Hearty nut roast

Hearty Nut Roast
Image source: Simon Smith
The wonderful seasoning of this hearty nut roast will delight your stomach. Whether for Christmas or special occasions, this nutty wreath will steal all the other dishes’ thunder. Why not try your hand at making this festive nut roast from the Avant-Garde Vegan, Gaz Oakley?

Ingredients

Servings: 6

For the nut roast

  • 3 tbsp
    olive oil
  • 1
    red onion finely chopped
  • 1
    celery stalk finely chopped
  • 2 cloves
    garlic finely chopped
  • 1
    leek finely chopped
  • 200 g
    butternut squash peeled and deseeded, cut into small cubes
  • 1 small
    aubergine cut into small cubes
  • 60 g
    cooked chestnuts coarsely chopped available in vacuum packs (if unavailable, use hazelnuts)
  • ½ tsp
    pimento ground
  • ¼ tsp
    cinnamon ground
  • 1 sprig
    rosemary fresh needles, finely chopped
  • 10 leaves
    sage fresh leaves, finely chopped
  • 1
    orange organic quality, zest and juice thereof
  • 140 g
    mixed nuts such as Brazil nuts, pistachios and walnuts
  • 165 g
    chickpeas canned
  • 45 g
    breadcrumbs
  • 50 g
    cranberries dried, coarsely chopped
  • 50 g
    apricots dried, coarsely chopped
  • 50 g
    tomatoes sundried, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tbsp
    balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp
    white miso paste
  • 3 tbsp
    nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp
    Marmite or another plant-based seasoning paste
  • sea salt to taste
  • pepper to taste

For the cranberry and orange juice

  • 75 g
    cranberries fresh
  • ¼ tsp
    ginger freshly grated
  • ¼ small stick
    cinnamon
  • ¼
    apple grated
  • 50 g
    sugar
  • 60 ml
    orange juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

For the nut roast

  1. Grease a 25 cm diameter wreath mould. If the mould does not have a non-stick coating, it must be lined with baking paper.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Add the onions, celery, garlic, leek, pumpkin, aubergine, and chestnuts and sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the spices, herbs, and a little salt and pepper, along with the orange juice and zest. Reduce the temperature and continue steaming the vegetables for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and the flavours have had time to develop.
  3. Meanwhile, use the pulse setting on a blender to finely chop the nuts. Add the chickpeas and roughly mix them into the mixture using a few short pulses, but do not blend them completely. Pour the mixture into the pot, add the breadcrumbs, cranberries, apricots, and tomatoes, then carefully stir them all in.
  4. Mix in the vinegar, miso paste, yeast flakes, and Marmite. Sauté for 3–4 minutes, then turn off the heat.

For the cranberry and orange sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a heavy-bottomed pot and lightly heat over a low temperature. Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Spread the cranberry and orange sauce on the bottom of the wreath mould.
  2. To finish: Pour the nuts-and-vegetable mixture into the mould and spread it evenly. Press it into the mould as firmly as possible. Cover the surface with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes.
  3. Leave the roast to cool slightly in the mould after you take it out of the oven, then turn it over onto a serving platter. Garnish as desired and serve.

Tags

Courses: Main Course
Special diets: Soya-free
Difficulty: Level 2 (average)
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes
Season: Autumn, Winter
Number ingredients: > 20 ingredients
Taste: Savoury
Preparation method: Baking, Food processor, Oven, Sauté
Type of dish: Meat substitute

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