Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Smooth, rich, and deep in flavor, this vegan black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté highlights the fruity-sweetness of the black walnut, and the rich meaty flavor from the mushrooms lingers in the background. The flavor develops as the black walnut tastes decreases, and the maitake and the shiitake begin to shine. Black walnut is somewhat of a controversial flavor, some people like it but others really hate it. I’m a huge fan, but if you’re not a fan of black walnuts, you won’t like this pâté, as it really lets that flavor shine. Next time you have a group of black walnut fans over, this is sure to be a popular appetizer!

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vegan lack Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Until quite recently, I had never had pâté (vegan or otherwise). Traditional pâté, made from the fatty liver of an animal, had absolutely no appeal to me, not only because it’s not vegetarian, but because the words “fatty liver” are just not at all appealing in a food-sense. It wasn’t until one day when I was in Kingston, Ontario, waiting for a ferry that wasn’t coming for about an hour that I first purchased pâté. One of my favorite activities when I visit a different country (or even a new grocery store), is to check out the vegan products they have that I don’t get to see in my area. For the last 40 years, Kingston is home to Tara’s Natural Foods, a gem of a store on bustling Princess Street. I always go in there, but usually only get flour, oats or some other basic ingredient. With time to kill, however, we wandered down the aisle of frozen and refrigerated vegan products. There I picked up a delicious vegan ice cream bar, and scoffed at my boyfriend as he excitedly held up a tube of vegan pâté.

“Why on earth would you want fake mashed-up liver?”

But we got it, and away across the Saint Laurence River we went. That evening, we broke out the pâté and smeared it on some bread. And just like that, it all made sense. Well, I still don’t get liver pâté, but vegan pâté I now fully understood and embraced. It was like a savory, creamy jam. And when given the choice between sweet and savory, I always go savory. I’ve had a few pâté’s since then, but they were blown out of the water with this black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté.

vegan lack Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

I recently wrote about maitake mushrooms, so I’m not going to write about them again today (you can see this post with my Collard Greens and Maitake Steamed Buns (Hen of the Woods) for that). Today I’m going to spend some time talking about black walnuts. Black walnuts found across the eastern and central parts of the United States. They are those green, almost tennis ball sized round spheres that will litter the ground around a tree. They give off a set of chemicals that will poison other plants around them, and are named for the strong, black dye they contain. For that reason, always wear gloves when handling black walnuts- even though I had mine on the vast majority of the time, I still ended up with stained black palms that lasted for weeks.

Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without. 

The hard part is getting the walnut meats- it’s also a lengthy process, so plan ahead!. First step is to remove the hull (the green part). I did that by simply stomping on them hard with a heeled boot- it was much easier than trying to use a chisel as some do. Rinse all the nuts well (this will be a messy process, and definately an outside-job). Any nuts that float are probably bad, and best to just toss. After that, you have to dry the nuts by placing them single file on a screen and waiting about two weeks, flipping occasionally so they don’t start to mold. Believe it or not, we’ve only just reached the hard part. While your common walnut is made of two nut-meat halves, black walnuts come in many pieces, and their shell is too hard to be cracked by your average nutcracker. You could get an heavy duty nutcracker, or you could do (as I do) the long and tedious work of extracting them with a hammer and wire clippers. First take all your nuts outside and hit each with a hammer until it is broken. Scoop all the pieces into a bowl and bring inside. Use wire cutters to selectively snip away at the walnuts shell until you’ve extracted all the pieces of nut, and dispose of the shell. It is, quite frankly, a lot of work.

All that being said, if you want to make this black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté in the next couple days, you can actually buy black walnuts on Amazon. I’ve never done that, but with the amount of work these nuts are, I might next time. They truly are great treat, and I really recommend everyone try them out!.

vegan lack Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Credit where credit is due, I had some major help with this inspiration of this recipe. The creation of a shiitake and maitake pâté came from Chris of Mycoterra Farm, a local mushroom grower. Mycoterra is also where the shiitakes I used came from, and additionally the provided the lion’s mane mushrooms I used in this Vegan Lion’s Mane Crab Cakes with Hollandaise Sauce recipe. If you’re in the Boston area, I highly recommend checking them out for high quality, fresh mushrooms (and if you’re not in the area, check and see if you have a local mushroom grower!) My boyfriend was actually the one to suggest putting black walnuts in the black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté. The bread I have in all these photographs is from Iggy’s Bread, another wonderful local gem. I guess all I actually did with this recipe is stick it all in a blender and take some nice pictures. Oh, and I shelled the black walnuts, which anoyone who has done it will know is a monumental task.

vegan lack Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

As I alluded to in the last paragraph, making this black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté isn’t too difficult. The hardest part comes before hand. when you have to collect, dry, and shell the walnuts. And on top of that, find a hen of the woods to use at the same time. But once you have the walnuts free from the shells, all they need is a little toasting in a skillet to help bring out their rich, nutty flavor. The mushrooms and onion/garlic are roasted, for safety (always cook foraged mushrooms!) and to bring out their flavor. After that, it’s just a simple blast in the food processor, and a chill in the fridge and you’re ready with a perfect black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté.

vegan lack Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

 

Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté

Fruity, nutty black walnuts are highlighted under the meaty, savory maitake mushroom flavors in this smooth, creamy vegan pate. Perfect for parties, this foraged pate is sure to be a hit.

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. maitake mushroom
  • ½ lb. shiitake mushroom
  • ½ medium-sized onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup shelled black walnuts
  • 1 tbps. coconut oil
  • 1 tbps. nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, loosely packed
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Steps

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Wash and roughly chop/tear the mushrooms and onion, and place them, along with the garlic cloves, on a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat. Roast for 15 minutes, flip them over and roast for another 15.
  2. Heat a small skillet and add the black walnuts. Toast for several minutes, until they become fragrant, but make sure to stir frequently so they do not burn.
  3. Add the roasted mushrooms, garlic, and onions to your food processor, along with the remaining ingredients (black walnuts, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, parsley, soy sauce and salt and pepper). Process until completely smooth, and transfer into a container. Allow to set in the fridge, and serve with bread or crackers.
https://veryveganval.com/2018/10/31/black-walnut-and-maitake-mushroom-pate/

 

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Let’s hear from you!

  • Have you ever processed black walnuts before? Should I do another batch, or just give up and buy them?
  • Does this black walnut and maitake mushroom pâté sound appealing, or a little odd
  • What are some of your favorite vegan pâtés?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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3 thoughts on “Black Walnut and Maitake Mushroom Pâté”

  • Love black walnuts…they are very nostalgic for me because my grandparents had a farm that had many walnuts planted along the field edges. I still eat them a lot! Looking forward to trying the recipe.

    • Luke, that’s beautiful! My grandma had a buck-eye tree in her yard, but as far as I know you can’t eat those… Hope you love the recipe!

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