Mushroom Pâté (vegan)
A savory and rustic mushroom spread nicely balanced with onion, garlic, and thyme. Delicious when paired with fresh and crisp vegetables or on crostini, toast, pita chips, or crackers. Ideal for snacks, parties, appetizers before dinner, or as an hors d’oeuvre at a cocktail party.
Equipment
- stove
- food processor
Ingredients
- 16 ounces mushrooms coursely chopped*
- 1 onion coursely chopped*
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced (1½ Tbsp)
- 2-3 Tbsp vegan butter or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper ground
- 1 cup raw almonds or roasted almonds**
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- salt to taste optional
Instructions
- In a food processor, process the onion until finely chopped. Transfer to a large skillet or pot. Then, process the mushrooms in batches until finely chopped and add to the onions.
- Stir in the garlic, thyme, pepper, and vegan butter (or vegetable broth) over low heat until most of the moisture evaporates, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Then, process the roasted almonds in a food processor with the balsamic vinegar, scraping down the sides as needed, until the almonds become fine crumbles.
- Transfer the sautéed mushroom-onion mixture to the food processor with the blended almond mixture and process or pulse until desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings, as desired.
- Transfer to an air-tight container and chill overnight in the refrigerator to allow flavors to blend. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Serve with crackers or vegetables.
Notes
* I use a food processor to speed up the dicing/chopping and combining processes.
** If you don’t have a food processor or blender to process the almonds, use ½ cup almond butter and 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar. Stir very well to combine. Also, if you can’t eat almonds, try using a nut or seed you can enjoy (walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, etc).
** If you don’t have a food processor or blender to process the almonds, use ½ cup almond butter and 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar. Stir very well to combine. Also, if you can’t eat almonds, try using a nut or seed you can enjoy (walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, etc).