CHOPPING MUSHROOMS FOR PATES
For country-style mushroom pates and for those who don’t have a food processor, chopping mushrooms finely will have to be done with a broad, sharp, sturdy knife if you want to make a pate.
The easiest way, and least overwhelming, is to slice and cube all mushrooms first. I cut each mushroom in half through the stem to the top. I cut the stems off at the base of the cap, then slice the cap into 4 slices, then slice into cubes.
Once you have all your cubes on the board, hold the knife at the tip and pump the handle up and down, cutting the cubes. Sweep the cubes into a pile repeatedly as you chop, till all mushroom pieces are very small and round about the same size. Although mushrooms will shrink up a lot when cooked, as they release their fluid, a big piece doesn’t turn into a tiny piece after cooked. If you want tiny, then start with a tiny piece.
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