Braunschweiger (Homemade Liverwurst)

Its origin is Braunschweig, in the Brunswick province of Germany. As with any paté, flavor improves with a day or two of aging, and if you have a smoker, a light smoking. You can stuff the paté into pork or beef casings, tie them with string in 8- to 12-inch lengths, and adjust the stuffing in order to leave a good 2 inches at the end of each length for expansion. Simmer the links about 45 minutes in a pot of water, then dip them in cold water to keep the fat from settling along the bottom. If you have no casings, bake the pork paté in a loaf pan, as you would a French paté. You can either serve it in slices or use it as a creamy spread.

2 pounds lean pork
1 pound pork fat
1 1/4 pounds pork liver
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

If you use a process for grinding, cut the pork, pork fat and liver into cubes and freeze for an hour or two, so that they will process without mushing.

Sauté the onion in a little pork fat or butter until it is soft. Sprinkle with the spices to warm them, then add the mixture to the pork and process until you have a smooth purée.

Pack the purée into an earthenware baking dish or 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans and cover tightly with foil. Put the dish in a pan with an inch or two of boiling water and bake at 300 degrees F until meat is cooked but not browned (meat thermometer should read 160 degrees F to 165 degrees F), about 2 hours.

Remove baking dish from the pan of water and let paté cool in the dish. Refrigerate 1 to 2 days before using.

Makes 2 standard-size loaves or 1 large terrine.