CHEF JOHN ASH

John Ash: Cooking One on One:
Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food
from a Master Teacher

"Teaching has come to be the thing I love most in life..." Chef John Ash

This simplicity of this recipe belies its great taste. Serve with crisp little croutes, toasts or crackers of your choice and, as the French do, with some little cornichons and grainy mustard on the side.

Wild Mushroom and Nut Pate

Makes enough to fill a 3-cup mold or dish

• 5 tablespoons butter
  
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots or green onions (white part only)
  
• 1-1/4 pounds thickly sliced fresh wild mushrooms (note)
  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  
• 2 teaspoons curry powder or to your taste
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 cup toasted unsalted cashews, almonds or macadamias
  
• 2 tablespoons toasted nut oil such as walnut or olive oil
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, chives and/or basil
  
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the shallots, mushrooms, garlic, curry and cumin and sauté and stir until mixture is just beginning to brown and all liquid has evaporated

While mushrooms are cooking add the cashews to a food processor and process till finely chopped. Add oil and continue to process to make a paste. Add the mushroom mixture and process till smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and place in a 3-cup pate mold or other ceramic dish. Can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Allow to return to room temperature and sprinkle with chopped herbs and zest at serving time.

*Note: A caution here — only use wild mushrooms that you are certain are edible. If you are not a hunter you can certainly substitute wild or cultivated mushrooms found in the market such as chanterelle, shiitake, cremini, portabella, oyster, etc.

Cookbooks Authored by Chef John Ash
Winner of the Julia Child "Cookbook of the Year" from the IACP One of California's foremost chefs, in association with Fetzer Vineyards, celebrates the bounty of the garden and the vine with a collection of more than 300 recipes that pay magnificent tribute to fresh and healthy high-flavor food--plus a a helpful--and fun--approach to testing and evaluating wines. Color photos.	Winner of the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award John Ash: Cooking One-on-One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher	American Game Cooking: A Contemporary Guide to Preparing Farm-Raised Game Birds and Meats Game farms have made exotic fowl and meats widely available to the non-hunter, and this is an excellent resource for those who want to cook on the wild side. From boar-based borscht to roast lacquered duck with muscat-tamarind sauce, the recipes contained herein are delicious.

"It's the process of cooking that's so much fun — the bonus is that you get something at the end to eat." Chef John Ash

Nut Recipes from Several Cuisines:

• Dukkah
  
  
• Wild Mushroom and Nut Pate
  
  
• Frittata with Bacon, Potatoes and Walnuts
  
  
• Shrimp and Noodle Soup with Laksa
  
  
• Thai Beef Salad with Almonds and Sweet Chilli Dressing
  
  
• California Four Nut Tort
  
  
• More Recipes

(Chef John Ash)