Seggiano Paté: Olive, Sun-Dried Tomato or Artichoke

For those who love olives, tomatoes, or artichokes, Seggiano, the company with the logo “Real Food from Italy,” makes three (3) patés that seem more like tapenades.  The word “paté” conjures up thoughts of liver or meat chopped up and seasoned into blocks of spreadable toppings. But, the paté cooked up by Seggiano does not contain any meat or dairy products; in fact, the three spreads are vegetarian and vegan. But most importantly, the three patés are delicious on crackers, a piece of a baguette, toasted bruschetta and even on pasta.

Seggiano patés are prepared for the company by the Angeli family on Monte Amiato in Tuscany and distributed through a British company, Peregrine Trading Company. There are three types of patés:

Olive Paté (Crema di Olive):  This olive paté contains three ingredients: olives, salt, and extra virgin olive oil.  There are four types of olives in the paté – Green Frantoiano, Pendolino, Greca, and Canino – which make for  a delicious tapenade. There are no preservatives so any unfinished jar (6.4 ounces) should be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks (note: a jar has never lasted 2 weeks in my home).

Sun-Dried Tomato Paté (Paté de Pomodoro):  The ingredients list of this paté reads like a list of something that comes from Tuscany: sun-dried tomatoes, topea onions, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, sugar, capers, garlic, chili, salt, pepper, and herbs. The Sun-Dried Tomato Paté is perfect to spread on slices of toasted baguette pieces. The flavor is overwhelmingly tomato enhanced by the onions, capers, olive oil and spices.

Raw Artichoke Paté (Paté di Carciofi): Artichoke hearts, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, chili, salt and pepper are the only ingredients in this delicious tapenade.  Perfect to spread on toasted baguette pieces or blend into a bowl of pasta, the Raw Artichoke Paté also contains no preservatives so if the 6.4 ounce jar is not finished in the first session, refrigerate for up to two weeks.

All three products can be found in Whole Foods and in fine food stores across the country but if you are unable to locate, refer to the website listed below for a list of retailers that carry the Seggiano products. Each 6.4 ounce jar sells for about $9.

Seggiano http://www.seggiano.com/home.html