Root Vegetable Terrine with Chestnuts

If you have any carrots and parsnip left over from the festive week then I have a recipe for you, just don't make a soup with it.  I actually made this Root Vegetable Terrine on Christmas Eve for Christmas Day.  

This was my only contribution to our Vegetarian Christmas Dinner plate as D took charge in the kitchen.  Over the years, cooking up Christmas dinner has become his responsibility, I am not sure when or why this happened, but I am quietly pleased as it gives me a deserved break and it always feels like a treat when he cooks for me, just does.   

D is not keen on overly keen nut roasts and didn't care either way if it made an appearance on our plate, so as a compromise, I decided to make a Parsnip Terrine recipe that I have made in the past. 

I introduced a few different elements to it in an attempt to make it more festive, namely the inclusion of earthy nuggets of chestnuts.  Though it was not necessary, slices of terrine  made an appearance on our Roast dinner plate.  We also had it on Boxing day served at room temperature with some tangy pickle.

Asparagus and Black Garlic Pastry Loaf

I know all sliced up this vegetable loaf looks like its holding garden peas, but I assure you these green polka spots are sliced asparagus baked in a pastry loaf.  It is based on my Vegetable Pasta Loaf recipe.  I decided to replace the pasta this time with seasonal asparagus.  I also remembered having some black garlic showcased on my blog a couple of months back for Celia's In My Kitchen Series, so decided to include a few sweet, chewy balsamic flavoured black cloves too.  

It turned out pretty okay.  The asparagus still had some crunch, slight saltiness came from the feta cheese and the black garlic, surprised us with each bite.  D likes this kind of food and doesn't understand why I don't make it often, but then he loves the leggy asparagus.

A slice of this Asparagus and Black Garlic Loaf is perfect for today with the weather being quite Mediterranean 25 degrees Celsius in some parts of the U.K, The kind of weather when you would sit out in your garden and dine with some lovely light salads.  I actually do feel like doing that, except for the fact that I have a bunged up nose, I think I may nibble on some black garlic something about it just makes me feel better!   I am sharing this post with Simple and in Season: April hosted by Fuss Free Flavours and Ren Behan. 

A Well Tasty Vegetarian Nut Loaf

It was only when Lou who blogs over at Rainbow Chard  made my  Za'atar Chickpea Loaf that I pleasantly stumbled upon her recipe for Chestnut Roast aka Chestnut, Walnut and Mushroom Nut Roast. I immediately requested the recipe and she was more than happy to share.  

So as if to repay to compliment, I finally went and made it at the weekend.  I did a few things differently but not in any way that would alter the recipe.  I just used a tin of pureed chestnuts instead of fresh, I used mixed nuts and finally, I made the nut roast in small individual baking tins featured in this post. 

The recipe was utterly gorgeous.  It had depth and was wonderfully flavoured with lots of different textures, from the crunch of the nuts, the softness of the sweet savoury chestnut puree and richness from the cheddar cheese.   It will be appearing on my table in the near future again. Follow this link for the recipe.  

Savoury Beetroot Loaf Wrapped in Beetroot Leaves

Early this afternoon, I had decided to make some more Leafy Beetroot Bites as they were very moreish, however when I found myself in the kitchen staring at the beetroot and its leafy greens, I changed my mind and decided to make something else - a Savoury Beetroot Loaf wrapped in beetroot leaves - a bit of an experiment, shall I say. 

And I am pleased once again to report it worked out rather well.

After a taster bite - cooks treat, my first impression of this was very good.  I can only describe it as a healthy baked spicy fritter, but unlike those hand held morsels, these have to be eaten off a plate with a knife and fork. 

Then my thoughts turned to how was I to serve these, when the phone rant.  It was my brother telling me he was coming over to drop some homemade Pilau rice and minty yogurty sauce. How fortunate for me, as both these additions turned this mini beetroot loaf into a filling meal.

Its up to you if you wish to wrap them in the beetroot leaves, although it gives them a two-tone effect, I have to admit they can be a tad fiddly, so its up to you if you want to make them with or without.  As I mentioned earlier, I had the leaves still in tact, so wanted to find a way of using them, also noone can accuse me of wasting.  I can be a thrift soul when I put my mind to it.

You can easily make this recipe in a loaf tin, but as I do have mini loaf tins, I opted for individual portions. These can be served either warm or at room temperature.  I am linking this recipe to  June's edition of Simple and in Season, a monthly event created by Ren Behan at Fabulicious Food. This month it is being hosted by Laura at How to Cook. 
Savoury Beetroot Loaf Wrapped in Beetroot Leaves
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus extra for greasing loaf tin(s)
1 large onion, peeled and minced
200g - 250g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
1large potato, grated
1 - 1½ tablepoons garam masala
½ teaspoon cayenne or chilli powder
6 - 10 beetroot leaves, to line the loaf tin(s), any extra beetroot leaves should be shredded
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven at gas mark 4/180oc.  First line the loaf tin or individual tins with greased baking parchment paper.  Then coat with additional oil. Now carefully arrange the beetroot leaves into the loaf tin, its okay if it overlaps.  Then evenly spoon out the beetroot mixture into the loaf tin or between the mini loaf tins.  Turn the overlapping beetroot leaves over, so they cover the filling.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes for mini loaves; or 45-50 minutes for the larger version.  Allow to cool, before turning out and serving. 

Parsnip Loaf Roast

Before you think 'err parsnip loaf' and skip this recipe,
please - I encourage you to read on.

