Wine and Black Olive Pate |
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Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes |
Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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This makes a perfect starter, whether for a dinner party or more casual al-fresco dining. The idea came from Sarah Brown's Vegetarian Cookbook , but I simplified it with canned ingredients and changed the seasoning. It worked so well that I’ve never made the original recipe! The texture is more of a thick salsa than a traditional pate and is good served with crackers, rye bread, blinis and sour cream. This pate is rich, so a little goes a long way. Sarah Brown is a British writer and presented a programme called Vegetarian Kitchen for the BBC. Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil |
1 small onion, finely chopped |
2 garlic cloves, crushed |
1 (400 g) can chopped tomatoes |
1 (400 g) can pitted black olives in brine, drained, rinsed and minced |
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (or more to taste) |
celery salt |
1 teaspoon clear honey |
175 ml red wine |
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for a few seconds; add the onions and garlic and saute gently for 3-5 minutes, or until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes, olives, honey, a pinch of celery salt and honey; mix together and cook gently for 10 minutes.
3. Pour in the red wine, bring to the boil and simmer for another 20 minutes, uncovered.
4. Turn up the heat and stir vigorously until the mixture has reduced to the consistency of a soft pate (or a very thick salsa); this final stage will take about 5 minutes, but cooking time will depend on the thickness of the juice the chopped tomatoes are packed in (and how much it evaporates during the simmering stage).
5. Turn into a serving dish and allow to cool; the flavours will intensify, the longer you leave the pate before eating.
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