I've only tried this with firm tofu; it's better if the tofu has not been frozen. You will need a blender. Leaving the breadcrumbs out gives a looser, less heavy pate. There are a couple of options for the herbs and/or spices used to flavour this; my current favourite is the tarragon/parsley combo, but they're all nice.
You can use whatever kind of mushrooms you prefer, or a mixture. I like using chestnut mushrooms; or shiitake mushrooms in combination with the milder button mushrooms; or portobello mushrooms.
Makes enough for 2-4 sandwiches. Triple the quantities if serving at a party.
1. Thinly slice the onion, finely chop the garlic, and halve and slice the mushrooms.
2. Put the onion, garlic and mushrooms in a wide covered pan over low heat and cook gently for about 20 minutes until the mushrooms have given off a lot of water. Make sure the heat is very low to start with, and stir occasionally. Add a very little water if it is dry at the start, and reduce the heat even further if it seems to be going dry later on.
3. Cool slightly, then put about ¾ of the mushroom mixture in a blender with the breadcrumbs. Crumble in the tofu and add the cumin, then blend until smooth.
4. Stir in the reserved mushrooms and season to taste with black pepper.
Kake's (Vegan) Cookery Site - http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery/
This page added some time in 1997
(last altered 1 Nov 2006)
- comments and questions to
Kake L Pugh (kake@earth.li).