“This Lentil Pâté was inspired by traditional pate, but gets its richness from French lentils, cremini mushrooms, and hazelnuts. The legumes and nuts are sources of cholesterol-lowering fiber.”
Martha Stewart Living
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried French green lentils
- 2 cup vegetable stock
- ½ onion (cut into 3 wedges)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounce thinly sliced shallots
- 8 ounce thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
- ⅓ cup dry sherry
- ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs (whites finely chopped, yolks reserved for another use)
- crackers (for serving)
Directions
Bring lentils, stock, 1 3/4 cups water, onion, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer, adding water as needed (about ½ cup at a time) to prevent lentils from drying out, until they are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard onion, thyme, and bay leaf; set lentils aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook until mushrooms have softened completely and shallots are deep-golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sherry, stirring to scrape up browned bits. Remove from heat.
Reserve ¼ cup of shallot mixture for garnish; refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Process remaining shallot mixture, the lentils, and nuts in a food processor until coarsely combined. Transfer to a large bowl, and stir in the egg whites.
Line a 2 ½‑by 12-inch terrine pan or 5‑by-10-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing 3 inches to hang over each long side. Spoon lentil mixture into pan, and fold plastic over top, pressing down until well-compacted. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours (or overnight).
To serve, unwrap top, and invert onto a platter. Bring to room temperature. Garnish with reserved shallot mixture. Serve with crackers.
