Not your Average Vegan Nut Roast...

​This is your Best Christmas Roast Dinner alternative.

There are no better recipes than this out there. 
​PERIOD!

Actusally there is...

Vegan Nut Roast 2.0 
​
​New improved recipe.
​Better than ever before. Still the best by a thousand mile.

Try it is believing.  

      I have looked hard and wide for a Vegan roast that would be an ideal Christmas dish to proudly serve to family and friends, but my search did not bring anything suitable. Far from it. I thought it to be rather disappointing.
   I have decided to create my own recipe, putting Deliciously Ella and Hemsley and Hemsley Nut roasts (and the rest) to proper shame.
   I was supposed to adapt a complete traditional Christmas Dinner into a Vegan feast in collaboration with a fellow cooking enthusiast, but the collaboration came to an abrupt stop when I was presented with Deliciously Ella recipe. The recipe has nothing grandiose about it (personally, quite the opposite…), and it seems it was just put together to pretend having a nut roast recipe that is so trebdy right now.
   Under no circumstances would I ever copy someone else work. I am a professional chef, and an original at that, and all recipes are my own - tried and tested! Deliciously Ella you have a long way to go to match these. 
 
   Now that I have made my peace, I can share with you the hard work that came into creating such an amazing and easy-to-make recipe. 

Recipe (serves 6-8 guests)

​
Preparation time: 1h15
Cooking time: 1 hour


400 g mixed nuts, chopped
225 g green (or Puy) lentils
100 ml water
100 g shiitake mushrooms (fresh)
85 g breadcrumbs (or ground flax/linseeds)
25 g dried porcini mushrooms (ceps)
25 g coconut oil (a little extra to fry vegetables)
2 large carrots
2 small courgettes
4 Celery sticks 
1 medium red onion
1 small sweet potato 
1 medium leek
1 aubergine
4 tbsp toasted pine nuts
4 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp tomato purée (tomato paste)
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
2 Soft dried apricots
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp flax/linseeds (mixed with 60ml of warm water)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cumin 
1/2 tsp paprika 
1 bunch of fresh parsley (keep 1/3 for aside for decoration)


​Layer:
2 aubergines
(or 4 medium-large courgettes)




For the perfect gravy, visit:
https://www.exquisiteprivatechef.co.uk/its-all-about-food/vegan-gravy


* Double-boiling and rinsing of the lentils allows for most of the removals of lectins and phytic acid. 

Step 4. Brunoise vegetable mix

Step 6. Cooked Brunoise and Paysanne mix

1. Soak nuts for 2 hours. If using large nuts like brazil nuts and almonds, chopped them roughly. ..................................................................
2. Pour the freshly boiled water over flax/linseeds (add 1 tbsp of chia seeds, if you prefer to be safe), and leave to rest. This will make the binding necessary to keep the roast whole. ..................................................................
3. Cook lentils with the sweet potato (about 20 minutes). Half way through, drain and rinse well (optional)*, and finish the cooking process by replacing lentils in pot with fresh boiling water and the rehydrated porcini (keep soaking water for gravy). Once cooked, drain and rinse again.  ...................................................................
4. Cut carrots, leek, onion and celery into a Brunoise and fry together with garlic gently in a pan with lid on, until onion appear translucent. Do not colour.  .................................................................. 
5. Once cooked (about 10 minutes) transfer into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.          .......................................................................
6. Using the same pan, gently fry spices before adding the courgettes and aubergine cut in Paysanne. Colour slightly. Add to brunoised vegetables,.             ..................................................................
7. Add the nuts, chopped apricots, chopped parsley, tomato paste and tamari. Fold using a silicon spatula. Check seasoning. Add salt and pepper if necessary.   ........................................................................
8. Fold in the cooled lentils, sweet potato and porcini mix using a silicon spatula.   .....................................................................................................
9. Bind mix together with the flax/linseeds jelly-like liquid (discard the seeds if you want but i prefer to keep them in for extra fibre), with a silicon spatula, folding gently the ingredients together.     ...................................................................................
10. Finally, incorporate breadcrumbs, toasted pine nuts and melted coconut oil.                        ..................................................................
11. Pour mix in a parchment/greaseproof paper-lined tin, brushed with melted coconut oil in 3 times. Separate each third with 2 layers of sliced grilled aubergine.  ..................................................................
12. Bake for 1 hour 180 ̊c (fan). ..................................................................
13. Allow roast to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. At moment of serving, re-heat gently for 10 mins, in oven on 180˚c. 

   Tips of the chef: Best to let the nut roast to rest overnight and re-heat gently for 20 minutes for extra flavour.
Make sure to leave the roast rest a little before slicing. 
​

Step 7.

Step 8.

Step 9.

Make sure to fold the parchment paper over to prevent the nut roast to dry or burn. Ready to bake.

Alternative Serving Suggestion:

Make ribbons out of 4-5 medium courgettes using a peeler or a mandolin. Grill one side only,

Scoop 1/3 of the nut roast mix and place delicately in the tin. Layer with aubergine slices and nut mix.

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