Mushroom and Walnut Pâté
Every British Christmas table used to hide one vegetarian, and mushroom pâté is what got set in front of them: a dark, savory spread that holds a knife and tastes of the woods. It earns its richness honestly here, from walnuts rather than butter or cream. The whole dish turns on browning the mushrooms hard, spread out and left undisturbed until their water cooks off and they caramelize, because that is where the meaty depth comes from. Sherry vinegar deglazes the pan and a little tamari supplies the cured, salty note without the salt. Chilled until the walnut fat sets, it slices and spreads like the real thing, on toast, oatcakes, or crackers.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup Walnuts
- 2 wholes Shallots, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Thyme, leaves picked
- 1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
- 2 tsp Low-sodium tamari
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
- 2 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant and a shade darker, about 4 minutes, then set them aside. Toasting drives off their raw bitterness and deepens them, and they are also the fat that makes this pâté rich enough to spread without any butter.
- In the same wide pan, dry-sear the mushrooms over high heat without stirring for the first few minutes. Mushrooms are mostly water, and crowding or stirring them early makes them steam and go gray; left alone on high heat they release that water, it boils off, and they brown into something meaty and deep.
- Once the mushrooms are browned and dry, push in the shallots, garlic, and thyme and cook two minutes more until soft. Then pour in the sherry vinegar and tamari and scrape the pan. The vinegar lifts the browned savory bits off the metal and back into the mushrooms, and the tamari brings the salted depth a pâté usually gets from anchovy or cured meat.
- Blend the mushroom mixture with the toasted walnuts and black pepper until thick and almost smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Leave a little texture rather than whipping it to a paste. Fold in the parsley, pack into a ramekin, and chill at least 2 hours. It firms as the walnut fat sets, so it slices cleanly straight from the fridge and keeps five days.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 130 calories, 5 g protein, 3 g fiber, 95 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
