Vegetarian Nut Roast - it's not just for Christmas...

Every year for Christmas, the chef, aka the Ma makes a nut roast for me ‘the awkward vegetarian’. Now I’d just like to point out I do volunteer to cook, but while my brother is often stand-in or sous chef, I’m usually relegated to clean-up duties and alternate shifts with my Dad. My lack of success in being allowed to cook a full meal for my family reminds me of my attempts to get a solo singing part in my primary school plays - they always found something else for me to do. Ok, I just had to get that off my chest - back to the best ever vegetarian nut roast. The champion nut roast of Christmas 2021 - recipe from none other than Delia Smith.

Whoomp here it is;

Curried Nut Roast
serves 4

225g mixed hazel, brazil and/or walnuts, finely chopped
8 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium green peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
75g wholewheat breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teasp dried or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mixed herbs.
1 tbsp mild curry powder or 1 teaspoon hot madras curry powder
1 egg beaten
Olive oil
Salt and freshly–milled black pepper

Preheat oven to gas mark 7 / 425°F / 220°C
Grease a 7 inch/18cm square cake tin
Begin by gently frying the onions and chopped pepper in a little oil until they are softened (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, mix the nuts and breadcrumbs together in a large bowl, adding the garlic, herbs and curry powder. Then stir in the onions, pepper and tomatoes, mix very thoroughly and season. Now add the beaten egg to bind the mixture together.
6. Finally, pack the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden.

A homemade tomato sauce is a perfect accompaniment for this. It’s also yummy served cold with a salad.

I almost forgot…Happy New Year Peeps!

Davina McCall's Seedy Soda Bread

I found this recipe in 'Davina's Sugar-Free In A Hurry' book - which I picked up in Spar for  €6.99 coincidentally when I was in a hurry.  An impulse buy that has come up trumps! I do love Davina - such a lovely lady, loads of energy and what a work ethic.  Reading this book it looks like she makes loads of dough too (soz). This bread takes under an hour to make including prep and baking (provided you don't have to run to the shop because your buttermilk has gone off).

Ingredients
Makes 1 loaf – about 10 slices
Approx 177 kcal per slice

200g spelt flour (I use wholemeal) and save a little bit for dusting
100g wholemeal or rye flour (I use dark rye – just because it was right in front of me on the shelf in Aldi)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
50g rolled oats
50g mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin and sesame)
1 large egg
1 x 284ml carton of buttermilk
1 tbsp milk

1.    Preheat the oven to 190°C / Fan 170°C / Gas 5. Line a baking tray with baking paper / parchment – make sure the shiny side is up or your bread will stick to it – I found this out the hard way (that note is from me not Davina).

2.    Sift the flours and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.  Add the salt, oats and seeds (reserving a tablespoon of seeds for later) and mix everything together

3.    Measure the buttermilk and mix the egg in (crack it first) with a whisk.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and then gradually add the liquid, stirring with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a ball.

4.    Finish shaping the loaf into a ball with your hands, using extra flour to stop the dough sticking if you need to.  Place the loaf on the baking tray and cut a cross in the top (I forgot to do that last time – didn’t make a difference).  Brush the loaf with milk and scatter over the reserved seeds.

5.    Bake the loaf in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until it is a pale golden and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.  Serve warm with butter.  Freshly baked bread with melting butter is just one of my favourite things!  It keeps really well for a few days but if you don’t get through it slice it up and put it in the freezer.

Hearty Healthy Minestrone Stewp!

Easy to make – hearty and healthy – eat it straight away, it tastes even better the next day or freeze it!  Approx ten minutes prep time and around 30 minutes to cook it all up.

1 x chopped bell pepper
1 x chopped onion
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 x chopped carrot
Dessert spoon of olive oil
1 x tin of tomatoes
1 x tin of borlotti beans (or kidney, cannellini, butter beans)
Handful of chopped green beans
Half cup of frozen peas
Cup of wholemeal pasta (I used wholemeal spelt)
1 x half litre of vegetable stock – I recommend Marigold bouillon
1 x squeeze of tomato paste
Handful of basil leaves
Heaped teasp of mixed herbs
Half teasp of chill flakes

Using a medium to large saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the pepper, onion, garlic and carrot until soft.  Add the tinned tomatoes, (I also added in some chopped fresh tomatoes here that were getting soft).  Add the veggie stock, green beans, tomato paste and herbs – If you’re using fresh basil tear the leaves instead of chopping them – better for the release of flavour. Allow everything to come to the bubble! Add the pasta, peas strained beans reducing the heat, allowing the soup to simmer, stirring occasionally. After 20-30 minutes – check the pasta & green beans, once they’re cooked you’re ready to go.

You can vary this recipe to your taste - an opportunity perhaps to use up veggies from the fridge – e.g. add chopped celery to the sautéd vegetables or use diced potatoes or sweet potatoes instead of pasta.  Add more chili if you like a real kick. Use different types of beans. Add more stock to make it more soupy – I like a lot of bite in my soup so it’s more like stew.

Grated cheddar (or parmesan) makes a tasty garnish.
Toast pumpkin and /or sunflower seeds on a dry pan and add tamari or soya sauce to taste.  Once these cool they make a lovely crunchy topping. 

If there's any left store it in the fridge, it tastes even better the next day, an ideal recipe for batch cooking.