Mushroom Nuts – or – Almond Mushroom Pâté

This past
summer, Stacey P., a former resident of Ohio, wrote asking if I’d ever heard of
a recipe called “Mushroom-Nuts”, an appetizer she’d sampled at a Mediterranean
restaurant. She described it as a mixture of crushed mushrooms, nuts, garlic,
herbs and mayonnaise. Stacey was hoping for the recipe because, as she put it,
“This stuff is addicting and I am moving out of the Cincinnati area, so I will
not be able to get it.”
Since this
sounded like a desperately urgent request and I was away from home, I
suggested she ask the folks at the restaurant, Mirage Mediterranean, to share
their recipe with her. If that didn’t work, I promised I’d look for a recipe on her behalf when I returned to The Armenian Kitchen. (By the way, the Mirage Mediterranean restaurant is owned by 2 Armenian- American brothers in Cincinnati, Ohio!)

Stacey did inquire, however, she asked the waitresses who didn’t speak much English, so no luck there. She
planned to ask again at her Going Away Party.

In the
meantime, Stacey combed the internet and found a recipe for Mushroom Almond Pâté
which she planned to try once she moved and had her kitchen organized.

Time passed…

I came across
Stacey’s original request recently, realizing it had fallen by the wayside.

Wanting to
make good on my original promise, I altered the recipe Stacey found using some of the ingredients she mentioned then adding a few of my own, and omitting others.

(When Stacey
can, she’ll make the recipe she found and report back.)

Almond and
Mushroom Pâté

Yields about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced
almonds (or your favorite type of nut)

1/2 lb.
sliced mushrooms (use your favorite kind of mushroom or a combination)
2 Tbsp. olive
oil
1 small
onion, chopped
3 cloves
garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1 teaspoon *Herbes
de Provence – a blend of thyme, basil, savory, fennel, and lavender (dried
thyme, oregano, basil may be used)
freshly
ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons
oil
1 Tbsp. lemon
juice

Directions:

Step #1

1. Pan-toast
the almonds in an ungreased non-stick skillet over medium heat until lightly
browned and fragrant. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Steps 2 and 3

2. Heat olive
oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms, herbs,
salt and pepper.

3. Cook,
stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and most of the liquid has
evaporated.

4. Place
toasted almonds and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process
them forming a paste.

Steps 4 and 5

5. Add mushroom mixture and process until
smooth. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add lemon juice and process another
moment.

6. Place in a
bowl, cover and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator about 20 minutes before
serving. (Allow flavors to blend at least an hour before serving.) Best served
warm or at room temperature with your favorite crackers or crudité (cut raw
vegetables, such as carrot and celery sticks and pepper strips).

*Note:
to give this spread a more Middle Eastern flair, use za’atar instead of Herbes
de Provence, and Aleppo red pepper.

Our Evaluation: We enjoyed the earthiness of the mushrooms, the subtle crunch from the nuts, and the hint of brightness from the lemon juice. It tastes better the next day.

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