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. Field mushrooms Agaricus campestris like their name suggests always grow in grassy fields. The white, sometimes discoloured grey/brown cap can be scaley or smooth. Starting spherical and opening out flat. Can bruise slightly pink. The cuticle often hangs down over the edge of the cap and is a good indicator of a Field Mushroom. The gills are crowded and free from the stem and start deep pink and soon turn to dark brown with maturity, the stem is 5-7 cm long and 1-2 cm diameter, white and smooth above the ring, slightly scaly below, tapering at the base. The spore print is chocolate brown, you should always do a spore print if unsure of the mushrooms you have found.

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. They are great for your brain, heart and gut and if you aren't a fan it's possibly because you've only had rancid walnuts, which are horrible. If possible purchase nuts that are still in their shells, I've found the best walnuts to be organic from Ceres or Macro organics.

MUSHROOM PATE RECIPE

~ New Recipe ~

 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. 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 whether you prefer a course or smooth style pate and this can be easily achieved when processing.

Vegan | Gluten-free

Makes 350g

Gather your ingredients and prepare the following:

1 onion, sliced

2 cups (200g) mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Heat a frying pan on a medium heat with:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

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

1 tablespoon balsamic reduction or brandy

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:

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

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

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp miso paste

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 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,

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Anna x