The weather we’ve been having recently has put me in the mind of picnics. Whether you’re Eating lunch outside, or having a drink while watching the sun go down, taking a break and spending some time out side can be great for your mental health – especially right now where so many of us are stuck in our own homes!
With that in mind, I’ve been thinking about what you’d need for a picnic and it just came to me – Pate! Obviously I haven’t had it in a while but this tasty toast topping and cracker accompaniment is ideal for veganising. My recipe is completely vegan but so meaty and bursting with umami flavours. I’d say it’s event better than the pate I remember!
Take it on picnic, serve as an accompaniment on your wine and cheese evening, spread it on a piece of toast, or see my next blog for a bit more adventurous suggestion!
- Makes: 500ml Jar
Ingredients
- 5g Dried Shitake Mushroom, soaked till soft (at least an hour)
- 2 Tbsp Mushroom Soaking liquid
- 70g Walnuts
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (for cooking)
- 1 Medium Onion, roughly chopped
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, sliced
- 70g Chestnut Mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp Dried Rosemary
- ½ tsp Dried Basil
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh Sage, chopped
- ½ Tsp Chilli Flakes
- Pinch of Nutmeg
- 200g Cooked Green Lentils (french if you have them, but no need to waste expensive lentils here)
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- ½ Tbsp Soy Sauce Substitute
- ½ Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Sundried Tomato Halves, thinly sliced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions
For best results, I try to soak the dried mushrooms for at least a few hours or a long as possible but if you loose track of time then try to soak them in boiling water till soft – normally this will take around an hour. Once your dried mushrooms have been soaking, thinly slice them and put to one side with your chestnut mushrooms. Don’t forget to reserve your soaking water for later.
Lightly toast your walnuts in a dry pan, until they start to develop a little colour and smell fragrant. Put to one side, or directly into your food processor to wait for the rest of your ingredients if yours can cope with hot food. Taking the same pan, add your coconut oil and heat on a low to medium heat until the oil melts. Add your onions and garlic, gently sauteing till the onions start to turn translucent. Now add all your mushrooms and continue to gently cook until the mushrooms are soft and completely cooked. Place this one side.
In you food processor, add your walnuts, all herbs and spices, lentils, tomatoes, lemon juice, Soy sauce substitute, and maple syrup. Process until mostly smooth and add your mushroom mix along with the soaking liquid. Now process until you reach your favourite consistency – I like it when it’s ever so slightly chunky but if you prefer a very smooth pate then go for it. Taste and season well – being a little heavy handed on the pepper and light on the salt.
Push into a 500ml jar and place into the fridge till cool and fully set before serving. This should keep for about a week in the fridge and is happily frozen so why not make a double batch so you’ve got some in reserve for when the craving hits?
Notes
Allergy Notes; I’m going to keep saying this – Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free as the brewing process contains wheat. A good gluten free option is Tamari which normally contains little to no gluten, is slightly less salty, and thicker than soy sauce. As always, check your brand to make sure you’ve not accidentally picked up one of the few brands which uses gluten. We use coconut aminos in our house, while not quite as rich as soy sauce, it’s both gluten free and soy free but different brands vary tremendously – you may have to look around before finding one that suits you.
This should be naturally vegan, and can be both gluten free depending on your soy sauce substitute. If nuts are an allergen for you then try subbing in sunflower seeds instead though this version is best completely smooth rather than left with more texture.
