Name: Reduction Paste for Pâté de Campagne
Cuisine: フレンチ
Ingredients: 1 large onion; 60g garlic; 60g mushrooms; 40g parsley (leaves only); 200 ml milk; Olive oil, to taste

About "Reduction Paste for Pâté de Campagne"

The secret behind Chef Ogino's Pâté de Campagne is the "reduction"—a rich vegetable paste made by simmering onions, garlic, mushrooms, and parsley with milk, then blending it in a food processor. Mixing this into the meat creates a deep, complex flavor that spices alone cannot achieve. This recipe avoids starch to prioritize a rustic, meaty texture. Acidic ingredients like tomatoes are excluded because they alter the pH and cause water separation. It is crucial to thoroughly chill the finished reduction before mixing it into the meat.

Tips for Making "Reduction Paste for Pâté de Campagne"

Prep
- Since the vegetables will be pureed, rough cuts are fine. Slicing the onion against the grain helps it soften and cook faster.
Sautéing
- The parsley will look bulky at first but shrinks significantly once cooked. Sauté slowly in olive oil until everything softens.
Simmering
- Add 200 ml of milk just before the caramelized bits stick to the pan. Simmer on low heat until highly concentrated and the bottom of the pan is visible when stirring.
Substitutions
- Substituting milk with red wine, port wine, or vermouth creates a more complex, mature flavor profile.
What to Avoid
- Avoid starchy vegetables (potatoes), harsh ones (burdock), or carrots. Acidic ingredients like tomatoes alter the pH and cause water separation; use finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes mixed directly into the meat instead.
Starch
- Adding 2–2.5% starch yields a cleaner slice but dilutes the meat's flavor. Chef Ogino avoids starch to prioritize a rustic, juicy texture.
Chilling
- The reduction paste must be chilled thoroughly over ice water. Warm paste melts the meat's fat, causing separation. Preparing it a day ahead and refrigerating overnight is best.

Ingredients for "Reduction Paste for Pâté de Campagne"

6 items

* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon

1large onion
60ggarlic
60gmushrooms
40gparsley (leaves only)
200ml milk
Oliveoil, to taste

How to Make "Reduction Paste for Pâté de Campagne"

1
Slice the onion against the grain. Roughly chop the garlic and mushrooms (rough cuts are fine since they will be blended later).
2
Heat olive oil in a pan, then add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté.
3
Once the vegetables soften, add the large amount of parsley. It will look bulky at first, but it will shrink as it cooks, so keep sautéing.
4
Sauté until everything is soft and just before the caramelized bits start sticking to the bottom of the pan, then pour in 200 ml of milk.
5
Reduce the heat to low and simmer. Turn off the heat once the moisture has completely evaporated, to the point where you can see the bottom of the pan when stirring with a spatula.
6
Transfer the simmered vegetables to a food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth paste.
7
Transfer the reduction paste to a bowl and chill it rapidly by placing the bowl over ice water. Alternatively, transfer it to a container and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight. It must be completely cold before mixing into the meat (to be continued in Part 2).

Detailed Commentary on "Reduction Paste for Pâté de Campagne"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

The Essence of Chef Ogino's Pâté

In response to passionate requests from viewers, Chef Ogino teaches how to make Pâté de Campagne from scratch. Having published books and shared recipes on NHK, he jokes self-deprecatingly, "If people are still asking, my teaching must be bad." He explains that pâté was originally a rustic dish made from leftover pork scraps and sinew, but presents a professional restaurant-quality approach that can be easily recreated at home.

The Flavor-Packed Reduction Paste

The key to Chef Ogino's pâté is the "reduction"—a concentrated vegetable paste. While you can make pâté by simply mixing meat with spices, this reduction adds a unique signature. Made by slowly simmering one large onion, 60g of garlic, 60g of mushrooms, and 40g of parsley leaves with 200 ml of milk, it concentrates the intense flavors of these aromatic vegetables. Mixing this paste into the meat creates a deep, complex flavor profile.

Tips for Chopping and Sautéing

Prep begins with the vegetables. Since they will eventually be pureed, rough cuts are perfectly fine. Slicing the onion against the grain helps it cook faster and soften quickly. Sauté the onions, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil. French cuisine is known as a "cuisine of addition," layering elements to build complexity. Next, add a large amount of parsley; though it may overflow the pan initially, it quickly wilts and shrinks as it cooks.

The Trade-Off Between Looks and Taste

Chef Ogino discusses an important technical choice regarding texture. Adding 2% to 2.5% starch (like potato starch or cornstarch) relative to the meat's weight helps retain moisture and yields a clean, smooth cross-section when sliced. However, this slightly dilutes the pure meat flavor. Chef Ogino prefers a rustic, coarse texture where juices burst out with every bite, so he deliberately excludes starch from this recipe.

Adding Milk and Simmering to the Limit

Once the vegetables are well-sautéed and just before the flavorful bits stick to the pan, add 200 ml of milk. Simmer over low heat to evaporate the moisture. While milk is used here, you can substitute it with red wine, port wine, or vermouth for a more sophisticated flavor. However, avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, harsh-tasting ones like burdock root, or carrots, which leave unappealing red specks in the cross-section.

Why Tomatoes Do Not Belong in Pâté

When an assistant suggests adding tomatoes, the chef declines for scientific reasons. Acidic ingredients like tomatoes or bell peppers lower the meat's pH, causing the proteins to coagulate and separate water from fat (weeping). If you want tomato flavor, do not blend it into the paste; instead, finely chop sun-dried tomatoes and mix them directly into the meat during the final kneading stage.

Blending and the Importance of Chilling

Once the moisture is completely gone and you can see the bottom of the pan when stirring, turn off the heat. Transfer to a food processor to blend into a smooth paste. The chef fondly mentions his 20-year-old food processor, joking it looks like a toy. It is absolutely crucial to chill the paste over ice water until ice-cold. Mixing warm paste into the meat melts the fat, causing separation. Making it the day before and chilling it overnight is ideal.

Table Ogino: Chef Ogino Teaches Pâté de Campagne (Part 1)