This almost-raw, plant-based pâté is made with porcini and portobello mushrooms, pecans and spices. It also happens to be oil-free. Serve with bread or crackers, or as part of a crudités platter. This pâté also goes very well on sandwiches and pizzas.
Chef's notes
The pâté can be refrigerated for a few days. In fact, it's even better if made the day before. Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.
Additional flavorings that can be added to the pâté, if desired — 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg and/or a pinch of ground clove.
To start the pâté, place the pecans in a bowl and cover them with cold water. Let stand for about an hour.
Meanwhile place the dried mushrooms into a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling hot water. Let stand for approximately 15 minutes, or until soft. *Note: Feel free to play around with the type of wild mushrooms. For example, if desired, use part porcini and part chanterelle and/or morels. It really just comes down to personal preference.
Once the mushrooms are soft, remove them from the liquid by lifting them out of the bowl (leaving the grit behind). Reserve the soaking liquid.
For the portobello mushrooms, cut them in half and then trim off the dark gills on the underside. Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
Next, whisk together the tamari, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, lemon juice, rosemary and miso. Add the sliced portobellos and toss to thoroughly coat. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Lastly, in a small saucepan, combine the soaked porcini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Next, slowly pour in the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes.
2
Making the Pâté
Ingredients
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
sea salt, to taste
1 to 2 tbsp cognac or brandy (optional)*
To make the pâté, drain the pecans and transfer them to a food processor. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the marinated portobellos, as well as the porcini and tomatoes to the food processor. Next, add the nutritional yeast and pepper to the processor; purée to mixture until you reach a coarse paste — adding about 2 tablespoons of the porcini cooking liquid. You may need to add up to 4 tablespoons, depending on the thickness.
*Note: For a more classic pâté flavor — instead of adding the reserved soaking liquid, add a tablespoon or so of cognac.
Once you have reached the desired consistency — we like ours quite smooth — stop and taste for seasoning.
Transfer the pâté to a crock and serve with toasted baguette rounds, vegetables or your whatever is your preferred way to serve pâté. This pâté also happens to go really well in sandwiches and pizzas.
30 Comments
Nathalie D•
Did this today and found the texture a bit too "mealy" despite lengthy blending in my food processor. The pâté is in the fridge (2 hours) so we will see how this turns out!
Hi Srirat - thanks so much for your question. So per Wikipedia, Nutritional Yeast or Nooch is "Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment." I've included the following link for more information on Nutritional Yeast. Thanks so much for learning with Rouxbe...Chef Kirk
https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-nutritional-yeast-3376833
M R, yes, you can omit the nutritional yeast. It does add some taste/flavor interest to the preparation; however, there are a few other flavorful ingredients in this recipe, so you will be fine omitting the nutritional yeast.
Hi Sebastian and thank you for your question. I've made this recipe with fresh mushrooms in the past and it worked out really nicely. I encourage you to give it a try! Thanks so much for cooking with Rouxbe. All the best, Chef Kirk
Hi, nutritional yeast; I have both flakes and powder, so is 1 Tbsp the same in quantity, seems to me that if I choose powder, there would be more (?). Would it affect the recipe(taste). thank you... Linda
Hi Linda. This recipe is referencing flakes but either will work. When using powder, it is denser so you end up using more. If you are using powder you might reduce it by a tiny bit but honestly this recipe is really flexible and a little extra nutritional yeast is usually a good idea! : ) Lauren
Valerie, this refers to light-colored miso, such as shiro (white) miso, which is comparatively light in flavor. However, you can use any miso; just taste as you incorporate it, so it's not too strong in flavor.
Hi Christina- thanks for writing. I would rinse the oil-based sundried tomatoes under running hot water, and remove any excess surface oil. Then, pat them dry, and that will work for you. Just make certain that all excess moisture is removed--you will love the pate.
Hi Coco: thanks for writing. If you enjoy the flavor of dried shittake mushrooms, they will work well in this recipe. Shittake have a meaty texture and smoky flavor, which will work well with this recipe. Let us know how you enjoy the final dish! Cheers, -Char
Hello,
What can I substitute pecans for? and is this substitution one I can always use in any recipe that calls for pecans or does it depend on the dish?
Thank you :)
Hi Rhea Maria, You could always use a dash of soy sauce or, in this case, a bit of tahini might be a nice sub to up the umami profile. Just remember (in anything you do, especially when substituting) to taste and adjust as needed. Cheers, Sandy
Hi Roxana, Good question about the gills! Though the gills are edible, there are some drawbacks to not removing them. First, they can greatly effect the color of dishes, usually in a negative way. Second, it is easier to be sure you have properly cleaned them and removed any grit that can hide in the gills. I recommend using a spoon to scoop them out. Hope that helps! Cheers, Sandy
Hi, Just a suggestion to add this recipe to the 'No Oil' category list as there are only 20 recipes on that list. Most vegan pate recipes have oil except for the the from Forks Over Knives which I made & no one was a fan of. Looking forward to making this one, thank you for making it without oil. :)
Kirk B •Hi Srirat - thanks so much for your question. So per Wikipedia, Nutritional Yeast or Nooch is "Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment." I've included the following link for more information on Nutritional Yeast. Thanks so much for learning with Rouxbe...Chef Kirk https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-nutritional-yeast-3376833
Eric W • Rouxbe Staff •M R, yes, you can omit the nutritional yeast. It does add some taste/flavor interest to the preparation; however, there are a few other flavorful ingredients in this recipe, so you will be fine omitting the nutritional yeast.
Sebastian J •Would it be possible to make this without the dried mushrooms? Could they be replaced with fresh?
Linda L •Hi, nutritional yeast; I have both flakes and powder, so is 1 Tbsp the same in quantity, seems to me that if I choose powder, there would be more (?). Would it affect the recipe(taste). thank you... Linda
Lauren L •Hi Linda. This recipe is referencing flakes but either will work. When using powder, it is denser so you end up using more. If you are using powder you might reduce it by a tiny bit but honestly this recipe is really flexible and a little extra nutritional yeast is usually a good idea! : ) Lauren
Christina S •Dry packed sundried tomatoes are so hard to find in the UK. Can I use ones that have been in oil?
Char N • Rouxbe Staff •Hi Christina- thanks for writing. I would rinse the oil-based sundried tomatoes under running hot water, and remove any excess surface oil. Then, pat them dry, and that will work for you. Just make certain that all excess moisture is removed--you will love the pate.
Sandy S •Hi Rhea Maria, You could always use a dash of soy sauce or, in this case, a bit of tahini might be a nice sub to up the umami profile. Just remember (in anything you do, especially when substituting) to taste and adjust as needed. Cheers, Sandy
Roxana G •This is delicious. I made it with whatever mushrooms I could get and without the dry porcini, but it still rocks. Yum. Curious how many days it holds.
Holly U •Hi, Just a suggestion to add this recipe to the 'No Oil' category list as there are only 20 recipes on that list. Most vegan pate recipes have oil except for the the from Forks Over Knives which I made & no one was a fan of. Looking forward to making this one, thank you for making it without oil. :)