Pork Quadfecta

If anyone thinks eating paleo is about deprivation you should take a look at my pre-dinner snack:

Country pate made by moi (well me and about 15 other people) at a paleo meet up event I went to at Stachowski's Market this weekend. Pork meat, fat, and liver all wrapped in a ton of bacon-y goodness and then baked once I got it home. We all chipped in - helping to put the meat through the grinder, pulling thyme off of its stalks, lining the loaf pans with bacon - while the owner, Jamie (incidentally a really hysterical Polish guy from Buffalo, NY) gave us tips on making great pate. "Make sure your meat stays cold." "Your liver should actually be frozen." "Grind your meat twice." "If it starts to get warm, put it in the fridge." "If you don't have time and it's separating and you have no other choice, put an egg in it. Otherwise, no egg!" and so on, accompanied by lots of gesticulation with his hands and, when the grinder started to back up, a few solid curse words. Here he is instructing us as the spices are mixed into the meat mixture:

Photo taken by felow paleo eater, Mark Gibson

After the individual loafs were all neatly tucked into their oven-safe saran wrap and labeled with our names and cooking temps, we learned how to truss and butterfly chickens and then we watched as Jamie broke down a side of pig from a nearby farm in VA. As he did that, one of his staff cooked up chicken schnitzel (seasoned instead of breaded just for us) that we had pounded into paillards and we were served that alongside braised red cabbage and potato pancakes for the grand finale. I'd be remiss to not also mention the huge array of charcuterie we feasted on upon our arrival - bresaola, prosciutto, salame, venison pate, and others I've forgotten the names of (all made in house with the exception of the prosciutto) - along with pickles, mostarda, and a huge variety of cooked up sausages.

If this is what paleo living is about, I can get on board!