mixture and homogenize.
6. We test the seasoning of the farce by frying a bite of the mixture in a pan or by cooking it in the microwave. We adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.
7. We line the inside of the ceramic mould (terrine type) with the slices of fresh bacon or pancetta, so that the pâté is perfectly covered. We pour a third of the stuffing and add a handful of blueberries; we put another third of the meat and repeat the operation, to finish with the meat.
8. We smooth the surface and pour the remaining bacon or pancetta over it. We press it down a little with our hand or with the press of the mould (at least the Le Creuset one has one) to fill in any gaps. We cover it with the lid of the mould or with aluminium foil.
9. Place a dish large enough to fit the terrine in the cold oven. Place the terrine inside and pour lukewarm water up to about 2/3 of the height of the mould.
10. We heat the oven to 170°.
11. Once the oven has reached the indicated temperature, we bake the terrine for 70 minutes until the interior reaches 65-70° or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the centre. We take the terrine out, put some weight on top (with bags of legumes, for example) and let it cool completely.
12. Before eating the pâté de campagne , it is best to let it rest overnight in the refrigerator so that the flavours settle.
13. To eat the terrine, we can leave it in the mould or take it out onto a plate. If we prefer to take it out, we can put the terrine in hot water for a minute to soften the fat that has been wrapped around it. We insert a spatula along the sides to loosen it, use a little leverage to loosen it and invert the mould onto a plate.

And there you have it !

Clos Mogador "Arrels" sweet wine , Triana glass dessert plates , Pallarès knife and rectangular terrine with Le Creuset press

If we want to lighten the terrine a little, we can remove the bacon slices when cutting the slices.

These types of terrines take a couple of days to make due to waiting times, but they are not excessively laborious in themselves. In addition, not only can we prepare them in large quantities and freeze them, but they also keep very well in the fridge for three or four days, even longer, and if we add a salad to them we have several dinners ready. Here, I have already organised the week for you.