Classic Nut Roast

A great vegetarian standby - easy enough to make midweek, impressive enough to serve to dinner guests.

Vegan. Hands-on time: 10 mins. Total time: 40 mins.

Contributed by Janey Macleod (March 2003).

This is a particularly nice nut roast, and is not too difficult to make, especially as the mixture can be prepared ahead of time, leaving only the final baking until later.

You can use almost any kind of nuts for this recipe. I prefer to buy a pack of chopped mixed nuts (much faster than chopping them myself), supplemented with larger pieces of Brazil or walnuts, or some whole cashews.

I like to serve the roast with potatoes and a green vegetable. The quantities given here will make four generous portions.

Ingredients

• Oil for frying
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 - 6 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups (10 fl oz, 300 ml) vegetable stock (or water)
• 1½ cups (6 oz, 175 g) finely chopped nuts
• 3 cups (6 oz, 175 g) breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. dried herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour for coating
• Oil for roasting

Method

Oven: Pre-heat to 375F, 190C.

Stew the onion in the oil for about five minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook for a few more minutes.

Sprinkle the flour on top. Stir well. Add the stock or water, stirring all the time. Bring the mixture to the boil, and simmer slowly for two or three minutes. Stir in the nuts, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, herbs and seasoning.

Turn the mixture on to a floured board, and form a loaf shape with your hands. Coat evenly with flour on all sides.

Heat the oil in a roasting tin. Place the loaf in the tin. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, basting occasionally.

Note on quantities and temperatures:
Quantities are given in American (cups), imperial (oz, fl oz) and metric (g, ml) units. Do not mix the units - use one or other system throughout the recipe.
See also How much does a cup weigh?
oz = ounces, fl oz = fluid ounces, g = grams, ml = milliliters, tsp = teaspoons, tbsp = tablespoons.
Oven temperatures are given in degrees F (Fahrenheit) and C (Celsius).
For fan-assisted ovens, reduce the temperature by 20F or 10C.