Butternut Squash Pate

Baked pate will always remind me of home. It's a big deal in Poland and you can get it in any shop (usually made out of different sorts of meat). The best pate you ever ate is the one made by your grandma, or at least that how it is in my case.

I though I will share less traditional version of pate, made out of vegetables and lentils. After you make it once, you can try making it with different vegetables, adding some eggs to make it thicker or changing up the spices. This recipe was based on recipe from a lovely website "jadlonomia.com", unfortunately it's all in Polish, but it's full of delicious veggie recipes.

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Recipe is for one 1 lb loaf tin.

Ingredients :

200 g butternut squash (weight when it's raw, but after you peel it)

3 carrots (180 g)

125 g red lentils

water for cooking

2 pinches of salt

10 black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

50 g porridge oats + 20 g for coating the tin

25 ml veg oil + some to coat the tin

1 tbsp fresh parsley

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt

black pepper

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Preheat the oven to 200'C (fan).

Method :

1. Pour about 1 l of water into a pot, add 2 pinches of salt, peppercorns and bay leaf. Bring it to boil. Meantime wash carrots and butternut squash. Peel them and cut into medium-sized pieces.

2. Add lentils, carrots and butternut squash into the boiling water. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until all vegetables and lentils are soft.

3. When vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat. Drain it all through a sieve and put it back into the empty pot. Take w potato masher and mash it into a chunky pulp.

4. Put the pot with mashed vegetables over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, constantly stirring with spatula to reduce some water from vegetables.

5. When you are finished add porridge oats, oil, parsley, smoked paprika, paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix everything with spatula to distribute the oats and spices evenly through the whole thing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Brush the tin with some oil, then cover bottom and sides of the tin with remaining oats. Place your pate mix in the tin and smooth it out with spatula.

7. Bake it for 35-40 minutes or until golden-brown in colour. Let it cool down to room temperature and chill in the fridge for at least couple hours before serving.

Enjoy!