I’m a huge fan of dips and spreads, and am always looking to expand my repertoire. After a long day of cycling, I was craving something nutty. Peanut butter?! No, I’m far too gluttonous and irresponsible when it comes to peanut butter. I looked in my fridge, finding mushrooms and a bit of tofu, and pate immediately came to my mind. Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent a bit of time in England, home of the temple of tasty foods: Waitrose grocery store. Never in my life had I tried pate; all I thought of was parts of animals that I didn’t even want to know people consumed. Last summer, however, J and I found a vegetarian mushroom pate in the refrigerated dips section- the English are very good at marking what’s “Suitable for Vegetarians”. It was absolutely incredible, and we devoured it with only a single packet of crackers. Flash forward to gazing at my nearly empty fridge, and it me: I can make that. With minimal ingredients and hardly any time, this recipe makes for a quick and easy snack that you can take to a party or munch on for days…or maybe hours. Enjoy!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: about 7 minutes
Cool time: at least 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c almonds or walnuts (your choice), more for a crunchy pate
- 200 g mushrooms
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 100 g firm tofu
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- *To make this recipe non-vegan, add 100 g cream cheese
Method:
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once heated, add garlic, mushrooms, and onion. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put the mixture and tofu into a food processor (or use a hand blender) and blend until cohesive. Then, add your nuts, salt, and pepper, and blend again. Mix until you achieve your desired consistency- I like mine pretty blended with a few chunks of nuts. Move your pate to a separate dish, and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes before serving. You want the ingredients to bind a bit and for your spread to coagulate, rather than being completely smooth like a dip. I refrigerated mine for a day before eating, and it still tasted fresh.
Yields about 1 1/2 cups
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