Lentil Christmas pate with pistachios #veganchristmas

I can’t imagine Christmas without the vegan lentil pate. When I think about the food prepared for special occasions, this salty, roasted pate full of aromatic herbs comes to my mind straight away. I will eat a few slices for breakfast with some bread and mustard or with cranberry sauce. A thick slice reheated for Christmas dinner also works very well – with potatoes, beetroot salad and gravy it can be a really good festive feast.

Over the years, I have prepared various variants of this pate, based on the recipes from Jadłonomia, who developed the “golden ratio” of pods, groats and oil – this kind of pate never fails. Having this knowledge, I have developed my own version: much spicier, enriched with the aroma of strong alcohol and the delicate and beautifully green pistachios.

• 1 cup of cooked millet (100g dry) *
• 2 cups of cooked red lentils (200g dry) **

• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves

• 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp of ground allspice **
• 1 and 1/2 tsp of marjoram
• 1/2 tsp of black pepper (preferably freshly ground)
• 1/2 tsp of white pepper
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 50ml of whisky or cognac (or some red wine as an alternative)
• 3 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 100ml of oil (including 3 tbsp for frying)
• salt (at least 1/2 tsp)
• A big handful of peeled pistachios

* Boil the millet rinsed in a strainer for 15 minutes in the 1:3 ratio: one portion of millet – three portions of water.

** Boil the red lentils, rinsed in a strainer, for 8 minutes in the 1:1.5 ratio: one portion of lentils – one and a half portions of water.

** You can also grind a few allspice berries, preferably with all the other spices. I use an old coffee grinder for this.

This recipe is for a 20cm long rectangle baking tin:

1. Peel the onions and cut them into slices. Place them along with the cloves and bay leaves in a hot pan with 3 tablespoons of oil. Fry on low heat for about 5 minutes.

2. Next, add the remaining spices: nutmeg, ground allspice, marjoram, two kinds of pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir and fry for a minute.

3. Add the whisky or cognac, mix everything and take it off the heat. Remove the bay leaves and cloves from the fried onions.

4. In a large bowl, combine the fried aromatic onion with cooked millet, lentils, oil, soy sauce and a large pinch of salt. Blend until smooth with a blender, try it and season to taste. Stir in a handful of peeled pistachios.

5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the pate mixture into the baking tin lined with baking paper. Bake for 40 minutes. Leave it to set and serve when it has cooled down – only then does it have the right texture and can be cut into slices.