Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Vegetarian Christmas – Cranberry and Pistachio Nut Roast

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A nut roast is a rich and savoury vegetarian dish consisting of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, cashew nuts, pistachio, chestnuts, peanuts), grains, vegetables, vegetable oils, broth or butter, and seasonings formed into a firm loaf shape or long casserole dish before roasting and often eaten as an alternative to a traditional British style roast dinner. It is popular with vegetarians/vegans at Christmas, as well as part of a traditional Sunday roast. 
I made a similar nut roast (Mrs. Myrtleberry’s roast) nearly a year ago. It was love at first sight or love at first taste! 🙂 The main adjustment is to toast the nuts, which brings out a wonderful flavour. This is rich, satisfying and chockfull of protein. 
Even if you are a meat eater you need to try one of them. It is definitely a festive meal with mashed potato and salad.

Cranberry and Pistachio Nut Roast (Jamie Oliver recipe)

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

– 50 g pistachio, toasted
– 50 g almond, toasted
– 20 g dried porcini
– 100 g button mushroom, sliced
– 100 g cheddar cheese, grated (omit to make vegan nut roast)
– 100 g pearl barley
– 1 red onion, finely chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
– 2 small celery root, peeled and finely chopped
– 300-400 ml vegetarble stock
– 1 organic/free range egg, beaten (omit to make vegan nut roast)
– 1-1 teaspoon of sage, rosemary and thyme, leaves picked and chopped
– small handful of whole wheat breadcrumbs
– 1 teaspoon chili flake
– grated zest of 1 lemon
– 4 tablespoons olive oil
– sea salt
– pepper
– 150 g frozen cranberries
– 1 tablespoon brown cane sugar

Method

In a dry non-stick pan roast pistachio and almond for 8 minutes, let cool, chop roughly and set aside. Soak the dried porcini in a little boiling water (enough to cover) for 8-10 minutes. Drain the porcini (keep the soaking water!), chop it roughly and set aside. Butter a 20-23 cm loaf tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Cook the sugar and the cranberries in a pan over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, then tip into the tin and spread evenly.
Make the risotto base first. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over low heat. Add the chopped celery root and onion and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Turn up the heat and add the pearl barley. Cook for a minute or so until you hear it snap, crackle and pop, then add the porcini soaking water and stir until absorbed.
Add the drained, chopped porcini to the risotto and the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring each one in until it has been completely absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir as much as you can – this is what will make it creamy. Once the pearl barley is al dente, transfer to a bowl to cool. 
Preheat the oven to 190C (360F). In a pan fry the sliced button mushrooms in a little olive oil over medium heat for 5–8 minutes, until they are just starting to crisp. 
Once the risotto has cooled, add all other ingredients (button mushrooms, pistachio, almond, grated cheese, egg, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, breadcrumbs and chili flake), season, and mix well. Pile the nut-roast mixture in the tin and pack it down with the back of a spoon. Cover it with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. Once it’s golden brown on top, remove the nut roast from the oven and leave to settle for 10 minutes. 
Use a knife to loosen the tin, then place your serving platter or board on top. Cover your hand with a tea towel and courageously flip the whole lot over, then carefully lift the tin off. 

More vegetarian Christmas recipe:
Pumpkin Pie

Vegetarian Christmas – Pumpkin Pie

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I was going to write a series about vegetarian Christmas but because I was very busy I didn’t have time to translate all my Hungarian blog posts into English. I’ve got tasty ideas for a vegetarian Christmas with festive vegetarian/vegan recipes like a delicious nut roast, different side dishes and yum desserts. So next year if you look for ideas for a sensational spread on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and throughout the festive season, remember to come back and visit my blog for these recipes.

The filling recipe is from Shauna. This is a pumpkin pie made and baked from scratch with love. From a real pumpkin. In Hungary you can’t buy canned pumpkin puree, we don’t have it. If you want to make something from pumpkin puree you have to make it. If you haven’t tried it, it’s the time you should. This pie is very filling and nutritious.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

For the crust
– 200 g white spelt flour
– 50 g oat flour
– 170 g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small (2-3 cm / 1-inch) cubes
– 4 tablespoons cold water
– 2 teaspoons cane powder sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling
– 2 cups roasted, pureed pumpkin
– 1 cup ricotta
– 1/2 cup cream
– 2 organic or free range eggs
– 1/3 cup cane sugar
– 2 tablespoons maply syrup
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
– 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground ginger

Method

To make the crust, in a bowl mix together the flours, powder sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix until the butter pieces are broken up and about the size of small peas. Add cold water and mix until the dough comes together. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in a clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). After resting the dough, roll out  the pastry on a floured surface to cover your pie dish (diameter: 29-30 cm) and prick holes with a fork all over the pastry (this helps the steam escape and prevents the crust from bubbling up). Line the pie crust with parchment paper, then fill with dried peas, lentils, beans or other pulses, or with ceramic or metal “baking beans” (also called pastry weights or pie weights) so that it will keep its shape when baking. Bake at 180C (350F) for about 15 minutes until it gets golden brown. Set aside.
Roast pumpkin halves at 180-200C for 45-60 minutes. Let cool and scoop out 2 cups flesh.
To make the filling, in a bowl beat the eggs until fluffy, then add cane sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, ricotta and cream. Continue blending until the mixture is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust. Bake at 180C (350F) for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 170C (338F) and bake for another 30-40 minutes (until you can insert a toothpick into the center of the filling and have it come out clean). If the crust starts growing too brown, put some foil around the edges of the pie and continue baking. Set aside and allow the pie to cool before serving.