Christmas Nut Roast Food

CHRISTMAS NUT ROAST

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the squash, 1 tsp of the paprika, all the garlic and sage, and 1 tbsp of olive oil with some seasoning on a roasting tray and cook for 20 minutes until tender and lightly golden at the edges.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for 10 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated and they begin to turn golden. Stir in the remaining 2 tsp of paprika, all the tomato purée, soy sauce, lentils and stock, and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the stock has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
• Stir the dates, breadcrumbs, nuts and eggs into the cooled lentil mixture, add some seasoning, then fold in most of the roasted squash, leaving 6-8 cubes for the topping. Squeeze the garlic from the skins, and fold through the mix.
• Oil and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. Spoon the mixture into the tin, packing it down with the back of a spoon. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes until golden-topped and coming away from the sides of the tin. Rest for 10 minutes before inverting the nut roast onto a serving platter.
• While the nut roast is resting, melt the butter in a frying pan until foaming, then fry the nuts and sage for 2 minutes until the sage is crisp, then briefly stir in the reserved squash pieces, the honey, paprika and sliced date. Spoon over the nut roast to serve.

CHRISTMAS NUT ROAST WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line the loaf tin with baking paper.
• Wash the spinach in plenty of water and put into a saucepan. Heat gently until it has wilted down, stirring a couple of times, then drain over a sieve. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
• Put the cranberries into a small saucepan and cover with the sherry. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and set aside until the cranberries have plumped up and absorbed most of the sherry.
• Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook over a medium heat until any liquid coming out of the mushrooms has evaporated and the onion has softened. Add the parsnip and continue to cook until the parsnip has reduced in volume and the onion has started to caramelise. Add the garlic, dried sage, thyme and lemon zest, then cook for a couple more minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Put the freekah or spelt into a large bowl along with the mixed nuts, chestnuts, breadcrumbs, spinach, cooked vegetables and the eggs. Season well with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
• Spoon into the lined loaf tin and dot over the butter. Smooth down, but do not pack too tightly. Cover with a layer of greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for about an hour or until piping hot.
• Meanwhile, to make the gravy, heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook for several minutes until starting to caramelise around the edges. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and thyme season well and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Turn up the heat and pour in the sherry. Allow to bubble until almost completely evaporated, then add the stock. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream just before serving.
• To make the cranberry sauce, put the cranberries into a saucepan with orange juice and zest and the sugar. Gently heat until the sugar has dissolved then turn up the heat and simmer until the cranberries have softened and started to burst. Stir and remove from the heat - you should have a mixture of whole and broken down cranberries. Allow to cool and store in the fridge until needed.

NUT ROAST

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ gas 4 and line the base and sides of a 1.5 litre loaf tin with parchment paper.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 15g butter in a large frying pan and cook 1 finely chopped large onion and 2 finely chopped celery sticks for about 5 mins until beginning to soften.
• Stir in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 200g finely chopped chestnut mushrooms and cook for a further 10 mins.
• Stir in 1 finely diced red pepper and 1 grated carrot and cook for about 3 mins then add 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp smoked paprika and cook for just a minute.
• Add 100g red lentils and 2 tbsp tomato purée and cook for about 1 min, then add 300ml vegetable stock and simmer over a very gentle heat until all the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture is fairly dry. This should take about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Finally, stir in 100g fresh breadcrumbs, 150g chopped mixed nuts, 3 lightly beaten large eggs, 100g grated mature cheddar, a handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper.
• Stir to mix well then spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down the surface.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 mins until firm when pressed gently.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil very gently then add 2 finely sliced garlic cloves and 1 rosemary sprig and heat without colouring.
• Pour in 400ml passata and add a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper. Simmer gently for just 15 mins.
• Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for about 10 mins then turn out onto a serving board or plate. Remove the baking paper and cut into slices and serve with a little of the tomato sauce.
• To make a vegan nut roast, use an extra tbsp of oil in place of butter, no cheese and 3 tbsp egg replacer. Bake your nut roast for 1 hour. The loaf will still be soft in the middle after cooking.
• It can be cooked in advance and then chilled, sliced and reheated to make it easier to serve.