The connotations that I have regarding the word ‘hearty’ often involve a slightly large portion of piping hot food, a burning fire in the hearth and an even larger tipple.
The dictionary kindly informs me that it means: “abundant, rich, or flavoursome enough to satisfy the appetite”. Thus my task was to provide a unique, satisfying and tasty recipe. This is easier said than done. Originally I considered Sunday Roast, pie or soup, but they would fall down on the ‘uniqueness’ front and having sampled a delicious specimen this weekend, I therefore decided on a nice (vegetarian friendly) nut roast, with a side of vegetables. This loaf-shaped concoction of nuts and vegetables forms a rather tasty Sunday treat (fire optional). The recipe serves 4 to 6 people and although not as simple as previous recipes, it’s well worth the effort.
There are lots of different variations on this recipe and I seriously encourage experimenting with different ingredients, including adding mixed seeds, fruit and nut mix or sultanas. Side dish: Whatever vegetables you like, or if you don’t like vegetables, a vitamin supplement pill.
Cook some brown rice. If you don’t know how to do this, don’t bother reading any further. Or Google it and pretend you knew all along... Fry the onion, the grated carrot and the crushed garlic in some butter for 5 minutes on a low(ish) heat. Then add in the mushrooms (these need to be reasonably finely chopped) and stir frequently until soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked brown rice, the breadcrumbs the chopped almonds and Brazil nuts, the cheese, 2 beaten medium eggs, 1tbsp of chopped fresh oregano and basil, salt and pepper. If all the grating and chopping is a pain, chuck it in a food blender (if you’re lucky enough to own one), or make somebody else do it. You will end up with smaller pieces, but it really makes no difference to the final result. Bake in a greased 900g loaf tin at 180ºC, gas mark 4 for 1 hour or until browned and firm. Serve hot or cold with fresh tomato sauce. Not tomato ketchup, or else.
Ingredients:
1 onion
2 carrots, grated
1 clove of garlic
115g chestnut mushrooms
175g cooked brown rice
115g brown breadcrumbs
55g finely chopped almonds
55g finely chopped Brazil nuts
115g grated Cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
Tub of ricotta cheese
Fresh lasagne sheets
Grated parmesan
Fresh nutmeg
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