Eggplant Walnut Pâté

Anyone enjoy the recipe for Eggplant Dip I posted two weeks ago? Here's another, slightly fancier way to enjoy this beloved bulbous vegetable. Traditional pâtés are often made from high-fat meats and liver. They can be delicious and quite elegant, but less than nutritious. This vegetarian version is sophisticated, filled with flavor, and healthful. Enjoy it on a special occasion or as an everyday spread with whole-grain crackers.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
1 cup walnut pieces
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, peeled, grated and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and hot pepper sauce to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Pierce the eggplant with a fork in several places and bake until very soft, about 45 minutes.

2. While the eggplant is baking, grind the walnuts in a food processor until very fine, and set aside.

3. Remove the eggplant from oven, slash to let steam escape, drain off any liquid, and scrape the pulp into a food processor with the ginger root, garlic and olive oil. Process until smooth.

4. Add the ground walnuts and allspice, and process until smooth.

5. Season to taste with the salt, and hot pepper sauce. Spoon into a small loaf dish and chill several hours or until firm.

Food as Medicine: Eggplant contains an anthocyanin called nasunin, a powerful antioxidant that can protect cell membranes from damage by free radicals.

Not much for eggplant? Try another healthful vegetarian pâté, this one made with miso.