Vegetarian Christmas dinner

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

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Oh dear...its that time of year when vegetarians are expected to eat nut-roast. I've got a vegetarian daughter living here so it would be good to have some ideas. She doesn't like mushrooms (annoyingly). What are you vegetarians having for Christmas lunch?
 
morning glory said:
Please don't encourage you know who.
Click to expand...
Me?
Got one lined up ready.

But what about
Chestnut, spinach & blue cheese en croûte
chestnut-spinach-blue-cheese-en-croute.jpg

Ingredients
  • 50g butter
  • 500g pack leeks, thickly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 240g bag baby spinach
  • 415g can chestnut purée
  • 3 large eggs, plus 1 for glazing
  • ½ nutmeg, finely grated
  • 200g pack vacuum-packed whole cooked chestnuts, halved
  • 85g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 220g pack blue Shropshire cheese, rind trimmed, diced
  • 500g pack all-butter puff pastry
For the sauce
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 2 leeks, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 300ml pot double cream
Method
  1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and garlic, stir well, cover and cook for 10 mins until the leeks are soft, stirring a few times to check that they don’t catch. Tip into a large bowl. Put the spinach in the pan and allow it to wilt. Leave to cool and, when cold, squeeze out as much liquid from it as you possibly can.
  2. Tip the chestnut purée into the bowl with the leeks and add the 3 eggs, the nutmeg, chestnuts, spinach, breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning, and stir until well mixed. Chill for at least 1 hr until the mixture firms up.
  3. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle large enough to completely enclose the filling. Carefully lift onto a large, long baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment, then brush round all the edges of the pastry with the remaining egg. Spoon the filling down the centre of the length of the pastry, leaving the ends clear. Tuck the ends over the filling, then firmly lift up the sides to wrap them round, trimming away any excess pastry as you go. Brush with more egg to glaze, then make a few holes in the top so steam can escape as it cooks. Bake for 40 mins until golden and the filling is firm. Remove from the oven, brush with more glaze and bake for 10 mins more.
  4. To make the sauce, heat the stock in a medium pan, add the leeks, boil for 5 mins, then take off the heat and scoop out 2 tbsp of the leeks. Blitz the rest in the pan with the cornflour using a hand blender, then cook, stirring, until thickened. Pour in the cream and reserved leeks and warm through. Can be made 2 days ahead and chilled. Serve the pastry in thick slices with the sauce.

As the main course?


http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegetarian-christmas
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chestnut-spinach-blue-cheese-en-croute
 
classic33 said:
Me?
Got one lined up ready.

But what about
Chestnut, spinach & blue cheese en croûte
View attachment 2030
Ingredients
  • 50g butter
  • 500g pack leeks, thickly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 240g bag baby spinach
  • 415g can chestnut purée
  • 3 large eggs, plus 1 for glazing
  • ½ nutmeg, finely grated
  • 200g pack vacuum-packed whole cooked chestnuts, halved
  • 85g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 220g pack blue Shropshire cheese, rind trimmed, diced
  • 500g pack all-butter puff pastry
For the sauce
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 2 leeks, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 300ml pot double cream
Method
  1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and garlic, stir well, cover and cook for 10 mins until the leeks are soft, stirring a few times to check that they don’t catch. Tip into a large bowl. Put the spinach in the pan and allow it to wilt. Leave to cool and, when cold, squeeze out as much liquid from it as you possibly can.
  2. Tip the chestnut purée into the bowl with the leeks and add the 3 eggs, the nutmeg, chestnuts, spinach, breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning, and stir until well mixed. Chill for at least 1 hr until the mixture firms up.
  3. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a rectangle large enough to completely enclose the filling. Carefully lift onto a large, long baking tray that has been lined with baking parchment, then brush round all the edges of the pastry with the remaining egg. Spoon the filling down the centre of the length of the pastry, leaving the ends clear. Tuck the ends over the filling, then firmly lift up the sides to wrap them round, trimming away any excess pastry as you go. Brush with more egg to glaze, then make a few holes in the top so steam can escape as it cooks. Bake for 40 mins until golden and the filling is firm. Remove from the oven, brush with more glaze and bake for 10 mins more.
  4. To make the sauce, heat the stock in a medium pan, add the leeks, boil for 5 mins, then take off the heat and scoop out 2 tbsp of the leeks. Blitz the rest in the pan with the cornflour using a hand blender, then cook, stirring, until thickened. Pour in the cream and reserved leeks and warm through. Can be made 2 days ahead and chilled. Serve the pastry in thick slices with the sauce.

