I found an old mincer at the back of a cupboard. I sort of knew it was there, but hadn't thought about it for years. I was tidying up a bit - putting things in order to make more space - when I re-discovered the plastic bag with all the mincer-bits in it and I remembered that I had wanted to try making mushroom paté for a long time, but could never be bothered locating the mincer. So, I dug it out, cleaned all the bits and spent ages trying to fit them together before realising there were two mincers with different sized components in the bag. I got the thing sorted eventually - I got one of them sorted, anyway. The other remains untried but I assume all the bits are there and, assembled, it's just as good as the other. I'll maybe find out for sure soon enough, as I enjoyed mincing the mushrooms and wouldn't mind repeating the experience with something more substantial. If you don't have your own mincer, I'm sure a food-proccessor would do the trick here, but it won't be nearly as much fun.
This recipe takes it's inspiration, like many others, from the list of ingredients on the side of a plastic tub bought in a supermarket. The place in question was in Harrogate in the north of England. I spent a few days there one summer and, as is my habit in England and any other country with such a high cost of living, ate on park benches most of the time. Supermarket fridges usually provide a more than adequate variety of fresh vegetarian salads and dips to keep one going for a few days on a reasonable budget. They also occasionally, as in the present instance, provide a little inspiration for some creativity in the kitchen at a later date.
Wash and roughly chop the mushrooms. Put in a pan with a few centimetres of water and boil gently for ten minutes. Drain and leave to cool (the water can be saved and used as stock). Squeeze the excess water out of the mushrooms, then put them through a mincer a couple of times. Add the other ingredients and mix well.
Serve with fresh crusty bread, salad leaves and tomatoes for a tasty lunch or snack.