CEGS CHRISTMAS NUTROAST
Ok, so the idea of a ‘nutroast’ has never excited me. It sounds like a loaf of nuts. HOWEVER, I really had to give this a go! I did a lot of research and – as it turns out – it’s quite versatile and definitely isn’t necessary to pack it full of nuts. Even if you still love a bit of turkey and a few pigs in blankets over the festive period, it’s always nice to have an alternative. Funny story: I had planned to use butternut squash but the store was out of them and offered me pumpkin as an alternative and it turned out to be delicious!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 600g pumpkin or butternut squash
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 220g mushrooms (any kind)
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 150g cooked chestnuts (roughly chopped)
- 1 carrot
- 85g walnuts
- 65g oat flour (you can blitz oats into a powder with a food processor)
- 50g dried cranberries
- Small handful of blue cheese
- Potatoes (mashed) to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180c
- Chop the squash or pumpkin, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, place on a
baking tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes - Meanwhile, use a chopper or food processor to chop the mushrooms,
walnuts and carrot separately. Set aside - In a hot pan, add the oil and fry the onions and garlic for 3 minutes – or
until soft – then toss in the dried rosemary and dried thyme - On a high heat, add the mushrooms and cook down for 3 or 4 minutes
before throwing in the chestnuts. Stir well and let cook for 2 more minutes - In a big mixing bowl, throw in the chopped walnuts and mushroom mix
- Remove the squash / pumpkin from the oven, let cool, then mash with a
fork - Add the squash / pumpkin to the big bowl and stir
- Add the oat flour and stir
- Chop 20g of cranberries and throw those in
- Increase the oven temperature to 200c
- Transfer mixture to a loaf tin and bake, uncovered for 45 minutes
- After 45 minutes, if the top looks cooked with a nice crust, place a piece of foil over the top and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. This will allow the loaf to cook thoroughly without the top burning
- Whilst baking, prepare the mashed potato as a side and a gravy of your
choice, if desired - Crumble the blue cheese and chop the remaining cranberries, ready to top the loaf with them when you’ve removed it from the oven
- Slice as thin or thick as you like and serve!

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