As the main course?


http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegetarian-christmas
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chestnut-spinach-blue-cheese-en-croute
Click to expand...

Looks great. I'll ask her if she fancies that.
 
That actually looks really good. I would love to try it! I loved anything cooked in a pastry shell.
 
Only problem is that its in pastry (daughter says). You see, she likes to have all the rest of the Christmas dinner with her vegetarian dish - so she'll have roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, sprouts, stuffing, bread sauce (she loves bread sauce) cranberry sauce and gravy. So she doesn't really want pastry with all that going on.
 
So it's vegan, no pastry required?

The pastry plays the role of the turkey in the meal, as far as I'm aware.
 
What about
Viva!’s Deluxe Chestnut, Port and Thyme Strudel
Viva!’s Deluxe Chestnut, Port and Thyme Strudel.jpg
​
A delicious Christmas roast - also suitable for any chilly-weather Sunday dinner!

Ingredients:
  • 1 packet puff pastry, defrosted
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
  • 450g/1lb chopped nuts
  • 1 packet vacuum-packed pre-cooked chestnuts, chopped
  • 1 tin of chestnut puree
  • 60g/2oz breadcrumbs
  • 2-3 tsp fresh thyme, chopped, or 1/2 tsp dried
  • 4 tbsp/60ml port
  • 1 tbsp soya milk
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Sprout mixture
  • 10 Brussels sprouts
  • 1 tbsp Pure margarine or other dairy-free spread
  • Ground black pepper to taste
Method
  1. Pre heat oven to 180°C/350° F/Gas Mark 4.
  2. Lightly fry the onions, garlic and celery until soft. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir.
  3. Steam the sprouts until just tender then mash with margarine and pepper.
  4. Line a baking tray with foil. Oil it then mould half the filling into a rectangle. Using a spoon, make an indentation down the centre and spoon in the sprout mixture, pressing down. Layer the rest of the filling on top and smooth off with a palette knife into a rectangle. Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, flour the work surface and rolling pin and roll thinly into a rectangle, three times the width of the filling. Using two fish slices, carefully move the filling on to the pastry. Cut neatly round it, removing excess pastry in whole pieces.
  6. Use this excess pastry to cut into thin strips. Layer half of the strips diagonally and neatly across the strudel - see the picture above. Place the other half of the strips in the other direction, creating a lattice effect. Brush with soya milk.
  7. Use any excess pieces of pastry to decorate the strudel with holly leaf shapes and berries or anything else you fancy - and also brush these with a little soya milk.
  8. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

http://www.veganrecipeclub.org.uk/recipes/viva's-deluxe-chestnut-port-and-thyme-strudel


After this its the sprout chilli!!
 
Last edited:
Wow, those look delicious but like a lot of work. One of the popular choices for vegetarians over here is Tofurkey. I think it is tofu shaped and formed to look like a turkey. I have no idea how it is or how it tastes...I have been meaning to try to the tofurkey lunch meat though. I made a tofu stir fry last night which was excellent by the way.. I used a sauce recipe that I found online with it...and it was super. I wouldn't recommend it for Christmas dinner though.
 
They both look good. I have never cooked anything in a pastry puff. I will have to give each of these recipes a try. I hope they freeze well as I will be the only person eating them.
 
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