Sun dried tomato paté does the quiet work. That's what the jar is for.
It's not always the hero. Sometimes it's the thing underneath — the base layer that makes everything on top taste deeper, more intentional, more like something you planned. Spread on the bottom of a roasting dish before the mushrooms go in, it caramelises slowly against the heat and becomes something entirely different from what it was in the jar.
Sun Dried Tomato Paté does the quiet work.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Tutto Sicilia Sun Dried Tomato Paté
- 600g mixed mushrooms — portobello, chestnut, shiitake, whatever is good
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2-3 thickly sliced heirloom tomatoes, any variety
- Flaky sea salt and black pepper
- Fresh thyme — a few sprigs
- Optional: a splash of white wine and flat leaf parsley to finish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spread the sun dried tomato paté across the base of a large roasting dish.
- Tear or slice larger mushrooms. Leave small ones whole. Toss mushrooms with olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Thickly slice the tomatoes
- Arrange mushrooms and tomatoes over the paté base. Add a splash of wine if using.
- Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning once halfway, until the tomatoes are soft, the mushrooms are golden and the paté underneath has caramelised.
- Finish with fresh parsley and a little more olive oil at the table.
Nonna's Notes
She put paté on the bottom of almost everything. She called it foundation. She was making a philosophical point and a practical one at the same time.
These roasted mushrooms are the thing I make when I want a side dish that feels substantial without requiring a production. They go alongside everything: grilled meat, roasted fish, a board of good bread and cheese. They also, with a fried egg on top, become a complete meal that nobody could argue with.
The paté is the base. Everything builds from there.
This is the recipe that teaches you to think about sun dried tomato paté differently. Not as a spread. As a flavour base. A foundation that makes the whole dish taste like you knew something the recipe didn't tell you. You do now.
