Pâté is a paste of ground meats and fat that's seasoned with herbs and brandy and have you ever heard what they do to the poor ducks, do you know how they fatten them up to make liver pâté (pâté de foie gras)? It's a reprehensible process. However, there are vegetables pâtés one can make, and that's the only way to go!
I like making this particular vegetable pâté because, frankly, it's easy to prepare and involves no cooking what so ever! Okay, it involves the roasting of a few cloves of garlic, but that hardly counts as cooking. This pâté is one great and healthy appetizer. Win, win, win! Serve with bread slices and enjoy!
METHOD:
Roast 6 cloves of unpeeled garlic. The garlic will soften and turn yellowish when it's done. Take it out of the oven, allow it to cool, discard the peel and set the roasted garlic aside.
- White bean layer:
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained thoroughly
1 small jar of artichokes, rinsed very well
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small jar of artichokes, rinsed very well
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
half of the roasted garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
half of the roasted garlic cloves
- Red Pepper Layer:
1 7-ounce jar roasted red bell peppers, drained well and chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, make sure it's patted dry
1/4 cup whole unseasoned almonds (and while you're at it, make sure they're shelled, and how funny am I?)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, and oregano to taste
- Pesto Layer:
The remaining roasted garlic cloves
1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
- Fresh herb sprigs for decoration, Bread slices
To Assemble:
Line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap which overlaps the sides (you can also line with parchment paper).
- For the Bean Layer: Place the beans in the food processor. Add lemon juice, artichokes, olive oil, oregano, thyme and garlic and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Press down well and spread the bean mixture evenly on the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.
- For the Red Pepper Layer: Combine feta, almonds peppers, salt, pepper and oregano in the food processor, and blend until smooth. Spread the pepper mixture evenly over the bean layer in the prepared dish.
- For the Pesto Layer: into a food processor add the garlic, basil, parsley and pine nuts and mince. With the machine running, gradually add the oil through the feed tube and process until smooth. Mix in the cheeses. Spread the pesto evenly over the red pepper layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. To unmold, place the pâté in the freezer for about half an hour until it becomes hard. Remove it from the freezer and invert it onto a serving platter. Peel off the plastic wrap from the pâté. Garnish with herb sprigs and accompany with bread slices.
