Lentil paté: creamy, tasty and vegan

Lentil paté introduces a topic that I find very interesting.
The comparison of easy and complex recipes.

The recipes of the first type are within everyone’s reach and perfect for workdays. They are the preparations where you go by eye and change the taste here and there.

Then what was the original flavor? Who knows!

Simple does not mean without taste. On the contrary, many so-called simple recipes contain character and great flavor.

Those of the second kind are not necessarily always difficult. More often, the procedure’s length makes a recipe elaborate. Regardless, we approach them more respectfully because they keep us on our toes.

At home, my recipes change depending on time, occasion, and season. In everyday cooking, I prefer “simple” preparations without sacrificing taste.

Simple recipes can hide extraordinary flavors.

A vegan lentil paté

This recipe, for example, is simple but with character.
And with ingredients and processes to adhere to, we cannot simplify or change everything without paying a price.

If you cook lentils in water, you feel like adding salt afterward to give them flavor. Without cooking in broth, know I distance myself from whatever boiled lentils you put in your pate. Be it even that you add a whole bush of rosemary inside.

The flavor of this recipe comes right through the broth.
And from the aromatics, which are indispensable in this preparation.

Finally, the recipe is vegan (choose vegetable cocoa butter if you have special needs).
Vegans do not eat meat, fish, or animal derivatives like dairy products and eggs. Even omnivores happen to eat vegan, perhaps without thinking about it.

This lentil pate is perfect to accompany a seasonal dip, whether winter or summer.

I often make it as an appetizer and serve it with bread or breadsticks. But I don’t see why it can’t be put in a jar and carried in the lunch box at the office to accompany vegetables or a salad. Or to make a gift.

Buona cucina, Monica

Cooking with Me

Serve lentil paté with crusty bread witches (traditional Bolognese recipe found HERE on the blog).

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Lentil paté recipe

4 servings
Ingredients

150 g ready-to-use green lentils
1 shallot
60 g yellow-fleshed potatoes
1 sprig of rosemary
a few sage leaves
3 juniper berries
700 ml vegetable stock
olive oil and sea salt to taste
1/2 glass of wine, white or red

Method

Wrap rosemary, sage (previously washed), and 3 juniper berries in sterile gauze and keep aside.

Finely chop shallots and place them on the stove for a few minutes to brown with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Rinse the lentils under running water and add them to the shallots. Stir for a minute over medium heat; add a pinch of salt, the bouquet garni, and the wine (otherwise, add some stock), and let it almost all fade while stirring.

When the wine is reduced by half, add the potato without the skin, cut into pieces, and 1/2 liter of broth, and cook on medium-low heat until the lentils are soft. Add more broth if necessary.

At the end of cooking, taste and adjust the salt. Remove the aromatic bunch. If there is too much liquid, drain the lentils, but do not throw away the cooking liquid.

Add a drizzle of olive oil and cream the lentils with an immersion blender. If necessary, use the cooking liquid to make the sauce runnier.

You can serve the pate in a bowl or glass jar. Or, you can line a small mold with plastic wrap, leave it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight, and then invert it onto a plate, removing the plastic wrap.