How about a nut roast this Christmas?

An old school friend recently told me that the daughter of one of our former schoolmates “now supplies our Christmas turkey from her farm”. He immediately apologised for his insensitivity, but assured me that the turkeys “are happy creatures” under her care. Whether this is the case throughout their rearing and slaughter is another matter, but the story immediately brought to mind an old Chickens’ Lib* postcard showing a majestic turkey with a speech bubble asking the reader: “How about a nut roast this Christmas?”. (* Their story is told in this book by Clare Druce.)

Nut roast was for many years the favoured vegetarian alternative at Christmas and there was a plethora of recipes, including one for a ‘basic nut roast’ (reproduced below) that made its way onto a Vegetarian Society leaflet entitled “Catering for Vegetarians”. Nut roast may be considered dated now, and readers looking for an ‘alternative to the alternative’ are invited to join the Vegetarian Society’s Christmas Club 2021 for a selection of “amazing festive recipes crammed with flavour and crafted with kindness”. Sign up for free online to receive the club’s newsletters and a link to this year’s digital booklet of new Christmas Club recipes.

Paul Appleby

A Bit of the Good Stuff

Last December, OxVeg supporter Lauren Chessum kindly sent me the recipe for a vegan Spinach & Tofu ‘Ricotta’ Pie.  The recipe had come from a magazine (no one seems to remember which one) where it was attributed to Sharon Collins.  An internet search took me to Sharon’s blog/website (https://bitofthegoodstuff.com/) where you can find many vegan recipes, and from where I mailed her for permission to reproduce the recipe here.  Sharon replied soon afterwards to give the thumbs up, pointing out that an updated version of the recipe can be found in her Bit of the Good Stuff Cookbook, which you can order from the website (https://bitofthegoodstuff.com/bookshop/).  The cookbook “has over 100 delicious plant-powered recipes for all the family to enjoy (and) focuses on everyday meals using ingredients that are easy to source” and is available in either printed format or as an e-book. So, without further ado, here is Sharon’s recipe for Spinach & Tofu ‘Ricotta’ Pie.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 200g fresh spinach leaves
• 400g firm tofu
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 6 sheets filo pastry

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (Gas Mark 5). Lightly oil a 1.5L ovenproof dish.
2. Gently heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic for 3 minutes.
3. Place the spinach in a strainer over the sink and pour boiling water on top until it starts to wilt. Run the spinach under cold water to cool it down, then squeeze hard to remove the water. Roughly chop the spinach.
4. Drain the tofu and squeeze to as much water as possible.
5. Crumble the tofu into a food processor. Add the spinach, mustard, basil and 1 teaspoon olive oil and blend until smooth. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, nutritional yeast and salt and pulse to combine. Stir in the pine nuts.
6. Lay out one filo pastry sheet and lightly brush with oil, laying another sheet directly on top. Place the two sheets in the overproof dish so that they cover the bottom and overhang the sides. Repeat with another two filo pastry sheets and spoon the ‘ricotta’ into the dish.
7. Lightly brush the remaining two filo pastry sheets with oil, crinkle them up and place on top of the dish. Brush the top of the pie with oil and pierce a couple of times to allow the steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
8. The pie is best served immediately while it is warm and crispy. It can also be eaten cold and when stored in an airtight container it will keep for two days in the refrigerator.

Paul Appleby (with thanks to Sharon Collins and Lauren Chessum)

(Spinach & Tofu ‘Ricotta’ Pie from the Bit of the Good Stuff Cookbook, reproduced with kind permission of the author.)

Celebrate Burns Night veggie-style

If you are of Scottish descent, or simply an admirer of Scotland’s most famous poet Robert Burns (1759-96), at this time of the year you have Burns Night (25th January) to look forward to. Even if you can claim neither of the above as an excuse, why not celebrate the occasion by preparing a vegetarian or vegan version of the traditional centrepiece of the occasion – the “great chieften o’ the puddin-race” – the haggis. You can find a recipe for vegan haggis at http://www.veg-world.com/recipes/haggis.htm, a gluten-free vegan haggis recipe at http://savouringsustainability.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/vegan-gluten-free-haggis-for-burns-night.html and another on the Veganuary website at http://www.veganuary.com/recipes/kind-burns-night-supper-part-1-vegan-haggis/ (with part 2, a recipe for Vegan Clapshot, essentially mashed potato and swede/turnip served with whisky sauce, at http://www.veganuary.com/recipes/a-kind-burns-night-supper-part-2-vegan-clapshot/). If you’d rather buy a ready-made vegan-friendly haggis Macsween’s vegetarian haggis, a blend of pulses, seeds and vegetables mixed with oats and spices, available from Waitrose and other good supermarkets, fits the bill. There is a complete vegetarian Burns Night menu on the BBC website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/menus/vegetarian_burns_night_menu. Enjoy yourself, and go easy on the whisky!

Spicy Chick Pea recipe

The following recipe is taken from Liz Hughes’ Winter 2012/13 newsletter with the author’s permission. Liz runs Our Lizzy Cooking, a vegetarian cookery school at her home in Malvern, Worcestershire (where she also offers B&B accommodation). For details of forthcoming courses go to http://www.ourlizzy.com .

A speedy supper that can be prepared quickly on a cold chilly evening. Ready in 15 minutes. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
2 peppers chopped
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin chick peas
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger, cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
chunk of creamed coconut (approx 25g)
handful of fresh coriander
olive oil

1) Heat oil in a pan.
2) Sauté the onion, garlic and peppers in oil.
3) Add spices and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly (add a little water if sticking).
4) Add the cooked chick peas, tomatoes – add a little water if needed.
5) Bring to the boil, add the creamed coconut, and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
6) Add the fresh coriander towards the end of cooking time.

Serve with rice or pitta bread; also goes well with jacket potato. Try adding green beans or cauliflower.

Posted by Paul Appleby