Wild Mushroom Paté
Chef John Ash
Makes enough to fill
a 3-cup mold or dish
This simplicity of this
recipe belies its great taste. Serve with crisp little croutes, toasts
or crackers of your choice and, as the French do, with some little
cornichons and grainy mustard on the side.
5 Tbsp butter
½ cup chopped shallots or green onions (white part only)
1¼ lbs thickly sliced fresh wild mushrooms*
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 tsp curry powder (or to your taste)
½ tsp ground cumin
1 cup toasted, preferably unsalted, cashews
2 Tbsp toasted nut oil such as walnut or olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, chives
and/or basil
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Heat the butter in a
large sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the shallots, mushrooms,
garlic, curry and cumin and sauté and stir until mixture is just
beginning to brown and all liquid has evaporated.
While mushrooms are
cooking add the cashews to a food processor and process till finely
chopped. Add oil and continue to process to make a paste. Add the
mushroom mixture and process till smooth. Season with salt and pepper
to your taste and place in a 3-cup paté mold or other ceramic dish. Can
be stored covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Allow to return to
room temperature and sprinkle with chopped herbs and zest at serving
time.
*A caution here - - only use wild mushrooms that you are
certain are edible. If you are not a hunter you can certainly
substitute wild or cultivated mushrooms found in the market such as
chanterelle, shiitake, cremini, portabella, oyster, etc.
Served with the San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Competition sweepstake winning red wine: Flying
Goat Cellars 2005 Pinot Noir, Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyards, Santa Rita
Hills, Santa Barbara County.
