Steak and Bacon Pâté

Whether you call this pâté, paste or spread it is a lovely versatile recipe that can be dressed up or down.

To dress it up, serve in small ramekins topped with melted butter and beautiful bread for dinner parties or dress it down, dolloped on gluten free crackers or as a sandwich filling for the school lunch boxes.

To cook it you need to steam the meat for four hours, until it is falling apart. I use a large 8litre pan and a large Pyrex bowl with a saucer under the bowl to lift it away from the heat source.

As this recipe makes a large quantity of pâté I normally freeze half in two smaller boxes for a later date.

Ingredients

1kg steak, diced

600g bacon, back and middle cuts, diced

8 anchovies in oil, drained

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Method

You need a large pan, with a lid,  that your heatproof bowl will fit in and a plate or saucer on the base.

Place all the ingredients in the heat proof bowl.

Turn the saucer or plate upside down and place in the base of the pan.

Place the bowl on top of the plate and carefully pour water into the pan, around one third of the way up the bowl.

Cover with a lid and bring up to the boil, allow to simmer for 4hours, covered.

Check the water level regularly, top up with boiling water if needed.

After 4 hours, turn off the heat and allow to cool completely.

Once cool, process the meat in batches until smooth and spoon into ramekins, jars or boxes.