Friday, August 27, 2010

Greenbean Pate


This is a recipe that I wrote up about 10 years ago. I was recently gifted a large bag of green beans which were slightly past their prime. This family recipe popped into my head, it is a great way to use up a plethora of green beans! It is fabulous with sliced tomato on crackers or crusty bread. If you are looking for a real pate recipe, please try mine!

Forgive the ugly pics, it is really hard to photograph green/ gray mushy stuff! :) 

 
Now for a flashback!
I come from a family of cooks, so I’m often the recipient of great recipes. My grandmother passed along a recipe for what she called Mock Chopped Liver. I don’t know about you, but the idea of chopped liver is about as appealing as, oh, haggis. (Oh, how I have grown up! I love a good pate now!)



So I was in no hurry to sample an imitation of this dish. But in my quest for unusual and tasty green bean recipes, I decided to give grandmother’s recipe a try. And I can tell you this: it tastes nothing like chopped liver.

This mixture of green beans, walnuts and eggs creates a fantastic spread. Great for sandwiches, crackers, or as a dip. Stuffing cherry tomatoes with the paté will make light appetizers. The possibilities are endless!

  
So I’ve decided to bless this recipe with a new name: Green Bean and Walnut Paté. Now doesn’t THAT sound delicious?

Green Bean and Walnut Paté
 1 lb beans, blanched
1 C walnuts

1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large peeled hard-boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons mayo
Salt and Pepper

(Here is an easy way to cook the eggs and green beans. Boil a large pot of water, add eggs and set timer for 10 minutes. When timer dings, add green beans and turn off heat. Set timer for another 10 minutes. When timer goes off drain pot and rinse in cold water. Now the eggs and green beans are ready to go!)

1. Heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and cook slowly until browned and lightly caramelized. 
2. Add walnuts to pan and cook another 5 minutes or until walnuts are toasted. 
3. In a large food processor add green beans, walnuts, eggs, and the sautéed onion. Process until finely ground – the texture should be like a rough paté. 
4. Add the mayo and blend. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Chill until cold.

Enjoy! 
Makes about 2 cups of pate.

1 comment:

  1. This sounds really good!! My green bean plants are starting to overproduce - thanks for the timely recipe!

    ReplyDelete