Autumnal recipe - The nut roast

Struggling to think what to cook for your vegetarian friends when they are coming over for a Sunday roast. Look no further as to this nut roast recipe.  I must admit that when I moved to the UK from Sweden I had never heard of this dish before. It just sounded so strange, like so many foods when I first encountered them here. But that is a long time ago now and as time has gone on, I really come to appreciate this recipe as it ticks all the boxes for both meat eaters and vegetarians.  Its rich, flavoursome and really satisfying and makes great leftovers.

Many of the steps below can be prepared in advance and if you have a food processor, this makes even lighter work of the prep. It’s also versatile so you can easily substitute the herbs, the type of mushrooms and nuts you use. Its easily halved too.

6- 8 people

Mushroom mix

1 onion

1 medium sized red pepper.

oil

340 g mushrooms

salt

black pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp each of thyme, Basil, tarragon, marjoram, sage

100 ml red wine

Splash of Worchester sauce for a bit of that umami taste. – optional.

Nut mix

200 g walnuts

175 g cashews

2 cups of cooked brown rice. About 125g uncooked.

5 eggs

250 ml cottage cheese

340 g grated cheddar cheese Parmesan, Gruyere, cheddar, fontina, smoked or any combination

½ cup or one handful fresh basil or other fresh herbs

Preheat the oven to 175°C

Use a food processor to chop the mushrooms into small pieces. 

Chop the onion and pepper and fry in oil or butter until soft.  Add the chopped mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for a few minutes until the mushrooms release their juices and become soft.  Add the minced garlic, dried herbs and continue to cook. When the pan begins to dry out, add the wine and let it simmer so the liquid is almost gone but the mixture is still moist but not swimming in liquid. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest.

Take a large bowl and mix the rice and chopped nuts together, then stir in the beaten eggs and the cottage cheese.  Add the cooled mushrooms with the the grated cheese, chopped fresh herbs and mix well together.  Taste for seasoning.  You could at this point fry a small bit of you want to taste it that way.

Line two loaf tins with parchment paper and make sure the paper goes over the edge as it makes it easier to lift out once cooked.   Fill the loaf tin with the nut mixture and rap a few times on the counter to make sure there are no pocket of air.  Decorate with sliced mushrooms and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes – 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and let cool for ten minutes before lifting out of the tin.

Serve with your favourite roast veggies, green beans and a mushroom sauce. Mashed potatoes and swedes would go nicely here too for that ultimate autumnal Sunday lunch.

THE HEALTHY BIT

Mushrooms which are one of the main ingredients in this recipe and gives it that umami flavour which makes it a good replacement for meat.  Mushrooms are truly a superfood and actually one of the only foods with natural Vitamin D.  This is a very important vitamin that helps to keep your bones and your immune system strong. Important to note that mushrooms need to receive adequate sunlight to make vitamin D.   Researchers found that chantarelles that grow in the wild contained a whopping 29.82 μg/100g but regular white button mushrooms only contained 0.21 μg/ 100. The only difference was exposure so if you can pop the shop bought mushrooms in the midday sun for 15-20 minutes that will help them form 10 μg / 100g. This of course changes depending on the time of year.   Also, mushrooms that are chopped and placed gill-side up form more vitamin D than whole mushrooms placed gill-side down. Mushrooms are also rich in antioxidants like selenium and anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour compounds that helps to fight disease.  Mushrooms also contain prebiotics which are very important for gut health.   

Nuts add a bit of crunch and contain micronutrients such as potassium, magnesium and is also a good source of fiber. Not only do walnuts look like a brain they are good for it too because they are rich in neuro-supportive compounds including folate, melatonin, Vitamin E and polyphenols – all beneficial for mental health.  Cashews are a good source of minerals such as copper which protects the immune system, help blood cells form and supports good skin as copper is involved in collagen production.  Cashews also contain magnesium which can help against memory loss and they are a decent source of protein too.

Cottage cheese is a great addition here as its very high in protein but also low in fat.   Cottage cheese also contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium which are important to prevent bone related diseases like osteoporosis and calcium can also help against colorectal cancer.

The eggs act as a binder here but are a nutrient powerhouse and contain important minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin A B12, selenium and choline which are all important for energy production and mood.

This meal is the perfect lunch or dinner when the Autumn winds are blowing, and you want something warming and delicious but not too heavy and it suits everyone. My family love it.