Meat Pâté with Mushrooms

Pâtés began to be baked in Europe around the year 1000. Their origin was linked to the practical need to preserve food. When meat (whether pork, veal, poultry or fish) was made into a fine paste, covered with dough and all the cavities sealed airtight with gelling liquid, the food lasted longer. Pâtés thus became very popular, not only because they looked nice and tasted good, but also because they slowed down the rapid decomposition of the meat.
However, this dish was also popular for another practical reason. When the dough broke apart, the stuffing could be conveniently sliced and eaten with the fingers. In fact, in the Middle Ages, the fork was not used because it was considered the tool of the devil! Even as late as the middle of the 14th century, there were only twelve forks in the French court, and long debates existed about their use. One of the most hardened opponents of the fork included Louis XIV, the Sun King! He had never used a fork in his life, even though they made one for him out of pure gold!
Pâté was originally baked coated in dough but eaten without it. The dough held the filling together only. Precious spices were often added to the pâté, which became a symbol of the host’s social status.

The two basic components of pâté are the dough and the stuffing (farce), most often made from roast, meat, poultry, game or fish. The dough used is crumbly, special pâté or puff pastry dough. The dough is lined in a mould so that it also covers the walls. Square moulds are the most typical. When the mould is filled, the surface is covered with pastry in which holes are made to allow steam to escape. The pâté is often served cold after baking.
The name of this dish is based on the French word pâte or the Italian word pasta, both of which simply means dough. The pâté must therefore have a ‘crust’ of dough (croûte).

MEAT PÂTÉ WITH MUSHROOMS
We need:
250 g of mixed minced meat
150 g diced ham sausage
1 smaller pork fillet, cut into small pieces
(you can vary the meat mixture according to your taste and preference)

3 eggs
½ cup meat stock
1 cup breadcrumbs
chopped fresh herbs
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
200 g mushrooms cut into smaller pieces
1 ready-made pizza dough
1 ready-made puff pastry
3 slices of gelatine
150 ml port (red wine or grape juice)
salt, black pepper
tinfoil
Method:
Chop the onion and garlic finely, fry in a little oil, add the ham sausage, fry a little, set aside and let cool. Add the herbs, minced meat, pork, eggs, breadcrumbs and stock, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Line a square mould with pizza dough and fill with the meat mixture. Cover with puff pastry. Cut 3 round holes in the surface of the dough, form small chimneys from foil and tuck them into the holes. Brush the pastry with egg yolk, prick with a fork and bake the pâté for 50 minutes in a preheated oven at 200°C. Season the wine with salt and pepper. Leave the gelatine to soften in cold water, wring it out, add to the wine and heat a little to dissolve the gelatine. When the liquid starts to gelatinize, pour it through the holes into the pâté, filling all the spaces in between. Leave to cool and refrigerate. Serve sliced with salad.