If you have to cook for a vegetarian this Christmas but don’t know what to cook…. This best ever Gourmet Nut Roast with our Cranberry, Port and Orange sauce is a a great idea. We cooked this for our vegetarian friend this week and they said it was the best they had ever tasted. Moist and flavoursome and although they weren’t initially sure about the combination of the cranberry sauce, when they tasted it they said the sweet acidity balanced the richness perfectly and made it feel very Christmassy! It is also very delicious as a side vegetable dish for meat eaters, as an alternative to stuffing (our children really enjoyed it!)
Ingredients
½ butternut squash- (pre roasted and diced)
75g bulghur wheat – (pre cook in vegetable stock)
75g red quinoa – (pre cook in vegetable stock)
1 red onion (finely chopped)
2 sticks celery (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
200g chestnut mushroom (finely chopped)
100g swiss chard (or other wilting green such as spinach)
100g cashew nuts, (toasted in a dry pan and roughly chopped)
50g breadcrumbs
100g mature cheddar cheese, (grated)
3 large eggs
Mixed herbs.
1 jar Tracklements cranberry, Port and orange sauce.
Flat leaf parsley (for garnish.)
Method
Fry the onion & celery until softened.
Add the mushrooms, mixed herbs & garlic and cook down for 10-15mins
Wilt the swiss chard down in butter.
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients (excluding the sauce) & season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pack it into a silicon loaf tin, pushing down well. You can prepare up to this point, and refrigerate ahead of time to save the Christmas Day rush, or cook immediately. Simply bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes if baking immediately, or for 45 if cooking from refrigerated (or until golden brown) Remove from the tin before serving and cover the top with the cranberry sauce and garnish with parsley.