Mushroom Tofu loaf served with Chipotle runner bean ragout

Although meatloaf is of European origin, I have always associated it as part of American cuisine. So it will not be a surprise to some of you that I have never seen a meatloaf up close. But D having lived in the States for a couple of years vouched that visually this vegan 'Mushroom Tofu loaf' looked pretty close. It wasn't just about the way it looked though, it was about taste too.
I’ve mentioned before that D is not keen on tofu (or tempeh), so he was the perfect guinea pig. I asked him what he thought of the flavours and texture of the loaf. He actually said he could not detect the tofu, the texture and flavours were good and was very happy eating it. He added he was actually enjoying the accompaniment of the chipotle runner bean-mushroom more with its smoky and warming undertones.

I was still grinning at the way the loaf turned out to think about the ragout. Having never used tofu as a binding agent, I was very impressed with the way the loaf came out in tact. I was honestly actually expecting it to collapse somewhere in the middle. If you do decide to have a go at making the Mushroom Tofu loaf (and I strongly recommend that you do so) just bare in mind that it is rather substantial. It should really be made for a gathering of friends and family; not for two people, unless of course your planning to make it ahead for the working week, which of course we have. It will keep us fed and happy for at least another 3 evenings.

Now onto the ragout - I don’t know how often the Mexican chipotle chile has mingled with the quintessentially British runner bean, but here in this ragout they are just loving each other. I was rather pleased with this fusion dish too, and it was also a nice way to eat the runner beans still growing in the garden plot.

Mushroom Tofu Loaf
Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
50g chopped walnut or Brazil nuts
50g rolled oats
150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
500ml vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
500g firm tofu, pressed of excess water and crumbled
3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornflour
140g stale brown bread crumbs
Method
In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the nuts, oats and mushroom. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender. Stir in a small amount of stock, turn up the heat and loosen stuck on bits. Add the remaining stock and cook for 10 minutes . Add the soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick. Add to the bowl with the onions and set aside. Season to taste.
Add the tofu and arrowroot or cornflour to a food processor; puree until smooth. Add to the onion mixture and blend in enough breadcrumbs to make a thick paste; mix well/ tip gently into a non-stick or lightly oiled loaf pan measuring 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Press down firmly to pack in the mixture into the pan. Bake for 40 minutes. For optimal result, let the loaf cool for an hour or two before slicing; or make a day ahead and reheat. Adapted from Ken Charney’s The Bold Vegetarian Chef

Chipotle runner bean-mushroom ragoutServes 4
Ingredients
Handful of runner beans, topped and tailed, then sliced into 1 inch diamond shapes
2 chipotle chiles1 medium onion, finely sliced
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g chestnut mushrooms
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon mushroom sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cook the runner beans in salted boiling water, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Split open the chipotle chiles, remove the seeds and soak in hot water until soft (about 30 minutes). Mince the chiles and set aside.
In a large pan, cook the onion in the oil over medium heat until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic, mushrooms and the minced chipotle chiles. Cook for 5 minutes, then add stir in tomato paste and mushroom sauce and 300ml water. Bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half mushrooms are tender. Stir in runner beans and cook for a minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. An idea inspired by a recipe from Ken Charneys The Bold Vegetarian Chef.

Its not a bread loaf...

but a 3 lentil vegetable loaf..mmmmmm

The carnivorous amongst you would have meat and two veg on your plates. For me its usually a good plate of diverse vegetables, but when the winter season truly kicks in, the colourful vegetables that adorned my plate early in the year are drastically reduced. So I end up filling this gap on my plate with an 'accompaniment'. This could be vegetarian sausages, a supermarket mock ‘meat’ product, or a home made ones such as a lentil-nut-vegetable loaves, which I prefer. I know many people, vegetarians too would turn their nose up to the option of a nut loaf and would rather to leave it in the deep realms of the 1960s, but I think a good nut or lentil loaf deserves its place in today's society. So I am putting the limelight on this 3 lentil vegetable loaf.
During the winter I heavily rely on my make shift store cupboard: which holds numerous dry ingredients like lentils, pulses, grains, flours and nuts. Hence the reason why such dishes come out of my kitchen,

This lentil vegetable loaf was really substantial and quite tasty too. I have served it with both gravy and chutney, and eaten it both warm and cold.

Although the vegetables at my plot are scarce with only brassica’s such as cavolo nero; and Brussels sprouts greening my dinner plate. It's not all bad really, as I still have plenty of chard, some beetroot and parsnips in the ground. In storage, we have potatoes, some carrots; and in the freezer: peas, green beans and plenty of berries.

3 lentil vegetable loaf
Makes 8 – 10 mini loaves or 1 x 2lb loaf tin
Ingredients
50g of Puy lentils
50g brown lentils
250g orange lentils
50g butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 large carrots, halved and sliced
1 large pepper, diced or 100g peas
3 celery sticks, sliced
2 – 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
2 generous teaspoons of ground cumin
150g mild cheddar cheese, grated
150g mixed nuts, ground
4 medium eggs
Method
Line the base of the loaf tin(s) with baking parchment paper. Place all the lentils (and peas if using) in different pots covered with water and cook until cooked, about 10 minutes for the orange lentils and 15 minutes for the puy and brown lentils. Drain and place all of them in a large mixing bowl.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add all the vegetables, garlic, chilli and cumin. Cook over a low heat, until the vegetables are just tender. Remove from the heat and add to the lentils with the ground nuts, cheese, and eggs. Mix thoroughly, then season well and taste. Spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin(s) and bake in a preheated oven gas mark 3 for 45 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow to cool before serving. Adapted from an Irish cookbook called Avoca Café Cookbook.