1966 WDEC - Chicken Forcemeat

Forcemeat can be used as a stuffing or cooked and eaten alone, much as a meatloaf. (photo by Joachim)

With so much excellent pate available, making forcemeat, a mixture "of finely chopped raw or cooked meats, raw or cooked poultry or game, fresh or canned fish, variety meats and game, all blended with herbs and spices into a thick, smooth paste," seems unnecessary for everyday sustenance.

This is one of those instances when justifying needless work by calling it a project is a good thing for me. Recipe after the jump.
Chicken Forcemeat
(Makes about 6 entree servings alone, or enough stuffing for a 6-pound chicken)
1 pound raw chicken meat, ground 3 times
1 cup fresh mushrooms
2/3 cup pistachio nuts
7 Tablespoons dry sherry
1 Tablespoon sliced truffles
3 eggs, beaten
7 Tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Dash of white pepper
2/3 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon brandy

Grind chicken with mushrooms and nuts. Add sherry, truffles, eggs, butter, salt and pepper. Soak bread crumbs in milk and brandy. Add to chicken mixture. Beat well until very smooth. Makes enough stuffing for one 6-pound chicken [or bake in covered casserole at 160C/310F for 45 minutes].

A design of pistachios creates a more interesting finished loaf. (photo by Joachim)

Cooking Notes:  Perhaps one was supposed to grind the chicken, mushroom and nuts together a fourth time; instead I ground the mushrooms nuts (and truffles, so they would be well integrated) in with the three chicken grindings. I also halved the recipe (using 2 very small eggs) and made it into a loaf instead of using the forcemeat as stuffing. To make it the loaf bit more attractive, I added a pattern of pistachios before baking.

Eating Notes: This is probably the most sublime meatloaf we've ever eaten. The flavors merged together into a single happy melange of truffle, nuts and meat; the texture was smooth but not at all mushy; and the net result was that happy "oh! what have we been missing?" across-the-table look into one anothers' eyes. Definitely worth the effort, just for that.