The inspiration for this Porcini and Wild Mushroom pâté recipe came to me after a craving for Banh Mi sandwiches. Now, I know what you’re thinking: this is not a recipe for Banh Mi, or even anything close to it. However, along with pork and pickled veggies, a traditional Banh Mi sandwich comes with some sort of liver pâté spread on it. And while making Banh Mi sandwiches this weekend, I decided to try out a vegetarian version of pâté instead of using traditional liver pâté (continue reading to see my commentary on liver). I thought that mushrooms would be the perfect replacement since they have the same meaty and earthy qualities as liver. This mushroom pate functions the same way any pâté or dip would: great as a spread on sandwiches, perfect for as an appetizer or snack for a party, or delicious even just to eat with a fork.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but liver is certainly not my favorite food in the world. As a kid, my grandpa “Papa Mike” would make me liverwurst sandwiches all the time, and I actually loved them like crazy. Looking back on it, I honestly had no idea what I was eating; all I knew was that it was salty and fatty and I loved it. On the flip side (and also on the other side of my family) my Jewish grandmother “Nana” would always make chopped liver as an appetizer dip before big dinners at her house – a pretty traditional Jewish snack. And as a kid all I knew about chopped liver was that I hated it – even though I don’t think I ever actually tried it. I realize now, as an adult, that these two things are essentially the same. But to a kid, there are some big differences: for starters, chopped liver has the word “liver” blatantly in the title, automatically making it a kid’s worst enemy. Yes, liverwurst has “liver” in the title too, but it kind of just rolls off the tongue easier, plus you throw “wurst” in there and I think kid-me just assumed it was some kind of foreign food with a name in a different language, and actually had nothing at all to do with liver. Then there’s the way they look: chopped liver just looks gross, all gray with this weird texture somewhere between a solid and a liquid, almost what you would expect liver to look like. Liverwurst (when sliced thin as my grandpa would) just looked like bologna or any other lunch meat; much more appetizing to a kid than some weird gray blob of meat.
Regardless of the way I had things twisted around in my mind as a kid, apparently I have actually loved liver my entire life. But somewhere along the way – as I learned what liverwurst really was, while still struggling to come to terms with chopped liver – I have developed an interesting relationship with this strange meat. I do like it and enjoy the taste, but sometimes if I think about it too much, what it actually is and where it comes from, I revert back to a kid and think its gross. My brother is the same way; he loves foie gras (which is liver) but hates anything else called liver – and honestly I think its all in his head, as I think it is in mine at those moments when I think its gross again. Anyway, very long story short, I wanted to make banh mi sandwiches, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea of cooking and then serving liver started to seem strange to me. And so I made a vegetarian version of pâté (even if my bah mi sandwiches themselves are not vegetarian) using a myriad of mushrooms: porcini, shitake, white, oyster, and crimini.
Shallots, garlic and mushrooms reduce with mushroom stock
This wild mushroom pâté is really easy to make, and if you’re a big mushroom fan, its pretty addictive. If you’re a big chopped liver fan, I’m sure you will enjoy this vegetarian version just as much; it has the same spreadable and dip-able texture, plus all of that savory umami flavor. If you’re a vegetarian, finally you can enjoy pâté! It works wonderfully on sandwiches; you can make my same banh mi sandwich with it and just leave off the pork. And if you know or love a vegetarian, finally you can make a party dish without having all the meat eaters sighing, “Ugh, not all vegetarian food again.” All it takes is a few minutes to soak some super savory dried porcini and shitake, sauté some shallots and fresh mushrooms, and buzz it all together in the food processor, and there you have it! Porcini and Wild Mushroom Pâté, perfect for the meat eater and vegetarian alike.
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 oz dried mushrooms of your choice (I used shitake)
- 1½ lb fresh mushrooms of your choice (I used crimini, white, and oyster)
- 3 shallots, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stalks of green onion or scallions, minced, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon mushroom base, or 1 cup mushroom or chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons olive oil to sauté
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- Dissolve mushroom base in 1 cup of boiling water, or if using mushroom or chicken stock, boil the stock. Soak the dried mushrooms in this hot liquid until totally softened, 20-30 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large sauté pan and sauté minced shallots and garlic until browned, 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and put in a large mixing bowl.
- Chop mushrooms roughly. Using the same pan, sauté the mushrooms in 3 batches, adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan each time. Sauté each batch of mushrooms until they are browned and softened, about 5 minutes - I do it in batches as to not overcrowd the mushrooms in the pan so that they will caramelize properly. Add the cooked mushrooms to bowl with the garlic-shallot mixture as you go, until all your fresh mushrooms are browned.
- Remove the rehydrated dried mushrooms from liquid and chop them finely. Strain the liquid through a paper towel to remove any grit or dirt, and add it back to the chopped mushrooms.
- Add all ingredients - sautéd garlic, shallots, all mushrooms and soaking liquid, and minced green onion - back into the large sauté pan. Cook over medium heat until all the liquid has reduced into a thick sauce. Remove from heat and allow it to cool completely.
- Add the sautéed mushroom mixture to food processor (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor) and process until you reach a smooth, pâté-like consistency.
- Garnish with fresh minced green onion, and use to spread on your favorite sandwich, or as a dip!
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