My son is a vegetarian and I still want him to be able to enjoy a Sunday roast and Christmas dinner so I’ve been experimenting with homemade nut roasts. This is my favourite one and super easy.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 15g butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, halved, deseeded and finely diced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 100g red lentils
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs
- 150g mixed nuts such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts, roughly chopped
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 100g mature cheddar, grated
- handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method
- STEP 1 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.
- STEP 2 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.
- STEP 3 Stir in 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 200g finely chopped chestnut mushrooms and cook for a further 10 mins.
- STEP 4 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.
- STEP 5 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.
- STEP 6 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.
- STEP 7 Stir to mix well then spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down the surface.
- STEP 8 Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 mins until firm when pressed gently.
Paired with roast potatoes, a mix of vegetables and a little cranberry sauce makes a perfect veggie roast.