Eggplant Paté

This paté may be eaten either warm or cold served with toasted pitta bread or breadsticks.

If you are not a fan of chilli, you may use a little sweet chilli sauce, or take the seeds out of the chilli and just use the flesh.

Eggplant Paté

Ingredients:

3 large eggplants, pricked all over
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 Tbsp black mustard seeds
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp coconut cream
4 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200*C. Lay the eggplants on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes until tender. Cool, then halve them lengthways. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the chilli, mustard seeds, and ginger, and fry gently for 1 minute.

3. Stir in the eggplant flesh and the remaining ingredients, breaking up the eggplant fesh, and heat the paté through. Serve warm, or let it cool completely before serving.

Source: Anderson, J (Ed.) (2001). Diabetes Cookbook, Dorling Kindersley: Sydney

Rating: 4

Blue Cheese and Port Paté

This recipe is too good to be true. The taste is amazing, the texture is smooth and delicious, and it will certainly be a hit! We missed pate so much after becoming vegetarian, and here we have a recipe that fills that "hole". You HAVE to try it!

Blue Cheese and Port Paté

Ingredients:

350g cream cheese (e.g. Phillidelphia), at room temperature
60g unsalted butter, softened (regular butter will do)
1/3 cup (80mls) port
300g blue cheese, at room temperature, mashed
1 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
walnut halves (optional - for decoration)

Method:

1. Using electric beaters, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then stir in the port. Add the blue cheese and chives and stir until just combined. Season to taste.

2. Spoon the mixture into a serving bowl and smooth the surface. Cover the paté with plastic wrap and refridgerate until firm.

3. Arrange the walnuts over the top of the paté (if desired), pressing down lightly. Serve at room temperature with crusty bread, crackers and/or celery sticks.

Rating: 5!!!!!