Chestnut Paté en Crôute
A deceptively simple recipe that makes an impressive centrepiece, as well as tasting very good. We love it made with half and half chestnut puree and whole, chopped cooked chestnuts! However, it can be made with all puree.
Serve with a rich gravy, roasties and whatever vegetables you like.
Thanks again to Rose Elliot, the Goddess of Veggie food, for the lovely recipe from which this is adapted!
Ingredients:
- 2 onions, chopped quite fine
- 1 piece of celery, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100g/3½oz button mushrooms, sliced
- Half a tin of unsweetened chestnut purée (a full tin is 435g so you want just over 200g) OR the equivalent of whole cooked chestnuts, mashed up (the ready-cooked vacuum-packed variety are widely available).
Alternatively, combine puree and chopped whole chestnuts for a mixed texture. Merchant Gourmet brand is widely available and sells both types - 1-2 tbsp shoyu/tamari soya sauce or 1 tbsp dark miso
- ½ tsp allspice or ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp brandy
- ½ oz fresh soft breadcrumbs – preferably wholemeal
- Salt and lots of freshly-ground black pepper
- 1-2 sheets of vegan ready-rolled puff pastry, eg Jus Rol, Sainsbury's or Tesco (rectangular, not round)
- Unsweetened plant milk to glaze, eg soya or almond
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°/Gas Mark 8.
2. Fry the onions and celery in the oil in a large saucepan, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Mix in the chestnut purée, soya sauce/miso, breadcrumbs, brandy and seasoning until everything is well amalgamated.
4. Unroll the pastry from the packet and place carefully on a lightly-oiled baking sheet. Pile the chestnut mixture lengthways down the middle third of the pastry. Make a second plait or small plait if you have too much mixture.
5. Make diagonal cuts 1cm/½ inch apart on the pastry on either side of the chestnut mixture. Fold these up alternately to make a lattice covering it - see the photograph!
6. Trim the ends – you could make leaves from these left-over pieces and stick on top with water. Brush the pastry with soya milk.
7. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes.
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