Make Ahead

Summer Savory Mushroom Pate

July  2, 2013
4
1 Ratings
  • Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Author Notes

I grow many herbs in pots around the garden - basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, mint, rosemary...but one of my favorites is summer savory, an annual related to it's perennial counterpart, winter savory. Summer savory is not as harsh as the winter variety and its uses are common in beans, sausage and stuffings. Bulgarians call it chubritza, a must in bean soup. When dried, chubritza will sit on the Bulgarian table mixed with salt and paprika as a seasoning for all kinds of dishes. Here I combine fresh summer savory with mushrooms and ricotta for a lovely summer pate. —inpatskitchen

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Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 12 ounces mushrooms (your choice or a combination)
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced summer savory leaves ( if you can't find fresh summer savory substitute fresh thyme)
Directions
  1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and finely dice the caps. ( save the stems for another use ) Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms for about 3 minutes on high heat and then add the minced garlic. Continue to saute until the mushrooms brown up a bit and most liquid evaporates. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
  2. Place the mushrooms along with the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until almost smooth. Refrigerate at least a couple of hours before serving with crackers or little toasts.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: inpatskitchen

I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining. My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!

11 Reviews

sexyLAMBCHOPx March 17, 2015
Perfect for vegetarian Jewish holidays!
inpatskitchen March 17, 2015
Thanks chops!
JanetFL July 3, 2013
WOW! This sounds delicious - hope I can find summery savory!
inpatskitchen July 4, 2013
Thank you Janet! I find plants at my local nursery and plant it every year because I've never seen it sold at as an herb in the stores or farmers markets.
JanetFL July 4, 2013
Thanks for the tip - it will be a nursery for me, too.
Kukla July 3, 2013
I like your idea Pat of adding ricotta to the mushroom Pate and it looks delicious! I too make a similar mixed mushroom spread, but my recipe calls for a generous portion of sautéed onions and garlic and I usually finish it with a combination of parsley, thyme and some lemon juice. I also did not know that summer savory is the same herb that Bulgarian chubritza, I would use it a lot. Romanian name for this herb is chebrez and we used it in many savory dishes. Now I’ll have to try your mushroom pate and look for summer savory.
inpatskitchen July 3, 2013
Thanks so much Kukla! As a child I never knew what summer savory was...I just knew it as chubritza and it would always go into bean soup along with mint and it was always dried. I always find it at my garden center in the spring, plant it and use it fresh all summer and then dry what's left for the winter. Your mushroom pate sounds wonderful! Have you posted it on Food52 yet?
Kukla July 3, 2013
Thank you Pat! I did not posted my mushroom spread recipe on food52 yet, I will one day. You know Pat; I had the same experience with lovage. Since we came to America, almost 20 years ago and my Mom was still alive, I was looking for an herb called Leustean, which we used in most of our soups and stews, but not knowing the English name for it we were always asking somebody who was visiting from our country to bring us dried Leustean. Then I found out that in English this herb is called Lovage and I am now getting it online, it‘s good but not as fragrant as the fresh herb. Unfortunately we leave in an apartment building and I never even seen fresh Lovage at the Farmers markets. This is my story about a favorite herb.
Happy Independents Day to you and your family Pat!
inpatskitchen July 3, 2013
Kukla: You must find a source for a lovage plant! My dad gave me a rooting of one he had in his garden and it comes back every year! I've had it in my garden for over 30 years! I love it and use it often when I want that intense celery flavor> I'll check around and message you if I find a source online.
DrJKB May 18, 2019
We have lovage here in the Northeast. You cannot kill it, it is so hardy! We have so much we don’t know what to do with it. So cool to hear about your family’s uses!
inpatskitchen May 19, 2019
It truly is a wonderful hearty herb!