Best Leftover Pate Recipes

BEEF PATE

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vegetable shortening together in a bowl using your hands or a pastry blender. Add up to 1 cup water, a little at a time, until dough pulls away from the bowl. Let dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight (see Cook's Note).
• For the filling: Meanwhile, add pickle juice, if using, to a 6-quart pot on medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, using a wooden spoon or spatula to crumble ground beef until fine. As meat is browning, add parsley, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, onions, hot pepper, sweet pepper, bell pepper, thyme, salt and black pepper. Cook until all meat is brown, approximately 5 minutes.
• Remove meat mixture to a colander to drain excess oil. Let sit approximately 5 minutes.
• Return pot to medium heat. Add tomato paste and 1/4 cup water. Stir to thin tomato paste. Add drained meat mixture back to the pot. Mix in tomato paste mixture. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool until meat is room temperature.
• Heat oil to 350 degrees F in a 6-quart cast-iron Dutch oven.
• Cut a 2 1/2-inch piece of dough from the rested dough. Flatten into an approximate 3 1/2-inch disc using your fingers. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to 1/8- to 3/16-inch-thick by 7 inches in diameter.
• Fill the dough with 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup filling. Fold over and press with a 6-inch bowl or empanada press to seal the edges. Dust off excess flour, and gently place in the hot oil. Wait for pate to rise to the top of the oil, then flip it over. Let cook for about 1 minute, then flip again.
• Continue cooking and flipping every minute until the pate is golden brown on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

HOLIDAY HAM PATE

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse and process until quite smooth and homogeneous.
• Transfer to a well buttered 4 x 8 x 2.5 inch loaf pan. Cover tightly with heavy duty foil. Make sure it is tightly wrapped.
• In larger baking dish, line the bottom with a white or natural colored tea towel. Place the wrapped Pate on top of the towel. Pour boiling water in the larger pan to come half way up the sides of the wrapped pate.
• Bake in a 275 degree oven for 2 hours.
• Remove from oven and cool on rack for about 30 minutes. See note below*.
• Unmold the Pate by flipping it out of loaf pan on to a flat tray or plate that is lined with wax paper or plastic wrap. Some of the fat will puddle a bit, but don't discard.
• When cooled, pull the paper or plastic that the Pate is resting on up the sides and over the top to wrap tightly. Place the Pate in a loaf pan that is larger than the Pate. Cover with foil and store in fridge for several days before serving.
• *Frost the Pate with sour cream and sprinkle with freshly chopped Italian parsley and add some cranks of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a sturdy cracker or little toasts.
• Note: if you wish, you can weigh down the Pate to compress a bit by placing an equal size loaf pan that is filled with dry beans atop the baked Pate (you need to remove the foil to do this). Weigh down for 30 minutes.

LEFTOVER PATE

Steps:

• Put your choice of meat, the eggs, and mayonnaise into the bowl of a food processor. Add the cheese (see below*) and seasonings (see below*) and process until the mixture is well blended and has a smooth texture, about 20 seconds. Add more mayonnaise as needed if the pate is too dry. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with bread or crackers.
• *For pork: Cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon curry paste
• For ham: Swiss cheese, 4 gherkins, and 1 teaspoon paprika
• For turkey: mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons olive paste, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• For chicken: Cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, and 1 teaspoon red peppercorns
• For roast beef: mozzarella cheese, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon horseradish