I was about to head down to the village for breakfast — that window before the sun gets too high and the walk becomes a bad idea — when I heard Rosa calling. I backtracked, and somehow we ended up talking about pâté. She'd seen the French Recipes hub, liked the pâtés, and one thing led to another. She suggested I try making pâté de queso Manchego y tomate seco. Manchego and sun-dried tomato pâté. I just needed to stop at Marta's store on the way back for a block of Manchego.

Breakfast was good. The pâté is better.

This is a no-cook recipe that takes about five minutes once you have the ingredients in front of you. Manchego is a natural pâté cheese — firm enough to hold its shape when grated, rich enough to carry the sun-dried tomatoes without being overwhelmed, and salty enough that you barely need to season it. The fresh Spanish cheese loosens the texture and adds a gentle creaminess. Fresh parsley keeps it bright.

Manchego Pâté with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Makes one ramekin. Keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days.

Ingredients

• 60g Manchego, grated or roughly broken
• 3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tbsp fresh Spanish cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil (from the sun-dried tomato jar if possible)
• ½ garlic clove, crushed
• ¼ tsp pimentón ahumado
• Small handful fresh parsley, plus a sprig to finish
• Black pepper
• Sea salt (taste first — Manchego is already salty)

Method

1. Put the Manchego, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh Spanish cheese, olive oil, garlic, pimentón ahumado, parsley, and black pepper into a small food processor or use a stick blender. Blitz until smooth — or leave it slightly rough if you prefer more texture.
2. Taste before adding salt. Manchego is already well-seasoned. Add a little only if needed, and adjust the olive oil if it needs loosening.
3. Spoon into a ramekin and smooth the top. Lay a sprig of fresh parsley on top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to firm up before serving.

The Flexible Chef Tip: Use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar rather than fresh olive oil if you can — it carries all the flavour of the tomatoes and adds depth without any extra effort.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with toast, warm bread, or crackers. A few extra sun-dried tomato slivers alongside look good and tell the story of what's in it. Pepino slices work well too — the cool, mild flavour cuts through the richness of the Manchego.

This also makes a very good van lunch. Pot it before you leave, take a baguette, and you have something considerably more interesting than a filling station sandwich.

This Manchego pâté is part of my French Recipes collection — confit, braises, fish, gratins and van life French cooking from Casa Adora and the road.
It also features in my Pâté & Rillettes Recipes collection — chicken liver, rillettes, fish pâtés and Spanish no-cook spreads.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef