Mushroom Dip

Years ago, my mother took me to a vegetarian (and partially vegan and/or gluten free) restaurant in Clarksville, MD called Great Sage. I only went a few times but I really liked it (haven't been back but it's probably still pretty good if you are looking to try it out, it seems to still be in business). Besides the spinach salad, which was very good, my favorite thing to get and really my only real reason for going was the trio of spreads (dips?) appetizer- carrot, mushroom, and beet. If I recall, I don't actually remember eating the beet spread as a teenager. Unfortunately they completely changed the menu and this was cut from the list. I still think about it fondly and when looking at the weekly grocery store circular and seeing cremini mushrooms on sale, I decided to try and find a recipe for a mushroom dip. As usual I couldn't just follow the recipe like a good little soldier. So far I've done a carrot dip and now the mushroom, all I have to do is try my hand a beet dip and I'll be all set. So here it is (probably could have a better picture but this was done on the fly) the mushroom dip.

Mushroom Dip (adapted from MAC & CHEESE, adapted from Urban Vegan)

1 2.25 oz bag of pecans, toasted
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 tbsp cream sherry
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
salt
pepper

1. Pulse toasted pecans in food processor until finely chopped, almost flour-like.
2. Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste and saute until mushrooms start to soften.
   
3. Add sherry to mushrooms, and simmer 2 minutes.
4. To the pecans in the food processor, add cooked mushrooms and onions and process until smooth.

I served with pita chips and it was delicious. I found a beet dip but haven't tried it yet.