Red Lentil Pate with Tarragon

I made this pate today to take to a veg club activity. I think it’s really good. You can eat it on crackers or with crusty bread, or as a vegetable dip. This comes from The Vegan Gourmet, Expanded 2nd Edition, by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay, published by Prima Publishing, page 10.

Red Lentil Pate with Tarragon
makes 12 servings

1 cup dry red lentils

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

5 garlic cloves

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

½ teaspoon salt

several grinds black pepper


Sort and rinse the lentils, discarding any foreign objects. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the lentils, onion, and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for about 10 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, put the garlic in a blender and pulse to mince.

Discard the bay leaves. Drain the lentils* and onions and transfer them to the food processor. Add the lemon juice, oil, tarragon, salt, and, pepper. Puree until smooth, Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for about an hour before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Serve at room temperature.

*Note: Make sure you drain the cooked lentils well. Place in a sieve, and gently press with the back of a spoon, but don’t press hard enough to force the lentils through the sieve, just press out the liquid. If you leave liquid in the lentils, the pate will be too runny, although it does thicken a bit when it cools. It also tastes better after it sits awhile.