4 Servings
1/4 cup cashews
2 cups packed spinach leaves, blanched for 1 minute
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves (optional)
1/2 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1-1/2 teaspoons powdered agar agar or 1 tablespoon agar agar flakes
In a blender, combine the cashews, spinach, cilantro, mint, chile, salt, and 1/2 cup water and blend until smooth.
In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup water to a boil and whisk in the agar agar until blended. Add to the blender and blend until smooth. Test the pate as above before using, adding more agar agar dissolved in water if necessary.
VARIATION
Marble to the two pates: pour the pimento pate into a loaf pan, then pour the spinach pate on top and randomly fold into the pimento pate. To layer the pates, pour half the pimento pate into the pan or mold and refrigerate 10 minutes. Pour half of the spinach pate on top and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining layers.
NOTE:
When you layer the pate, the layers do not adhere to each other. It looks beautiful, but the layers come apart when sliced. If I make this again, I’d marble the pates. Also note, the agar agar gels pretty quickly, so it was not necessary to wait ten minutes for each layer to set up (meanwhile, the remainder in the bowl is getting firm). I made both mixtures, then heated the agar agar, and started the pepper pates gelling, before I added the water/agar to the spinach mixture to avoid it gelling too soon.