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

1. Preheat the oven to 180c
2. Chop the squash or pumpkin, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, place on a
   baking tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes
3. Meanwhile, use a chopper or food processor to chop the mushrooms,
   walnuts and carrot separately. Set aside
4. 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
5. 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
6. In a big mixing bowl, throw in the chopped walnuts and mushroom mix
7. Remove the squash / pumpkin from the oven, let cool, then mash with a
   fork
8. Add the squash / pumpkin to the big bowl and stir
9. Add the oat flour and stir
10. Chop 20g of cranberries and throw those in
11. Increase the oven temperature to 200c
12. Transfer mixture to a loaf tin and bake, uncovered for 45 minutes
13. 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
14. Whilst baking, prepare the mashed potato as a side and a gravy of your
    choice, if desired
15. Crumble the blue cheese and chop the remaining cranberries, ready to top the loaf with them when you’ve removed it from the oven
16. Slice as thin or thick as you like and serve!

. . . Heal the World