Clare Knight, Tester and Taster
Served with Mushroom Sauce in Sauces and Dips
A very filling, easy to make nut roast which is full of fibre and protein. Serve with all the roast trimmings or cold with salads. This makes a great staple and works for picnics, packed lunches and special occasions.
Testers and Tasters Feedback
“Really delicious.”
“Went really well with the mushroom sauce (from Sauce Section). I had them warm and then cold with salad the next day. I also used some of the mixture to make individual ones in cupcake papers.”
“Really good Zoe friendly option for Christmas and roast dinners.”
Photo:
Clare Knight, Tester and Taster. Served with Mushroom Sauce in Sauces and Dips
Makes: 1 loaf in 2lb loaf tin, two smaller 1lb tins or make individual roasts in ramekins, muffin tins or muffin/cupcake papers.
Plants: 14-16
Preparation: Lentils overnight soaking plus 24-35 minutes
Cooking: 35-45 loaf 20-30 individual
GF Option V NF Option DF
Swaps
GF: Leave out the Barley and add gluten free oats or replace the barley with 50g of more lentils, beans or squash or other vegetable you are using.
NF: replace the nuts with chickpeas or dried and reconstituted fava/broad beans.
Squash: sweet potato, parsnip or other soft vegetable this helps to bind the mixture.
Gluten free miso: umami paste, fermented barley or fermented fava beans, Marmite or Vegemite (GF), nutritional yeast.
Non-Vegan: use 2 eggs instead of vegan option.
Herbs: swap for spices such as cumin, coriander, chilli, turmeric etc.
Options
Add to the middle of the roast
100g of fresh cranberries to add colour and zing to the Nut Roast and make it more festive.
Sauteed mushrooms, spinach go well in the middle too.
Add crumbly white cheese for more flavours.
Freezing
This will freeze well.
Ingredients
150g raw cashews
Either a mixture of:
50g pearl barley together with 100g lentils of your choice or
150g cooked lentils of your choice
150g squash mashed
150g mixed nuts of your choice either whole or ready chopped
3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 leek finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 tsp of dried mixed herbs or 1-2 tbsp of fresh or frozen herbs or more to personal taste
150g mixed seeds of your choice - I used pumpkin, golden crushed linseed, sunflower, sesame and poppy seeds
2 tbsp ground chia seeds
4-5 tsp brown rice gluten free miso or to personal taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In Advance
These steps should be done in advance of putting the roast together. The barley and lentils will freeze well:
Gently toast your cashews in a dry frying pan stirring and keeping an eye on them as they brown and burn very quickly. You want them to just be turning golden brown.
Pre-cook your barley make sure it is well cooked – pearl barley about 30 minutes, pot barley about 50-60 minutes, black barley about 50-60 minutes on the stove top. If pressure cooking, please check your device’s instructions as they vary.
Pre-cook the lentils together with the gluten free miso or alternative you are using. Cook the lentils until they are mushy but not too wet – red lentils about 30 minutes, more robust lentils 40-60 minutes. Drain any excess liquid, set to one side in case you need it, the mixture to be quite dry.
Pre-cook the squash or vegetable being used and mash. Either roast or steam for best flavour.
NOTE: Most lentils, except red, will cook quicker if soaked overnight before cooking.
Prepare the Roast
Heat the oven to 200C, 180C fan, 400F, Gas 6.
If using whole nuts grind them in a blender or with a stick blender. Grind until coarsely ground with some remaining texture not to a fine flour.
Heat the EVOO in a frying pan on a medium heat do not let it smoke. Add the chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes, add the leeks and cook for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to go translucent, keep the heat low enough so that the leeks do not burn.
Add the herbs and spices and garlic and cook for a further minute ensuring the garlic doesn’t go brown.
Mixing the Roast
In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients.
Add the replacement or eggs and stir in well until thoroughly incorporated with the other ingredients.
Jacqui Hardy, Tester and Taster
Note
The mixture should be quite firm and should not drop easily off a spoon. If it does it’s too wet. In which case add some gram flour or 1 tbsp coconut flour, until the mixture is the right consistency. Coconut flour soaks up moisture really well so add a little at a time and leave until the mixture binds together well. If feels too dry add a little more of the liquid reserved from the lentils. This liquid can also be used to thicken any sauce made to go with the roast.
Putting the Nut Roast Together
Prepare your cooking tins:
Loaf tins: oil the tins and line with parchment or grease proof paper
Ramekins or muffin cases can be well oiled and also lined with cases or parchment or greaseproof paper to ease turning them out.
Place half the mixture into the prepared tin and press down very firmly with the back of a spoon. Remove any excess air and ensure the mixture is tightly packed into the tin.
If using, add a layer of cranberries or any other ingredients chosen for a middle layer.
Now fill up the tins, ramekins or muffin tins with the remaining roast mixture and again press down very firmly, ensuring there are no gaps or air bubbles.
Baking
Loaf
Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes taking care for it not to go too brown on top, cover with foil or alternative for last 15 minutes of roasting.
Individual portions
Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until a knife comes out clean and the roast is browned on top.
Comments