How To Make: Plant Nut Roast with Cavolo Nero and Apple

Specialising in plant-based and free-from recipe development, chef and food writer Bettina Campolucci Bordi has shared a plant nut roast recipe, with cavolo nero and apple, and a cranberry compote.

Having reported a 105 per cent spike in vegan orders since last November, new research from Deliveroo suggests as many as 20 per cent of Brits intend on eating a vegetarian or vegan Christmas dinner this year. The poll, which involved 2,000 respondents, also found that almost 60 per cent of those deciding to go plant-based for Christmas had made the transition within the past four years, with many citing their reasons for going meatless as expecting to cater for other vegans and vegetarians.

This plant nut roast recipe provides a perfect option for those abstaining from meat and animal products this Christmas. It’s also an impressive centrepiece for your Christmas dinner table. The dish is made by mashing cooked parsnips, swede and sweet potato, which is combined with a mixture of lightly fried leeks, garlic, shallots, mushrooms, herbs, cooked rice, cavolo nero, almonds, walnuts and flax seeds. It’s then baked for an hour, basted with a mixture of tamari/soy sauce, maple syrup and Dijon mustard part way through cooking.

On the plant nut roast recipe, Bettina Campolucci Bordi said: “This dish is brilliant in the sense that it is a proper centrepiece and can be enjoyed by all. It is equally as yummy the day after you make it and can also be transformed into a hash or squeezed between slices of bread for a sandwich.”

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Plant Nut Roast with Cavolo Nero & Apple and Cranberry Compote

A delicious vegan Christmas dinner alternative

Course Main Course

Cuisine Global

Keyword Christmas, Nut Roast, Vegan

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cooling/Resting Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Bettina Campolucci Bordi

Ingredients

For the nut roast

• 2 parsnips about 300 g, peeled and cut into 3–4 cm pieces
• 1 ⁄2 small swede about 200 g, peeled and cut into 3–4 cm pieces
• 1 small sweet potato about 150 g, peeled and cut into 3–4 cm pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small leek about 160 g, washed and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 small shallot chopped
• 350 g mushrooms such as chestnut or oyster, chopped
• 50 g herb leaves such as rosemary, thyme and sage, finely chopped
• 120 g cooked wholegrain rice prepared according to the directions on packet
• 200 g cavolo nero or kale de-stemmed and roughly chopped
• 120 g ground almonds
• 160 g walnuts chopped (plus an extra handful, toasted, to serve)
• 4 tablespoons cold-milled flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauteed cavolo nero

• 200 g cavolo nero or kale torn into small pieces and stalks discarded
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A pinch of salt
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

For the apple and cranberry compote

• 4 red apples such as Braeburn or Royal Gala, unpeeled, cored and diced
• 100 g fresh or frozen cranberries
• 3 cm piece fresh root ginger grated
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 lemon juice only
• 100 ml water

Instructions

• Cook the parsnips, swede and sweet potato in a large saucepan of boiling water for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, then roughly mash.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the leek, garlic and shallot for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms, herbs and some salt and pepper, and fry for a further 5–10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F/gas 8).
• Mix the vegetable mash, mushroom mixture, cooked rice, cavolo nero, ground almonds, walnuts and flax seeds together in a large bowl using a spatula until smooth.
• Line a 900 g (2 lb) loaf pan with baking parchment, then add the mixture. You can also use a patterned, fancy, Christmas non-stick mould but I recommend brushing the inside with olive oil just for good measure (this cannot be lined with baking parchment as that would hide the pattern).
• Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas 6), then roast the loaf in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes.
• Remove the loaf from the oven, then lift out of the pan along with the paper (if using). Turn the loaf upside down onto a baking tray (pan) lined with baking parchment.
• Mix the tamari/soy sauce with the maple syrup and mustard, then baste the loaf before returning to the oven to bake for a further 15–20 minutes.
• To cook the cavolo nero accompaniment, massage the leaves with a little of the olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft. Preheat a medium frying pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic and fry the cavolo nero for 5 minutes. Add the tamari/soy sauce and sesame seed oil, then set aside.
• To make the compote, add the apples, cranberries, ginger, maple syrup and lemon juice to a large saucepan, then pour in the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the mixture is soft and chunky, and all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Once the nut roast is ready, allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve on a platter with the sautéed cavolo nero and apple, cranberry and ginger compote, then top with some toasted walnuts.

Related: How To Make: Vegan Squash Wellington