Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté

This Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté was delicious while it lasted which was for approximately 16 seconds. Ok, well I am exaggerating a bit, it was more like 16 minutes. For real tho.

After a few test rounds of making vegan pâté, I served the final test to my friends at book club. It was met with a lot of satisfactory groans, rapid bread slicing, and recipe demands. Even though I told them the recipe would be released in only a few days, they persisted with questions asking if the dish was easy to make (silly question friends, don’t you know that I’m the fuss-free vegan by now?) and why exactly it tasted so very good. Don’t you just love the magical powers of plants?

Sometimes simplicity is best. This is only a 9 ingredient recipe, it’s super easy to whip up, and it can be made ahead of time, making it the perfect appetizer for a party this holiday season. I will be bringing this with me to my family events this December as I know it’s a total crowd-pleaser.

Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté is made with pan toasted walnuts, sautéd mushrooms, and seasoned with lots of garlic, rosemary, and parsley for a rich, flavour-packed, aromatic spread that is totally ah-mazing. New favourite snack right here!

To make Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté: toast the walnuts in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Keep a careful eye on them and shake the pan often as they can burn quickly. As soon as they start browning on the edges remove them from the heat. Remove the walnuts from the pan onto a heat-safe dish, or directly into your food processor if your food processor can handle hot food.

My Breville Sous Chef food processor is made of high quality materials but I once damaged a cheap food processor before by filling it with hot food, so this is your warning!

Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent about 4 minutes. Add in all the remaining ingredients, the mushrooms, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms have cooked and reduced in size, another 5 – 8 minutes.

If the mushrooms are sticking to the pan you can add a small splash of water to help release them. As the mushrooms cook they will release their own liquid, so you don’t want to add too much.

If your food processor can handle hot food, add the mushrooms to the food processor along with the walnuts. If not, just let the mushrooms and walnuts cool first.

Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until you reach a pâté texture. I like to leave mine with a bit of texture and colour variation. Press into a container for serving using a spatula to smooth it, and let chill completely in the fridge before serving. Store in an air-tight container for 2 – 3 days. Serve with bread or crackers.

Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté

The perfect party appetizer. Quick and easy to make, can be made ahead of time, full of flavour, a total crowd pleaser. Perfect for the holidays or Thanksgiving. 

1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, (chopped)
6 cloves garlic, (minced)
227 g box button mushrooms, (sliced (about 2 cups))
1/2 cup parsley, (chopped)
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Toast the walnuts in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Keep a careful eye on them and shake the pan often as they can burn quickly. As soon as they start browning on the edges remove them from the heat. Remove the walnuts from the pan onto a heat-safe dish, or directly into your food processor if your food processor can handle hot food.

Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent about 4 minutes. Add in all the remaining ingredients, the mushrooms, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms have cooked and reduced in size, another 5 – 8 minutes. If the mushrooms are sticking to the pan you can add a small splash of water to help release them. As the mushrooms cook they will release their own liquid.

If your food processor can handle hot food, add the mushrooms to the food processor along with the walnuts. If not, just let the mushrooms and walnuts cool first. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until you reach a pâté texture. I like to leave mine with a bit of texture and colour variation. Press into a container for serving using a spatula to smooth it, and let it chill completely in the fridge before serving. 

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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