Mary Berry Nut Roast Food

MARY BERRY'S NUT ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat the grill, and oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 6.
• Line a loaf tin with foil and oil lightly.
• Slice the aubergine thinly, lengthways. Arrange on a large oiled baking tray in a single layer, brush or drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook under the hot grill for 5-7 mins each side until the aubergine has softened and is beginning to turn golden. The aubergine will cook to a deep brown once in the oven, so don't worry about getting too much colour at this stage. Once you have turned the aubergine slices over, do keep a close eye on them as the second side will colour more quickly than the first side. Allow to cool slightly.
• Use the aubergines to line across the base and sides of the prepared loaf tin, all slices going in the same direction.
• Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, untill soft, about 10 mins. Spoon into a large bowl and leave to cool.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl with plenty of seasoning, and stir well to mix.
• Spoon into the loaf tin, pressing the mixture down firmly. Fold the ends of aubergine over the top of the filling and cover the tin with the foil.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Turn out on to a serving plate, remove the tin and garnish with sprigs of flat-leaf parsley.
• Slice thickly to serve.

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.