Mushroom Lover Pâté

To start the pâté, place the pecans in a bowl and cover them with cold water. Let stand for about an hour. Meanwhile place the dried mushrooms into a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling hot water. Let stand for approximately 15 minutes, or until soft. *Note: Feel free to play around with the type of wild mushrooms. For example, if desired, use part porcini and part chanterelle and/or morels. It really just comes down to personal preference. Once the mushrooms are soft, remove them from the liquid by lifting them out of the bowl (leaving the grit behind). Reserve the soaking liquid. For the portobello mushrooms, cut them in half and then trim off the dark gills on the underside. Slice the mushrooms into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Next, whisk together the tamari, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, lemon juice, rosemary and miso. Add the sliced portobellos and toss to thoroughly coat. Let stand for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Lastly, in a small saucepan, combine the soaked porcini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Next, slowly pour in the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit at the bottom. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes are tender, about 4 minutes.

To make the pâté, drain the pecans and transfer them to a food processor. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the marinated portobellos, as well as the porcini and tomatoes to the food processor. Next, add the nutritional yeast and pepper to the processor; purée to mixture until you reach a coarse paste — adding about 2 tablespoons of the porcini cooking liquid. You may need to add up to 4 tablespoons, depending on the thickness. *Note: For a more classic pâté flavor — instead of adding the reserved soaking liquid, add a tablespoon or so of cognac. Once you have reached the desired consistency — we like ours quite smooth — stop and taste for seasoning. Transfer the pâté to a crock and serve with toasted baguette rounds, vegetables or your whatever is your preferred way to serve pâté. This pâté also happens to go really well in sandwiches and pizzas.