Vegan Mushroom Pate Recipe

Mr Veggie Tree came home the other day with a big box of field mushrooms a colleague had foraged so naturally I made my delicious vegan mushroom pate recipe.

This pate is full of umami flavour profiles along with complimentary earthy nutty flavours from the walnuts, sunflower seeds and tahini it also is packed with nutrition. The latest research into the nutrition of mushrooms show that there is more than just high B vitamins to be raving about. From reducing heart disease, boosting the immune system to fighting cancers and inflammatory conditions, you definitely want to be eating

mushrooms on a regular basis.

It has been a fantastic mushroom season with many a grassy paddock producing box loads of field mushrooms. I have had my fill of pine bolete mushrooms from my weekend bike rides over lockdown. Pine boletes or slippery jacks are related to porcini or ceps mushrooms you may be more familiar with. They always grow in pine needle and have spongey tubes rather than gills like other mushrooms.

They have a slippery skin cap which is where they get the name slippery jack from. This skin can cause stomach discomfort for some people and it is slimy, so I remove it along with the spongey underside which harbours little wormy things. I liken this to the prep involved with preparing meat or shellfish as not much from nature comes with out a little prepping before you eat it. You can find a 'how to prep pine boletes' video in @theveggietree Instagram Highlights

Now to the recipe, you can use any mushrooms in this recipe. I used field mushrooms this time which gives the pate a rich dark grey colour along with Genmai Aka Miso which is a naturally fermented soybean and brown rice miso with a dark red colour. Again the health benefits of this ingredient are epic and worth including in your diet regularly. Along with complimenting the deep earthy flavour of the mushrooms, walnuts and sunflower seeds are a superfoods in their own right. Walnuts are rich source of Omega 3, and both have high levels of B vitamins and minerals including zinc, iron and magnesium.

Balsamic reduction in one of my pantry staples and the recipe for it is in

The Veggie Tree Autumn and Winter Cookbook

Alternatively it is in most supermarkets or just add regular balsamic with a little sugar to balance. It is up to you wether you prefer a course or smooth style pate and this can be easily achieved when processing.

MUSHROOM PATE RECIPE

~ New Recipe ~

Vegan | Gluten-free

Makes 350g

Gather your ingredients and prepare the following:

1 onions, sliced

2 c (200g) mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Heat a frying pan on a medium heat with:

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

Add the onions and sautee until caramelizing, approximately ten minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further five minutes then add:

1 T balsamic reduction

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Stir through and cook for a further couple of minutes, there should be no liquid left in the pan. Remove from the heat to cool. Meanwhile measure the following into a food processor:

¼ c walnuts

¼ c sunflower seeds

Pulse until roughly chopped then add the following along with the mushroom mix:

1 T tahini

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp miso paste

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cracked black pepper

Pulse until combined, less if you want a courser texture, longer for a smoother result. Line a ramekin or similar straight sided dish with a bee’s wax wrap or cling film with the edges over hanging then line this with nasturtium leaves, flowers, herbs or edible flowers. Carefully spoon in the pate, pushing it down and to the edges after each addition. Fold the edges of the wrap over the top and refrigerate for 2 hours. Tip the ramekin upside down to remove. Alternatively spoon into a glass jar, cap and keep in the fridge of up to a week.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and nutritional information included, I would love to know if it's helpful and please tag me if you make it on @theveggietree social pages,

I love to see what you are making!

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Anna x